Chronicle
Chapter 12
There was the sound of water splaying about ever so slightly as Alex washed the blood and soot from his sister fur, the young vixen still yet to wake or even show any signs of doing so. He had carefully gone about cleaning and removing the shrapnel from her wounds and after that had encouraged them to close and heal with his powers; After which had decided to clean her up, hoping she'd not remember dying when she woke. Satisfied with the job he had done cleaning her Alex removed the girl from the small tub he had conjured for the task, then letting it drain when he had pulled the plug. With that done he grabbed up a towel and wrapped the young fox kit in it, wanting to dry her quickly knowing well that wet fur smelled foul after a while. With the girl now cleaned and dried he set her on the bed, steady breaths filling her lungs as she slept having long stopped having random coughing fits. Alex then looked over to check on Crystal, the powder blue near white furred fox still sleeping as well, though unlike Sara actually stirred a little telling him she was alright. He sat in the room thinking about what he would do, what he would tell them, how to explain . . . . well everything, but that would have to come later for now he'd let them sleep the two vixens recovering from their stasis, remembering first hand how out of it he was when he was first pulled from the crystal himself, though he had woken much sooner though not that he had a choice back then.
Lowering his head onto his hands the fox closed his eyes as he watched the two sleep, Alex wanting the two to wake so he would feel more at peace, the anticipation of will they remember what happened or will they wake at all eating him up inside. He finally closed his eyes for a short while till he heard some movement, the sound of shuffling on the bed sheets rousing him from his own light sleep; Alex looked over as slowly Crystal finally woke, the powder blue fox stretched with a yawn, before opening her eyes then jumping when she saw her own hands, and how much bigger they where from the last time she had seen them. Alex hid the tear in his eye as he watched her slowly wake a little more then looking over to him and asked,
"Alex . . . . what's going on, my head hurts and my hands are bigger then they should be."
The red fox scratched the side of his face as in her initial surprise had just about dislodged what little top she had on, Alex saying as he looked away,
"Uh yeah, your hands aren't the only things that got bigger, ma-mind your shirt."
She looked down and quickly tried to correct the problem, only for the centuries old cloth to start tearing, Alex saying with a snap when he heard the fabric rip,
"Here, put this on, I've . . . I've got a lot to tell you."
The white furred fox nodded watching as a dress materialized on the table next to him, Alex trying not to look when he heard her foot steps approach the table, the girl picking up the dress then quickly switching out her clothes. They both looked over as Sara stirred a little, the young fox only turning over however, not yet ready to wake it seemed. With her modesty restored Crystal sat with him at the table, the first thing the girl noting was that he two was much older then she remembered, then asking when he made a drink appear for her,
"How are you doing that?"
Alex chuckled a little then responded offering her the tea,
"Honestly, I don't know myself, but it works."
The vixen nodded taking a drink as Alex then asked,
"Now, the important question, what's the last thing you remember?"
The white fox sat quietly for a moment then said setting down her cup,
"The fire, and the hunter, you where fighting him then . . . Black."
Alex nodded, she remembered more then he had hoped she would, knowing then that he'd have to deal with Sara once she finally woke, Alex then asking,
"Well, are you hungry? This is going to be a long story."
The girl nodded then watching him snap his fingers then a plate appearing in front of her, sooner joined by eggs, bacon, some sausage, and hash browns, then a fork setting down next to her plate for her to use. She grabbed up the utensil with a bit of a blush as her stomach rumbled betraying her hunger, Alex then saying,
"Go on eat, like I said, this is going to be a long story."
The girl nodded then taking a bite as Alex began his tale. It was some time later about an hour or two had gone by as Alex told Crystal about what had happened, about the destruction of their world, about how the fragments had splintered off and formed new worlds all their own, about their current situation, it was a lot to take in but she managed to accept it as fact despite how bazaar and unrealistic it sounded. Alex said as he looked over to her once more,
"After I finished training with the other Sara she vanished, I've not heard anything from her since, I . . . I don't think she'll be returning. I know this must be hard to accept, but whatever this all is, it seems that I'm smack in the center of it, I could really use some support . .I . . . its not an easy job."
The fox laying his head on the table as she looked on, then saying,
"You don't even know how badly I've missed you two, how lonely I've been."
