Finally, Questions has been uploaded! :D I'm tremendously happy about this… But I would also like to apologize for uploading this, because I know that this wasn't tied for first place on the poll in my profile. The reason I did this early was because I had a sudden attack of inspiration, and I had to write it down… And when I started writing it, I ended up finishing the chapter… And, as some of you may already know, I've had a motto of sorts since I joined this site: If it's finished, upload it. XD The good news is that because it wasn't first, it won't count in the poll, and the results will NOT be removed after the upload of this chapter. So… There's not really much else for me to say. Not much changed since my last update; still fighting off this rather nasty flu (I think it might be coming back, even, though it's mostly too soon for me to tell). As for concerning the story… The summary covered most of what needed to be said. One thing that I should mention is that this is a sort of a companion story to Blue Dragon Beyond, so readers of that story will probably want to read this, and perhaps For Every Year as well; all three stories end up having references to each other (Beyond and For Every Year have a few references to each other already). Oh and there is one important note that I should make:

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you've been following Blue Dragon Beyond, then you know that I don't follow the ages given in the game manual. At the time of the first Blue Dragon game, I've aged Shu at twelve and Jiro at fourteen. Questions will also have them aged at 12 and 14 during the first Blue Dragon game.

Well, I think I've covered everything now. So, after the tedious disclaimer, I present you with my Thanksgiving present to the Blue Dragon archive; read on! ;D

Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Dragon, nor do I claim these events to have actually taken place in the storyline; it's just a fan fiction made by a fan for other fans. But I am thankful for the creation of this game, and the wonderful people that made it. :)

Jiro, where do you find a baby oven?

Jiro: Age 15

This was not the first question he asked me, but it's the first that I'll mention.

At age two, Shu had a tendency to look up at a person with large blinking eyes, round face, and seem completely innocent, like he could do no wrong.

... That was usually a sign that you'd been led into a false sense of security. In other words, a trap. Meaning that he was about to ask you a question that you fervently wished he'd never asked you.

I can't begin to tell you how many times this happened to me. Fortunately, though, to retain some of my dignity, you won't be hearing all of them.

But... I'm starting to think that this question wasn't the wisest of choices, either.

The four year old blinked at the younger, understandably perplexed. "A what?"

"A baby oven." Shu repeated, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "'Cause I really want to see one."

"Shu..." Jiro shook his head. "There isn't anything like that."

"There is, though," Shu looked so serious at this moment that Jiro had to fight back a threatening grin. "That's what you use to make a baby."

The unformed grin disappeared completely; Jiro thought miserably that it had probably hidden in a safer place, somewhere far away from little brother figures that asked embarrassing, cringe-inducing questions, and he wished wholeheartedly that when it had hid, it had taken him with it. "That... isn't where a baby comes from." Unlike most boys his age, Jiro knew where babies really came from.

... The only thought he had on the matter of discovering this was that he would be much more careful about which books he pulled off his parents' shelves. Namely, though not exclusively, books about anatomy.

"It is, Jiro." Shu nodded. "When I asked him, Gran'pa said that babies are brought to their moms and dads by Cockatrices, but now I know that he must've heard wrong."

"Oh?" Jiro swallowed, hoping the smaller boy couldn't hear the nerves in his voice. He knew how conversations went with Shu, and therefore knew that they were getting close to very dangerous waters (dangerous for Jiro, at least). "Then where do they come from?"

"Well... I heard some of the adults talking. I didn't really understand what they were saying, but they said something about 'making a baby'. So if you have to 'make' a baby, that must mean they're like bread, and that has to mean you make them in an oven." Shu smiled wide then, proud that he'd figured this out all by himself.

Jiro gaped at him in undisguised shock. He swallowed again, once, twice, three times, and yet the gravity of the situation still held his throat firmly in its grip. "Shu... I don't think-"

"So where do you find one of the ovens?" Shu interrupted. "Or do you know where the oven is that made me? Or the oven that made you? Was it the same oven? Is there just one big oven? Or does every baby come from their own oven?"

"U-um..." Too many questions. Way too many questions. And even if he only dealt with one of them, how was he supposed to answer anyway? But, Shu was still looking to him expectantly, so he needed to come up with something... "I don't know." He hated saying that, saying those words in that order. He had for as long as he could remember; if he didn't know the answer to something, he always wanted to rectify that as quickly as possible. But presently, he had little choice.

Shu's eyes grew huge. "What do you mean 'you don't know'? It's you Jiro; of course you know!"

Jiro shut his eyes. "Shu... Do you remember that talk we had about not putting people, especially me, on pedestals-"

"-and I looked through the whole village and couldn't find a pedestal," Shu had his hands on his hips, looking as if the elder should know all of this already, "so I can't put anyone on a pedestal 'cause there isn't one."

Helplessly, Jiro turned his eyes skyward. Where did I go wrong? Did I say something... do something... that caused him to be this way? I was always careful, but... did I just accidently drop him on his head one day? Looking down at Shu again, who was still waiting for an answer, he opened and closed his mouth a few times, searching for words, and reluctantly finding, "... Never mind."

"But you still didn't tell me where the baby ovens are!" Shu protested.

Jiro groped frantically for something to say; he couldn't tell him where they actually came from - how was he supposed to tell Shu about it if Jiro himself didn't even want to know? - and lying wasn't an option, either (besides the fact that he'd been taught not to do so, it would likely end up with Shu thinking that babies came from something even sillier than an oven). So, what did that leave him with...? Rather suddenly, he was hit with inspiration. "Shu... Why don't you ask Kluke's mom and dad? I'm sure they could tell you. They're doctors, so they know a lot about people, and I bet that means they would know where to find a baby oven. Besides, even if I did know where to find one, they would explain it a whole lot better than I could."

Shu considered this for all of five seconds before giving a small nod. "Guess so... If you're saying it, then it's gotta be true."

Jiro almost brought up the "pedestal talk" again, but quickly bit down on that; if Shu accepted this, all the better. "'You say so..."

"Alright!" Shu grinned broadly. "I'm going to go ask Kluke's mom and dad!" He started running towards the door, waving over his shoulder. "See you in a little while, Jiro!" After standing on the tips of his toes to reach the handle, he shut it behind him awkwardly.

After several quiet moments had passed, Jiro was struck with a rather... disconcerting thought.

... What if babies really did get made in ovens?

Jiro: Age 15

It's been eleven years since then, and while I'm pretty sure that he doesn't think they come from ovens anymore, I still have a feeling that Shu isn't quite sure about where exactly babies come from.

Shu: Age 13

Of course I know now that babies don't come from ovens. I know I'm kinda naïve about a few things, but, really, Jiro, how much of a kid do you think I am?

No... Babies come from women... From inside their stomachs. That much I definitely know.

But... There is one thing that I'm... not really clear about...

How do they get in there?

… And that ends the first chapter! :D Well… Hopefully it was somewhat cute and/or funny. Hopefully both, but if not, then hopefully at least one. It was probably a little odd, though… But I'm pretty happy with it, at least (which, as you may know, is quite rare). :) Anyway… If you can, please review! I'd like to know what you thought of it. Oh, and speaking of which… This story is pretty open, so if you have any ideas of something you'd like to see, feel free to let me know in your review; I may not be able to use every idea, but if I think that I can make it work, I'll definitely try to use it. I'll try to update this story after 10 hits, but which story gets updated next is mainly decided by the poll on my profile. Which brings us to that… If you haven't voted on the poll yet, please vote (if you're able to)! :) And that's pretty much everything I have to mention, so… See you soon! Oh, and happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :D