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The years have passed since I showed Victor the strength of my heart, the drive to protect those I love, the girl I love

The years have passed since I showed Victor the strength of my heart, the drive to protect those I love, the girl I love. It took a battle on the moon to win him over, and it worked! I can't believe it worked! I found myself propelling back to Earth, thanks to Victor, and settled my score with Koushaku Chouno…no, Papillion. In the end, I proved to be the victor (no pun intended, guys…), and I spent what ever life I had left with my beloved Tokiko. Heh, she's still harsh for a girlfriend, but she's the best girlfriend I could ever have. Well, she's not my girlfriend anymore. After we graduated Ginsei Academy, Tokiko and I…well, we got married. Straight through, no hesitation! And a year after, we had our first child, Sakuya Muto. She has Tokiko's golden eyes, but my amazing ability to be…amazing!!

"Look at her,"Kazuki smiled as his finger pressed on little Sakuya's cheeks. The baby girl cooed and took Kazuki's finger, wiggling it. He and his beloved wife, Tokiko Tsumura Muto, both chuckled and smiled, lips locking once again. They were going to be a happy family…but to be that family, they had to protect it at all costs. "Captain Bravo said that you, me, and Gouta are getting promoted," Kazuki laughed. "We're going to be Warrior Chiefs now!"

"I see…"Tokiko replied, looking at her husband's face. "We can still…manage to overcome anything we go through. Gouta, you, and I…we are an invincible team." Her hand reached out for Kazuki, holding his cheek, and bringing her head to his. "When you die, I die. We…are one." The two embraced in a kiss again, celebrating the birth of their baby girl.

"Hey! Muto!"Gouta called out as Kazuki arrived at the Japanese headquarters of the Alchemist Army. The two met and gave each other their friendly high-fives, though Kazuki could feel a slight sting. Maybe Gouta's still sore about Kazuki getting married to Tokiko…"Where've you been? Taking care of little Sakuya again?"

"Actually…I overslept, and Tokiko ended up doing it…"Kazuki blushed with embarrassment. "She is vicious...especially in bed..." Being a father wasn't easy, it took a lot of work. Especially when you're trying to protect your baby from being eaten by the monsters who escape from the moon now and then. "Victor contacted me recently. It seems that some of the Homunculi are getting restless and won't listen to him or Victoria anymore. While we're devoted as Alchemists to find a way to change Homunculi back into humans, we are still having to fight them and take away what they once were...I'm getting worried, Gouta."

"I had Warriors Shusui and Ouka Hayasaka, and Chitose Tateyama patrol the city a bit, in case any Homunculi made it to Earth." Gouta had a worried look on his face, rubbing his chin as he looked up at the monitor ahead of him. The droopy-eyed Warrior Chief grit his teeth as he crossed his arms. "Damn, and Papillion still hasn't answered our calls! Every time we try to contact him, he never answers!"

"It's just the way he is,"Kazuki laughed until he felt his phone vibrate. "Hello?...Tokiko? What happened?...What?!"

"Muto, what happened?! Is it Sakuya?!"

Kazuki grew teary eyed, sniffling like a child. "Sakuya…she….she…"Then he turned to Gouta, shaking him in joy as tears streamed from his face. "Sakuya called me daddy! She said her second word!! Now I just need her to say Green Veggie Juice!"

"DON'T CRY OVER SOMETHING USELESS!!"

The years have passed, and the trio has grown quite older. They had rushed to the outskirts of Fukuoka, where a late report of a Homunculi attack had just arrived. It was Sakimori's past all over again. Gouta couldn't stand the sight of it; a group of homunculi, human and beasts, eating students in a middle school. They rushed into the fray, where the group managed to fight off and saved only a handful of the school. Everyone else, students and faculty, have been eaten by the Homunculi. "Dammit!"Gouta roared, punching a locker until it dented. Tokiko pulled him back, only to watch his bleeding fist. "Why did the report come late?! Damn it all!"