The girl smiled with a nod then said reassuring him,
"Well you don't need to worry about being lonely anymore, I don't plan to go anywhere, besides if what you told me is true, then I've got nowhere to go back to anyway, not . . .not that I would have left."
Alex nodded then saying as he lifted his head off the table,
"No worries, it can't be easy being told that your entire life was gone in the blink of an eye, that our two species are now all but extinct."
She nodded, it was a hard pill to swallow, but it didn't really matter, nothing could be done to fix it the damage as it stood was done. They both looked over as Sara finally rejoined the world of the living, the young vixen rubbing her eyes with a yawn, struggling to sit up as she asked,
"Is all that true?"
Her brother nodded as he then asked,
"How long have you been awake . . . . How much did you hear?"
The young fox sat up pulling the blanket up around her as she did as she said,
"Only a little bit, I was trying to wake up but, I don't know, it was like something wasn't letting me."
The older fox nodded then pat her head, scooping the kit up into his arms, Crystal remembering what he had told her earlier, the fact that the girl had been killed, she too hoping she wouldn't remember it. Sara looked up at her brother as the red fox coddled her, Sara then asking as she set a small hand on his muzzle,
"Why are you so big? . . . Both of you look bigger."
Setting her down Alex was debiting with himself if he should tell her why she didn't grow, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to do so, saying as he bopped her on the nose with his finger,
"Maybe the world didn't want an adorable little kit like yourself getting any bigger."
Sara laughed as she swatted him away, his corny little response flew for now, she knew she'd not get anything out of him whatever it was she guessed it was bad. Alex then looked back as the small fairy rejoined him, the small dragon hybrid saying as she landed on the table,
"Master, I've checked the walls as you asked me too, they where sound and secure."
He nodded patting her on the head then saying as both of the vixens cocked an eyebrow at her,
"Uh Sara, Crystal this is . . . . Uh. . ."
They all looked up to Alex as his face got a little red, the fox then saying with an embarrassed tone,
"Uh, shit. . . I . . . I forgot to give you a name didn't I?"
The small fairy then realized it herself then laughed saying as she did,
"That you did master, but I did too so don't feel too bad,"
The small fairy turning away from him suddenly and looking down sullenly,
"It's not like I wanted a name anyway."
The small fairy then fluttered away from them Alex looking dumbfounded at that reaction, then looking at Crystal who motioned at him then to the small fairy, who seemed to be sulking off in a corner. Alex nodded then said,
"Well then, guess we just need to fix that don't we."
The fairy looked up at him, wiping a tear from her eye making Alex silently feel like an ass for having forgotten such an important detail. The small fairy then fluttered back to the table waiting for her master to finally give her a name, the tiny female looking up at him hopefully, eyes almost glittering, Alex unfortunately drawing a blank, feeling more and more guilty as the girl waited for her name. Crystal saw as Alex gulped hard, then seeing a bead of sweat roll off his brow, the fox feeling more and more in the spotlight by the moment as he couldn't think of a name to give her considering the last thing he called her was 'damn
glass ball'. Finally Sara broke the silence suggesting,
"What about Fa'lin?"
The lot of them looked on as the girl the gently pulled on the fairy's wing trying to see if they where real, Alex then asking with a cocked eyebrow,
"Fa'lin? But that's just the word for fairy in our old language, we couldn't literally name her fairy that's like naming a pet cat, cat just in a different language."
The small fairy however giggled then said fluttering for a moment,
"I like it, it sounds nice and pretty."
Alex looked at her for a moment as the small fairy enjoyed her new name saying it a few times as she flew happily around the room, Alex then saying with a sigh,
"Suppose we can call you Fay for short I guess, well then if that's the name you want then alright I guess Fa'lin it is."
The small fairy smiled then looking on as Alex then said first pointing to Sara,
"Well now that that's out of the way, Fay, this is my kid sister Sara,"
Alex then saying as he held his hand out to Crystal,
"And this is Crystal, . . . . I'm not sure what she is just yet. . . ."
Alex blushed unsure as what to label the power blue fox just yet, Sara then giggling the end results making Alex blush as he looked away, only to turn horrified as the small fairy then said,
"Oh, you're the one he tried to cop a feel of when he managed to you pull out the purple crystal."
