Failed Perfect Experiment

by Oni-Sephira

This story takes place about a young teenager who's been experimented on and given strange powers. He was trained as a professional soldier until he began doubting his superiors. Eventually he meets a girl of the same age and learns to live a normal life.

1. Chapter 1

0 Year, 0 Month, 0 Day...

They were an elite military organization that operated using underground methods, dark, cruel and discreet. When no one else could get the job done, these guys were called on the spot, did what they had to do, no matter how bloody it got, and vanished, as if they were never even there to begin with. They were responsible for all kind of twisted lab experiments using man or creature, with no second thought on the life they were tampering with. One such story of a, failed experiment, yet perfect one, goes like this...

Head Commander of the EMO (Elite Military Organization) had led his men to slaughter an entire town due to their refusal to pay taxes. Brutal, yet efficient, or so Head Commander Dunell thought. Though on this job, they unexpectedly left one survivor, a small infant boy. His cries was what gave him away. Dunell called his Second off from putting the boy down, saying he has other "plans" for the child. So his men hastily, yet carefully, secured the child into their tank and transported him to their secret lair.

Year 1, First Month, Day 1...

After ariving at their headquarters, Head Commander Dunell immediately set upon his new experiment. Placing the child in a holding tank, he had his lead scientists seek out the most powerfull DNA they could get their hands on. Once they had it, they then brought it to him, Dunell instantly inserted the first of the two brought to him into the child. After making sure the boy was and would remain stable, they injected him with the second DNA.

The boy did not change noticeablly right then and there, but they did notice an increase in his symptoms and pulse. His fragile power level had also gone up, ever so slightly at first. Since it was far too soon to see if anything would happen, they were forced to wait a few or so years until he grew.

Year 3, Month 4, Day 13...

Mearly two years and a couple months later produced an incredibly powerful young boy only three and a half years old. Though his form did not change unless under extreme conditions, or when forced by Dunell, the nameless boy was a force to be reckoned with. Already he was learning to fight using martial arts or even different type of weapons, from blades to guns. He trained hard everyday, knowing nothing of the joys of other playfull kids. His only playground was the training field. As the years went by, he continued to complete all his training tasks and even participated loyally on the actual battle field. Though as more years went by and he grew more older and mature, he began to question the brutal ways of the EMO.

Year 6, First Month, Day 20...

The nameless boy had vocally questioned his commander about their fighting methods, saying he disapproved of them and wanted no part. Despite being only a little bit over six, the boy was still smart enough to realize the error of EOM's ways. Angered and insulted by this intrusion, Dunell had his lead scientist expertly cut the boy's throat open without killing him and sliced his vocal cords, permenately silencing him. Learning from his example, and now named Silent Dragon, the boy continued to work for EMO, though unwillingly now.

He was the best thing that had happened to them, obediant to a fault, Silent Dragon (SD) continued to strive for the EMO. Harboring a grudge for the said military, all he could do was fight on in silence, knowing nothing but battle and bloodshed. Until a decade or so later...

Year 15, Month 5, Day 1...

Since SD was unable to vocallize his displeasure towards the EMO, he began to refuse to obey their orders. He would purposely slack off in battle, would allow innocents to escape, and even interfered with an execution. Growing tired of SD's constant foolishness, Dunell had finally had enough, he deemed Silent Dragon the Perfect Failed Experiment. He ordered a group of his strongest men to beat the young teen down until he lost consiousness, then ordered that SD be dropped off on some kind of waste land. Obeying orders, the men roughed Dragon up and hauled him off to the middle of a deserted land of ice and snow, leaving him for dead.

Year 15, Month 5, Day 6...

After being out for five days, Dragon woke up, sore and frozen to the bone. Even his powers and transformation abilities were at their limit. He was unable to do anything but force himself up and limp many miles until he came upon the first village he spotted. Frozen and alone, he collapsed right at the enterance of the peaceful looking village.
He woke up again many hours later to find children poking at him with a stick. Startled, SD shot up and bolted, running into an alleyway where he hid from sight.
His presence did not go unnoticed, however, the villagers had seen him. Though a peaceful lot, they only wondered who he was and where he came from. Unable to speak to the villagers, SD kept his distance, acting more like a wild, trapped beast. Though he senced no hostility from these people, he was still cautious, even from the curious children.
As the days went by, and with no food, Dragon was forced to scrounge off of the scraps sometimes left behind from the villager baker. Taking notice of this, the baker realized SD was homeless and began giving him leftovers. Day by day he slipped out of hiding to visit the baker, still not trusting anyone yet.
The wife of the baker and the wife of the weaponsmith often talked to one another about this strange boy. They saw him a lot, yet he always remained at a distance from everyone, until one day...
Silent Dragon sat leaning against a water fountain in the center of the village, eating left over bread kindly given to him by the baker. Though he had been alone for most of the morning, kids began gathering around, gawking and ooing over him. Not exactly afraid, but still skitish all the same, SD looked for a way to escape, but was surrounded. One of the kids, an eight year old who was a bully, poked at him with a stick, trying to ask him all sort of questions.
Unable to speak, SD could only glare, occasionally shying back. He looked around again, ready to bolt through the crowd of children, when a loud voice startled him. His head snapped forward as a middle aged woman stepped up to the group.
"What's going on here? That's enough, leave him be and head on home. All of ya'll!" She commanded, waving the children away.
SD watched her cautiously, staying perfectly still, his bread all but forgotten.
"So you're the young man everyones' been talking about, huh? What's your name, son?" She said to him.
No reply.
"The silent type, eh? Do you at least have a home?"
Intense green eyes bore into light gray ones as SD slowly shook his head.
" How sad. What to do...? Hmm, come with me, young man. You'll do better with me than out here in the cold. Especially wearing only that trenchcoat over whatever clothes you've got on beneath." The gray eyed lady said, holding her hand out to him.
SD moved back until his back was once again up against the water fountain.
"There's no need to be afraid of me. My name's Scarlet." She said with a kind smile.
SD still didn't answer, icouldn't/i answer.
"If you don't want to, I can't force you." Scarlet said.
Finally Dragon took a small step forward, then another, his head bowed, as if unsure.
"That's a good boy, you're welcome to stay at my place."
Silent Dragon slowly followed the nice lady back to her warm home, and his new life.

An Hour Later....

As Scarlet opened the door to her house, she called out to someone inside as well. Behind her, SD waited paitently, not sure who she was shouting out to.
"Hey, Vall, come'er a minute, will you?" Scarlet called out.
A young teenage girl the same age as SD came out from the next room, rolling her eyes.
"What is it mom, I was watching my show." The red-headed, hot-spirited girl asked. Then her eyes met Dragon's. "Who's he?"
Scarlet smiled. "Our new room mate, be nice to him now, Vallarie." She added, walking to the next room.
"Mom! Wait!" Vallarie said, her eyes going wide. "You're that boy who's been hanging around town, aren't you?"
If she was expecting an anwser, she was sorely disappointed.
"Why do we have to get stuck with him?" Vall demanded, not looking too happy.
Dragon mearly stared at her, his experession was distant, as if he didn't care less.
"Ugh... What the heck?" Vall reached up with one hand, as if to shake his shoulder and snap him out of whatever world he was in.
Instantly SD's own hand shot up, grabbed hold of her wrist rather roughly and he glared at her, his nerves on edge.
"Hey, hey! My arm, you're twisting it, it hurts!" Vall complained, shocked by this sudden action.
Scarlet came back in from the other room and stared from the door way.
"I don't know what you did to anger him, Vall, but please be more careful. As for you, young man," Scarlet added, turning to him. "Please unhand her. We mean you no harm whatsoever."
Cautiously, yet slowly, SD released Vall's wrist, realizing she wasn't intending to hurt him. Not used of being around normal citizens, Dragon had been unsure of how to act and his instincts took over.
"I can tell this is going to be really fun." Vallarie said huffily as she stalked off back to her room.
Scarlet came over to SD. "Try not to worry too much, son, or over react. I can tell you've had some kind of military training just by your apparence and reaction, just try to keep it toned down while here. Got that?" She said with a smile.
Looking back over to the older woman, his experession still blank, he nodded.
"Good, now let me show you to your new room. Lucky for you were have a spare guest room."
Following her to the room, she opened the door, turned the light on and let him inside.
"I'll let you be the one to approve of it on your own, I have other things I must attend to." Scarlet told him, walking off in the direction of the kitchen.
Left alone in the room, Dragon flicked on the light switch then looked around. It was a decent size room with a bed up against the back wall. A door leading to a closet off to the right side of the room, opposite was another door. Judging from the thin, see-through, light gray curtains that door led out to the back. Close by the door he entered from was a dresser for clothes, a desk stood next to the closet door. Surprisinly there appeared to be a laptop sitting on the desk, glancing at it only briefly, he walked over to the bed and sat down.
This was perhaps the first time he actually sat on a real soft and comfortable bed. All the beds he slept on when with EMO were either hard and uncomfortable, the ground or whatever surface available at the time. He actually felt strange, not sure what he should do now that he was living in an ordinary house with peaceful people.
Sitting on the bed, Dragon didn't know what else to do, so he decided to lay down, eventually falling asleep on the soft, comfortable bed.

Same Day, A Half Hour Later...