"Gouta, calm down!"Tokiko exclaimed, holding Gouta back. Eventually he calmed, holding Tokiko against him. Tokiko knew how much this hurt. They were Warrior Chiefs now, but still had managed to fail a mission like this…it was unbearable. Suddenly, she saw Kazuki walking down the empty bloodstained halls. "Kazuki!" she called out and ran to him. She was shocked to find a young male, probably twelve-years old, to be riding on Kazuki's back. He was knocked unconscious, breathing heavily. "I thought we had delivered the remaining survivors with Chitose…"

"There was one left,"Kazuki replied. "He was hiding in the janitor's closet. He was so scared that he cried himself to sleep…" He looked back at his extra passenger and smiled. "I wonder what Sakuya is doing right now…it's funny, Tokiko! This boy…is her type!" Kazuki smiled, but tears were streaming down his face. He was crying because he couldn't protect these people.

A year after, the boy named Kaworu Jounouchi, as he recalled, was training with seasoned Warriors and Warrior Chiefs. Marayuma tested Kaworu's flexibility, to find a way out of the Bubble Cage without touching it or rushing in thoughtless. Negoro tested Kaworu's reflexes, to see if he can survive countless surprise attacks. Busujima used smoke screens to test Kaworu's trust in his senses other than sight. Inukai and Ikusabe played the parts of attacking relentlessly during the smoke screen.

Finally, Gouta and Tokiko proved to be difficult opponents. They were testing Kaworu's physical and mental limits, which nearly drove him to the edge. However, there was an alarm sounding. Great Warrior Chief Captain Bravo, Mamoru Sakimori, had called Tokiko and Gouta, as well as all the warriors, to the briefing room.

"The cause of the Homunculi's recent actions is because of a strange force of Alchemy on Earth," Captain Bravo explained. He seemed to have gotten old as well, but young enough to keep on fighting. "It seems that materials for a new type of Kakugane have been found by our excavation teams. However, unearthing these items caused a panic, and the Homunculi had set off to Earth the first chance they get."

"What's this…new type of Kakugane?"Tokiko asked, concerned because Kazuki hadn't returned from his mission yet. She always hears Sakuya asking about "daddy" and why he doesn't come home. "And what materials are you talking about? What else can make Kakuganes?"

Captain Bravo grew silent, and then slammed his palms onto the table in front of him. "We have found materials…to make a Kakugane with the godly powers of the Philosopher's Stone. With it, we may be able to turn Homunculi back into humans and have them return to their normal lives!" The entire room was in shock, except Kaworu. He seemed calm, until he started looking around. "Oh? You're the new kid, right? Is something wrong?"

Kaworu was silent, hiding behind Ikusabe a bit. His head peered out and pushed his bangs away from his right eye. Timidly, he asked, "…Wh-where's Kazuki-sempai?"

With this question, Captain Bravo's face grew grim. This brought an air of uneasiness onto everyone, especially Tokiko. "Kazuki…was leading the excavation team. Approximately fourteen hours ago…we had lost all connection with the excavation team, and…Kazuki Muto."

Tokiko's eyes widened. She fell to her knees as Gouta held her tightly. She screamed and cried because she feared the worst. What will she tell Sakuya? Is Kazuki dead? All of the warriors and warrior chiefs were shocked by this sudden news. On this spring time of March, Kazuki Muto had disappeared.

Years have passed, and Sakuya had grown up quite a bit. Now seventeen, she lives with her younger brother, Sota, in the Ginsei Academy dorms that her aunt, Mahiro Muto, and a few others of Kazuki's friends have started to run. Except Rokumasu, who's one of the best teachers in the school. It was on a late spring night of March that Sakuya saw a bright light at the haunted factory nearby. Without hesitation, she rushed over to see the commotion, and she couldn't believe her eyes.

A blonde-haired boy, all alone in the haunted factory, walking around aimlessly. Behind him, however, was a large, mechanical scorpion-like monster. It reared back its tail and launched it forward toward the boy. "L-Look out!"Sakuya gasped and ran to the boy. She pushed him out of the way, only to feel a sharp pain in her chest. The monster had skewered through her chest, blood dripping on the ground. Her eyes widened and faded.

'Oh no!' thought the boy. 'I let this innocent bystander get hurt!'

The next thing Sakuya knew, she awoke in the middle of the night, screaming out. Was it all a dream? What had happened that night? While she went into a half-asleep frenzy in the dorm, the boy watched her from afar, on top of Ginsei Academy's water tower.

"Good. She's alive and kicking…"he smiled, brushing his hand through his messy blonde hair. "I got to hand it to you, you're one crazy girl. You owe your life…to the powers of Alchemy."

That's the point. I wanted to "retell" the story, as if time repeats itself over and over. But as it progresses, it begins to show a bit of a difference to a MAJOR difference.

