Requested Stories, Book Two [ONLY REQUEST IF WILLING TO WAIT]

Lost Little Starlight, Part Two: Return to Darkness

"WHY DID YOU LET HER GO?!" Gao was definitely losing it. He was repeatedly running his fingers through his bi-colored hair, amber eyes filled with frantic fear as he paced back and forth so much it could burn a track on the wooden floor. No no no no!! Ashes!!!!!

Bal and Chibi were crying, and Drum was comforting them while giving the old man the stink eye. Was he senile?! Why would he do that?! 

Batzz was barely keeping it together as well. "You better have a good reason for this, old man!"

To his credit, the guru was calmly accepting their wrath. "I had to. I made a promise to someone and I think that Ashes needs to know more about her heritage." 

"Did you really have to send her there without backup!?" Gao argued. "Shishou, that was insanely dangerous! Please! Please send us over to Darkness Dragon World with her!"

Bunbuku paused slightly. His old friend had never mentioned that Ashes had to be alone. 

Even if Ashes herself didn't know of the others' presence...

Perhaps, it was fine for him to tweak things a bit. Even if he knew that Ashes' father would never harm his daughter's Buddy and her brothers, they didn't know him as he did. It was natural to assume something bad...

He inhaled. "Alright then."

"Shishou, you can't be serious!" Tanuki gaped. Ashes' Father would KILL him! 

"I am pretty serious, Tanuki. Plus, they just need to keep a low profile!" he cheerfully said. 

Low profile? Clearly, he was blind if he thought Barbatzz Dragoroyale, Mikado Gao, Balle Soleil, Fangslade Terrestrial the Fourteenth, AND Saint Holy Sword Dragon could do that. 

Tanuki couldn't, for his life, fathom his Buddy's brain at times, and this proved his point; his Buddy was insane through and through. No wonder he and Bag- ah wait, SPOILER!!!!

He shook his head frantically. He couldn't risk spoiling anything!!!! Sure, it invited weird looks from the others, but Bunbuku gave a feral smile as he opened up a portal underneath them. "Good luck!" 

They barely had a second to react before they were falling-

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" 

Gao felt shivers go down his spine. This reminded him slightly of that day, when... He lost against Fujin Tamamo, back then known only as Piper, and got sent to- 

nO nO No No! Stop thinking about it! It wasn't that time! He was safe! HE WAS SAFE!

Yet even as they fell to the ground, he couldn't stop shaking, and he flinched at every small touch. Voices blurred together. He curled up. No no no, please, stop stop stop... 

He felt the hug, he felt warmth, and he began to calm down. It was fine. Tamamo had redeemed himself. Ashes was back. Everyone... Everyone was okay. 

He breathed. He let the tears out. 

He was fine. 

He was fine. 

He was fine...

Once he felt like he truly meant that statement, even if it was just a bit, he got up. "Thanks, guys. Now let's go find Ashes."

The Buddies smiled before Batzz agreed, "Let's go, brat!" 

The walk to the palace was vaguely familiar to them since they had come here before. Only once to find out how Ashes became a Lunar Darkness Dragon. It was how Kana had found a Buddy, Dragon of Endless Shadows, Belmont when standing up to Ashes' Father.