Vallarie sat on her own bed in her room, wearing her headphones and listening to her ipod while chatting with her friend on her laptop. She was still a little irritated after the strange encounter with SD, but she cheered up a bit when her friend made her laugh as always. Going back and forth between chat window and her favorite games, she couldn't help but wonder what was with that guy.
Something came to mind as she entered in her last chat messege. Glancing up, she looked over to her partly opened door and it the direction of their new room mate's room. Sighing to herself, she told her friend online that she had to go do something, put her laptop in sleep mode then got up.
Vall lightly tapped on SD's door and waited a minute or so. When she recieved no answer, she cautiously cracked the door open and peeked inside. She was surprised to see he had fallen asleep on the bed with the light still on. Looking down at the floor, she muttered quietly to herself.
"He looks so cute like that, sleeping like a baby..."
When she glanced back up, she was surprised again to see his eyes open and focused on her.
"Oh, crap..." She gasped.
Keeping his eyes locked on her, Dragon slowly sat up. His blank experession changing to a questioning look. From his days in the military, he was used of being a light sleeper and was always cautious, never know who'd try to stab you in the back.
"Uhmm, well..." She stammered. "No offence or anything, I just thought I'd tell you... err..." Vall tried to say, not sure how to say what had been on her mind before.
He raised an eyebrow.
Spit it out already! She thought to herself. "Okay," She said outloud. "I know you've been on the streets for a while, and now that you're here, perhaps, uhm.." She placed a hand over her face. "Could you take a shower?"
She looked up at him quickly, thinking she might have offended him or something.
Raising his other brow, he glanced down at himself, then back up at her, smirking slightly.
"What's so funny about that?!" She couldn't help but ask rather loudly.
Silent Dragon just shrugged.
"Why can I tell that it's going to be really hard living with you?"
She made a gesture for him to get up.
"C'mon, march your butt into the bathroom and clean yourself up. I'll see about washing your coat and the rest off your clothes."
He stood up and walked over to her, then followed her to the bathroom as she led him there. The bathroom was a couple doors down and between Vall and Scarlet's room. After showing him inside, she turned to him and said.
"Just leave your stuff outside the door, I'll grab it once you're in the bath, or shower. You know how to do that at least, right?" She asked, looking hopefull. All she needed was to have to scrub him down in the bathtub.
Smirking again, he nodded. Of course he knew how, had to keep himself clean at the military, unless on the training or battle field. He removed his coat, tossing it on the floor, revealing a torn up light green, tight muscle shirt. Vall couldn't help but blush, noticing his ripped complexion beneath.
Before he had the chance to remove more, she held up a hand. "Wait! Let me leave the bathroom first." She said, her blush covering the rest of her face.
She backed out, hurriedly closing the door, making sure to at least grab his coat first. After she was out, she turned around and leaned her back against the door, sighing to herself.
"What am I getting myself into?" She mused to herself.
When she heard the sound of the shower running, she waited a couple minutes more before reopening the door just a bit and scooping up the rest of his clothes. With those in hand, she went down to the wash room. Thankfully they could run the wash while someone was in one of the bathrooms showering. She put the clothes in the washer after running the water a little, added in the laundry detergent then closed the wash machien top.
"Ah, crud!" She said suddenly to herself, then hurried back up to the bathroom and tapped on the door.
"Dunno if you're done yet, but I need to get you something to put on when you are. Sorry, it completely slipped my mind and I forgot." She said through the door.
Before waiting for a responce, she hurried to a closet, openning the door, she pulled out a bathrobe that once belonged to her older brother. Fortunately for her he had left a few years back but left some of his things behind. So she grabbed a dark blue bathrobe and brought it back to SD, opening the door a crack and slipping the robe inside. Thankfully she felt Dragon take it from her before she had chance to close the door again.
After he had the bathrobe, she went back downstairs to check on the wash. She decided to stay down there until it was done, since she still had to dry it too.

A Few Minutes Later....

Silent Dragon came out of the bathroom when he was finished, wearing nothing but the borrowed bathrobe. He headed back to his room and sat at the desk, running his hands through his tangled hair to try and comb it.
About a half an hour or so later, Vall knocked on the door and entered the room. In her arms were his now clean and folded clothes. She handed them to him then couldn't help but smirk. She made a gesture telling him to wait, then hurried out. When she came back, she then handed him a new, clean brush to use.
"Wow, I'm impressed. So this is what you look like when you're clean." She said giggling as she glance at his face.
Now clean, his hair was black with red highlighs, shoulder length and parted in the middle. No longer brown and dingy looking like it was before. His skin was sort of tanned, and no longer smudged and all dirty from street living. From just the looks of him, she could tell he must have worked out a great deal. He was handsome, with a great complexion, well tonned muscles, intensive green and atentitive eyes. There was something about him that made her sort of afraid, yet mystified her at the same time.
She wasn't bad looking herself, he thought as he glanced back at her. She had a dainty, round face, blue eyes and her hair was reddish. Though she was a bit on the pale side, she was still really atractive, yet slim. He already learned from earlier experience that she was tough and must be one of those tomb-boys. He knew it was going to be hard living with her, but yet interesting at the same time.
"Here, I can at least brush your hair for you." She said, blushing again from his stare and trying to break the silence.
She took the brush from him and turned the chair he was in so he was facing the desk once more. Then she gently began to run the brush through his hair, working out the tangles, then just smoothing the rest of it out once that was done. After a few minutes of brushing, she nodded to herself, satisfied.
"Looking better." She said with a smile. "Oh, and that laptop, it used to be my brother's too. Since he moved but left it here, you can use it." She added.
He nodded thanks, the only way he really could.
"I'd ask you your name, but since you don't talk, gues I can't.." She told him.
Glancing up at her, he looked back to the laptop, booting it up, he waited for it to be all set. Then he opened the word pad you use for notes or stories and typed two words in. 'Silent Dragon'
Vallarie leaned down to look at it, mouthing the words quietly, then she looked at him.
"Is that your name?" She asked.
He nodded yes.
Weird, but interesting!" She added quickly, trying not to offend him.
A few minutes later, there came another knock at the door. Both looked up to see who it was, even though there was only one other in the house.
Scarlet gently pushed the door open after knocking and entered the room. She smiled when she seen the two youngsters together. She came over the stand next to them, saying nothing about SD wearing nothing more than a robe.
"I see our new guest had a shower." She said with her usual cheerfull smile.
"Yeah, mom. He, ah, kinda needed one. So I told him to take one." Vall explained.
"I see." Scarlet said, then noticed the writing on the screen. "Silent Dragon." she read.
"His name, mom, or so he told me."
"Interesting. Not exactly what I was expecting, but sounds fine to me. At least now we have a name to go with that cute face of yours, son." Scarlet added, causing SD's face to redden just a bit.
Vall couldnt help but smirk, catching Dragon's brief embarassment.
Instantly regaining his composure, SD's face returned to its usual blank look.
"Anyway, why don't we let him get dressed? Then I have something to tell the both of you." Vall's mother said.
"Oh, right. My bad." Vall said, she and her mom headed out of the room, closing the door.
After Dragon was finally dressed back up, the two girls came back in. Vallarie sat on the bed while Scarlet stood between the two.
"Alright, I wanted to let you two know that I wanted to take you both out for a trip. How's going up to the mountains sound? It's something I've always wanted to do, but didn't have the money at the time." Scarlet explained.
"Seriously, mom?!" Vall exclaimed.
"Yeah, your father and I have been saving up for this. Unfortunately he has much work to do, being the vilage's only blacksmith and all. So he can't go."
"That's too bad, mom. I really wish he could have gone with us." Vall said, a little down, but still happy with the news.
Scarlet smiled saddly. "Don't worry, we'll take plenty of pictures to take back for him. It won't be until a couple days, though. So first I want the two of you to head into town and pick up some supplies. I have a list right here." She added, handing a piece of paper to her daughter.
Vall took it and carefully looked it over. "Okay, good. Since there's a lot here, he can do most the heavy lifting." She said with a mischievous smirk, glancing at SD.
He snorted, casting her a glare, then smirked back.
Giggling slightly, Vall turned back to her mom. "We'll do it tomorrow, mom, it's starting to get late."
"Sure thing." Scarlet replied. "Now the two of you be sure to get plenty of sleep." She added then headed for the door.
"Yes, mother." Vall said as SD nodded.
"Right, good night to the both of you. I'm off to bed myself." With that, she left the room.
After she left, Vall stood up herself. "Think I'm gonna go to bed myself. When you go, be sure to turn the light off this time." She said, smirking again. Then she left to her room.
Once both were gone, SD turned to the laptop and closed out the word pad. He then went online and after opening some windows to the internet, began hacking into EMO's files. He was still curious about them even though he hated them with every fiber of his being. His own mischievous smirk returned as he began to infect EMO's computers with viruses impossible to get rid of without an expert. Luckily for him, one of the other things he had been trained for was computer hacking and repairing. Never knew when they'd need someone to go onto a computer and leech out important information or other things. Making sure his signal could not be traced, he made sure to do a few other risky things before logging back off.
Once the laptop was shut down, he pulled his shirt back off and hung it over the back of the chair. He then walked over and turned out the lights, then got into bed and fell to sleep minutes later.

Next Day, Early Morning....

Vallarie walked into the kitchen, already dressed and stretched. She was suprised to see Dragon already up, sitting across from her mother reading the newspaper. Her father was up too, he comes home from work late at night. He was sitting in the living room, flicking through the tv channels. Sence he wasn't saying anything, Vall figured he must already have been introduced to SD.
Dragon looked up at her and nodded, seeing his gesture, Scarlet turned to look at her daughter as well.
"Well, good morning." She said.
"Mornin' to you, too, mom." Vall replied, walking over to a chair bewteen the two and sat down.
"G'mornin', Sunshine." Her dad said from the next room.
"Mornin', dad." She said back.
"Going to have breakfast, hun?" Scarlet asked.
"In a minute, mom, let me wake up a bit more."
Smiling, Scarlet nodded then went back to her paper.
After waiting a couple more minutes, Vall got back up and went to the pantry. She got herself a bowl and box of cereal. She got the milk out from the fridge back in the kitchen then sat down once more. She poured the cereal into the bowl, set the box down and added in the milk then set about to eat. Not exactly sure why, but when she looked up, she was glad Dragon was watching her as she ate.
Once she was finished, she got up again and returned to the pantry. She rinsed out her bowl, put the box of cereal back and the milk into the fridge. Then she turned to her mom.
"All set, we can go now while it's still early." She said to her mom.
"Great." Scarlet said, setting the paper down, then dug out some money. "This is for supplies." She added, handing it to Vall.
Vallarie smiled and took it, putting it into her wallet with the chain attacked to her gray cargo pants. She fixed up her red tank top and turned to SD.
"Ready?"
Nodding, he stood up as well, picked up his coat which had been hanging over the back of the chair and put it on.
"I love those dragon designs on your coat." Vall said as she led the way to the door.
He smirked and followed a pace or two behind her, a respectfull distance, he thought.

Same Day, In Town....

