Wow, certainly has been AGES since I last wrote something on here... sadly I had to quit FFXI, along with my bf, but I just recently got to snooping around some FFXI stuff.. And I felt like writing a bit... so... here we go

Thank you as well, to all my reviewers.. I love you guys so much

italics are flashbacks

As Invier walked from the bathroom, down the long hallway to the kitchen, he could see random family pictures hanging along the wall. He couldn't help but notice, what appeared to be Kuronue, only in her younger years, always seeming to be trying to get out of the pictures, and or making ridiculous faces. Except for one imparticular one that caught his attention, and he found himself stopped dead in his tracks. It looked to be a male mithra, looking strikingly like Shinji, and holding a, what looked to be, possibly 5 year old Kuronue. It was the only picture in the entire hallway where she seemed to be truly smiling.

"Our father," said Shinji who must have been on his way to the kitchen as well. Invier did not look away, but could feel a slight uneasiness, and it only proved that feeling as he heard Shinji let out a heavy sigh. "She was about 4 when it all happened."

"Daddy? Can I please go out with you today?" Kuronue tugged on her fathers pants lightly, looking up at him pleadingly. Her father was home from the war in San' dOria fighting orcs, and today he was just going out to fight a few of the lesser monsters. "Please daddy? I won't get hurt I promise, I'll knock the feathers off those stupid birds," Kuronue said as she swung her fists so fiercely she swung her little body in a circle, and nearly fell, if it weren't for her fathers strong hands there to hold her up.

Her father let out a hearty chuckle, then looked up to Kuronue's mother, who didn't look to pleased with the idea. They both gave her a pleading look, before she finally just shook her head and flicked her wrist, motioning for them to head on out before she changed her mind. Kuronue smiled and hugged her mother, then went to run outside before her mother stopped her.

"Now wait just one minute! I want a picture of my two little fighters." Kuronue groaned, but her father picked her up, which always would bring a smile to the little ones face. Kuronue smiled big, as the flash of light hit them both, and almost just as soon they were out the door.

Kuronue stuck to fighting the smaller monsters. Rabbits and Mandragoras were just her size, as she tried to mimic her fathers fighting style. She would watch him over a monsters shoulder and follow every punch she could.

They hadn't been out there long, when one of the men Kuronue would see her father frequently talking to ran up to her father. She could tell it was nothing good when her fathers face fell, and so did his ears for that matter. He ran past her towards the chocobo stables, as she followed.

"Daddy what's wrong," she asked as she followed on her fathers heels.

"There's a dragon attack in Giddeus, go back home, and tell your mother I'll be late to supper."

"No! I'm going to, I can help you daddy I can–" but her statement was cut off before she could finish.

"I said GO!" Kuronue stopped in her tracks as she watched her father enter the stables. She was upset that her father had forbidden her to go, but that wasn't about to stop her. She quickly ran into the stables, her father already gone, probably halfway to Giddeus by now, as she hopped onto a Tarutaru chocobo, just about her size as she headed for Giddeus.

It was a short ride, but her chocobo refused to enter Giddeus, but she wasn't. She had remembered what her father had always taught her, and that information would keep her safe in nearly any situation. She reached into her bag and pulled out her Silent Oils and Prism Powder, using them quickly before heading past every Yagudo in there unnoticed. Her fathers footsteps were still fresh in the sand, as she tracked them down. Before long she could see the dragon they had been talking about. Her quick sprint quickly turned into a slow walk, as her eyes befell a horrible scene. Massacred bodies everywhere, charred Elvaans, bloody Tarutarus, gnawed Mithra, and dead Humes littered the ground. The stench nearly made her sick, but nowhere near as sick as the sight she saw. Six people stood challenging the horrible dragon. A small Tarutaru, obviously the whitemage as he stood near the rear, an Elvaan redmage, Hume ranger, Taru blackmage, Galka monk, and her father. It was a rag tag team, but it must have been all they could get at the time.

She was so stunned by the events in front of her, she never realized her silent oil, or her prism powder wore off. That was, until she noticed two pairs of very angry eyes glaring right at her. The dragon bellowed loudly, as it smacked the large galka out from in front of it as it charged for her. She was so scared she couldn't even scream, she stood there. The Galka fell, and she didn't think he was getting up. The ranger took aim and hit the dragon, hoping to wound it, and it did. The dragon then turned on the ranger, taking one foul swipe and another was down. They all began to fall, she didn't notice her father yelling, the whitemage running toward her or anything, she was frozen. She felt like she wasn't really there, like she was watching some sort of replay of it.

Then it happened...

Her father was smacked to the ground. The sickening thud his body made as it hit the ground jolted her out of it, as she ran towards him. She was roughly, grabbed by the Taru whitemage, which surprisingly was holding her back pretty well. She screamed as she watched her father getting beaten, blood everywhere, on that damn dragons claws, it's teeth, her fathers tail. It was everywhere!

"Get her out of here now!" She barely registered that her father was yelling, but her vision began to get foggy, and she then realized she was in the teleport beam as the whitemage began to cast Warp II on her. She screamed and ran towards her father as she began to fade from the scene. The last thing she saw was her father kiss her before beginning his dragon kick combo.

"It was the last time she ever, any of us ever saw him. She, she took it the worst though." Invier continued to stare at the picture a few more minutes, as it all sank in. He noticed Shinji begin to walk away, and felt it would be rude to be late for a supper you were invited to as he also walked tothe kitchen, casting one last glance at that picture.

Woooh ;; theres a doozy of a story for ya...

As for the father, I wanted a little background for you for her, and why her father isn't around yet her brother is.

Ok.. Also.. My father had a second heart attack.. Maybe I just wanted some daughter father time in the story . So sue me..

It's back to the normal next chapter