The Riyona Village

[blacKbird97]

Thanks you guys!! Glad you like. Chapter 5 is on it's way so hang tight!!

[Roxi-chan]

I've just finished reading the chapter's you've posted. ^_^ I'm really enjoying this.

[Gullwing Yunie]

Nice chapter!

I'm really enjoying your writing. =D

[Sonja~Soulheart]

Originally Posted by blacKbird97

Thanks you guys!! Glad you like. Chapter 5 is on it's way so hang tight!!

yeay! chapter five is on its way! can't wait :3

[animegal]

So! *pokes* Does anyone have any speculation about the next chapter? XDD

[blacKbird97]

OMG, I'm SO sorry about this being so late. Hopefully some of your are still interested in the story. Here's chapter 5.
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Chapter 5, Intruders

Outside, the sound of footsteps grew louder and became more rapid as three companions ran for their lives from mysterious purple and white robed figures that had pursued them for the past three days. "All of this over a little debt?!" a very tall man exclaimed.

"Look, over there! A house!!" a rather short woman said as she pointed to Miyo's home, "Let's go!"

"I'll hold them off! I’ll see if I can get them to flee. You guys go!" the final female of the group urged, she wore a headband with a feather stuck in it. She stopped in her tracks and turned to face their pursuers. As one of the hooded men charged at her, she redirected his spear to hit him in the head, knocking him on his back. She wiped her forehead of sweat and looked around. "Where'd the other one go?" she mumbled.

The smaller woman, who was accompanied by the large man, who were continuing towards the house, turned back to see the other hooded figure was quickly on their tale. "Oh no!" she exclaimed, before the figure caught up to her and stabbed her in the arm with a syringe, injecting her with a green liquid. She sighed and then collapsed.

"No!!! Mini!!!" the large man yelled, before punching the hooded figure right in the head, knocking him out. "Eana, hurry!"

As the woman wearing the headband rushed over to where the other two were, she gasped at the site of Mini on the ground. "We have to get inside, Gil, before they have a chance to send more goons!! We have to break in!!"

"No, we can't! What if someone sees us?!" Gil grimly questioned, holding Mini in his arms.

"We don't have time," Eana explained, "If Mini is to survive, I need to work on her!"

The man frowned before nodding and moving out of the way with Mini in his arms. Eana entered a battle stance of some sort, before releasing a burst of luminous energy to blast a hole in the wall of the house.

They quickly rushed Mini inside and put her on the floor. Eana proceeded to get out a strange medical kit from her bag while Gil held Mini's head. "You're going to be fine Mini,” she assured her small friend. “Just hold on."

After hearing a crash, Kikyo, Kohana, and Miyo instantly woke up and headed to the living room area. Miyo, being the closest to the area, gasped as she saw everything and rushed Kohana back to bed before she caught a sight of the scene. Kikyo looked at Gil and the other two before shooting a glance at Vincent. She held up her bow and arrow and she stood ready to attack the seven foot beast of a man.

"Wait a minute!" Miyo quickly shouted to Kikyo, reemerging from Kohana’s room before trying to get a better look at what was going on. The woman's eyes grew wide as she saw that two of them were trying to save the smallest, unconscious one. Vincent pulled Cerberus from his side and quickly loaded his weapon with bullets. He sharply aimed the gun at the intruders in case they became violent. The man leered at them with his red eyes and did not utter a word.

Miyo quickly went to her room and grabbed a small bowl filled with what looked like a paste. She came back and saw a gun in Vincent's hand in which was ready to fire. "Alright now, don't overreact," the woman told the priestess and the Turk. "They don't even seem to be concerned with us."

The man looked upon at the intruders and reluctantly lowered Cerberus. "Fine," Vincent snapped as he continued to eye their every movement. "But the minute they become rampant, I won't hold back. I'll kill them if I have to."

"I won't hold back either," Kikyo replied, she looked to the woman beside her. "Are these people from your village, Miyo?"

"I'm not sure," the woman whispered in a soft voice. She took a single step to approach the fallen girl. "If they do try anything, then do what you must." She placed the bowl in front of them trying not to so any emotion. Miyo took in a big swallow as she said to them, "Here, this paste might help her." Without another word, she slowly backed away from them.