The two walked from her house, passed a couple more houses and down the street leading to the market place. They passed the water fountain and the usual rabble of kids playing all around it. Vall couldn't help but smirk as the bully pushed one of the other kids right into the water, even though he began to cry for his mother.
When she looked over to Dragon, she could see he was trying not to laugh. He must have thought it was funny or something, since he probably had bad experiences with those kids.
Moving on, they made their way to the food shop for some of the things her mom wanted them to get. She led him inside and began browsing for the supplies on the list while making Dragon carry the basket. He didn't complain, well, couldn't complain, and she was glad when he didn't even glare at her.
Walking up and down the isles, she placed different things into the basked until she got everything they needed. Then she led him to the counters back up front to pay at the register. After everything was bought and paid for, she handed him the heavier bags, carrying some herself, and left the shop. Dragon kept his usual pace behind her.
As she read off what was next on the list to buy, she accidentally bumped into someone in front of her. She fell on her rear end, dropping her bags, and winced when she heard an all too familiar voice complain suddenly.
"Watch it, buddy!" The voice said, then a teenage boy turned around and smirked when he spotted Vall on her bottom. "Oh, it's you, sweet heart. Shoulda watched where you were going." He said, grinning down at her. "Course, I like that view."
"Shut up, Richie! Ugh, you pig.." She exclaimed.
"What's the matter, hunney? Need a hand?" Richie asked, offering her his hand.
Slapping it aside, she got up on her own. "No, thank you."
"Aww, c'mon. Why so glum?" He asked.

"Whatever. Have you considered my offer yet? You know I'm still waiting." Richie asked.
"Then keep waiting. I don't know anyone whos in their right mind that would want to go out with a slob like you." She snapped.
Richie, not looking too pleased, stepped up to her and slapped her.
Or tried too, but his wrist was grabbed by Silent Dragon who'd been standing in the shadows. Somehow he had moved without being seen and stopped Richie in midaction.
Her eyes wide, Vall had almost forgotten he was even there, and now truly thankfull that her was.
"Who tha hell are you, her new boyfriend? Let me go, you punk." Richie demanded, glaring at him.
SD made no reply and only tightened his hold on Richie's wrist, causing the other teen to actually whimper.
"Dammit! Let me go, I'm sorry already."
Finally SD slowly renelted his hold on the other, the look in his eyes warning Richie not to do a thing like that again.
Richie backed away, obviously cowed by the slimmer, yet stronger teen. Without warning he threw a punch, thinking SD would be caught off guard. Instantly Dragon ducked right under it, swung his foot out, tripping Richie and slammed a knee down onto his gut. Dragon pinned Richie down that way, his own fist came crashing down. Frightened, Richie closed his eyes, but when he felt no impact, instead heared a loud sound right by his head, he opened them.
His eyes went wide when he noticed SD had punched the concret right beside Richie's ear. He was even more surprised when he noticed the spider-wed like cracks all around his fist.
"Holy shit..." Richie squeeked.
Standing back up, Dragon gathered the bags up once more and moved away from Richie, a smoldering look in his eyes. Vall, reallizing how serious he was, moved to stand behind him.
"Uhm, let that be a lesson to you." She said in place of Dragon.
Gulping, Richie hurried to his feet and took off running, not even looking back.
"Thanks, Draggy." She said, looking over to him, "Oh, err, mind if I call you that?" She added.
He shook his head, his experession returning to normal.
"C'mon, let's go back home. We'll get the rest of the stuff later." She said, a little skooking up by all that.
She led them back home, Dragon right behind her, now carrying all the supplies.

Same Day, Back Home....

When the two came back inside a little earlier than expected, Scarlet came over to greet them. Her father, Dan, also glanced up, nodding to them in greeting.
"You're back early, get everything we need?" Her mom asked.
"Not everything. There was a little incident in front of the food mart just a couple minutes ago." Vall explained.
Scarlet looked suddenly worried and her father set the paper down he was now reading to look up at Vall.
"What happened? Please tell me." Scarlet said worriedly.
"Richie, that's what happened." Vall said. She was glad Dragon took the stuff to the next room, set it down and returned back, he now leaned against the door frame.
"Oh, no. Now what did that boy do?" Scarlet inquired.
"Get into trouble, that's all that boy's good for." Dan said.
"True, daddy. Can we go into the kitchen? I need to sit down." Vall said, looking a little shooking up.
"Sure, hun." Her mom said.
Dragon moved aside as Vall and her parents went into the kitchen, then joined them. He sat close to Vall, not sure why he was feeling so protective, but blamed that on the training he'd had.
Vallarie told her parents everything that had happened as best she could. Coming close to tears now and then as she explained. Her mom comforted her while she told them the situation.
"He tried to slap you?" Dan asked.
"Yes, dad."
"And Dragon stood up for you, stopped him, even?"
"Yes, daddy." Vall replied, sniffing.
"Good for you, boy." Dan said to SD.
"Aye, I'm glad you went with my daughter. That boy, Richie, is no end of trouble, always flirting with Vall. I'm proud of you, for not actually hitting him back even though you had every right too." Scarlet said, smiling somewhat.
"I am too, mom. I dunno what would have happened if he hadn't been there."
"Anyways, you don't have to go right back to the market if you don't feel up to it. Give yourselves time to wind down, or one of us can go." Her mother told them.
"No, we can go back. I just wanted to get home because of how shooken up I was. Plus we need to get Draggy some new clothes. Can't have him galavanting around in torn up ones." Vall said, actually smiling.
Dragon smirked.
"It's strange, though." Scarlet started. "Though his shirt and pants appear torn, his coat looks as good as new."
"Must be made out of some type of special material. From the way you described him, and his action in town, I'd say he must have been in some kind of military faction just recently." Dan explained what he thought.
"Is this true, son, where you with some kind of military faction before coming here?" Scarlet asked SD.
The young teen nodded, looking down at the floor.
"If I'm not mistaken, you look ashamed. Forgive us for this intrusion, then. It's not right to probed into your past like this. You'll find a way to tell us when you feel up to it." Scarlet said supportively.
"Anyways, I feel better, and before we make him feel any worse, I think we should head back out." Vall said, standing back up.
"You sure you're alright now?" Her mom asked, once more worried.
"I'm fine, mom, plus I've got my new bodyguard with me." Vall said with a smirk.
"Right." Said Dan, "Just be carefull."
"We will, see ya!" Vall said, grabbing Dragon's arm and pulling him back out once more.

Same Day, Back In Town....

Vallarie and Dragon had gathered up the rest of the supplies they needed for their trip at other stores. Once that was done, she brought him to the clothes store so he could try on new things. Thankfully her mom had given them extra money to spend.
After trying various things on, Dragon settled with two pairs of cargo paints, a camouflauge and a black pair. He stuck with the muscle shirts he seemed to favor, a red one to go with the black pants, and green to go with the camos.
They paid for those ones, brought all the stuff home, but Vall said she wanted to go back out for a while. So they found themselves once more in town, sitting in the shade of some trees next to an ice cream shop. Vall had a chocolate ice cream cone topped with rainbow sprinkles while he ate a cookies & cream in a dish.
Feeling much better, she smiled as she pointed out different things in town to him. He listened and looked to all the places she pointed out, nodding now and then. A few minute later, after she finished her brief tour, she looked back over to him. Looking more serious, she finished her ice cream, cleaned her mouth and leaned a little closer.
"Uhm, say, listen. If I were to ever ask, would you tell me about what happened to you? I mean, you don't have to, but I couldn't help but wonder." She asked him.
He closed his eyes from a few seconds, thinking back, then reopened them, nodding.
"Thank you. I'm sorry for bringing it up and all." She said with a sad smile.
He shook his head, as if telling her it was alright.
"I think we should head home now. It's starting to get late, we've been out for a while." Vall said, standing up.
Nodding once more, he also stood up. He fell right into step behind her as she made her way back home.

Later That Night, Home....

Once more at home, Scarlet was watching tv, Dan was back at work. Vall took Dragon's new stuff to his room then led him outside, saying she wanted to show him something.
Dragon stepped outside following Vall. She moved to the side and leaned against a tree close by the house, smiling. SD was actually impressed as he walked further out. Her back yard was designed to look like a spring. Rocks and large boulders scattered here and there, making up the scenery. More trees were also scattered all around, giving life to the yard. It reminded him of an onsen, just a normal one without the hot water. It was luke warm, a tolderable temperature for the fish living in the water.
He looked at the surface to see lily pads floating on it, small fishes swiming in the water and dragonflies buzzing around. It was a beautiful spot, a good place to sit and relax after a long and hard day. The steam that rose from the surface due to the chilly, cold air had a camling effect.
Vall came walking over to stand beside him, also looking down at the water's surface.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" She asked.
He nodded, his eyes glued to the water.
"Dad designed all this for us. Even though he's the village blacksmith, he has great skills as a carpenter." She explained.
His only reply was a small smile.
"Feel free to come out here whenever you want." Vall kindly told him.
Nodding again, he knelt down to better look at the fish swimming around.
"Mom said we won't be leaving until the end of this week. So we still need to get you more clothes and maybe a few more supplies. " Vall said, sitting down next to him. "We'll take another trip into town tomorrow." She added.
He looked down, began to trace something into the sand, then moved his hand away once done. He looked back to her, a faint phantom of a smile on his face.
Looking down, she read what he wrote in the sand. "Right" Then looked back at him and smiled as well.
In silence, the two sat there, gazing at the water, both now sitting side by side. Vall wasn't sure about what else to say, she figured she didn't have to, just enjoy the silence. The night was cool, chilling, as it normally always was here. The spring made it feel just right, though, it kept the chill at bay, though it couldn't do much about the wind. The tall, white fence that surrounded the entire back yard helped to keep most of the wind away.
The sky was growing more darker as they sat there, the moon, only a quarter full, rising up into the heavens. There were only a few clouds in the sky, not enough to blot out the stars that twinkled into life. Vallarie found herself enjoying this night, she couldn't explain why. Was it his company she liked, or just sitting out here in front of the spring under the stars? Could be both, she added to herself. Come on, girl, you just met this guy yesterday, what's with you? She mentally asked herself.
She couldn't help but glance over at him. Well, he did risk himself for me in town when that slob tried to hit me. She thought. Sure, we got off at a wrong start, but he must have had some kind of hard past to toughen him up like this. She wondered exactly what had happened to him before he came to her village, but found herself unable to ask. It was too soon, plus with him being unable to speak, how would he explain it to her?
Noticing she had been staring a while, she looked back to the sky, though he didn't seem to notice himself. If he did notice, Dragon gave no sign, he just continued to sit there gazing at the stars. After a while or so, she suddenly felt tired, stretching, she stood up.
"Uhm, hey?" She said.
Averting his eyes from the sky, he looked up at her.
"It's getting late, and we'll probably be up early again for another trip to town. Need more stuff for you and all." She explained, "So I'm off to bed. Make sure you get some sleep, too, you hear?"
He nodded, though he made no move to get up from where he sat.
"Alright, sweet dreams, Draggy." She said with a wave.
He smiled then watched as she turned and headed back inside. Not actually feeling tired himself, he went back to gazing into the pond for some time. As the minutes passed into hours, he finally got up, remembering something. Knowing he should head to bed himself like she had said, but he needed to do something first. Something he needed to do, before something happened..