Alex quickly grabbing up the small and then tightly cupping his fingers into a tight pocket as he then hastily said,
"I did no such thing she's a liar, you can't believe a word that comes out of her mouth, honestly I never did any such thing."
Crystal laughed a little allowing the topic to die as Sara tried not to laugh, Alex finally bringing himself to let the small fairy go, said girl then saying as she flopped on her back,
"Air, oh beautiful air, how I missed you so."
Alex blushed then turned away, his face had guilty as sin written all over it, then saying as he walked to the door,
"What was tha. . . ?? Oh I think someone is calling me, I'd better go check it out."
Alex then hastily fled the building, leaving the three of them behind Sara now laughing on the bed, Crystal then looking down to the fairy as she said,
"Yeah, he tried to grab your chest, I stopped him though."
Alex after walking along a dirt path, stopping for a moment to kick a small rock off of it, still bright red and embarrassed about having something like that so readily told to others, Alex fought the urge to turn the fairy back into a glass orb. Looking back for a moment though, he saw Sara and Crystal take a step outside, instantly both shielding their eyes, Alex going back to them, as both found it hard to open their eyes, Sara asking as she rubbed them,
“Gah, why is it so bright out here?”
Alex chuckled a little then responded with,
“Well you two have not opened your eyes in . . . a very long time.”
Alex said not knowing how long the three of them actually slept, then said,
“Plus I found you two underground, you've not seen light in just as long a time, your eyes are going to be sensitive.”
They both nodded as Alex lead them around the camp, introducing them to people showing them around, it was nice he thought to himself. Once he had shown them around the camp and to all the places he felt they needed to know about they sat down at the central area when quiet a few other people had gathered for lunch themselves, The large fox taking the moment to introduce them to the cooking staff, First to Sanji the blond haired skirt chaser from the straw hats who nearly had gotten himself into some hot water when he got a little to shall we say friendly with Crystal's hand when they were properly introduced, Alex giving him a rather stern warning, after stopping time, and dangling him over a pit. After Sanji they where introduced to the rest of the cooking staff, the volunteers and the owner of Naruto's favorite ramen shop, at which point Sara's stomach started growling, the young vixen's face burning brightly as she then said,
“I think I'm getting hungry.”
Alex laughed for a moment then scooped her up with a big smile and said,
“Well then lets fix that shall we?”
She nodded at which point Sanji then said,
“Why not go take a seat we'll fix something up for you guys.”
Alex nodded then went out into the covered area they had set up for eating at, Alex setting Sara down to sit at one of the tables where after being noticed by people from the camp had several people coming over to Alex, thanking him for this and that, people thanking him for finding so and so for them, it took a moment but eventually he got back to his sister and Crystal, sitting down with them both girls already with a plate of food, Sanji then giving Alex a plate saying,
“Figured i'd hold on with your plate till you finished talking, would have gotten cold by now.”
Alex nodded thanking him for the consideration, then joined Sara and Crystal, another large smile on his face As Sara rested herself on his side as she ate and Crystal smiling at him. They ate uninterrupted for a few moments till Lady Tsunade came around joined by Sakura and stopped to observe the trio of foxes, noting the overall happy look Alex had, a thing he had been lacking for weeks, then approached saying once they were within a few feet of them,
“Hey Alex got a moment, I wanted to check up on these two, they were in bad shape when you brought them in the camp.”
Alex and the two vixens looked to her Alex then saying,
“Alright, but I've already taken care of them.”
She nodded setting down on the bench near them saying,
“True you have some impressive healing powers, but nothing beats the knowledge and experience of a trained doctor, plus I know more about the body them you do, true? I might find something you may have overlooked.”
The fox nodded her logic was sound, sure he could heal wounds but he didn't know f there was anything more that could be wrong inside of them at which point Tsunade asked Sara to scoot closer to her, the young fox doing so at which point Tsunade admitted,
“Also I wanted to see more of your species, I've examined the 'Mobians' as I've been told are what they're called and still I've seen nothing of the likes of you, maybe a fresh examination on someone new will help me learn more about your species.”