Eana looked at the bowl and quickly turned away. Grunting, she then continued to try to save Mini.

"Can you hand me the lantern by you?" Miyo continued in a whisper after looking at Vincent. She motioned to the lantern by his feet.

The man nodded and handed the lantern to the woman without lifting his eyes off of the three humanoid creatures. There was a certain aura about them that made even Vincent feel uncomfortable. He glanced over at Kikyo with her bow in her hand, and like him, she was also ready to attack.

He turned to Miyo and placed Cerberus on his shoulder. "Just stay behind us," he told her. "We'll make sure that you won't be harmed."

Kohana’s older sister nodded as she used the fire in the lantern to light the fireplace and she then made her way behind Vincent and Kikyo. She looked at him and felt a warm feeling from the Turk. She asked him, "Do you know who they are?"

The man shook his head. "I've never encountered these people before," he told her. Vincent gave a quick look over to the priestess once more and then fixed his eyes upon the intruders once more. "Do you know who there are, Kikyo?"

"I’ve never encounter such beings," Kikyo replied.

Miyo looked over and saw that the people of the village started to gather outside. She rushed outdoors and noticed that some of the village people were frightened to death. Some of the bolder men held weapons in their hands, and they were ready to kill.

"Wait!" she told them looking back. The woman took in a deep breath as she stared at the notorious hole in her home. "Go back to bed! Everything is taken care of and this doesn't concern you any of you," she yelled to them. "The festival is what you all should worry about. Riyona will be expecting it!"

In a few moments, the rampant crowd managed to settle down, and they soon went back to their own homes. Miyo returned indoors and she then dared to ask Vincent, "What are they doing to that girl?"

Vincent took a step toward the beings and observed them for a moment. "They're healing her," he said after a moment as he looked over to the two women, "with some sort of medical equipment. I've been around scientific equipment all of my life, and I've never seen such a procedure."

He turned back to the intruders and raised a brow. "Then again, they probably aren't from my world."

"I'll go and check on Kohana." Miyo said rushing to her sister. "Hopefully, they'll just leave after they finish saving that girl."

Gil hastily interrupted Eana's efforts, by saying, "Is it working yet?!"

Eana moaned and whispered, "No, none of it is working. I think this equipment is defective."

"What?!" Gil exclaimed, "All the work of obtaining it and it doesn't even work?! Come on, Mini, come on."

Vincent watched as Miyo went to Kohana's room and he looked over to Kikyo. "They're not going to save her," he said without any emotion. "They're not using the proper procedure. She’ll die without the proper medication."

"I barely know what's going on," Kikyo replied. "We don't have any of this in my world. Do you have the ability to save her yourself?"

Vincent was fell silent and thought of an idea. "The Jenova cells in my body could help her," he replied. "If I can channel them into a physical energy, I could give her some power to sustain from."

The man slowly removed his right glove and revealed a scar ridden hand from Hojo's extreme experimentation. He closed his eyes and his faced his palm toward the ceiling. "Just give me a moment," he said attempting to channel Jenova energy into his hand.

Kikyo watched Vincent as she sensed a tremendous energy coming from the Turk. "I've never felt this much intense power from one person," she thought, "My power can't reach his level."

"Kohana is alright, she's still sleeping," Miyo said walking back into the room. She looked at Kikyo, who was looking at Vincent. The woman turned to the Turk and saw that he was about to do something with his right hand. "What is he doing?" she asked the priestess in a whisper.

Kikyo lowered her bow and arrow saying, "He's creating some sort of energy and he might be able to save the girl over there."

The man continued to concentrate and after another minute, Vincent's palm began to glow with a blue aura that resembled fire. He slowly walked over to the girl trying not to break his hold on the energy. The Turk knelt down and placed his hand on her stomach. With a deep breath, he opened the flow of energy into the girl.

"Hey, what is he doing to her?!" Gil asked with both fear and concern.

"I think..." Eana announced, "...he's saving her!"

Vincent's entire arm burned with the blue Jenova energy, and he felt the power drain from his finger tips and into the girl's body. As the energy flowed throughout her body, she began to breathe again at a steady and calm rate, and she began to mend on the cells. The man stood up and released the intense energy from his grip. He took several breaths due to exhaustion and turned to the two women bearing a nod.

