Forest Creature & The Forest Sprite (Private)

"Yuna... It's been hard for all of us..."

Kaseki sat in the office of the old guildmaster, Alexander Zenneth. He looked out the window to watch Animus from above. The office was cluttered with papers, cookies, and other various things. The desk was a dark wood, a mahogany? Kaseki didn't care to notice these things. He had something to tell Yuna, the new Guildmaster of Nox Animus.

He held the note left by the great slayer in his hands as he looked over the city.

"Yuna, he asked for you by name. You were chosen. I know that it seems like you just joined and now you'll be handed a lot of responsibility. Remember, we were the leaders and founders of Dragon Fang, but I fear you have matters to attend to. So, I will care for Dragon Fang, and you shall care for your new guild. " he paused to let out a deep breath. It bothered him how a man could just... disappear. "He was a great man... and now you must lead his army. So I will lead Dragon Fang, you shall remain your position, and you can help when you can. As for your new guild... I shall help you when you need it... after all, I'm your father."

Kaseki looked over to his daughter, she seemed to have a lot on her mind. It just seemed so sudden. Kaseki then said with a  smile on his face, "This is what he would have wanted."

Yuna had been implementing a few changes to the guild and making sure everything ran smoothly when she was called to the office; her new office. Instead of skipping down the halls as she would have done just days before, she made sure to walk. In truth, all this felt surreal. Never would she have imagined herself to take the position as head of a guild at such an early stage in life. Not only was she still but a child, but she was also new to the realm of magic and guilds. "Dragon Fang..." she whispered softly to herself. Thinking on it now, Dragon Fang was not much different from a guild and so new vigor strengthened her. She could do this. She would do this for herself, for her family, for her guildmembers, but most of all, she would do this for Alexander Zenneth the previous Guildmaster. He had chosen her for a reason and that meant something. She would not let him down.

Interestingly and amazingly enough, she had managed to keep things running nicely in just a short time. Things still needed to be adjusted, but she was working on it. A faint smile painted itself across her face as she recalled the encouragement of her fellow teammates. They all believed in her or had at least given the illusion of doing so, but that kept her going strong. She would give the guild every ounce of power she had. It was an oath she had sworn to uphold as the new Guildmaster of Nox Animus.

She stopped in front of the office and rested her forehead to the cold, wooden door; her gaze down at her shoes. Her heart became a tight knot and so she breathed in and out slowly to calm her nerves. A minute or so later, she sighed, turned the knob, and walked inside. Within the office was her adoptive father, Kaseki. "Kaseki," she smiled and gave a slight nod. "H-How are you..?" If there was one thing she was proud of, it was her accomplishment of not stuttering much. She had been working extremely hard to tone down her shyness and even learning how to speak properly. It would help her when talking to other people from different guilds.

"Yuna... It's been hard for all of us..." Kaseki said as he preoccupied himself with looking around the office. Papers and such cluttered the office as she had been doing some major cleaning a few hours before. Duty had called and so she had not been able to come back and sort things out."I-I'm sorry about the mess..." she apologized. "I-I've just been all over the place..." Her tone surprised her tremendously for it seemed as if she had aged over the period of a few days. Fatigue washed over her and she yawned involuntarily. She hadn't had much sleep, but the constant consumption of the earth had been helping her stay awake. She rubbed her eyes as she made her way to her chair and sat down. As soon as she had sat down, Kaseki began to speak again. "Yuna, he asked for you by name. You were chosen. I know that it seems like you just joined and now you'll be handed a lot of responsibility. Remember, we were the leaders and founders of Dragon Fang, but I fear you have matters to attend to. So, I will care for Dragon Fang, and you shall care for your new guild. "

Yuna looked at Kaseki with downcast eyes. "I-I understand," she said softly. Now that she was Guildmaster of Nox Animus, she would not be able to spend her time as she used to. She knew that, but she wasn't regretting accepting the position. Sacrifices had to be made and she had accepted them all. "I-I'll try to visit Dragon Fang when I can..." She promised her father. She sat back in her chair. She wished that Zenneth would have stayed a while to show her the ropes, but that was not the case. She was rapidly getting the hang of it, but she missed her old Guildmaster. "He was a great man... and now you must lead his army. So I will lead Dragon Fang, you shall remain your position, and you can help when you can. As for your new guild... I shall help you when you need it... after all, I'm your father. This is what he would have wanted."

