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Soaring over lake and forests a kitsu with lunar-moth colored wings and a full head of strawberry blonde hair sighed softly then smiled over her shoulder at the one who flew with her. Only one of ‘her kits’ today –though they were neither kits any longer nor had ever been blood-kin of hers. She had borne them however, carried and cared for them with love as any mother would. For she loved them as a mother, and was proud of each and every one of them. Loved them more even than she loved their fathers, for the love of dear, dear friends did not quite have the same intensity for her as this motherly love.

Each kit so different –yes even though they were full grown Rune still thought of her children as kits. She probably always would. Today she was with the oldest, Tea’allia, to practice some fighting maneuvers at the house she had once called home. Before her dear friends Fai & Kurogane had asked her to be surrogate mother to their future kits & move in with them.

The White SeeD had been back many times –checking on the family, continuing her training, & reporting in- but not often with one of the kits. Fai & Kurogane could be surprisingly overprotective. But then Rune saw how the dragon-mixed Seifer was with his two young twins and certainly could blame none of them. Especially as she wished them all safe too.

Their only winged daughter… Tea’allia loved to learn to fight. To train. She and her brother Yuuou –one of the vampire twins- were the warriors of their children. Rune had discovered –unintentionally- through her reawakened but still faint residual psychic powers that the markings of this particular daughter were like the magical design Fai once wore upon his back. A dream of hers that had read a memory of his one time while they slept. Rune knew better then to push the mage who would not use his magic to teach Tea any of his skills or even to see how much of the magic gift she might have. Tea herself seemed uninterested in magic. However her birth mother wished to see her at least attempt to fulfill her potential. The hope was… that perhaps being around others that used magic effortlessly and on a daily occurrence she could at least spark her winged daughter’s interest in the magical abilities Rune suspected she carried within.

They landed, seeing Zell look up at them while training to shoot a typical boyishly warm Zell-grin full of honest happiness at seeing them again. They joined in the morning training, Rune smiling to herself how it always amazed her how Zell could be the perfect SeeD when it came to instructing a class of students. Her ears flicked, sensing they had a observer but otherwise disregarded it. There were often enough ‘family’ that watched those training in the yard. After Zell & the others finished Rune begged off immediately joining them inside, insisting that since she & her daughter had missed part of the training they would stay and have a short spar. Tea grinned and after playfully nudging Zell into Atae then tugging on Aurum’s long braid gave a wink & told them how she looked forward to joining them again later. Then mother and daughter fell into battle readiness, Zell grinning as he playfully ‘herded’ the other girls inside with comments of what they could eat followed by a sweet laugh from Aurum that it was a wonder there was ever enough food with appetites like his & her daddy’s around.

As mother and daughter spared with each other Rune’s soft clear voice could be heard teaching her daughter. About the moves and other things a SeeD & a warrior should know. Drilling them into her head. Some things were the same or similar as Kurogane taught, some not yet none contradicted any of the girl’s father’s teachings. Rune knew Kurogane was a much stronger and more accomplished fighter than herself. Still as a White SeeD, Rune Bivrow was none too shabby.

The White SeeD did notice the anomaly, her pale green eyes watching her daughter for signs as to whether or not Tea'allia had noticed it as well. Not that she expected Tea to be able to sense the blankness of a very tight mental shield -Rune knew better than to think her Guardian Force granted skills would pass onto her offspring even if they carried her blood- but she hoped that the 'sense training' the girl had with her warrior father would alert her. There. There it was. The faintest twitch of a pale ear making the blue streaked bangs shift. Good. Tea had located the watcher & knew something was different about him/her. Not what, as Rune could tell by the barest flicker in the mercury-blue eyes, but at least that something was off. Even in a safe setting such as this it was good to hone skills and senses. With so many varieties of creatures and energies this was actually a great place for Tea'allia to hone the warrior senses her father Kurogane taught her.

The snapping of tree branches alerted the sparing pair and they turned as one to the sound. To a trained eye both females were at the ready, though to a casual observer the White SeeD appeared relaxed -almost as if she was ready to pour tea rather than defend herself. To her credit, Tea'allia was not in battle-form though her young body pulsed with energy and readiness. "A kit?" The younger one said, unimpressed.

Rune however made no such reaction, blinking in surprise more at what teh kit had actually said than anything else. "Now Tea'allia, you should know better. After all, you & Youou both were kits as well when you wanted to train." She managed to give the gentle reprimand to her daughter without looking away from the kit. In fact, the White SeeD was looking over the costumed kit with a slightly tilted head as though even though her words were for the grown kitsu her attention was on the child. Tea was not amused but she was also properly chastised. "You are a daughter of Bryna & the one called Deadpool, are you not?" As if her floating and appearance were not enough of a giveaway. Rune however had not seen Bryna in some time & only heard tales of the Merc with a Mouth. "Certainly there are more apt instructors to be had, why ask me?"

Yes, she could not read this kit. Her mind was well shielded. Natural. Perhaps even stronger than Trelweny's inhibiting shields. I doubt this kit knows she invokes it. Her attention on the kit was kind and not-patronizing; patiently waiting as if talking to merely an untrained equal.

Tea huffed softly, making one of her father Kurogane's faces. Now that was not what she had said at all. The kit was making assumptions itself. She was unimpressed simply because it was a kit, not because of its having or lacking any skills or abilities.

Kits just were not fun to play with, now that she herself was grown. Tea always had to be careful in pouncing them because it was easier to hurt them. Pouncing and flying dive pouncing had been more fun when everyone was a target. Not that it was not still fun... but worrying about if someone were to actually get hurt certainly was not.