Miyo and Kikyo were almost shocked to see so much power he had in him. Miyo rushed over to Vincent and told him, "You need some rest. You don't look too good."

Kikyo looked down and saw a mat near her, grabbed it, and when over to Vincent's side to place it under him. Miyo looked over and saw that the girl was doing ok and told the others, "There's an extra room over there." She pointed to the room where she slept.

Gil picked Mini and carried her into the room with tears in his eyes. Eana was still in a slight state of shock, but managed to say, "Thank...you, sir, for saving my friend." Vincent and Miyo looked to Eana, and Vincent said, "Yeah...well..." Eana smiled and nodded, then headed into the room where Gil and Mini were.

Miyo looked back to Vincent and said, "We need to get you to a bed too."

"I'll be fine," he insisted rubbing the side of his face. "I've been in worse situations than this." Vincent slipped on his glove once more and displayed his calm, emotionless face.

"Well you need a little rest. Take a seat; I'll warm some tea up for everyone," Miyo said with concern on her face. She looked at the hole in the wall and sighed. "It's going to take a while to repair that. I don't understand how they even made such a hole. But I'm glad they didn't crash through the side we were sleeping at." she whispered to herself. She went about making some tea from what was left.

Kikyo noticed how tense the hostess seemed and said, "It's alright, Miyo, we'll help out. Tomorrow things should get better. Isn't that right Vincent?"

Vincent nodded and took a seat. "I'll start to fix the wall when the sun rises," he said trying to offer an act of kindness for the person who had welcomed him into her own home. "It should be a manageable job."

"Well, I've always wanted another window in the house!" Miyo said sarcastically. She laughed a little while preparing the tea and gave some to everyone in the room. The woman then place three more and gave some to the strangers in her room. Rubbing the side of her head to ease her migraine, there was no doubt in her mind that this was to be one hell of a long day.

End of Chapter

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Ok, I know the chapter is extremely long, but I had a bad time trying to find a place to split it. Also, I didn't have time to completely proof read it, so there might be a few grammar errors. I'll try to correct what I can. Anyway, I hope you guys continued reading and comment! ^__^

[animegal]

Great addition to the story! ^____^

[All-Star Gamer]

Long time no see BB97. Great going with the story.

[blacKbird97]

Thanks, it took a while to revise from it's original state. ^__^

[All-Star Gamer]

So what have you been up too?

[blacKbird97]

Nothing much, started a new school, upgraded my forum. But yeah, expect to see more of the story soon! xDD

[Haku]

Very entertaining and well written story so far, great job on all aspects of it.

[blacKbird97]

God, I'm so bad about not post. TT__TT I hope some of you are still interested.
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Chapter Six, The Morning Of

As the hours quickly moved along, morning had already come, and the three adults in the living area were wrapped up in deep conversation.
“So, your friend Cloud really did that?” Miyo asked Vincent after he had explained the defeat of Sephiroth. Captivated by his epic story, the hostess sported a large smile. It had been ages since she had heard a truly exciting tale.

The Turk looked to the woman; a small smirk grew on his face. “Well, with a few more details, that’s about right,” he explained, taking no credit for himself. He took a sip of his tea, and letting out a sigh, the man leaned back in his seat.

“Impressive,” Kikyo stated as her fingers laced together in her lap. “I’ve never heard of such skill. Your world... It must be interesting, Vincent.”

The sound of faint footsteps became audible as the small girl opened her bedroom door in which slammed closed behind her. "Miyooo," she said, walking into the room and stretching out her sister's name. "I'm hungry." Kohana still looked considerably tired, and she slowly rubbed her eyes. The child looked up and saw a hole in the side of her home. Blinking to assure she still wasn’t sleeping, she then asked, "What happened to the wall?"

The woman raised her eyes to the ceiling as she released a most fatigued sigh. "There’s nothing to worry about,” she persisted, looking to the child and offering her a smile. “We’re doing renovations on the house, that’s all. I have more tea brewing in the kitchen, so you can help yourself to that, Kohana. I hope you’re ready for the festival.”

Sitting in a chair and offering a bright smile, the little girl exclaimed with enthusiasm, "Oh, yeah! I almost forgot!" She darted her gaze to the two adults that had arrived in their home only the day before, and her grin increased tenfold. "Kikyo, Vincent, will you come with us to the festival?"

