After leaving the hall, I accompanied Anis to the kitchen to speak with Teresa. Considering how she had reacted earlier upon seeing Etsuo, I feared she wasn't going to want to help them cure Roa.

She and her cousin were busy chatting away as a pot of tea brewed in the stove.

"Oh, hey, Mom, Nico!" Teresa said as soon as we walked in. "Want to join us for some tea."

"We have chocolate waffle cookies too!" Dossie said, smiling.

"Of course, I would love to," Anis said, smiling at her niece. She averted her gaze. "Though, I have a favor to ask you, Tere."

"Ask away! I'm all ears!" she said.

"It's about your cousin."

"Which one? That Etsuo, right? If so, then I don't wish to help. When we met in Xeleria, I thought that maybe he could switch sides, but even during the battle with the Leviathan, he ended up helping them."

"It appears he has his reasons," I said.

She crossed her arms. "Don't we all? That's not enough of an excuse."

"Etsuo's a nice guy," Dossie said, touching her cousin's hand. "Please help him. I know that my brothers dislike him too, but he's not like the one who took my brother's life."

"Well, that's true. Even Roa, who had a bit of a jerkish streak, wasn't anything like that fox." Teresa took a deep breath. "What are the details of this 'favor'?"

Anis beamed. "I need you to go with Dossie's older siblings and her dad to Mizu no Kin."

Teresa's eyes lit up. "Mizu no Kin? Why there?"

"Etsuo needs to obtain some ingredients there to heal your cousin Roa."

"What's wrong with that jerk?"

"He appears to be suffering from an ailment of some kind. Etsuo and Kiara can give ya all the details on the way."

She glanced at Dossie and then back her mom. "Are we leaving now? I wanted to drink tea with Dossie."

Anis snorted. "Ya can drink ya tea before heading out."

"Great!" she said before turning her attention back to Dossie. I smiled. It was nice to see them getting along.

I tapped Anis' shoulder. "Uh, aren't you going to tell her about Zafir?"

"I rather not interrupt them again."

She would have to find out at some point. I turned away. Part of me wanted to blurt it out and for her to relent going with them.

I sighed. Since when had I become so selfish? Someone's life was on the line, and yet here I was, worrying about her meeting up with her crush. Plus, Zafir was going to have a kid soon, so why was I worried about her seeing him?

"Where are ya going?" Teresa asked, turning to look at me.

"I'm going to go outside. I need some fresh air."

"Oh, okay." She gasped. "Wait, but if I leave, who will be your sparring partner."

I grinned. "Now you think about that. But it's fine. I used to practice boxing by myself all the time when I was younger. This will be no different."

Teresa opened her mouth but didn't say anything. Though, I could see pity in her eyes.

"Anyway, I'll be outside!" I said, rushing off.

"Did she agree?" Teresa's aunt asked as she stood up from the sofa.

"Yeah, she did. But she's going to drink tea with Dossie before she goes."

Kiara sighed. "I hope that Roa can last long enough for her to finish her tea," she said. Though, I figured it was actually Dine speaking."

"The journey will be pretty long," Rene said. "I don't think waiting on her will add much to the overall time."

"True."

Etsuo reached into his pocket and brought out a translucent blue stone. Mom had one just like it on top of our old television. She said she found it beside my father when she met him.

"A memento?" I asked.

"No, this is a communication crystal. These are special crystals from back home, which allow us to communicate with others even if we're universes apart."

I laughed. "Oh. Well, now I feel silly for thinking it could be the same kind of crystal we got back home."

"You've seen one just like this one before?"

I nodded. "Yeah. My father had it in his hand when my mom found him." I turned my head away. Much to her misfortune...

"Found him?" Rene asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. She found my father on the outskirts of her town."

"Where is your mother from?"

"She hails from a small hamlet near Momotaro."

"Oh, my husband's from the same area."

"Mom, Dad was born in Momotaro's palace. There's a difference from being born in a small hamlet," Kiara said.

"Oh come on now, you sound like your big brother now."

Kiara gasped. "I didn't mean it like that," she said, falling to the side as if her mom had just dealt her a mortal blow.

"You okay, Ki?" Nat asked, staring at his big sister with concern evident on his face.

"Y-yeah. It's just going to take a while to recover from that one," Kiara said, putting a hand over her heart.

"Ki," her mom said, trying not to laugh.