As Rune lightly chuckled her daughter cast her gaze to the side. "Tea'allia is young yet, little one." The White SeeD explained in her soft clear way, a smile forming as she saw the way Tea's muzzle crinkled realizing that to Rune, her children would always be kits in her heart. The young adult tried to get her head around the notion, debating silently what she thought of that.

The White SeeD was also trying not to laugh for another reason. Spikey-head, hm? Quite likely this was one of Bryna's offspring, for Rune had been told how she called Zell that name. She went from repressing mirth to a soft, reminiscent smile. "Seer you say? That's kind of her. I really should visit her & AearHwesta on the Hiril Anorfalf but I've not wished to intrude." She blushed lightly. Though she was now a mother, her own children grown... Rune had not known the loving touch of another and she knew she never would. Not like that. Certainly not as the former Ladies' kitsu and his lovely mate.

Seeing how her 'sisters' were happy with their Seifers and having the close & friendly companionship of her dear, dear friends and their kits Rune was content & happy.

"I am honored, young one. Was there something in particular you would like to train, or is it a SeeD's basic training you wish?"

Tea could not say she appreciated the way the masked kit was observing her like she was some thing under a microscope or something. She flicked he rear in agreement as the kit repeated her name correctly but was glad when Rune had her attention once again. She put a playful tilt on her training, that was true. Little did she know it was something similar to her mage-'mommy' in doing so -even if she did really have fun.

That did not make her dedication in training any less.

Rune chuckled. "Yes, I can imagine AearHwesta having that effect." Pale green eyes sparkled with light laughter, remembering how the former ladies' kitsu would often distract many a lady kitsu. Now all his attention in that regard was solely for his beloved. It was a wonder she could walk or fly or sail even.

A fine brow arched watching the kit move. The White SeeD's glance went to her daughter and she saw Tea's opinion of the kit raise a notch in those mercury-blue orbs. So the kit was a quick learned. Eager too. Both adults' eyes were back on the kit from their little exchange before she was on all fours.

"War Elegy Wilson? That's a mouthful." The younger adult was smiling though, showing she liked it. "Nice to meet you."

"War." Rune's soft voice repeated the name sadly, knowing the pain and horrors of war well. But the name placed the kit most certainly. Answered the question War had not answered earlier. Her smile returned softly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, War Elegy Wilson. If I may call you Elegy I will teach you." Her daughter actually sat up straighter, smiling. Grinning rather. This could be fun and give her something else to learn as well. At least while teaching fighting her mother would not be nudging so much in her gentle way that Tea'allia should work on her magic.

The truth was... Tae was scared of it. She knew the magic came from Fai-mommy, and he was scared of it. If he was afraid of it and had full mastery of it, how could she work with it safely?

War was not likely to learn anything like that about Tea’allia today or any day soon. Especially not with the way the kit was responding to the things she said & did. Yes… Tea knew it was a kit. Yet at the same time it did not act like a kit in any way Tea was prepared for. Above mercury-blue eyes her brow crinkled in both confusion and frustration. She liked the name, all ready? Her ‘mother’ was the one having a problem with any part of it. Really… it wasn’t any longer than the Lupin-Elrics’ who Tae had found out would sometimes use both. That’s how Mom-Rune’s once house sister had introduced herself after all: Liliana Lupin-Elric, as if to give no doubt about her lineage and her ties. Not that Tea had any problem with that either. She was the last person to complain about someone being proud of his or her family. Who knows, perhaps if Daddy Kuro-puppy had a last name she would have taken both her parents’ names too. & Bivrow too, for good measure. Genetically Rune wasn’t her mother but she had as good as been one all her life in every other sense of the word. But to take her “mothers’” names but not her father’s… it just didn’t seem right.

Maybe she should ask Daddy Kuro-puppy if he had a family name. What would her name be then? Tea’allia Bivrow-D.Flourite-…??? That would be too big a mouthful anyway. Easier to drop it.

Though it would be sort of fun to see her Daddy’s face. Mommy Fai would probably be interested too. Make one of those cute smiling faces he was good for. Tae was still practicing those. So sunny, even when she knew he was worried about the magic. Or the twins. Something about the twins…

The young adult did not bother herself on if she would soon be training sometimes with the kit. She knew her birth mother and knew she would begin with a trained warrior’s straightforwardness. Tea did not even have to bet how.

Only old ache and sadness in pale green eyes told the kit anything of the war that had killed her parents –leaving the young Rune with the memory of their sacrifice still fresh thanks to her memory Guardian Force- and the Sorceress War that had scattered those she considered family even as it had pulled them back together. The ache over her longing for Seifer, even as he was on the ‘other’ side of the fight through that war. The pain of war as it slipped into the never-ending heartache for the one she had given her heart to as a little girl in the orphanage. Yes, Rune had accepted how things were. Yes, Fai & Kurogane & their kits lifted her spirits and filled the vast emptiness inside her with joy & peace Rune never thought to experience for herself. The old feelings would always remain however.

It was probably a good thing Bryna’s red-clad daughter had not inherited her mother’s knack of getting into others’ thoughts.
Delicate features smiled. “Thank you, Elegy. Now…. We will start with some stretches and some warm ups, This way, when you go to imitate our moves I’m not worried so much about whether you’ll hurt yourself.” There was a bit of mild teasing in those pale green eyes. “Also, seeing you move through specific motions will give me a sense of where your body already is, so I can start to lay down a plan for your training.” Although the White SeeD’s voice had picked up her air of authority it was still as quiet and soft as ever, as if carried only on the clearness of pronunciation and diction.