The Turk lowered his head. He hadn't gone to any sort of celebration in many years, and he hadn't been around a large crowd for some time. The man thought for a moment and didn't seem to be in the mood for interacting with others.

"I don't know," Vincent said after taking a breath. "I haven't been around a lot of people in a long time. I don't think I'm up for it."

Pouting her lower lip, the girl hopped off of her chair, and she threw her hands in the air. "Oh, please come!" Kohana said, whining. She shot a desperate glance to her older sister. "Miyo, tell Vincent to come!"

"You know I can't do that,” the older sister insisted with a firm tone in her voice. She looked up to the Turk and gave him a smile before turning her attention to her younger sister once again. “He can make his own decisions. Listen, you'll need some energy for flower picking today. Why don’t you get some fruit from the kitchen, Kohana?" Groaning, the child then sauntered into the kitchen, just as her sister had instructed.

"Flower picking?" Kikyo asked, noticing the plants on the dining table. "But you already have a fresh bouquet over there."

"Today, we pick a rare flower that only blooms around this time," Miyo replied, gazing at the flowers Vincent had brought in the night before.

Coming back from the kitchen, Kohana took her spot once again as she climbed to her seat and proceeded to feast upon a piece of fruit. "It's a Spider-Lily!" the girl announced with bits of food flying out of her mouth. “It’s my favooorite flower!”

Nodding and placing a hand under her chin, the priestess raised a most curious brow as she added, "I see, but what about those three people in your room, Miyo? Shouldn’t we be worrying about them?"

“I’m not even sure of what to think of the situation,” the woman grunted. "I really have no idea. For all I know, two of them are only concerned about the girl that Vincent saved. It would be better if we stayed here just in case."

The man looked at the Kohana’s face and sighed. Still sporting the same grim frown as she before, the Turk became guilty of his previous choice. He cleared his throat and then crossed his arms. "Alright, Kohana," he stated, gaining her attention. "I'll go to the festival, if you could tell me something: why do you want me to go?"

Kohana became a little nervous, and she started timidly playing with her fingers. "Well, festivals are fun to go to, and I thought that you would like to come," she replied, her face blushed with color. She looked to Miyo, who offered her a reassuring smile, and she then turned back to Vincent, continuing, "I’m sure you’d have fun with us."

The man nodded. "I think you've convinced me, Kohana," he said, playing the good sport. "I guess it wouldn't hurt." For some odd reason, Vincent Valentine felt the urge to show off his contentedness, and he did the unthinkable by expressing a small, rare smile.

Kohana's face lit up with happiness and joy as she gave a bright smile to match the Turk’s. "Oh, thank you!” she exclaimed, jumping up from her building excitement.

"Well, in that case, wash up and go get dressed, Kohana," Miyo said to her. "Your clothes should be in your room."

Kohana gave a small nod and started walking away. Suddenly, she stopped and gave the Turk one of her brightest smiles. "Thank you," she uttered as she rushed off to get changed for the festivities.

Looking to Vincent, Miyo couldn’t help but express a cheerful face. It had been some time since the warm feeling of friendship and family loomed in her house. Biting her lower lip, she looked down to the floor before stating softly, “It’s been years since a guy’s been around. My brother, Jeimuzu, was the last man to live here. Kohana doesn’t get attached very easily, so you’re one of those rare exceptions. I hope she’s not troubling you.”

Vincent looked up at Miyo and shook his head. "It's no problem at all," he said as he looked out the hole in the wall to see that people coming outside to begin the festivities.

Like the Turk, Kikyo gazed outside and saw that the people of the village were decorating their homes with white ribbons. A majority of the townsfolk were even dressed in white and red, donning the traditional colors of the festival. "It looks like fun to me,” she said, looking down at her clothes which, ironically, were red and white. “I seemed dressed for the event."

"We wear those colors because they’re of the Spider-Lily," the hostess replied. "There are eight white petals with red lines which gives the appearance of a spider. It's very beautiful."

Growing increasingly curious, the man looked down at his red cape. "So, red and white?” he asked, glancing toward Miyo. “I guess I'm partially suited then."