Nobuhiro Watsuki-sama is my favorite mangaka next to Kazuya Minekura, and is my long-time idol who got me back into fanfiction because of Buso Renkin.

Chapter One – Sakuya

A blue-haired girl with a long braid trudged along the pavement as she yawned slightly. The top of her head and a bit of her braid were a mess, like she rushed to get out from bed. Walking in front of her was a mean-looking tall blonde with a pocky stick protruding from her lips, a small and flat blue-haired girl, and a black-haired shy girl who stuck to the blonde like glue. They were Ouka Kurosaki, Yumi Chiba, and Mihoshi Anno respectively. "Jesus, what the hell was wrong with you, Sakuya?!" Ouka exclaimed in her usual loud voice, poking Sakuya's forehead continuously. Some of the passing students were looking at them with their usual murmurs and gossips. "You went on a rampage last night and nearly killed all of us!"

"I'm sorry…" yawned Sakuya as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. "It was just that I had a weird dream…" Thinking back at it, it was pretty weird. The scorpion-like silhouette, the blonde-haired cutie…yes, he was cute, she'll admit. And the pain, the pain over her chest. Placing her hand over her chest, Yumi made a grab for Sakuya's bust first. The braided girl's face flushed, stepping back from Yumi. "Th-The hell, Yumi-chan!"

Yumi grinned, flexing her hands. "C-Cup," she chuckled aloud as she turned her back. "You guys are lucky. Having such huge busts, that is." This was Yumi's usual hobby. Everyday, Yumi would grab other girls' chest, then slightly, but uncaringly, mock how most girls are flatter than she is. "Like anime now and then have girls with abnormally huge chests. I think the Japanese are becoming more and more perverted."

The shy Mihoshi wanted to say something badly, like, "You're kind of one too, Yumi-chan." Not a word could leave her mouth, feeling that she'll insult one of her closest and best friends. Ouka could take Mihoshi's hint and rubbed her head, smiling lightly. This was her way of saying that Mihoshi should just say it. So she opened her mouth and said, "Um…you…you have nothing to be ashamed about! I think your chest size is perfect!" There was an awkward silence between the four, and Mihoshi began to sweat profusely. "I-I'm sorry!" The other three couldn't help but laugh loudly as they neared GinseiAcademy's school gates.

Sakuya's ears twitched as she heard the pitter-patter of running footsteps behind her. As she turned, she felt a blow to her stomach, which sent her flying back to her friends. "Owww…" she groaned as she glared at the young boy who just knocked the wind out of her. "Souta, control your speed! You'll break my ribs one day!"

The black-haired boy before the girls was Sakuya's little brother, Souta. He has a nasty habit of running abnormally fast without looking and slamming into things, mostly telephone poles and lamp posts. In some instances, it helps, like when a friend is being bullied, Souta the Battering Ram will unknowingly charge into battle. "Sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't want to be late on my first day!" He apologized frantically, bowing to the girls over and over and over. Mihoshi giggled slightly as she started ahead of them. "Sakuya-nee, you didn't wake me up again! I could've been late!"

"Brat's right," Ouka noted as the bell began to run. Yikes! They better get to the gates before the gate is closed on them! Ouka, being the yankee that she is, sometimes purposely skips the bell and school itself. Mihoshi had already a running head start, with the other four catching up. The anime otaku made a dive for it first, then Ouka followed suit. "Shoot! It's Ishida-sensei!" she thought aloud as she saw the person standing over the gate.

Ishida-sensei, his first name being Akira, was an aloof and messy-looking man who wore a fashionable scarf. He is often seen smoking a cigarette, and he had orange tinted shades. Not much of a teacher look, but the man knew more than he let on. "Uwaaaah..." he yawned as he watched the remaining to run on over. "Oh…it's the Mutou siblings," he muttered from his cigarette. He didn't seem surprised, and he didn't know Souta was a student…maybe it was a lucky guess? Oh wait, he had files and records in his hand. He placed his hand on the gate and prepared to swing it shut.

