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It's currently unclear of how many chapters I will need in order to complete this story, but I am estimating about maybe four to six more chapters (after this one). Hope you enjoy this new chapter :)!

(Also a happy early birthday to Red)

Notes

- A bit of violence

Zodiac II

Moon Lumanlan began questioning the thief as Sun Taiyono glanced up at the window with the book in his arms. Dark clouds were moving in quicker than he expected.

"Why did you take the book?"

"A person blackmailed me."

"Blackmailing?"

"They threatened to kidnap my wife and children."

"May I ask if you have the name of the blackmailer?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't know."

"Where is your family right now?"

"At home."

"I suggest you and your family move far away to another region."

"What region?"

Moon narrowed her eyebrows. "I believe the blackmailer was a Novarro. I suggest you thrive in the Sinnoh Region. None of the Novarros are in power there."

"And you expect me to do just that?"

Moon looked right into his eyes. Oh no.

"Moon!" Sun hollered, turning to her. The thief pushed her off her chair and proceeded to kick her. "Moon! No!"

The marchioness grabbed onto the man's ankle and twisted it. As the man was yelping in pain, Sun got a hold of him and threw him outside with Moon's help.

Getting her bow and quiver of arrows and suit from her room, she ran inside. Sun was busy outside shoving the thief down the path. He spotted more men coming his way. "Moon! More people!"

"Coming!"

Sun looked over his shoulder and saw Moon running up to him. She was wearing the suit she wore that afternoon at the training field. The archer pulled out three arrows from her quiver between her fingers and drew them back along with the string horizontally. Releasing her fingers, all three arrows took flight and flew towards the men.

All three arrows were blocked by shields, which made Sun worry. Moon narrowed her eyebrows and said, "Guess I'll surround them."

"What?" asked Sun.

Moon began igniting her arrowheads with the help of a fire pit in her backyard. Sun kept shoving the thief down the path but more slowly. He had no weapons on hand and had to rely on Moon and his body.

"Bleh, the hot air." complained Sun.

Moon climbed up a ladder to her roof and started shooting her burning arrows. She aimed them in specific positions in order to trap the incoming men and she knew she had to complete the trap quickly to work.

"Moon! Shoot me an arrow!" Sun hollered. "I need something!"

"You idiot!" barked Moon. "An arrow isn't going to save your life that way! Besides, I don't intend on killing them!"

"You were a second ago!"

"Those arrows from before were to scare them off! Didn't work in the end!" Moon retorted, releasing two last arrows.

"Oh!"

A circle of fire thrived around the group of men before they knew it. Moon jumped down from her roof and ran down the path. "Sun, I want you to go back to your house."

"Why?"

"I don't want you involved. This is my matter now."

"But-."

"But what? This isn't your problem! It's mines! I don't want you to get involved! You're just a high-schooler who's accompanying a liar!"

Sun wanted to say, Moon.. I want to help you! I'm not just some kid, I'm a spy! I can help you! I care about you!

But said instead:

"Moon.. what're you saying?"

She was shaking her head. "This is a royalty matter. Go. Leave."

"Leave.. to where?"

"Your home."

"No."

"Yes. Please. I'm too dangerous to live with."

Sun put his hands on her shoulder. "No! I don't want to leave!"

"Why?"

"Because.."

"Because what?"

"I cannot go back."

The words were true to say, but it didn't feel true to Sun.

After this mission, I'll be free.

"Why?"

"I.. I just can't!"

"Go! Please! Sun."

"No. I'm staying."

Moon sighed. "Fine. Whatever."

Then she turned to the men. "Who sent you?"

A man taller than the rest stepped forward. "Novarro."

"What is the mission they gave you?"

"To steal a book."

Moon blinked. "Leave. Now."

She pulled out three burning arrows from the circle and let the men run off.

"Sun, help me extinguish these arrows."

"Okay."

Moon looked up at the incoming dark clouds. "Looks like it'll be raining. Hard."

"Yeah."

The two picked up her arrows quickly as rain started to come in.

⇺⇻

Sun and Moon left her arrows to cool off in the rain outside. The marchioness started to read Zodiacal Keys on the couch in the second living room and the spy was finishing his homework in his room.

A feminine voice from outside was heard in his room.

"Moon, do you hear something?"

"No."

Sun got out of his room. "I heard someone."

"Not me."

"Obviously. It did sound like a girl."

Moon opened the front door and heard a faint call. "Yuliana!"

"Someone's looking for someone in the forest," said the marchioness. "In this kind of weather."

It was raining harder than ever. Sun hesitated in finding the voice.

A girl appeared out of the forest. Constance Essie. "Connie?"

The girl turned and saw Sun and Moon. "Ah! Sun! Selene!"

"Oh! Hey, Connie!" Moon shouted with a smile. "Come on in!"

"Oh.. but I'm trying to find my sister!"

"Who?" asked the marchioness.

"My sister! Yuliana!"

"Just come on in and we'll help you! You're totally soaked!"

"Ah, thank you!"

⇺⇻

The dark clouds that blocked the natural light of the sun started to make rain. Red guided Blue into the woods and found a lair. The two took shelter in it and sat on boulders.

"Thanks, Red."

"It's inhumane to leave someone out in the cold rain."

"I've seen someone do that."

"Really?"

Blue let out a laugh. "Yeah."

"Has Alola ever had these types of clouds?"

"No."

"Hm."

"Red?"

"It's nothing."

"I hope everybody's alright."

Red nodded. "Yeah."

"I doubt there'll be a plane or a boat in service."

"Yeah." Red said again.

"Red."

"What?"

"It doesn't look like the rain'll stop anytime soon."

"You're.. right."

Rain continued to fall as more and more dark clouds joined in. "It's like.. as if someone is actually doing this."