The man grinned. “Well, apparently so,” the woman replied, putting a hand over her giggling mouth. “Now, if we could get you to wear some white, I think you’d blend in rather well.”

Kohana finally emerged from her bedroom, and demonstrating a large grin, she pranced into the living area. "How do I look, everyone?" the child asked, her voice was filled with enthusiasm. The cuffs of her sleeves were red, and she was dressed in a white gown that extended to the middle of her shins. “Isn’t my dress pretty?” The young girl shuffled her foot as she awaited an answer.

"Yes, you look like a princess, Kohana," Miyo said with a smile. "I have a basket for you to put the flowers in."

"Okay, but aren't you going, too?" the girl replied, looking at her sister’s dull house clothing. "We should all go together!"

"Alright, alright, you all wait here," the older sister stated with laughter. Leaving the room and creeping into her sleeping quarters, the woman noticed that the three intruders were still sleep, and hoping not to wake them, she quietly fetched her apparel before dressing in the room Kikyo had during the night.

Looking toward the direction which the woman had left to, the Turk nodded and stood from his chair. "So, what sort of things will we be doing today, Kohana?" he asked, presenting a smirk. "I'm starting to look forward to this festival." Vincent couldn't believe what he was saying. It had been a long time since he had been excited for an event as such.

"Oh! Lemme tell you what we’re gonna do! First, we're going to the Riyona shrine! We’ll stuff our faces with food, and then we’re gonna watch a play, and then we’re gonna watch a fake sword fight, and then we go to the shops, and then we go flower picking in the afternoon, and then at night, they have a fireworks show, and it's reeeeeally pretty!" Kohana said in one breath. "I'm sure that you'll like it."

Emerging from Kikyo’s room, Miyo stepped into the hallway after gently closing the door behind her. She entered the room where her friends and sister were, and using her hand to flip her hair over her shoulder, she produced a grin as her eyes shimmered in the light coming from the outside. Turning to her and widening his intense eyes, Vincent, stunned by the woman's appearance, felt his face brightened with color, and he felt a small smile gradually grow. Never before had he been so entranced by a woman.

End of Chapter

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Oh, btw, the story has a website now! The Riyona Chronicles - Version 1.0 Simple Origin CnC please and I hope to regain some of the old readers. ^^

[Xuan]

You've posted the same thing as last time, and it even lacked the details behind it. Check before you post.

However, I like the story very much.

[blacKbird97]

Originally Posted by Xuan

You've posted the same thing as last time, and it even lacked the details behind it. Check before you post.

However, I like the story very much.

Oh...oops. ^^; I was posting stuff here before we actually had mapped out chapters, so I didn't know Chapter 5 here had everything from the official Chapter 6. I cut out the last part of the one here, so...yeah.

Wow...the chapter 5 here had chapters 6 and 7....o_0 So, I guess I have to post 2 more chapters then....er...idk....I think the chapter 5 here had some of seven, but not all of it......@___@

Chapter Seven, Parting

In the opposite room, the two strangers began a conversation which had been on their mind all night. Gil, the taller, hotter tempered adult, shot fiery words at his companions.

"How could this of all things have happened? I mean it was a simple job: get the med supplies for a buyer. But no, we didn't have enough equipment to pull the heist off, so we accepted a loan from the Fuwu Clan! Man, how foolish are we?!" Gil angrily ranted.

"Calm down, Gil," Eana insisted. "You're causing a ruckus."

Ignoring her, the large man continued, "But of course we were dumb enough to believe they'd accept our repayment a little late, due to our first buyer backing out. Geez, like they'd ever give us the time to find a new one. Then, those stupid, purple wearing weirdos start following us and boost half the stuff, including the virus samples, track us down after days of evading and inject one of our own with the stuff! Kinda poetic, don't ya think??"

Gil became flustered, heaving heavily for a minute, before going on, "Then we risk ourselves by blasting our way in here using your ability. The brand new stuff we got is busted, and then Prince Dark and Dank comes on over and shoots his powers inside of her! Who knows what he did to her?!"

"Stop it! He saved her and you should be grateful." Eana protested.

Gil continued to ignore her comments, proceeding, "And then they just invite us to stay after wrecking their house. What is up with that? Who knows who this guy is, let alone these people!? They could be some of those coven witches or whatnot!"