I snickered. Kiara's overdramatic antics reminded me of Mom's. Come to think of it, Tere was the same way too at times. Maybe that's why I felt drawn to her.

I glanced back at the kitchen and saw her smiling as she continued to chat away with Dossie.

"Are you staring at Teresa?" Anis asked as she waved a hand over my eyes.

I jumped back. "Since when were you here."

Anis laughed. "Since Kiara fell over. If I hadn't met Hideo, I probably would've been confused as to why she finds the comparison offensive."

"Glad that you understand, aunty."

I snickered. "Come on. Hideo's not that bad."

"Yeah," Nat said. He put a hand against his mouth. "Hmm, bet Hide's sneezing like crazy right now."

"That's a myth," I said.

He looked up at me. "How do you know?"

I scratched the side of my face. "Well... I don't, but I'm sure it is."

Nat laughed. "That makes no sense."

"Well, neither does the idea of people sneezing at the mention of their name," I retorted, trying not to laugh.

"I guess it is..." I glanced back at Etsuo, who continued staring at his crystal. "What's wrong?"

"I thought of contacting Man-kin until I remembered that Naoru took his crystal."

"I had him give it to Camila," Rene said.

Etsuo smiled. "Then I should call... but maybe I should save it for later. We might need to call him in case we're missing something."

"Does it only have a one time use?" I asked.

"Yeah. It takes a full day in this world's time for it to replenish."

"My dad has one too that he got from uncle Tekeshi, but a full day hasn't passed since he used it," Kiara said.

"Oh right, you did mention that you tried to communicate with him using a crystal," I said as I continued to stare at the oddly familiar stone.

Suddenly the door opened and in came two boys.

"Mommy," a boy white haired boy cried. The kid was around the age of my half-sister.

"What's wrong, Alex?" Rene said.

The boy raised his sleeve, revealing a small bloody bruise. "I fell while playing soccer with Sy."

"Here, let me heal you," Rene said, putting a finger over his arm. An orange light radiated out of her finger, causing the wound to close. "Also, where is your dad?"

"He's outside by the rental car," the older boy said. "He told Alex he would heal him, but he ran off to find you like the Mama boy he is."

"Silas," Rene said, glaring at him. "Be nice."

Silas sighed. "Okay."

"It stings," Alex said, flinching.

Silas took a deep breath. "I told you to slow down, but you wouldn't listen."

"I thought you were cheating."

Silas scoffed. "Why would I cheat against a kid?"

Alex sniffed. "Because I was winning."

"What? Dream on! I had five points and you had two points!"

"Really? Felt like I was winning."

Nat jumped out of his seat. "Want me to help, Alex?"

Alex smiled. "Sure! We can beat Sy for sure!"

Silas narrowed his eyes. "Uh, two against one would be cheating. Not that I think you could win teamed up anyway," he said, bouncing the soccer ball in his palm.

"We'll show you!" Alex said.

Rene patted his shoulder. "Go and play, but be careful this time. Sy, make sure they don't get hurt."

"Alright," Silas said, turning around.

"I should join too!" Kiara said as she rose from the couch.

"You join Alex. I'll team up with Nat."

"Aww, I wanted to play with Alex," Nat said.

"Sy and me versus you two would be extremely one-sided."

"True," Alex said.

"What if we join?" a voice called out. In came two girls. One with blue hair and the other with pink hair.

"Are those cat ears?" Anis asked, running over to the pink-haired girl.

"Yeah!" the little girl said, smiling as she touches her hairband.

"Lay here loves cosplaying as a cat," Rene said, laughing.

"Meow!" Lay said, raising her hands over her face as if they were paws.

"So cute!" Anis said. "Reminds me of Tere."

"Oh, right. Teresa had cat ears when she was born. Where did you find such realistic ears?"

"Uh..." Anis said. "Those were her real ears."

Rene gasped. "What? She's a real cat?"

Lay's eyes glimmered. "A real cat? Where? I want to see!"

The blue-haired girl sighed. "So much for us playing soccer together. Come on, you two. Let's go beat Sy and Kiara," she said, patting Alex and Nat on the back.

"Yeah!" the little boys said.

Kiara smirked. "Someone is overly confident," she said as she followed her sister and brothers.

"I'll go and join you as soon as I see the kitty!" Lay yelled. She glanced around the living room. "So where is this girl with kitty ears?"