Same Night, Hours Later...

Looking back towards the house, he decided to take a different route instead. Leaping up into one of the trees near the fence, he climbered onto a branch then swung over to the other side. He landed limbly and silently on the ground on the other side of the fence. Glancing around, he made sure no one else was around then took off into the shadows.
He was used of being a lurker from all his past training, so slipping through the shadows was no problem at all for him. Making his way down familiar streets, he dodged street lights, sticking close to the darkness. His black coat made it all the more possible for him to blend in, as well as his dark hair. Ducking past a few more street lamps, he slipt into an alley way, he remembered this place all to well. It was the alley he used to hide out in when he avoided the people and children of the village.
Making sure that no one else was around, he headed into the deepest part of the alley. Kneeling down, he moved a large, heavy crate to the side, revealing a gap in the side of the house he was facing. The bricks had fallen out long ago and had gotten lost, he had noticed this area and used it for a hiding spot. He slipped his hand in, reaching in as far as he could, then finally grabbed onto something deeper inside.
Pulling out a large, wrapped object, he sat back on his heels, dusting himself off. After a few minutes, he unwrapped it and checked on the object in his hands. Smirking to himself, he admired the gleaming long sword resting in his grasp. The blade was at least the size of his arm, if not longer. It was made of the purest of silver mixed with steel to enforce its sturdiness. The hilt was in the shape of a dragon standing on a black gem, its wings made up the hand guard. Its arms crossed in front of its chest and its eyes were made of red rubies. It had a good weight to it, but wasn't too heavy for durability and reflex action.
It wasn't often you found someone running around with a sword in hand, he thought. Something like this wasn't always needed, but he kept it on hand just in case. Never knew when martial arts would fail and he'd need to resort to sword-play. Once he made sure the blade was clean and still as sharp as ever, he wrapped it back up. He slipped his coat open, tucked the now wrapped sword under his belt, then reclosed his coat. He'd have to find a place to hide it once he got back home.
Dragon couldn't help but smirk to himself, home, that's a word he never expected to hear. Living back at the EMO headquarters couldn't exactly be called home, that and always sleeping under the stars when on missions. Frowning now, he was glad they had left him for dead. Truthfully he'd rather be dead then continue working for those harsh soldiers. Leaning back against the wall, he couldn't help but think back to how things used to be. Silent Dragon was a born soldier, raised from a small child to do nothing but fight. Even now he still felt those instincts talk to him, especially yesterday. He had actually restrained himself when that Richie guy attempted to strike Vall. Had he not, that punk would be in the hospital with more than a smashed in and broken nose. The concrete, on the other hand, didn't fear so well.
Snorting, he finally stood up, better head back before everyone misses him. Stretching, he made his way back to the entrance of the alley. Glancing around once more, making sure he was still alone, he started his way back home. Deciding to be less descreet this time, he just walked up the same street he originally came down. He walked at least a few blocks down when he noticed the lights still on in one of the buildings.
Stopping on the other side of the street from the building, he recognized it as Dan's Blacksmith. As usual, Vall's father was up working late, since his work was in high demand, especially by the soldiers and law enforcers. Normal citizens don't ususally own a weapon unless for self defence, though there were plenty of mercenaries around. Just as he was making sure that his sword was sucurely tucked under his coat, the smith's door cracked open and light spilled onto the street he was on. Looking up, he saw Dan step out for some fresh air, it usually got pretty warm inside with the forge always running for weapon smithing. Dragon made to slip away when Dan happened to glance up and spotted him.
"That you, boy?" Dan called from the doorway. "Shouldn't you be at home sleeping? Never mind that, could you come here for a minute?"
Hesitating just for a moment, Dragon walked across the street and stopped in front of the older man, standing at attention.
"You can drop the military facade with me, son. Anyway, I'd ask why you're up, but expecting an answer from you is like expecting pigs to fly." Said Dan with a chuckle.
SD just stood there, waiting patiently, his normal blank experession plastered on his face.
"What I called you over for is, I need a hand. My assisstant is out sick tonight, so I'm a hand short. Mind giving me some help?"
It was only common sense to agree, he was living under their roof after all, and they were buying him clothing and food.. He nodded in responce.
"Good, come one then, son." Dan said, leading him back inside.
Following him into the building, Dragon was taken by surprised by the change in temperature. It was hot and steamy inside compared to the chilly cold night outside.
"You might want to take that trench coat off, son, it gets pretty hot in here." Dan told him.
Dragon thought against that, but Dan was right, with his coat on and working in these conditions, it'd be pretty brutal. Walking over to the back of the shop, he unzipped his coat, taking it off, he carefully removed the sword. He made sure to tuck that into the secure folds of his coat, then set it down. Once down with that, he came back over to Dan.
"Right, you should be fine now. As you can see, I'm currently making a new sword one of our honored customers asked for. Not any ordinary one, either, a fencing sword with an ornimental hilt design. I've got the hilt and scabbard already made, all I need is help shaping and forming the blade. I'll need you to hold it for me while I temper it into life." Dan explained. "Think you can do that?"
Once more Dragon nodded, sword tempering and smithing was another skill he picked up on. A skill he needed in case his own weapons ever broke on him.
At Dan's insistance, Dragon came over and slipped on a pair of gloves to protect his hands. He then took hold of the tong holding the heated blade over the anvil. As he held it sturdy, Dan began to pound it with a hammer evenly down the length of the blade. He then gestured for Dragon to flip it, doing so, Dan resumed hammering along the other side.
Once done, Dan pointed to a barrel of water. Instantly Dragon dipped the heated blade into it, making sure the steam did not scorch his face. He pulled the now cool blade out and held it out to Dan for inspection. The older man took it after thoroughly looking it over and set it back down over the anvil. He pounded out some minor bumps he'd missed before, grunting in satisfaction when he double checked it again.
Now Dan placed the formed blade back into the forge to heat it back up, explaining there was one other thing he had to do. He had Dragon and himself repeat the same process, this time with a smaller, gold chunch of metal. When that one was done, Dan placed the gold one with the original one and waited for them to heat up.
Dan removed both, judging they were heated enough by the color of the metals from the forge, or so he told Dragon.
Right, boy. Now for the second part. Hold that one there, thata boy." Dan instructed while making helpful gestures.
With another pair of tongs, Dan placed the gold piece over the steel one.
"What we're doing now is called weilding. We're going to be fusing these two together."
Dragon nodded, he kept a firm hold over his tongs while Dan began to pound both pieces together now. When the two were pressed together enough, Dan tossed his pair of tongs aside and adjusted Dragon's so they held onto both. He then pounded the rest of it together, shaping it to perfectly fit into the original steel blade. Finished with that, Dragon dipped the welded blade into the cooling water. He brought it back up once it was thoroughly cooled down again.
Inspecting the blade, Dan smiled assentment. "Perfect, boy. You're pretty darn good at this. Had some skill before, have you?" He asked heartedly.
At first Dragon made no responce, didn't nod or anything. Nervously, he went over and picked up his coat.
"Not leaving yet, are you?" Dan asked, taken aback.
Dragon walked back over, unwrapping his coat from around something inside and held out a magnificent looking sword. Dan whistled thrilly when he gently took the long sword from Dragon to better look at it.
"This is on impressive piece of work. Well crafted and expertly done. You seriously made this, son?" Dan asked, surprised.
Dragon nodded. He couldn't hide the fact that he owns a sword, not from these nice people at least.
Dan whistled again. "Looks like I'm going to have myself a new second hand, eh, boy?"
Dragon smirked, nodding. Sure, why not, might as well earn his keep.
"Great, starting tonight, you're hired!" Dan exclaimed cheerfully. "Well, that's what I'd like to say, but I know you've got some things to do in the morning. It's getting real late, you should head home, wash up and get some sleep. " He added, shaking Dragon's hand.
Returning the handshake, Dragon gave the older man a wide grin.
"I'll finish this piece here while you head home. Here, take yours back, too, son." Dan added, handing Dragon his own sword. "You're smart to keep it hidden, the authorities don't always take well to us commoners carrying weapons. See ya back home, boy." Dan finished with a wave.
Waving back, Dragon rewrapped his sword and tucked it once more under his belt before putting his coat on. He then headed outside, pausing in the doorway to get accustomed to the cold, chilly air. Looking up, he noticed the sky was starting to lighten up, damn, better get moving. Thrusting his hands into his pockets, he hurried on home.

Minutes Later, At Home....

Back at home, Dragon did as Dan had instructed. He removed his coat and sword, tossed the coat onto the bed. He made sure to put the sword in a hiding spot for safe keeping, for the mean time, at least. Then he went to the bathroom to wash up, even his short visit was enough to get him all sweaty. Taking some of his new clothes, he took a quick shower before heading off to bed for a few hours sleep.

Next Morning....