Eana sighed, stating, "Gil, please, people in this naive village have said the same thing about me. I'm sure they're good people!"

"Don't 'Gil please' me!! This whole situation is messed up and you know it!" Gil said as he stomped his enormous feet.

After hearing their new guests fighting, Miyo, followed by Vincent, looked into their room curiously and said "What's going on?"

Gil quickly swung himself around to face them, raising his arms in a fighting position, yelling, "Hey, this is none of your business! Get lost!!"

Vincent gripped Cerberus at his side and leered at the being. "Watch yourself," he growled as he stepped toward Gil. "I could kill you in less than a second."

"You have no idea who you're dealing with bub; bigger men than you have tried and failed!" Gil screamed, standing his ground against the Turk.

Vincent's eyes thinned and he aimed Cerberus at the large man. "You have no idea what kind of things I can transform into," he said coldly. Vincent had gone from a happy mood to an angered temper in less than a minute. "The Jenova cells have corrupted me into something that comes out of your nightmares."

Kohana backed behind Vincent and Kikyo had her bow and arrow ready. Miyo looked at everyone and although she was a little frightened, she didn't show it. To her, it was early and they didn't have time for this.

She looked over at Kohana, then to the strangers and said, "Listen, we don't want any trouble. You and your friends put a hole in my home and Vincent saved your other friend's life. If anything you should be thanking us for sparing yours as well!"

Eana smacked her forehead, blushing with embarrassment, and said, "Look, I apologize for my brother, he means no harm. He's just a little upset about our friend. I think if we all could be calm and put down our weapons--"

"Look, I don't know what your motives are, but I think it's best if you all leave," Kikyo interrupted with a blank expression. "Miyo tolerated you all long enough."

Miyo looked at Kikyo and gave a quick nod, before unleashing her temper, "I don't know where you came from, but I think you should go. You, that small girl, and your giant, hot-headed brother have caused enough trouble with the wall alone, let alone your attitude!"

Eana titled her head to the side, developing an insane expression on her face, replying, "Listen missy, no one talks that way about my family! I'm told you sorry and I was grateful for what your and your friends did to help us, but you don't seem to care! Since you're so upset about your precious wall, here!!"

The woman huffily rushed over to the broken wall and raised the rubble in the air with her ability, mending the hole. She continued to yell, "Happy now?! And the next time you think about inviting strangers into your house, don't!! Just look how this all turned out! Gil, get Mini, we're leaving-- NOW!!!!!"

The large man rushed into the room and out with the small woman and Eana's bag in his arms. He rushed through the open front door and outside. Eana soon followed, angrily mumbling under her breath. When she was outside, she turned back to face the stunned group, and said with a tone of uncontrollable hostility, "Thank you for the room and tea, it was very relaxing." She slammed the door shut and the group left the house.

Vincent eyes thinned as he watched the three strangers leave the house. "Glad they're gone," the man said retracting his gun and putting it away. "I thought I would have to fight them off. Oh well."

Miyo looked over at Vincent and showed a confused expression on her face. "What just happened?" she asked, although she was watching. "I'm still trying to take all of this in."

"I'm confused myself, Miyo," he said turning to her. He nodded and looked over to Kikyo who had also put away her weapons.

The woman still remained slightly in a daze, finally asking, "How did she fix the wall like that? It was like magic."

"I really don't know," Vincent replied.

"Well are we going to the festival or not?" Kikyo asked, unconcernedly.

Kohana lowered her head and started playing with her fingers. Miyo walked up to her younger sister, bent down in front of her, lifting her head and asked, "Regardless of all this fuss, we can still go to the festival if you want, Kohana."

"I want to go, but I want to make sure everything is ok," Kohana responded softly.

Vincent stepped toward the small girl. "Kohana, everything will be alright," he said reassuringly. "As long as Kikyo and I are near you, you'll be well protected. You don't have to worry about any of those crazy rampant people. Now, you want to the festival right?"

Kohana looked up at Vincent with a smile and gave a quick nod. "Thanks! You all are the best!" she replied cheerfully.

Miyo got up and gave a small smile. "I'm glad that she’ll be protected, but what about me?" she thought, "I shouldn't be worried about that now." Kikyo noticed Miyo seemed to be a little dazed. She wanted to say something, but felt it wasn't the right time.