Red glanced at Blue and frowned. "That's crazy, Blue."

"Exactly."

Red blinked. "Huh?"

"Look." said the duchess.

It was hard to see with the trees in the way, but there was a figure. A person looking up at the sky. "Let's go confront, Blue."

"Okay. Race ya there."

"Three.. two.. Blue!"

"No time for a countdown!" she hollered as she started running. "This rain is severe!"

"Agreed!" shouted back the earl, running behind her.

Approaching the figure, Blue got a look at it. The girl had soaking wet brown ombré wavy hair. "Excuse me?" asked the duchess. "What're you doing in a weather like this?"

The girl looked over her shoulder and then turned. "Oh? Are you one of those people who hate the rain?" She had a pair of bluish-green eyes.

"I prefer drizzling more than this." Blue almost shouted through the loud rain. "It's raining cats and dogs."

"I like it," the girl told Blue. "Oh, is that.. your friend?"

Blue had almost forgotten Red. She peered over her shoulder and then turned her head back to her. "Oh! Yup! That's him!"

"Hi." he said behind Blue.

"Hello." replied the girl.

"You look familiar," Blue spoke. "Do you happen to be an Essie?"

"Why yes," she answered. "Yuliana Essie."

The duchess took her hand out. "Blue Takoizu."

"Takoizu, eh?" Yuliana shook hands with her and then turned to Red. "What about you?"

The rain seemed to be calming down a bit. "Red Akagi." he replied, holding his hand out.

Yuliana shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"I'm terribly sorry for keeping you outside," she said. "Why don't we head inside?"

"Sure," agreed Red. "Where?"

"My vacation house." said the princess.

Blue smiled, "Do lead us."

"I gladly will."

⇺⇻

Yuliana let Red and Blue use the shower. Red used the shower first, leaving Blue and her niece alone in the living room.

"Princess Yuliana, right?"

"Yes! And you are the new duchess, yes?"

Blue simply nodded and smiled. "Yeah!"

"I congratulate you on your promotion."

"And I greatly appreciate it, princess."

Yuliana gave Blue a warm smile. Her flawlessly white teeth flashed which made Blue blink. Her eyebrows looked naturally and perfectly shaped.

"I like your eyebrows." blurted out Blue.

"Thanks," Yuliana beamed. "I got them done on my sweet sixteen."

"Cool," Blue told her a bit awkwardly. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course. Ask."

Blue cleared her throat and handed her the letter. She had kept the letter dry.

Yuliana unfolded it and began reading. She immediately narrowed her perfect eyebrows. "How did you get your hands on this?"

"My friend's uncle went into the Novarro lobby. You're partnering up with them?"

The princess didn't dare to look at Blue. "I'm just trying to find my father."

"Just face it," the duchess told her. "He's dead."

"And what gives you the right to say that?!"

"I am his cousin."

"And I am his daughter!"

"I see your determination, princess."

Yuliana crossed her arms and legs. "Were you testing me?"

"Kind of," replied the duchess. "Is there a reason why you truly believe your father is still alive?"

"The Novarros claimed they found something."

"They found.. what?"

"Something. Something that proved that my father was alive. They blackmailed me and my sister. They told us to expose the marchioness of the Alolan Monarchy."

"Where is your sister now?"

"At a restaurant with a friend."

"One more question."

"Yes?"

"Do you remember me?"

Yuliana's bluish-green eyes turned into a dull blue with barely a hint of any green. Her head tilted towards the side as they both heard the shower turn off.

"I think I do."

"You've changed a lot, Yuliana." Blue grimaced.

The princess tilted her head again. "What do you mean?"

"I remembered that your hair was straight and you had bangs," recalled Blue. "Your eyes used to be a light brown color. Your eyebrows were thicker."

Yuliana looked away. "Okay."

Blue took out her phone and pretended to fiddle with it. "Oh! Someone called me but I didn't answer," she lied. "I'll be in the dining room."

"Okay."

The duchess rushed into the dining room and dialed Moon's number. Red came out of the bathroom and spotted Blue running. He raised an eyebrow.

⇺⇻

"Blue?" Moon asked through the phone. "What's up?"

"Yuliana Essie," whispered Blue. "She's with me."

"Oh! I'm with her sister," she told her. "She's been looking for her."

"How about we meet after the rain stops?"

"Blue.. do you know what's happening outside?"

"Huh?"

Blue looked over her shoulder and saw Red in the doorway. She looked past him and at a window.

"Blue?"

"Red. A storm's coming."

The duchess glanced at Yuliana Essie. She was staring at the window with an expressionless look on her face.

"Blue?" asked Moon.

"I'm here. A storm, eh?"

"Yeah, I have never seen a real derecho storm before.." she remarked.

"A what?!"

Moon's voice somehow sounded calm. "You heard me alright. A derecho storm."

"Oh my gosh," uttered Blue as she raced to the window for a better look. "Seriously?"

"I mean, it's obviously a line of storms."

"What is a derecho storm doing here in Alola?" the brunette questioned.

"I wish I have an answer," quavered Moon. "But the most important thing on your mind should be safety."

"Does your house have a basement?" The duchess queried.

Moon snorted through the phone. "You're welcomed over. So is your niece."

"What about Red?"

"Wait. Red is with you?"

She glanced at Red after mentioning him to Moon. Blue answered her, "Sadly, yes."

"Why sadly?"

"His presence displays how much my dear mother still believes I'm too immature to be fully autonomous." Blue playfully mocked the royal tone that her mother had taught her when she was a toddler. Red sweat-dropped.

Moon coughed out of amusement. "Just get your butts over here. The storm is coming our way in approximately less than twenty minutes looking at its speed right now."