Hi there, this is my very very first fic ... ever!
It has not been beta'ed, so I apologize in advance for any grammar or spelling errors.
Grammar-nazi's, spare me! I'm not a native English speaker, but I'm trying my very best though!

Anyway... About this story: It's set in a slightly AU, only small differences though (incl. a new character and Lyon joins FT after being defeated on Galuna Island)
The story resolves around an OC I've created. imgur. com/ 5wqBH. png (remove the spaces)
Pairings include: GrayxOC, LyonxOC, and more ^^

Another note: I'll be using Japanese words/expressions frequently in stead of English ones (don't worry, i'll add translations)
Why? First off, I'm quite interested in the Japanese language. By watching such an excessive amount of anime, I tend to pick up words easily.
Secondly, by using Japanese expressions I feel the story leans more towards the anime on which it's based... Idk, some English expressions almost feel OOC ^.^'
And thirdly, it just sounds kick-ass! x3

Prologue

.

My dear Ulrii,

I'm glad to hear you managed to peacefully settle down in Oak town. How is your father doing? you have no idea how much I miss you, my dear, it hurts me so much I have lost you as well.

I've investigated the symptoms of your father's illness. There are some herbs I know of that could help lighten the pain for him, though they cannot cure him. I've attached some pages from my herbal encyclopedia, please study them thoroughly and show them to the local doctors. Unfortunately all these herbs grow only in the snowy mountains up North, but maybe you can find a travelling merchant who sells them in Oak town.

This is all I can do to help your father, aside from praying. I hope, with all my heart, he'll recover.

.

The little girl took the remaining pieces of paper from the envelope and took a quick look at the contents. There were detailed drawings, descriptions and instructions on three different kinds of herbs. Just as her mother wrote, she won't find these growing anyplace near, for every description stated the plants only grew around Mt. Hakobe.
With a small sigh she put the papers back in the envelope and continued reading her letter.

.

I've been travelling around for a few weeks with Lyon now, he's a great student. He's very spirited and catches on quickly, I just hope he doesn't get his hopes up too much or grow arrogant. He says his current wish is to meet you someday and find out which one of you is the strongest ice mage, hahaha.

Since a few days, a new member has been added to our little party. We've picked up a 10-year old boy from a village that was destroyed by Deloria. His name is Gray and he kind of resembles you, quite stubborn and reckless. I'm sure you two would get along well, if you would have the chance to meet.

I've started training him as well, as my second pupil. He's having more troubled to catch on than Lyon. I believe this is because in his mind, he's only focused on taking revenge on Deliora. He's restless and still grieving…I call it his darkness. Deliora is his darkness.

I bet he would feel a lot better if he had a good friend to replace his sadness. Lyon is having some troubles getting along with him… Maybe Gray needs a friend like you, a cheerful and energetic child to clear the darkness in him. If Deliora is kuro (black), I guess that would make you shiro(white)…

On another note, I hope you've been able to keep up your training, despite moving all the way to Oak town. I guess the climate there is a lot warmer than back here, up North, so I guess stripping… I mean, becoming one with the cold is out of the question now. Still, don't let the warm sunshine get to you too much! I've written the instructions for your next exercise on the back of this letter, please read them carefully and try out this new move. Let me know how it went and don't forget the usual "homework" I gave you! Once you get the hang of this move, you can add 10 of these to the list.

Good luck, my dearest. Work hard, I know you can and I'm sure we'll meet again one day.
My most treasured wish is to hold you in my arms once more, my dear Ulrii.

Love,
your caring mother, Ul.

.

She tried to blink away the tears that were already starting to well in her eyes while hugging the piece of paper, hoping to sense some of her mother's warmth left in the written letter. She brought the paper closer to her nose and inhaled deeply. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she could swear she caught a piece of Ul's minty perfume.

At that point, her barrier broke… little sobs floated through the room and thick tears rolled down her cheeks while she muttered: "M-mom…"
"I promised to be strong…" She thought to herself. "But even strong girls can give into their weakness once in a while…"
"R-right, mom?", She continued out loud. The child lifted her head to stare out of the window, to see the clear blue sky stretch out above her new house, to see wooly white clouds drift by carelessly…

The clouds reminded her of the snow, of her home town… Her mind wandered back to those memories. A few minutes past while she sat there, on the wooden floor in the middle of her new bedroom. "Enough crying!" She suddenly told herself and used her sleeves to wipe the remaining tears from her face. She turned around her letter and read the words out loud: "Ice make… shield?"

She continued to read the instructions and studied the doodles her mother made to show the pose needed to perform this move. After re-reading the back a few times, she folded the letter and put it in her pocket. Upon which she exited her room, telling her father she would go out for a walk and explore the town some more. A lie, of course… She didn't explore Oak town even one bit, she didn't even like the place... The sun was always shining way too bright, always people running around making an awful lot of racket, chatting, laughing, fighting, birds chirping, leaves rustling, dogs barking... Hell, even their new house would make noise if you just opened a door or walked the stairs... as if it all was just to torment her...
She just ran in a straight line towards the forest to find a secluded spot and practice the magic her mother taught her through her letters.

...

Kinda short for a beginning I guess, but writing is a lot more difficult than I expected ^.^'

Anyway, please let me know what you think of my writings thusfar.
I very much appreciate (usefull) criticism (feel free to pm it to me), reviews and encouragement. A volunteer beta-reader would be a dream come true as well x3