"What kitty?" Teresa said as she walked into the living room. In her hands was a cup of tea.

"She's referring to you," Rene said, snickering.

"What? I don't have cat ears," Teresa said.

Anis fidgetted. "You do, but you just don't know how to activate your abysmal form."

"Wait, so I'm a cat like Dad?" She turned around. "Hey, Dossie, I'm a cat!"

"Cat? Lay would love you," Dossie said. She turned her head and noticed her sister. "Oh, Lay! Heard that Tere's a cat?"

Lay nodded. "Yeah!"

Teresa touched her head. "If only I knew how to activate them. Wait, if Tetsu's a dragon and I'm a cat, what's Taku?"

"He's an elephant."

"An elephant, huh? That would explain his strength..."

Lay gasped. "Wow. I wish I could turn into an animal. Especially a cat!"

"I married a cat-boy," Anis said.

"Woah? Your dad's a cat too, Tere?" Dossie said.

"Yup! Though, he looks like a panther more than a house cat."

"Cool," Lay said, eyes continuing to sparkle. "Where is he?"

"Lay," Rene said, standing up from the sofa. "Tere's dad is..."

"He's in another universe," Teresa said, averting her eyes.

"Oh. Hope I can meet him!"

"You already did. He was the guy who saved your brother."

"Kuroshi?" She laughed. "I knew he gave off a cat vibe!"

"His name is actually Tekeshi," I said. "Kuroshi was just an alias."

"I see."

Teresa cleared her throat. "So, anyone want some tea?"

"Sure," Rene and Anis said.

"I'll like a cup too," I said.

Teresa smiled faintly. "Okay."

Would she be fine away from her immediate family? I had always seen her accompanied by at least one member. She was already sad due to her father going missing, she didn't need homesickness piled on top of that...

***

All of us went outside as soon as we finished our tea and waffle cookies.

Kiara and her younger siblings were running back and forth as they each tried to get the ball past makeshift goal posts made up of stones.

Also outside was a white-haired man with bright bluish-green eyes leaning against a large van. He was busy recording the kids' game.

"Oh, you're finally out," he said, looking up from his phone.

"Tere here agreed to help us out. Though, the little ones will be staying back with me. The trip here was already tough enough on me, so it's probably best for the baby if I stay."

"That's fine. I was going to suggest you do so to begin with. It gives you time to catch up with your sister too," he said, smiling.

"I'll still be accompanying you," Silas said. He glared at Etsuo. "I have to keep an eye on him after all."

"Be sure to behave, Silas," Rene said.

"Yeah, yeah," Silas said as he stopped the soccer ball rolling his way. "Seems the game is over."

Alex frowned. "But we almost got you!"

"What? You were behind by five points. How is that close?"

Alex fidgetted. "I guess that's true..."

Nat plopped the ground and laughed. "That was fun!"

"Yeah," Amu said as she sat down on the grass.

"We can have a rematch as soon as we return!" Kiara said, walking over to Alex.

"Okay!" Alex said, grinning.

"Take care of your mom!" their dad said as he opened a door.

"Don't worry, we will!" Amu said as she looked up at him.

"Bye, dear. Drive safely," Rene said.

"I will," her husband said before giving her a quick kiss. "Eat healthy. If you feel any pains, be sure to tell Anis."

"You sound like Dad," Rene said, giggling.

He chuckled. "I don't think I'm that much of a worrywart."

"Yeah. Dad's the champion of worrying," Anis said, grinning.

Teresa hugged her mom. "Ya be sure to take care too, Mom. Don't push yourself."

"If she does, I'll stop her," I said.

Tere smiled at me. Much to my surprise, she gave me a hug. "I'll miss ya too, Nico."

"S-same," I said.

She patted my shoulder and turned away.

Loneliness started to creep in as she entered the van. How long would she take to return?

"Once I'm back, we can renew our training!" Teresa yelled as the van started to back up.

"Speaking about training, be sure to continue practicing by yourself! I won't accept you slacking off!"

Teresa huffed. "Ya think I'm lazy? I'll show ya how much stronger when I come back!"

"I'll be looking forward to it!" I yelled, waving as the vehicle moved further away from us.

I better get stronger too. I'm not anywhere near the level of my other teammates. Wonder how long it'll be until Team Tetsuya is reunited...

**Solar Note: Thoughts? Predictions?**