Chapter 6: A Different Perspective / Bravery

Blast from the past: I was really looking forward to getting to this chapter. All this time of writing Destined Love, I was playing into CCS fandom tropes (Sakura and Syaoran being the best couple ever, finding a way to bring Eriol and Tomoyo together and honing in on Takashi and Chiharu's commitment to each other) but I finally got to go off the beaten track with Kai. It was brand new territory and I got to call the shots. So without even thinking about it, I wrote what I knew and came up with a shy, self-conscious teen who was way too hard on himself. Lucky for him (and me), he finds himself a solid group of friends who encourage him to be more confident in himself.

The New Trials Connection: Wish-chan has a plethora of original characters but let's face it -- we all know that Mizuki Kai is everyone's favourite. It makes me really happy that our OCs share the same name even though they couldn't be more opposite from one another. Also in New Trials, Wish-chan breaks Rika and Terada-sensei up, but that girl is loyal to canon and they eventually find their way back to each other. To be fair, I also paired Rika and Terada up in my strictly canon Before They Remembered series. Interestingly enough, while my Kai and Wish-chan's Kai are nothing alike, if I had to compare him to one character in New Trials, it would be Yutaka Ichiro, the shy boy who tries to pursue Rika but she turns him down.

The second New Trials connection is that both Wish-chan and I created the Heal Card. While hers is physical and mine is emotional, I think it's pretty cool that we share a card name.

Reading the relaunch: I created Kai's last name by combining two of the characters' last names from Digimon (Ken and Tai). Jeremy was quick to point out that 'Ichimaya' wasn't real and quickly renamed him Ishikawa Kai instead, which I used for my version 2.0. Other additions that I found enjoyable was a reunion between Chiharu and Rika along with a scene where Chiharu and Sakura tried (and failed) to comfort Rika. Finally, he makes a reference to the first story in my Before They Remembered series, Cherry Blossom and Little Wolf by noting how parental the Heal is. How sweet!

Review spotlight: One of the best parts of being in a fanfiction community is cultivating friendships. Musouka-Sama (formerly known as Kan-chan) and I would read and review each others' stories, which was always so much fun. I dedicated this chapter to her because she was the one who gave me an idea that allowed this chapter to come to life.

OOOOOOOO! you didn't have to do the dedication! having your support is enough _ KAI WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! _ HEEHEEHEE! onto the next chappy!

Art: This was my first time drawing an older woman and I'm really satisfied with the results. I wasn't sure if I could pull off the bun without making it look like a ball but it worked out! This time around the wings are more on the angel side rather than the fairy side, and I was inspired by the way Jeremy connected his relaunched version of this chapter to my Cherry Blossom and Little Wolf fic when the Heal reminded Sakura of her mom.

Up next: After many suggestions from my readers, I try my hand at angst and as it was out of my mushy, fluffy wheelhouse, I wasn't too thrilled with the result. So now is a good time to take a break and switch my focus to the 31 Days of New Trials (a new prompt for every day of August) as we build up to the 21st anniversary of New Trials! I'll be back in September.