Kohana grabbed Vincent's hand saying, "We already missed a lot of the festival...but we could still go eat! You're hungry, right Vincent?"

Vincent nodded and scratched his head. "I guess I'm a little hungry," he said as looked down at his stomach. "A little food won't hurt me." He turned to Miyo and gave a blank expression. "Hey, are you coming? I doubt it'd be a real festival without your presence."

Miyo frowned, replying, "Well...I guess...of course! It's just...I feel a little bad for the way I acted. It seemed like the sister was actually grateful and remorseful for what happened, but I just kind of lost it."

"Hey," Vincent said, "You had the right to be mad after what happened. I'm sure they won't hold it against you later if they look at it in perspective."

"Yeah...maybe..." Miyo said with doubt, but shook it off and continued. "You're right, let's just enjoy the rest of the day."

"Sounds like plan," Vincent answered, showing a half-smile.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. "It couldn't be them again, could it?" Miyo rhetorically asked, before going to answer it. She opened the door to see a young blind man, Oberon, and said, "Oh, hello, can I help you?"

Oberon nervously smiled and replied, "Uh...yeah...is Kikyo here?"

Miyo, looking a little surprised, answered, "Um, yes, she is. Kikyo, you have a visitor!"

Kikyo looked up from her seat and said, "A what?" She got up and went to the door, seeing Oberon's goofy face, and her expression changed to effectively match it. She sighed and said, "Oh, you, what is it you want?"

Miyo smiled and said, "I'll let your two have your privacy." She then walked back to where Vincent and Kohana were.

Oberon chuckled a little, before replying, "Well...see...I kind of have a problem. And since you're the only person who talked to me for more than five minutes here, I thought maybe you could help me out?" He then gave a big grin.

Kikyo looked a little stunned by his suggestion. To her surprise though, she found herself feeling sorry for him. He was alone in a strange place, and blind nonetheless, so she decided to comply. "Well...fine, as long as I'm in back in time for the festival."

Oberon's jaw dropped a little, and then happily replied, "Really? Cool!"

Kikyo sighed and continued with a sarcastic tone, "Mm...let me just inform my peers." She walked back into the house where the other three of the group were conversing. She began, "Listen, my...friend needs help with a task. When I'm done, I'll meet you all at the festival, okay?"

Vincent looked at Oberon who stood in the doorway, staring at nothing, then said, "Well...sure Kikyo, if you think it's a good idea. ..."

Miyo and Kohana both nodded in agreement with Vincent, and Kikyo gave a smile. Oberon tapped his foot and called out, "Now would be nice!"

Kikyo slammed her eyes shut in annoyance, then said, "If I'm not back within the next hour or so, meet me here or, better yet, I'll meet you at the festival. This shouldn't take long, I hope. ...Well, I suppose I'll see all of you soon, goodbye." She walked out the door and began to leave with Oberon.

Several hours rolled by, and during the process of waiting for Kikyo's return, Miyo managed to accomplish her typical list of chores around the house. Vincent waiting patiently in the living room, admiring the house's large bookshelf, and Kohana sat at the dining table; she emitted a series of yawns, followed by a bored sigh. Eyes lighting up, the young girl finally hopped up from her seat and rushed over to her big sister, jumping up and down, saying, "Is it time yet? Can we go to the festival now?!"

Miyo offered a small, uncertain frown at her younger sister, replying, "I'm not sure. What do you think, Vincent?"

The Turk looked to the woman, lightly clenching a book in his hand. "I don't know, Kikyo hasn't come back yet," he replied, lowering his vision to the wooden floor below his feet. "It's already been a few hours."

"Well, she did give us the alternative of meeting her at the festival," the hostess stated. Smiling, Miyo offered, "Maybe we'd have better luck seeing her there."

"Yeah, it wouldn't be fun without Kikyo!" Kohana exclaimed, curling her fists tightly. "Let's go meet her at the festival! Can we go now, Miyo?"

Vincent turned to them, sitting the book he was glancing at back down, answered, "I'm ready if you two are."

"Alright then," Miyo said with a smile. "Let me just grab our things and we'll go." She gathered various sundries into a basket and looked over to her sister and their house guest. She headed over to them and the group was quickly out the door.