Yuna turned her gaze towards the fluffy, white clouds. "T-Thank you..." she said earnestly averting.her eyes back at her father. "I-I would also like to request that you continue as spokesperson b-between Savage Skulls and Nox Animus." She then quickly added, "I-If you still want to.of course..!" Yuna blushed from embarrassment. It seemed she still had a long way to go. "I-I'm just nervous..." she admitted softly. "I-I don't want to let a-anyone down..."

"I-I would also like to request that you continue as spokesperson b-between Savage Skulls and Nox Animus."

Those words...

Kaseki remembered his role between Nox Animus, and the guild of insanity, the psychopaths, the ones that call themselves Savage Skull. He had a strange position that he held, secretly. He was the middle man between the supplies that would arrive to Nox Animus. They, in a way, depended on him. Kaseki always got a little extra for the ship, thanks to a few 'friends'. That's how Kaseki made all of the money to help pay for his family... for Yuna. His job was to deliver, that was it. On occasion Kaseki would be asked to repair a think or two in the ship. The only reason Alexander Zenneth ever allowed him aboard was because of his daughter.

But all that has changed.

Now Kaseki stood in the office, the office of his child. He stared off into the red sky and thought about the place he stood in. This whole event was surreal to him. Something just didn't add up to him. He could feel his own stress building up within his chest, a simple Dragon Fang member away from a heart attack. Then he smelled the blessed circles... the blessed circles. Kaseki turned slowly, much like an old dying man before he collapses, around. He stared at the delicious circle, the chocolate chip decorated circle. The cookie.

Kaseki found himself distracting what the real issue at hand was. His kin was left with all of the responsibility of one of the largest Dark Guilds. Yuna never dealt with anything like that before. Sure they created Dragon Fang, but it's not as powerful as a guild. Dragon Fang was a just a club of friends compared to Nox Animus, or any guild for that matter.

She then quickly added, "I-If you still want to of course..!" Kaseki smiled at he looked upon his daughter. He couldn't put the words to it, but she had changed. She had grown up, without her daddy's help. Kaseki couldn't protect her, she would obtain the full power that all guildmasters obtain... something Kaseki would never have.

"Of course my dear... I shall speak to Harrigan when I return to that dreaded castle." Kaseki finally spoke, He found his voice to be weak, frail, and shaky. What had become of him? Did he feel the pressure of his daughter's power? Was it the disappearance of strong and powerful guild master? Yes, it was, and much more. What it was was the unknown. Kaseki hated, loved and feared the unknown. Whatever took Alexander away from them, wherever he disappeared to... it could come for them.

"However... the correct term would be ambassador." The plant man spoke. He wandered from the window taking short and small steps to the desk. He reached out to touch and obtain the treat with his right hand, feeling the warmth. "Warmth?" he thought to himself as he lifted the baked good to his wooden, yet metallic lips. He took a small bite, tasting the ingredients. He began to feel the texture of the piece, the soft and flavorful cookie. In truth, that cookie was probably the reason Kaseki helped Nox Animus out so much. Kaseki loved to eat, and when he didn't eat, he fed off the sun's light. He walked over to his child and crouched on the floor beside her in a rather... childish, manner.

He lifted his hand to the girl, revealing the item that he had barely consumed. He wanted her to enjoy the last cookie made by the great guild master of Nox Animus... the master who's shoes she would learn how to fill. "Do not worry... I'm here, your father will always be here to watch you. Look, I know it's tough, but you'll make it. Remember," Kaseki gave a wide comforting smile to his kid, "There's so much of Dragon Fang on this ship alone, look around you." Kaseki glanced around the room, pointing out a few metal objects. "This place is made of out that material. So remember that trick I taught you..." he had shown the little forest sprite a method of alerting him. Only Yuna knew the method on how to active the Ironbark Beacon, the one thing Kaseki could hear flawlessly. It was almost like a summon for him. Kaseki would come from miles just to save Yuna... and Kaseki would continue to do so.

"Hey, dear, look at me." Kaseki's eyes widened as he looked upon his daughter's face. He could see the troubles, the changes, and the age that she had undergone. She was no longer his little girl. "Everything will be alright... everything will be alright." Kaseki remembered his box... the box of water under his cloak. He wondered if it was time to use the powers of it... he wondered.