Alex nodded as she went to work making comments about what she found as she went about it, first with basic doctoring supplies checking the young vixen head to toe, Tsunade almost instantly noticing something or perhaps the lack of something when she passed a stethoscope over her chest, her lungs made no sound almost as if she was not actually breathing despite the fact that she looked to be taking breaths, and her heart was not beating her chest cavity was deathly silent for someone who was suppose to be alive and after shooting a look over to Alex, who figured what she had found and looked away, for all of a moment but still looked away; that told her what she wanted to know, whatever this was, it was his doing. After the practical exam she did a more in-depth exam with some of her medical jutsu wanting to understand the inner workings of their bodies, to understand how it would be best to heal them should that be needed in the future. After she finished with Sara lying and telling her that she was fine she moved to Crystal and instantly noticed a difference when she said,
“Your bone structure seems to be much lighter then both Alex and Sara's, that's strange.”
At which point Alex clarified for her,
“That would be due to the fact that physical appearance is all we have in common, we are in fact two entirely different species, sure we have the same genetic roots but evolved in two entirely different directions.”
Tsunade looked up at him for a moment before going back to examining Crystal,
“Is that right, fascinating, can you tell me more about it?”
Alex nodded then said as she wrapped up the rest of the practical exam the moved onto the next stage,
“Well the biggest difference in our two species is the climate we can survive in, for example the arctic foxes which is Crystal's species, can survive in subzero temperatures with no need of heat were as my species is the polar opposite we can withstand extreme heat without batting an eye even an infant could survive being in a fire for hours, though I had never seen it myself, but what passed for our capital city was built into an active volcano which the royal palace was in the heart of it; I had heard that the emperor's bedroom was right over the magma chamber.”
Tsunade nodded looking over to Sakura who had been taking notes as she had been instructed before hand to do. After making sure nothing was wrong with them and taking all the notes and such she wanted to make Tsunade then got up and said,
“Well, they're fit as a fiddle, thanks for your time.”
She turned to leave wanting to make it look good as she then turned almost as if she had just remembered it, then said looking Alex,
“Oh that reminds me, can I borrow you for a moment, we need a few supplies.”
Alex looked away for a moment then nodded saying as he looked to Crystal then nuzzled his sister's head,
“I'll be right back.”
They nodded and watched as the fox walked away for with Tsunade, at which point once they were out of earshot she asked,
“The little one, how is she alive?”
Alex looked at her for a moment even Sakura was confused at the question asking as she looked over the notes she had taken,
“What do you mean Lady Tsunade? Everything you said in the examination made her seem fine.”
Looking to Alex she responded with,
“I didn't want to alarm her, clearly she doesn't know. Her heart is not beating, her lungs are silent despite the fact she looks to be breathing normally, and several of her internal organs have taken serious damage, by all accounts that little girl is not alive, but there she is happy and carefree, anything you want to add to this?”
Alex looked away for a moment then responded rather coldly with,
“No, I don't and don't go asking questions you don't want answered.”
Tsunade looked a bit surprised at his answer, then asking,
“Want to talk about it?”
Alex Sighed the said,
“Take a look around, everyone is happy, I deserve to be happy too seeing as all of you are in theory standing on my shoulders. I deserve some happiness too, something I can call my own,”
Alex stopped to look back at the two vixens, with a warm and earnest smile, before returning to the conversation with,
“And no one is going to tell me otherwise.”
Tsunade nodded then said,
“Alright then, well its not like its hurting anyone, whatever this is I won't stick my nose into it any further, you've earned that much at the least from me.”
Alex nodded with a quiet “thank you” then watched as they left then returning to the two vixens, glancing down to see the ethereal cord the ran right from his chest and connected to his sisters body, knowing that that item was the only thing keeping her alive, but shook his head then rejoined them the two girls happy to see him return, his sister opting to jump into his lap, Alex wrapping his arms around the kit with a contented smile, sitting around for a few moments till the small Dragon fairy returned to him and promptly hid herself among his clothing, the fairy tried and wanting to sleep. Alex looked down to the small fox in his arms, she was tired even Crystal was starting to nod off, but they had just come out of stasis he was honestly surprised they had lasted this long. Scooping up Sara and holding out his hand for Crystal to take, he lead them home to allow them the rest they needed, tomorrow would be another day, and they'd need their rest to be ready for it.
~end of chapter~
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