Vallarie was up bright and early the next morning, she was chipper as a whistle. When she came out to the kitchen, she was surprised to see Draggy wasn't up yet. She made her way to the pantry, grabbed her cereal and bowl, retrieved the milk and sat down.
"Where's Draggy?" She asked.
"Sleeping, more than likely." Her dad replied, reading the paper, he beat Scarlet to it this time.
"Sleeping? But I told him to go to bed early. That fool..." Vall complained, ignoring her mom's giggling.
"That would be my fault, I'll take the blame." Dan told her.
"You, dad? You were at work, how can it be your fault?"
"Your prince was out for a midnight stroll. I happened to spot him and asked if he could help me with a project." Dan explpained, oblivious to her glare.
"Daddy...he's not my prince." Vall said huffily.
Scarlet smirked from her spot.
Dan laughed as he finished reading the paper, then handed it to his wife. Scarlet took it and set about reading it now.
"Why don't you go and wake him up? I thought you said you needed to pick a couple more things up." Scarlet suggested.
"Just let me finish my cereal." She smirked, something came to mind. "I'll wake him up, alright."
"Uh-oh." Scarlet said, looking up.
Vall finished her breakfast, got up and washed her bowl out, then put everything away. She went to her room real quick, grabbed one of her stuffed animals and hurried to Dragon's room. Without knocking, she entered the room, paused in the doorway to see him sprawled out on the bed. His blankets halff on him, half on the floor, were twisted as well.
Smirking, she muttered. "Wakey, wakey." Then chucked the bear right at him.
She waited, expecting it to slam into the side of his face, but was stunned when his arm shot up with lightning quick reflexes and he caught it in mid throw. Lifting his head, he glanced over to her, looking tired, yet fully aware.
"Whao....crap." She gasped, thinking she was in no end of trouble.
Sitting up, Dragon pulled the blankets from around his legs, then casually tossed the bear back to her. Still taken by surprise, she barely caught it, but fumbled at the last moment and just managed to catch it.
I...uhm... Well...I mean..." She stammered.
He stood up, putting on his shirt as he did, walked over to her, then right passed her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he walked by.
Stunned, all she could do was stand in her spot and gawk at nothing, then looked down at her teddy bear.
"That was...strange." She thought outloud.
Turning, she tossed the bear back into her room as she made her way passed and rejoined the others in the kitchen.
"I see you managed to wake him up." Dan said as she entered.
"Yeah... he... I can't believe it." Vall stammered once more.
"Something wrong, sweety?" Scarlet asked.
"I went and grabbed one of my stuff animals, made no noise and went to his room. I went in, only said something really softly, and threw my bear at him." Vall explained.
"And?" Asked her dad.
"And he caught it before it came close to his face!"
"Impressive, but I'm not surprised. This kid's got the knack for all sorts of talent." Dan said.
"But I threw it so fast! Yet he was faster, whao..."
Not sure what else to say, Vall returned to her chair and sat back down. She glanced over to Dragon but noticed he wasn't paying any attention, so she kicked him under the table. Looking up, he gave her a questioning look. She just shrugged.
"If you two are going to town, be carefull. I don't want a repeat of last time." Scarlet said in her worried mother tone.
"We will, mom. I'm sure nothing will happen with this speed demon here." Vall replied, smirking.
Dragon returned her smirk, got up and made a gesture for her to wait. He went back to his room, retrieved his coat, and sword, and came back to the kitchen. Once more he walked by Vall, handing her her own coat and headed to the door when she took it.
"Sometimes I have a lot of trouble understanding that boy." Vall muttered, then she hurried to catch up with him.

A Few Minutes Later, In Town....

Making their way once more through town, Dragon set his normal pace behind Vall again. He still appared to adopt the bodyguard role he picked up from before. She wasn't going to argue against it, truthfully she felt safer that way. She knew, too, it'd keep Richie away.
They made their way back to the clothing store when she heard a comotion ahead. Curiously she headed over to the sound of loud voices, Draggy right behind. She didn't even notice that he started to slow down some.
"....the respect I deserve! Who do you think I am?" A voice from before them said loudly, Vall missed the first part.
"I respect everyone, sir, but only if they're deserving of it. You need to pay like everyone else." came the voice of the fruit vender.
"Gah! I protect you losers! I'm the one called in to look out for this shanty little village in the middle of these frozen lands. Give me some credit!"
"Sir, please. We understand, but you're still expected to pay. We need to make a living too, you know." The vender pleaded.
The man before them appared to be from a military faction. His hair was cropped short, he wore camo style clothing favored by most soldiers. Though his had more black in them then normal. She couldn't make out the name printed on his coat, since he had his back turned. From the looks of him, he reminded her of one of those bad military men she seen in movies.
"Uhm, excuse me?" Vall said from behind the military looking stranger.
"What?!" He snapped, spinning around quickly.
Vall jumped but held her ground. "I don't know all of what is going on, but Mr. Andy is right. The people are struggling here as is and..." before she had time to finish, the military officer suddenly backhanded her. Vall staggered back, shocked and hurt, but was instantly caught by Dragon's outstretched arm.
"The hell do you think you are, girl? Don't speak to me like you're my mother, wench." The man growled.
Dragon's eyes smoldered with anger as he helped her back up then walked around to stand before her. He glared daggers are the man.
"Oh, another one, huh? You're all trying my patience." The officer raised a brow when he noticed the look in the teen's eyes. "Serious, aren't you? Fine, take this! Hraa!" he finished, pulling his sword free and swinging it at Dragon.
Silent Dragon swayed back and slipped his own sword free, pulling it straight up with one hand, deftly stopping the other's blade. Having already opened his coat while the others weren't looking, he had been able to loosen his sword and reacted faster than expected.
"What's this? A citizen with a sword, and a good one at that. Don't get too cocky, though!" The officer barked, lunging for Dragon's gut.
Instincts taking hold once more, Dragon twirled, grabbed the officer's arm in the same instant and hurled him over his shoulder. The man crashed into the ground with a grunt, then hurridly lept to his feet.
"You'll pay for that, kid!" Angered, the millitary officer rushed Dragon again. He swung his sword in a wide arc forcing his opponent to parry with his own blade.
Worried more for the people around him then he did for himself, Dragon wanted to end this as soon as possible. He waited for the other to lunge again, then twisted once more, this time throwing his coat off and into the officer's face, blinding him for the moment. Sputtering, the officer yanked the coat off from his face then froze. He looked down at the blade pointed right at his throat.
"Cheap trick, for a cheap loser." The man said then blinked. "Wait a doggon minute! I know iyou/i!" He added, pointing at Dragon.
"You do?" Vall asked, quiet until now.
"You're" the reason I'm stationed here! If it weren't for you, I'd be living high and mighty with the rest of the gang!" The military man snapped.
Dragon made no reply, nor did he move or lower his blade.
"You. Not only did you humiliate me, but you caused me to lose face back at headquarters. Shouldn't you be dead? You took quite the thrashing." Now the man smirked.
Dragon's eyes narrowed dangerously at the reminder.
"What's the matter, cat got your tounge, boy?" He was getting cocky now.
Dragon was so tempted to slice his head right off from his shoulders, something he would have done before living with Vall and her family. Thinking of her, he glanced back to make sure she was still safe and unhurt. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the officer react, thinking Dragon left himself open. The military officer swiped his sword at Dragon in more of a desparete move. SD stepped to the side and slashed his own blade down, cutting the man's arm open.
It was only a glancing blow, but well timed and caused enough damage to force the man to stagger. Catching himself, the officer stood up, he turned and glared at the young man.
"Fine, you win, but I won't forget this. Sergeant James doesn't forget anything!" James growled, stalking off.
Dragon watched him stalk off, tempted to run him through from behind, however, he held his ground. Instead he swung the blade swiftly, then slid it back into its sheath. He turned and walked back over to Vall who handed him his coat. He nodded thanks then gently brushed part of her bangs aside to better view the bruise on her cheek.
"It's okay, Draggy. It could've been worse." She said, taking his hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze before letting it go again.
He nodded, and if she wasn't mistaken, his tough exterior cracked a little and he looked almost sympathetic.
"Really, I'm fine. Let's just go get you your stuff, yeah?" She asked, trying her best to sound cheerfull.
Dropping his hand down by his side, he nodded once more. Even though she was trying to be cheerfull after that, he could tell she was holding back tears. She was a strong girl, though, so she probably didn't want him trying to make a fool of himself attempting to comfort her.
The two stood there a little while longer, both ignoring everyone else around them until the fruit vender came over.
"Please forgive the intrusion, I just wanted to say thank you and to see if Vallarie was okay." He said worridly
Turning to the other man, Vall smiled. "I'm okay, Mr. Andy. I'm just glad no one got seriously hurt."
"Me too, my girl, me too." Andy replied, then he turned to Dragon. "Thanks. You've got some fancy moves there. I owe you one, kid."
Dragon smiled faintly, nodding in reply.
"Anyways, you two are always welcome here, remember that."
"Thank you, Mr. Andy." Said Vall.
"No problem. I best be going now. Have a good one." With that, he turned and headed back to his shop with a wave.
Vall and Dragon finally made their way back to the clothes store, trying to put the incident behind them. She was glad when they arrived there, since it was just around the corner from where they just were. Once inside, they picked out more clothing for him, knowing his size made it easier. They didn't waste any time, once he found what he wanted, they paid for the stuff and headed straight home. Vall knew she was going to have to tell her mother what just happened.

Back Home, Half An Hour Later....

"I don't know, Vall, I'm just glad you're not seriously hurt." Scarlet said with worry after Vall explained to her what happened.
"That guy was a real jerk, bossing everyone around like that." Vall put in.
"Your father's in work now, he was wondering if Dragon would join him, but I think it'd be best if he stayed here with you for now."
"Thanks, mom."
Mother and daughter sat across from one another at the kitchen table where Vall had told her about the incident. Dragon sat on the couch in the living room, his head hung as if ashamed of something they couldn't figure out. At the time, he was giving them their space as they talked to each other. Also, though, he couldn't help but think back once more to his past, certain things best left forgotten.
"If you call dad, tell him he doesn't have to come home now. He's needed at work."
"Don't worry, hun. I will. He'll be worried, but he knows you're safe. Got your own guardian now." Scarlet said with a smile. "You two take the rest of the day to relax. I got a call from our neighbor, Judy. She needs me to stop by and help her out."
"No problem, mom. We'll be fine here at home. Do what you need to do." Vall replied, she got up, went over to her mother and gave her a hug.
Scarlet hugged her daughter back, then she got up and left for next door. Vall went over and sat down beside Dragon.
"One of these days, you really have to tell me about your past. Even if you have to write it down." She said with a sigh.
Glancing over to her, he nodded slightly then looked back to the floor.
"Might as well do as mom said and relax. It's been pretty rough lately." She said softly.
Vall picked up the TV remote and flicked throught the channels for some time until she got bored of that, then she turned it off. Setting the remote back down, she leaned back on the couch and sighed again. Both remain where they sat, Vall saying nothing, Dragon not moving an inch. It was as if a couple of statues were placed on the couch.