He remembered all of his spells, the weak ones. All Kaseki was good for was support, he never did well on his own. He depended on Yuna, and now that she was a guildmaster, he was afraid that she would never be there. Kaseki really only had a small handful of spells, a healing spell, a defense spike spell, a mist based spell... and the one spell he taught his daughter... his ice wall. Even though his element was of the sea and not the earth, he figure he could past down some of his ice techniques.

Now he sat in the office of Yuna, the master of Nox... she was no longer seen as his daughter, she was now the face of Nox Animus.

And all Kaseki would be is a member of Savage Skull.

"Perhaps... this is what Dragon Fang will become. We will be peacemakers, we start with the darkness and move into the light... first we rally up out power here, then the others will bring peace there... and if this doesn't work, we'll have this alliance..." Kaseki thought to himself. He made a small glance back outside to the city. He wondered about all of the dark guilds coming together to form a larger alliance. He thought about calling the thing Dragon Fang, and soon retracted that same thought.

So he looked out the window for a title of this new group. He watched the red star set upon the horizon. He watched the scarlet sky slowly turn, leaving only white fluffy clouds...

"A name..." he thought.

Her father was very thoughtful and so Yuna began to think he would decline, but she automatically waved away the thoughts. Kaseki would help, he was her dad after all...right? Yuna figured that he was just worried about her and she didn't blame him. Even she was worried for herself. "Of course my dear... I shall speak to Harrigan when I return to that dreaded castle." He said after a long while. By the tone of his voice, it seemed as if he had aged as much as she had, perhaps even more. She could also tell that he did.not want to return, but had too. She didn't understand why, but she didn't question it. "However..." Her father continued, "The correct term would be ambassador." Yuna managed to smile softly. "A-ambassador?" she repeated slowly, making a mental note of the word. "Ambassador..." Kaseki again took a pensive look, glancing out the window. She wished she knew what it was that he was thinking, but she wouldn't pry. She sighed and looked down at her thin hands. Thoughts began to flood into her head. Why had the great guildmaster Alexander Zenneth chosen her? Why? Again, she wasn't complaining, but it just didn't make sense. He had just dropped the position to her and vanished into the unknown. No instructions of how to run the guild nor any words of goodbye to her fellow guildmates before disappearing. Still, she had managed to pull through. Even though she did not want to admit it or even see it, she new hostility and scorn ran through some of the older guildmembers. Still, there was nothing she nor they could do. Alexander Zenneth had spoken and it had become law. She really did understand them, but again, they knew as well as her that it came out of the blue. Yuna never pressured nor spoke to the Guildmaster for the guild. Yes she had spoken about Dragon Fang and all of the dreams she and her father had, but she never had demanded a guild or his support. She wished she could tell them, but what point was there for it now? All that was left to do was gain their support and respect or how else would the guild thrive?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kaseki walked over to her from the window and crouched on the floor beside her in a rather... childish, manner. He raised his hand in a soft gesture, revealing a cookie. Yuna's green eyes brightened at the sight of the cookie. She gently took it from her father's hands and was about to devour the cookie whole, when she stopped. She couldn't do that anymore. Her eyes saddened as she broke the cookie into tiny peices and began to eat the one by one. "Do not worry... I'm here, your father will always be here to watch you. Look, I know it's tough, but you'll make it. Remember," Kaseki gave her a warm, fatherly smile that eased her nerves. He really was the best dad anyone could ask for, even if it was adoptive. "There's so much of Dragon Fang on this ship alone, look around you."[b/] He said warmly and encouragingly. Her father glanced around the room pounting at a few metal objects. For what, she didn't know but they had to be of some importance. [b]"This place is made of out that material. So remember that trick I taught you..." Yuna's eyes widened. How had she not realized that there was ironbark in the ship? Kaseki had taught her how to utilize the bark in case of emergencies and now it made Yuna feel secure knowing that her father would be able to aid her in case of anything. But, she didn't want to be of much bother to him or annoy him. She sighed sadly as she began to go through countless of scenarios that could occur. She would have to perfect her magic or at least hone them fast in order to protect herself and not depend on others.