"I made it!" Souta gasped as the gate began to swing on him. Sakuya couldn't let her brother get hurt, and she was shocked that Ishida-sensei would do such a thing! Acting on her impulses, she dashed ahead and ran for the gate, trying to hold it open. The impact was so hard, her female hand felt like it was going to break! She could feel her heart racing fast, pumping faster and faster as she pushed the gate with all her might. Finally, she squeezed through, landing next to her little brother. "S-Sakuya-nee! Are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'm fine," Sakuya sighed, trying to catch her breath. Ishida-sensei was getting death glares from the other three girls, who were appalled that he would do such a thing. "You're not hurt, are you, Souta?"

That's when the two were broken up by the slender hands of the teacher. "That's far enough, you two," he said and looked at Souta. His eyes, despite the lazy look, gave the boy a shiver down his spine. "Mutou-otouto, I presume?" he sneered and took his note pad. Writing his name down as "Mutou-otouto," probably because he didn't have the urge to know the lad's name, he marked him on one Demerit. But that's when Sakuya grabbed his wrist with the nastiest glare of all. Ishida-sensei narrowed his eyes and pulled his wrist away. "A few seconds late, that's another. Need I say more?"

"Hold it right there, you jerk!" Sakuya snarled, her hands balled into fists. "Souta just enrolled into this school, so give him the benefit so that he may learn the rules! Until then, I'll take that demerit!" The two exchanged wicked glares, it put Ouka's to shame. And she's the queen of death glares! "Well, TEACH?"

Ishida knew it'd be pointless to say a word. So he erased Souta's demerit…and added it onto Sakuya's. "That's two, Mutou-san. Now get your asses into class." The girls, plus Souta, looked at each other and headed into the building. Wait, something wasn't right. "Hold on a minute, Sakuya-san," he called out sternly. The girls stopped, and Ishida pointed to Sakuya's handbag…or backpack. "That isn't the certified school bag, young lady," he pointed out and walked to her, grabbing at it. "What happened to it?"

Was he referring to Sakuya's turtle backpack? Well…she couldn't remember what happened to it. It was missing from her room after all. But she could've sworn she had it last night…something weird was going on. "I…I don't know. I must've lost it last night," Sakuya snapped, pulling her bag away from Ishida. The two exchanged glares once again, and he said,

"That is fine, Sakuya-san. However, this will not go unnoticed. You have earned your third demerit, so I will see you after school…picking weeds from the campus ground."

As the teacher left, the girls, including Souta and excluding Mihoshi, all made faces at him behind his back. "What a jerk," Yuki pointed out. "He's like the one guy in my MMORPG parties I don't like." Yuki was an anime otaku, did nothing but watch anime, read manga, and play MMORPGs. Ouka would get tired of it, and Sakuya would tolerate it. Mihoshi would just smile and laugh. And the five of them continued their day until lunch time.

It is now the lunch period, and the four girls gather up in the roof for lunch. Sakuya would have her Aunt Mahiro's curry chicken, extra spicy, with Green Vegetable Juice, her father's favorite. The other girls would gawk at what she'd drink. "What? It's delicious!" Sakuya would exclaim, and the girls would laugh the lunch period away. But there was a new addition. Souta joined the group, nervous of what to say. "Oh, Souta! Are you okay?"

"Mmhm," he nodded as he sat down, having the same…intolerable food that Aunt Mahiro made for him as well. "But thanks a lot, Sakuya-nee. You really saved me back there…" Sakuya blushed and shoved her brother to make him stop. But she couldn't shake the pulsating feeling from before. She could've died since she jumped in the way. Thinking of it, she got a text message from his bag, but Souta got it for her. "Here you go."

"Thanks, bro," Sakuya said and opened her text. Her eyes widened as she read the kanji typed up infront of her.

"Sakuya-chan, are you alright?" Mihoshi asked, waving her hand infront of Sakuya.

"Yeah, you look like you've just seen a ghost," Ouka added.

Sakuya shook her head and looked up at the two of them. "I-I'm fine," she stuttered, but was interrupted by the lunch bell. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up to class soon." The girls and Souta were worried, but they did as she said. Sakuya opened her phone again, eyes shaking and hand gripping onto the outer shell of the phone. The turtle-shaped strap dangled between her fingers, shaking a bit. "Who…are you…"

Up above the water tower, and blonde-haired male looked down at her, smiling as he opened his cell phone. The message on his phone said the exact same thing, but he was the sender. The message said…

"TAKE CARE OF YOUR NEW LIFE."

-

I honestly, looking at the fanfiction.net pages, I've realized how short these chapters are. I really should step up my game...