Home, Many Hours Later....

Vallarie woke up with a start, not even remembering ever falling to sleep. It was dark outside, as well as in the house. The living room light was on, though, dimmed just a little bit. Looking at the clock on the cable box, she saw it was close to midnight. Then she glanced over to Draggy, still asleep beside her where he sat earlier.
It must be hard for him. She thought. First he lived on the streets, who knows where before that, then mom decides to take him in. Didn't think I'd even like him. The passed few days he's been constantly active, fending off her punk admirer, helping her dad and standing up to that jerk in town. She couldn't help but laugh softly to herself at her last thought. He's gone shopping with me a couple times.
She leaned toward him a little more, curious to see if he really was asleep. Every time she thought he was, he woke instantly. Vall couldn't help but smile when she noticed the almost peaceful look on his face. He lay partly against the arm of the couch where he must have fallen down in his sleep. Gently she brushed some of his hair from his face and neck, trying not to wake him up, she tried to get a better view of the scar around his throat. It was difficult in the dim light, all she could see was a faint, black outline.
Her face went suddenly red when she happened to glance up and noticed his eyes were open now. He looked at her curiously, yet did not move or try to push her away. Okay, girl, snap out of it. She thought, he's looking right at you.
Vall sat up quickly, averting her gaze to hide her blush. Clearing her throat, she muttered. "Are you cold? I can turn the heater on."
He shook his head. Did anything seem to faze this guy? She thought some more.
"Are you at least hungry? I don't think mom came back yet and dad's still working." She asked. She made to get up, but her legs had fallen asleep and she suddenly collapsed. Once more moving on quick reflexes, Dragon shifted just enough on the couch and caught hold of her. Her blush returned ten fold when she realized she just landed, or was caught, practically on top of him.
She looked him in the eyes, his unwavering gaze on hers as well. All Vall could do was stare, she didn't move, wasn't making any attempt to get back up. She could only gaze into those mesmerizing jade green eyes.
Slowly Vall's arm moved up until her hand was inches from the side of his face. Taking a deep breath, she placed it, trembling slightly, against Dragon's cheek. Her thumb ran over his skin, under his eye, tracing along his face until he brought his own hand up and placed it over hers.
He released her hand, brushed her bangs aside once more, then held his hand over the bruised spot on her own cheek. She couldn't help but wince in memory of it, but he was gentle. A light glow began to appear, so enraptured in his eyes, she didn't notice it at first. It wasn't until she noticed the pain in her face was fading away, the bruised and blemished skin smoothing back out.
Gasping, she placed her hand over his quickly, then pulled it in front of her eyes just as a faint greenish-blue glow around it began to fade.
"You can heal?" She asked him in a small voice.
He nodded ever so slightly.
"Then how come you didn't heal this?" She said, placing her hand over his scarred neck.
His eyes dropped, she reailized he couldn't. Lifting his chin back up, she looked him once more in the eyes.
"It's some kind of punishment, huh?"
Dragon nodded again.
"I'm so sorry..." She said sadly, resting her forehead gently against his neck.
His arm slowly moved around her, hesitantly, as if unsure, until it rested gently around her back. His chest felt a little wet, at first he wondered why, until he realized she was quietly weeping, for him. He didn't know why, wasn't sure why. No one ever weeped for him, it never happened, wasn't possible. So why then was she? Dragon pulled her more onto the couch, and his lap, his arm tightening around her a little bit more.
"Hmm, oww." She muttered quietly.
He glanced at her head, not sure why she said that.
"Draggy... Something's jabbing me." She told him.
He reached his free hand down until he realized what it was. Placing his hands gently on her shoulders now, he pushed her up, standing up at the same time. Opening his coat, he pulled free his sword, the object that had been jabbing her, then set it down on the table. She blushed, even in the dim light, she could see the outline of the muscles on his chest now that his coat was opened. Reaching up, she placed her hand on one side then rested her head on the other, just under his chin.
Her breath was warm against his chest, slowly she brought her hand down, feeling the well developed muscles. Lower and lower, until she ran her hand down his thigh then around and up his back. She felt him shiver slightly, his arm came back up around her once more. She didn't stop, though, she wanted to explore more of him..
Looking up, she gazed into his wide, innocent eyes and couldn't help but smile. Her right hand, the one on his back, moved again, sliding along his side. It ran over his solid, hard abbs and then lower until she found the end of his shirt. Slowly she slipped her hand underneath and slid it up his bare flesh, causing him to shiver again. Vall ran her hand across his chest, tracing the muscles, then slowly back down, once more to his abbs and stomach. This time she continued her downward decent until she managed to slide it under his belt.
His breath caught in his throat as he felt her hand roam further and further down. Again he tightened his arm around her, sudconcionsly gripping her backside gently. With her free hand, she loosened his belt to better allow her other hand free movement. She felt him right down there, moving her hand down, then up, down again, repeatedly. His eyes widening even more.
Vallarie looked up at him, she thought his shocked experession was cute. She leaned closer to him, began to run her lips over his shoulder, her hand continuing her ministrations down below. She kissed him along his neck, sucked gently over the scar, traced his muscles with her lips. His hand suddenly tightened against her rear, then pulled her right up against him a little more.
With her free hand, she managed to pull his coat off the rest of the way, then she slid his shirt up and over his head. Tossing that to the floor, she loosened his belt the rest of the way, sliding his pants down. Now, only in his boxers, Dragon stood there dumbfounded, he didn't know what to do. However, she pushed him gently causing him to fall back onto the couch, then she climbed onto his lap, straddling his waist.
Ignoring the growing buldge in his boxers, she reached up and unzipped her own over-coat. Pulling it off, she let it drop with his clothes, then slowly lifted her shirt up over her own head. She dropped that now and smirked when she seen his eyes widen even more. She knew this was risky, but her dad was working and her mom was staying over Judy's house. As a midwife, she did things like that.
Vall leaned closer to him, undoing her bra strap at the same time. She took hold of both his wrists and placed his hands over her mounds. She heard him catch his breath again as she pressed them a little tighter against her. Finally, she moved her hands down when she felts his own remain in place, and undid her pants. His buldge grew as he gently caressed her breasts, accepting her invintation to touch her. Somehow she slid her pants off, holding back a moan as his fingers traced along her nipples.
Leaning further in, Vall finally kissed him right on the lips, softly at first, then with growing passion. She slid the last of her clothing off, leaving herself completely bare and to his mercy. Teaching him, as well as herself, she deepend the kiss while his hands continued their caressing movements. After a brief struggle, she managed to slide his own pants off, though she had to sit up a moment to pull them off the rest of the way.
Looking down, she gasped, he was completely hard, and wet around the tip. She herself was more then wet as well as she climbed back on him.
"Draggy..." She said softly.
He gazed up at her, his experession gentle, calm, though his breathing was still quick. He reached up, placed one of his hands against the side of her face. She leaned close to him and whispered in his ear.
"I want to punish you..." His reaction was the widening of his eyes once more.
She brought her hand down, carefully wrapped it around him and positioned it into place.
Vall. He mouthed.
She kissed him on the lips once more as she suddenly lowered herself onto him. Her eyes squeezing shut as she shuttered in pain. He placed his hands on her waist to lift her back up, but she stopped him, shaking her head.
Slowly she began to move up and down, letting herself grow accostumed to the pain until it was gone. Then she quickened her pace a little more, his eyes as wide as sausers. She moved against him, gripping his shoulders, going faster every now and then. His shocked look faded as pleasure overtook him. Gripping her waist tighter, he turned both of them around so he was now on her, her legs wrapped around him.
Holding onto her, giving in to his body's desire, he began to thrust slowly into her. Gently at first, making sure not to cause her any pain, then he quickened his pace. Vall started to moan as he quickened the pace more. Moving his hands to her breasts, he thrust faster and faster, his breath coming in short, tempered gasps.
"Oh, Draggy!" Vall cried as he thrust faster, going harder now as well. "Oh, yes! More!"
Dragon caressed her breast as he frantically thrust into her now, going harder and faster, her cries spurring him on.
"Deeper!" She almost screamed. "Fill me up, more! Yes!"
Her back was arched as he thrust more, faster and faster, harder and deeper. His pace quickening to its fastest, he rapidly thrusted, almost reminding her of an animal. In ecstasy she cried out her pleasure, in a state of orgasm. She didn't want it to end, but she was nearing her limit, she knew he was too.
He grunted as he climaxed, the only sound he mananged to make, thrusting one last time before slumping down against her. Carefully wrapping an arm around her, he once more turned them both around so she was back laying on top of him. His breathing came out quickly, laying his head back, he closed his eyes.
Resting her head against his chest, the struggled to catch her own breath. Eventually, she sighed in content.
"Draggy.... as much as I don't want to move, we can't stay like this. If mom, or even dad come home..." She let the last part trail off.
He nodded. He stood up, still holding onto her and helping her to her feet. She reached down and grabbed their things, handed him his sword.
"Wow, that's kinda heavy." She said a little surprised.
Again he nodded, then the two headed for the room.

Next Day, Afternoon....