"Hey, dear, look at me." Kaseki's eyes widened as he looked at her. He was was even more worried about her now. She didn't know how to assure him that it would be all right. Not when the future was full of unknowns. "Everything will be alright... everything will be alright." He assured her instead. "D-daddy..." she whispered as silent tears streamed down her face. "I-I'm scared." She was not scared of the work she had accepted to do, nor was she scared of the duty she had committed herself to do. No. What Yuna was afraid of was to let everyone down. For her guild, she had left most if not all of her responsibilities in Dragon Fang. For her guild, she had left family. For her guild, she had locked away the remains of her childhood. Sixteen years... Sixteen years of age and now she was in charge of one of the largest groups of the dark guilds. The responsibility was tremendous and she was afraid to not be able to live up to them. She gave her father a tight hug. "W-What if I mess u-up?" she sniffed, "I-I don't w-want to disappoint anyone..."

She gave her father a tight hug. "W-What if I mess u-up?" she sniffed, "I-I don't w-want to disappoint anyone..."

"Is this... Is this what it feels like to be loved?" Kaseki thought to himself.

It was years ago, in fact... many years ago. Kaseki was a young boy, a human in fact. He was the age of six when he ventured outside of his home city. It was the last time he saw his birth family. As far as he knew, he might have never had a family. His memories were erased that day...Two demons possessed the boy that day, stealing his memories, corrupting his body. He found himself to be inhuman, a new creature... he called himself the Demon of Life. As time progressed into the next day, Kaseki met a strange boy that suffered the same fate. He introduce himself as Dregon, and he was the one that took care of Kaseki.

Kaseki couldn't remember how Dregon died or even how many times he died, he only knew that he could never seem to save his older brother. Years later Kaseki continued to blame himself for his brother's death, he was never good enough for him to be there to help anyone. "He adopted me into his own family... we only conquered our world.." he thought to himself. Kaseki contemplated his own demise, he found it fitting. People only saw him as a monster. And Kaseki lived with his for years on end.

A distant time later, Kaseki sat in the woods with his sword, Khaos. It would be his own final hour. "It ends now." he thought to himself, but then something changed that. Kaseki sat on the stump with the blade's tip against his own chest, all he wanted was death. In the final moment, just a mere second before Kaseki had done himself in, he saw an angel.

She was dressed in white and had hair the color of healthy leaves. Her dressed seemed to extend just below her knees. In that moment, the bits of sunlight that the forest did let in, was on this little girl. Kaseki could see her face, a face of fear and being lost. Kaseki felt his own heart break at the sight. This moment was no longer about him, but that small girl. He dropped his weapon and ran to the girl. He held her tightly and close to him. He looked again upon her face, only to see a river of tears.

"It's okay, child. I have you now. You won't have to face anything alone... I'm here... Kaseki is here... I'll be here..." he reassured her. Kaseki looked over the girl, he listened to her stories. He raised her, taught her the magics of the forest. He showed her the mysteriousness of Ironbark. The two never understood each other's past, but they didn't care. They only wanted their future.

But that was years ago.

The same two people were now in the office of the late Alexander Zenneth, or rather, the office that once belong to him. Kaseki had become an notorious dark mage, a Coming Storm. His daughter had become the guildmaster of one of the most powerful dark guilds. Kaseki always watched over Nox Animus, even as a Legal mage. He wanted nothing but the best for his daughter. Whatever made Yuna happy, made him happy. Time passed and Kaseki grew more evil, more corrupt, all he wanted was darkness. But the few times he saw the light... was with his own daughter. Even though they weren't blood, Kaseki cared for her as his own. He remained kneeling as he wiped away the few tears on her face. Kaseki then hugged his daughter just as he did those many years ago, "Yuna, it will be alright... I'm here. Daddy Kaseki will always be here... I promise."

Times changed and life lived on. People came and went out of their lives but the father and daughter always stood at each other's side. Together they believed they could put a stop to the worlds suffering. Together they shared a dream. Together they lived. And together... they never had to be alone.

Their life and their stories were almost like poetry. It was a simple forest fairy, or nymph rather, and a forest demon. One held the powers of the earth, and the other held the sea. One saved the plants and the other was a plant. In more than one ways, it was almost as if they were blood related.

But who's to say that they weren't?