As Vincent followed Miyo and Kohana to the festival, he couldn't help but to have a bad feeling about Oberon. The man shook off his idea. He knew Kikyo was a capable woman who could fend and protect herself. The Turk looked down at Kohana's anxious face.

"You excited, Kohana?" he asked as he walked along beside her.

Kohana looked up at Vincent with one of her brightest smiles. "Yep!" she replied. "I hope you are too!"

Miyo looked ahead and saw the village center covered in almost red and white. People were dressed up, eating, talking, and enjoying the festivities. One side had a sword fight, the other with lots of exotic items and mass amounts food that could feed a whole kingdom.

Seeing lots of people moving about and having fun gave Kohana an exciting feeling as she tugged on Vincent's cloak. "Come on!" she said. "We're here!"

As the man followed her sister along, Miyo's grin lit up her face, and she truly began to indulge in the festival's delight. "I've got to keep my eyes peeled for Kikyo," the young woman's thoughts echoed as her vision darted about the place. "She's got to be here, she has to be."

Vincent looked about the festival and remembered an event similar to this back in Kalm. "At my home, there was an annual event like this," he said as his eyes feasted at the various sights. "It was to celebrate the precious life that its inhabitants lived, even through hardship and desperate times. Of course, I never went to them."

Looking at everything around her, Kohana pulled everyone toward the food grabbing some fruit and started eating. "Why not?" Miyo asked with a concerned look upon her face. "Was it that bad in your world?"

"It's not that," the Turk said as he watched Kohana gorge herself with plentiful food. "It's just that it was always around those times I would think about..." Vincent paused and an image of Lucrecia appeared in his head. He touched the side of his head and he sighed. "Nothing... It's nothing."

Miyo watched Kohana playfully laugh and grabbed some food for herself and Vincent. She gave a full plate of delicious food as they all sat down at an empty table. "Sorry if I caused you to remember something you'd rather not remember," she said looking down at her food. "Why don't you eat something? The food here is freshly made."

"Right," he said softly as he lifted a piece of meat to his mouth. Vincent looked over to Miyo and sighed. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. It happened a long time ago, way before I met you." The man nodded and took a bite. After a moment, a content look crossed his face.

"Not bad," the Turk continued. "Not bad at all. Best I’ve had in a while."

A breeze passed through and Miyo looked up at Vincent. She gave a quick smirk and began eating a little. She looked over to Kohana, watching all the events around her then looked up at the sky. "Blue skies, fluffy clouds, and sunshine," she whispered to herself. "Perfect weather."

Vincent smirked in return and looked down at the meal before him and drowned himself in deep thought. He couldn't help but to think of the melancholy memories from long ago, and he continued to view in his mind the woman who had betrayed him. "I want to forget about what has passed and move on," the man thought to himself. "Please, I want this memory to stop once and for all."

"Lucrecia," the Turk whispered under his breath, not even realizing he was speaking aloud.

Miyo quickly turned her head to Vincent and observed him. "He's very handsome... mysterious, but handsome," Miyo thought, smiling a bit.

Meanwhile, Kohana was lost in her own imagination. She got up and walked around seeing people having a wonderful time at the festival. She moved through the crowd and finally stopped at some performers, watching them do tricks with fire. After being excitedly enticed for a while, she went back and to Vincent and Miyo who still sitting in the same spot. "Hey!" she shouted, waving her hands in the air. "Why are you two still here? Get up, let’s go pick some flowers!"

The Turk looked to Miyo; a sense of bewilderment filled his eyes. "Flowers...?" he questioned as his voice trailed off. "I’m not much of a nature man myself, maybe I should stay here."

Letting out a quick laugh, the woman smiled and held out her hand for the man to grasp. "Oh don't worry, I'm sure you'll enjoy it once we start," she assured him as he took her hand. She pulled Vincent up, and he stood tall upon his two feet. "And if worse comes to worse, you'll just watch. Come on, let’s get going before everyone flocks to the fields." Without a defiant word, the Turk nodded his head in agreement, and he followed the two girls to the outskirts of town; the final part of the festival was about to commence.

End of Chapter

Uh...I think that's right. >.<