Everyone sat in the living room, except Dan who was working as usual. Scarlet was reading one of her books while Vall watched TV from the couch. SD sat beside her, not really interested in it, but not exactly bored either. Scarlet sat in her favorite chairs, glancing the the television every now and then.
"Today's a boring day..." Vall mused, changing the channels.
"Why don't you two go visit Dan for a while, maybe Dragon can give him a hand?" Scarlet said.
"Dad said he didn't need Draggy's help until after we come back from our trip."
"Ah, that's right."
Just then the telephone rang. Jumping up, Vall slipped passed SD and answered it.
"Hello?... This is her.... Oh, hey, Megan!...I'm fine, and you?"
Dragon only glanced briefly at her as she spoke to someone on the other end, then back to whatever channel she left the tele on. He raised a questioning eyebrow when some cheery chartoon characters made fools of themselves on the TV. He didn't seem to get the point in all the nonsence, to him, it seemed idiotic. Closing his eyes, he leaned back and decided to doze off for a time.
His nap was short lived when Vall suddenly jumped over the back of the couch and started him out of his reverie.
"Hey, wake up! No napping, we're going out." She told him, shaking his shoulder.
Despite his glare at her, she knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt her like when they first met.
"Was that Megan? Haven't heard from her in a while." Her mother said.
"Yeah. She was away for a bit on vacation. She wants to hang out now, she told me to bring Draggy along." Vall said happily.
Even though she seemed pleased, Dragon on the other hand wasn't, though he kept his experession blank.
"Have fun, sweety. Try not to get into anymore trouble." Scarlet said.
"Tell that to him." Vall smirked, poking Dragon's chest before yanking him to his feet.
"Oh, remember to dress warm, today is exceptionally cold."
"Right, mom." Vall said, then ran to her room to get her long coat.
Pulling on his own coat while waiting, Dragon knew he was in for a long day. He made sure his sword was in place as well.
"Don't look so glum." Scarlet said, glancing up at him. "Megan's a real sweet girl, you'll get along with her just fine."
His only responce was to flash her a brief smile.
Vallarie finally came running back down, grabbed Dragon's arm and dragged him out the door.
"See ya, mom!" She called before the door closed.

Later That Day, Town....

"Oh my gawd, he's so cute!" The blonde girl, Megan squeeked after hugging her friend.
Vall smiled, returning her hug. "Careful, you might embarass him." She giggled.
Rolling his eyes, Dragon sighed to himself. Going to be a long day, indeed...
"He's so serious looking, though! He needs to lighten up." Megan commented.
"I know, I know. Anyway..." Vall said, trying to change the subject. "Where do you want to go?"
"Well, hmmm... How about the park?! I love it there." Megan suggested.
Vall looked to Dragon to see if it was alright with him, he looked away. Great, the zoo... He thought. He shrugged.
"C'mon, Draggy! Please?" Vall pleaded.
Sighing, Dragon's shoulders slumped in adject defeat.
"Let's go!" Megan said, racing off.
Vall grabbed his arm once more and took off after her friend.
SD allowed himself to be dragged around for the time being, since he had nothing else better to do. He paid no attention to the girls as they laughed and giggled, talking about this and that. To him it was all a bunch of nonsense. Even though this wasn't the first time he "hung out" in town, it was the first with Vall's friend. He wasn't much for crowds, and he didn't enjoy watching kids play "war". It reminded him of his soldier days.
As he sat on a park bench while the girls played games with the kids, he couldn't help but think back to a time best left forgotten...

Flashback: One Year, Six Months Ago....

The skies were dark, clouds amassed above, making the already horrible day even more gloomier. Screams and cries could be heard all around as EMO soldiers made a sweep through an opposing town. Gun fire and sword clashes rang through the air, mingling with the cries.
"Right, boy, you know what to do." Commander Dunell said, looking over to someone standing in the shadows.
Eyes flashed as a tall, yet young teenage boy slipped through the fog, a wicked smirk in place. As much as he hated working for and obeying these guys, fighting is what he knew best. His sword as a blur as it cut through flesh, decapitating anyone foolish enough to cross his path.
Other soilders tried to make a stand against EMO, one blocked the teen's path. Aiming his gun at the boy, he let fire, however he never expected the boy to be so fast.
Moving faster than a flashing lightning bolt, the teen ducked under the gun fire and lopped the soldier's head off. Blood splatted his face, yet he didn't even seem fazed. His head half turned just as another soldier appeared behind him, the teen lunged his sword backwards and right through the man's gut. He didn't even wait for him to fall but moved on to another soldier, striking one down after another.
After most of the town was cleared and a good number of villagers downed, EMO gathered in the center. They had a few prisoners towed to the commander, who stood there gloating over his victory. Dunell made victory speaches to his men and had some of the hostages brought over to him.
"Let this be a lesson to you all for opposing us!" He spoke loudly. "If anyone else intends to continue foolish battle, step forward now and be done with it!"
At first none of the surviving villagers moved, but finally one girl stepped from a rabble of people.
Amused, Dunell raised a curious brow at this gutsy eight year old.
The girl stepped over to him, looking nervous and afraid, yet defiant at the same time, and spat at the commander's feet. Everyone, including EMO, gasped as Dunell fummed in rage.
"Boy! To me, at once!" He snapped, clearing angered.
The young teen appeared before his commander.
"Silence her for good!" He shouted, handing him a dagger.
The teen took it, then turned to the girl. As he approached her, he noticed the frightened look in her eyes and something inside him snapped.
Stopping where he walked, he turned back around and flung the dagger back at his commander's feet. Even more angered now, Dunell stalked over to the teen and stuck him in the gut with enough force to send him doubling over. Then he proceeded to pick the dagger back up and went to the girl on his own. He stopped however when the teen grabbed hold of his ankle from where he had fallen. He recieved a boot in the face for his transgression.
Blacking out, the teen knew nothing else after that...

Some Time Later, EMO Barraks....

Silent Dragon sat in the EMO barraks where he'd woken up after being stuck down for his refusal at ending a poor girl's life. He rubbed his face where he had been kicked, then punched the wall beside his hard bed that he sat upon. He was so sick of being these loosers dog. Why did he have to do all the dirty work?
Sure, fighting was all he knew, but slaughtering innocence because they spat at the commander's feet? Give me a break, he thought. He continued to think angry and depressing thoughts to himself when the door creaked open.
A leering Captain James came walking in with a strut. He always had an air of superiority about him, as if he ruled the world.
"Looky, looky, it's the mute soldier boy. Can't even get a measly job done, what good are you?" He said with a smirk.
Dragon hated this man, but he just looked away.
"C'mon, boy, say something." James said with a laugh. He lifted a foot and placed it rudely on Dragon's chest, forcing him back a little.
SD grabbed his foot and shoved James back, causing the older man to stumble. Catching his balance, he righted himself and glared at the teen.
"You little punk!" He shouted, throwing a punch at Dragon's face, his fist connected instead with the barrak's wall.
"Oww! Damn!" James cried, clutching his hand.
Dragon smirked from where he had moved away from the punch.
"For a kid, you've got some nerve!" James muttered, he stalked over and grabbed Dragon by his tank, aiming his fist at him again. "Let's see you dodge this one."
James' fist came crashing down, held in place, Dragon took the hit on the side of the face since he at least averted his head enough. James hated it when the boy didn't even flinch so he struck him again. He felt satisfied hitting the Commander's dog for some reason.
Dragon, however, was not. He reacted without thinking and sent a blast of energy out from one of his hands and into James' gut. The other man flew back, an astound look in his eyes as he slammed into the opposite wall. Then he looked down at his hand, remembering what happened the last time he let slip his special abilities.
James fell to the floor with an "Oof" clutching his stomach. Right as he was about to say something incoherent, the door slammed open once more.
Dunell stood there, one hand still streched out from swinging the door open. He glared first at James, seeing his slightly smoking shirt, then to the teen who's hand was still faintly glowing. As the glow completely faded, he pointed at James and snapped. "Office" Then he stalked over to SD. Without question, James scrambled out.
You." Dunell said bluntly.
Looking away from his hand and to the Commander, Dragon wiped the blood from his mouth.
"No point doing that, dog boy, you'll be more bloody by the time I'm done with you." Dunell remarked.
Dragon hated that nick name, he hated everything about this man, James and everything else about this place. Unfortunately he knew of no other life style, being raised here as a really young child, it was all he knew.
"You know better than to use those powers of yours without my orders. I don't need you killing my best men off" Commander Dunell said. "There's some things I need to tell you, boy, so listen up..." He added.
Dunell removed some kind of a metal striking rod from his back pocket. Smirked harshly at Dragon and walked over to the door. He swung it shut once more, a loud resognating BOOM filling the air.

Back To The Present....

Dragon's eyes opened wide and he started so badly Vall felt bad when she shook him awake. She looked down at his face and noticed the increase of his breathing. The wild eyed look on his face frightened her, but she kept her place in front of him.
"Hey, it's alright, it's only me. Calm down." She said soothingly.
Blinking a couple times, SD looked around, seeing the trees, playing kids and playground stuff. Remembering when and where he was, Dragon rubbed his face with one hand.
"He don't look so good, I think you should get him home." Megan suggested from behind Vall.
"Yeah, it's starting to get late anyway." Vall agreed.
She reached down and extended her hand to him, offering to help Dragon up. Removing his hand from his face, he took it and let her pull him up. A little unsteady on his feet, he almost stumbled into her. Thankfully she gripped his shoulders to help steady him.
"Easy there, soldier boy." Vall said softly.
Dragon winced at the name, remembering how EMO used to call him that, and other harsh things...
"Come on, let's get you home." Vall said, she took his arm to keep him from falling and wondered what gotten into him.
With her help, and even Megan who walked on the other side of him, the three made their way to Vall's house. Once outside her door, Megan turned to them, gave Vall a hug again.
"It was great seeing you again." She said. "I hope your boyfriend feels better." She added, waving as she left them.
Blushing, Vall waved back then helped SD inside, though he no longer needed anymore aid. She made him sit on the couch once inside, noticed a note on the table and read it. "Patty called, she's delivering, be back late tonight. Love, mom" it read. Placing it back down, Vall went to the kitchen, poured a glass of water and brought it back to Dragon.
Handing it to him, she said. "I don't know what's wrong, but it looks like you've seen a ghost."
He took the glass, nodding gratefully, then downed it in one sitting. Taking the glass back from him, she went back to the kitchen and rinsed it out in the pantry.
When she came back, she sat down next to him and placed a hand over his forehead. Maybe he's running a fever, she thought. Though he felt a little warm,it was not enough to be feverish.
"I really wish you could talk to me, sometimes." She mused.
He smiled faintly at her, took her hand from his forehead and squeezed it gently.
"Oh, Draggy! Why does it have to be so hard?" She asked, leaning against him.
I really wish I could tell you... He couldn't help but think.
He drapped an arm around her shoulder, angry at himself for making her worry so much. Having seen Sergeant James again, the same Major from his past, who was demoted, brought back bad memories for Dragon. This in turn, unfortunately, caused Vall to worry, even though she had no idea what was the matter.
Noticing how quiet she was now, and the calmer state of her breathing, he glanced down to see she had fallen asleep against his shoulder. Not wanting to disturb her, since she looked so peacefull in her sleep, he decided to let her be for now.
Dragon didn't know what to feel since he'd come to this house. Things had changed so much from when he was dumped off here. At times he was still unnerved around the people in town, one of the reasons he didn't want to go out with Vall and Megan earlier. His soldier's instincts sometimes made him think there was someone lurking nearby or around the corner. He also had this strange desire to protect Vall with his life even though they only knew one another for a short time.
Would things still be the same if she knew the truth, the complete truth, about him? He wondered. There were reasons Silent Dragon always looked blank and emotionless. It was something he was forced to learn from his youth, or else that'd happen again...
Shaking his head to clear memories, he leaned his head back and tried to relax more. An hour or so later, the door was unlocked from the outside and Dan stepped in from the cold. He nodded to Dragon after removing his coat and shaking the snow off outside. Hanging it up, he walked to the kitchen, stopping mid way.
"Maybe you should get her to bed, and get some rest yourself, son." Dan suggested then continued to the kitchen.
Thinking that was a good idea, Dragon gently slipped his arms under Vall and lifted her up onto him. Then he stood up and carried her bridal style back to her room. Lightly nudging the door open with his foot, he went inside, not bothering to put on the lights. His uncanny sense of night vision enabled him to see well enough. Walked over to her bed, he managed to pull back the blankets then set her down on the bed. After getting her onto the bed, he slipped the covers over her then turned and slowly left the room.
Hesitating at the doorway, he looked back before closing the door and going to his own room to try and get some sleep.

Next Day, Early Morning....

When Vall woke up the next morning she was in one of her morning grumpy moods her parents were used of. Looking up the hall to SD's room, she saw the door open and figured he was awoke already. Did he ever sleep? She wondered to herself as she went to the kitchen.
"Mornin' Sunshine." Dan said from the kitchen.
"Good morning, sweety." Scarlet chimed in.
Vall only mumble 'morning' in responce as she got her usual breakfast ready before sitting down. Looking tiredly over to Draggy, he nodded his own greeting. She cast him a faint smile before going back to eating her cereal.
"Are you all packed up, sweety? We'll be leaving soon, tomorrow actually." Scarlet asked once she finished the paper.
"Tomorrow!? This week went by so fast, yet so slow at the same time." Vall said shocked.
"Yeah. You going to be alright, Sunshine, going up there with all that's happened?" Dan asked, now reading the paper himself.
"Of course, dad. I think this trip will help with the nerves. Getting away for a bit should be fun."
"Just try to take it easy while out there." Dan added.
"No worries, dad." Vall said, more cheerfully now. "Everything will be alright."
"Yup." Scarlet said. "I'll be there with this kids, after all."
"Oh, I want to call Megan and let her know we're leaving tomorrow. I totally forgot to tell her yesterday." Vall said, getting up to put the cereal and milk away, then rinse her bowl. "I'll go do that now." she added, going to get the cordless phone.
Vall went to her room after dialing her friend's number then sat on the bed to talk for a while.
"I got to go in early today." Dan said to Scarlet. "One of my customers is waiting for a large order."
"Don't worry, hun, do what you have to do." She replied.
"Right." Dan said, he got up, walked over to his wife, kissed her before heading out the door to work. "Tell Vall I said good bye." He said before he left.
"I have to head out myself." Scarlet said, she headed to the back rooms to tell Vall, then came back to the kitchen. "Keep watching out for her, will you, son?" She asked SD.
He nodded his head assuringly.
"Great." Scarlet said, patting his back. "I'll be back later tonight."
Dragon waved to her as she too left, then leaned the chair he sat in back against the wall. He looked around, trying to think of what to do while Vall talked on the phone. Eventually he set the chair back down and got up, he pulled his sword from its sheath and began examining it. Taking out a rag from his pants pocket, he cleaned it down. Once that was done, he slid it back into its scabbard at his side. Vall was taking a while on the phone, and he couldn't just take off, nor could he intrude into her room.
Not knowing what else to do, Dragon went into the living room and sat on the couch. He undid the scabbard and set it down on the table in front of him. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and appeared to fall asleep, though he was aware of everything all around him.
Vallarie finally hung the phone up and set it back in its place. After her parents had left, she noticed it was so quiet in the house now. She hoped Draggy wasn't getting into any trouble by himself. Walking out to the living room quietly, she noticed him snoozing on the couch, looking dead to the world.
Smirking, she tip-toed around the side of the couch, looked down at the sword and picked it up. Holding it in both hands, she took a better look at it since she hadn't been able to before. Thinking he was sleeping, she turned and started to walk over to the chair, until she walked into something. Looking down, she noticed his leg blocking her way now, then looked to see him open his eyes to look at her curiously.
"Not like I'm going to steal it. You'd probably catch me before I even made it out the door." She told him.
Nodding, he lowered his leg and allowed her to go by.
"Thanks, Draggy. I just want to look at it."
She didn't blame him for not trusting her with a personal posession such as a sword, it wasn't often someone just up and lets someone else wander off with it. Sitting down, she carefully slid the sword from its sheath, it was a little lighter once bared. Just by looking at it, she could tell the edges of the blade were sharp enough to cut through metal.
"Dang, Draggy, this is one powerfull weapon you got here." She commented.
The hilt of the sword was actually the tail of the dragon design.
She glanced over at Dragon to see if he was watching her, surprisingly he had his eyes closed once more. Going back to examining the sword, she lightly touched the blade, then cried out when even that gentle touch was enough to cut her.
Hearing her, SD opened his eyes and looked over to her. Shaking his head, he got up, walked over to her. He took her hand from her mouch since she was sucking on her finger. He gave her an 'I told you so' look then held his own hand over hers, calling up his healing powers. Once her sliced finger was sealed up, he took the sword from her and returned it to its sheath.
"I'm sorry... I was just curious." She said apolageticly
He gave her a reasuring smile before setting the sword back on the table, then sat down on the couch once more.

An Hour Later....

The two still sat in the living room, Vall now flicked through the television channels while SD dozed off. She couldn't help but glance over to him every now and then and wonder what his past must have been like. Vall knew it must've been tough for him, giving the scars she's seen on him.
Looking back at the TV, she striffled a yawn, thinking to herself how boring today was turning out.
"Maybe I should call Megan and hang out again, let Draggy stay home so he can relax." She said to herself. "This is gonna be the last time we can until we get back."
Thinking that was a good idea, she got up to get the phone, left the room so she wouldn't bother SD. Vall dialed her friend's number and waited for her to pick up. After a brief conversation later, she hung up and put on her dark blue coat. Making her way back to the living room, she was surprised to see Dragon standing by the door.
"Don't tell me you heard me talking to myself?" She asked him.
His only responce was to open the front door and let her out before him.
"What am I going to do with you?" She said as she went out, then locked the door once he joined her. "Brrr, it's cold today." She added, shivering as the snow fell heavier than usual.
As they walked down the walk way, she happened to glance at his coat, noticing it seemed a lighter color than its normal black.
"That's interesting, that coat of yours changed color. Is that normal?"
He nodded, keeping his eyes in front of them.
"Yet another thing you'll have to try and tell me about." Vall added smirking.
After walking for a few minutes, Megan came running over to them from around a corner leading to the park. She run up to Vall and threw her arms around her best friend.
"There you are! With your boyfriend again, I see." Megan said with a wink.
"C'mon, Meg, he's not my boyfriend..." Vall said embarassed.
"Then why is he with you all the time?" Megan said teasingly.
"Oh, shut up."
Rolling his eyes, SD wondered what else he could get himself into next.
"Anyway, let's go for ice cream, even though it's snowing." Meg said giggling.
"Ice cream? In this cold weather? At least the other day wasn't bad for it." Vall said.
"Have any other bright ideas? You're going to be leaving tomorrow, so I wanted to do something fun." Megan pouted.
"Well, the kids are probably have snowball fights at the park..."
"Yeah, they are. I joined them before you called my cell." Meg replied. "Wait! We could always have a snowball fight." She added cheerily.
"Sure, if you want to get clobbered by this one." Vall said, thrusting a thumb at SD.
"Right, I forgot you told me he's pretty tough."
"There might be a movie playing, lets go check it out." Vall suggested.
"That's right! Come one, you two!" Meg exclaimed, grabbed both their arms and pulled them to the bus stop.
"I'll just leave mom a messege for when she gets back." Vall said when they reached the bus stop. She took out her phone and text her mother.
SD on the other hand, had no idea what they were talking about. If they wanted to watch a movie, why didn't they just do so back at home on the TV? Since he never been to the theaters, or even heard of them, he was in for a surprise.
The three of them got on the bus and paid their way when it arrived, then waited until they got to the movies. Once at the movie theater, they got their tickets, snacks and drinks and went to watch the movie they came to see.
As the trio sat in their seats to wait for the feature presentation, they were unaware of a shadowy form slip in and take a seat a few rows back from them. The new comer was more intent on watching them then what was going on on the big screen.

After The Show....

Just as they had not noticed the shadowy form enter, neither did they notice it leave as the credits rolled. SD was amazed, having only seen movies on the television at home, it was louder and bigger here. It even sounded as if the actual movie was taking place around him with the surround sound.
It was dark out by the time they left the theater and went back outside once more. The three of them waited for the bus, Meg and Vall chatting happily about the movie. Dragon stood off to the side, leaning against a pole, letting them do their thing.
Once the bus pulled up to a halt, breaks screeching as they always do, the three climbed on board. SD allowed the girls to get on first then got on after, sitting behind them and glancing out the window. He just missed the shadowy form slip on the bus the back way and sat in the far corner.