A/N: Yes, a short one this time. Not my usual babbling on and on. This fic is in response to GoldenDragon2000's challenge, which basically means that though the story and plot are mine, the idea is GoldenDragon2000's. And if you read the little notice he/she put up, you would know the two challenges were Dillandau falling for some girl-even tho we all know he's really Serena, it's alternate reality-or a girl joining the Dragon Slayers. I've decided to incorporate both into my story, so enjoy!
Dillandau sat and stared at the girl lying on the bed in front of him. She was dressed in the uniform of his Dragon Slayer's. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow. Dillandau still couldn't believe how she had tricked him; in fact, how she had tricked almost everyone on his floating ship. He thought back to the day he first met her, although then he hadn't known she was a girl...
"Naoko, are you sure you want to do this?" Yolanda Darvis asked her best friend, Naoko Motomiya. "If Dillandau finds out..." She looked nervously at the pair of scissors Naoko had handed her, then at her friend's long, black hair.
"Do it, Yolanda. I have to become a Dragon Slayer if I'm ever to find Darakk again." Naoko replied, clasping her slender hands in her lap and biting her lower lip. "I know, you said I should just forget about Darakk, but I can't. He's not even human, but he was the best friend I ever had."
"But he's a dragon!" Yolanda wailed. "Dillandau has probably already had him killed. And your beautiful hair..."
"Yola, I asked you because I trusted you. I promise, as soon as I find Darakk, I'll come home. Even if I find out he... he is dead." Naoko looked down at the large shirt and pants she was wearing to hide her form. "Now, do it!"
Yolanda winced, then gingerly sheared Naoko's hair all the way up to her ears. Strands fell like black silk. Despite herself, Naoko felt her wide emerald eyes fill with tears; her hair had been her one vanity. The petite fifteen-year-old looked in the mirror when Yolanda was done and sighed. Her heart-shaped face still looked too feminine, but she guessed it would have to do.
"No longer am I Naoko Motomiya." She said sadly. "Now I'm Nao Kamiya." Nao had been her cousin, who looked almost exactly like her. He had died fighting against Zaibach, and Naoko had hated them ever since. Darakk, a huge golden dragon who had saved her from an avalanche, was the only one able to help her, and then he disappeared. Naoko had vowed to join Dillandau's Dragon Slayer's, find Darakk, and try to destroy at least part of the Zaibach Empire.
"Remember, tell me where you are." Yolanda said, embracing Naoko. "Good luck." Naoko wiped a tear from her face, and stepped out the door of Yolanda's house.
"Goodbye, my friend." She whispered, then squared her shoulders and walked toward the castle.
"Valken, is this really necessary?" Dillandau asked, his voice showing his boredom.
"Of course it is. Stop being a child, Dillandau. You know the Emperor told you to get on better terms with Miraala's king." Valken replied irritably. He ignored the hot flash of anger in Dillandau's eyes, and the scowl that twisted his mouth. They turned their horses up the road towards the castle, but neither noticed the dark shadows on their heels.
Naoko yawned as she trudged up the road towards the castle. She wished she could buy a horse, but her parents were both dead, and she only lived with Yolanda. Suddenly, her sharp ears picked up the sound of a fight up ahead. Knowing it was probably vagabonds jumping on some helpless person, she drew her sword and started to run.
With a yell, she crashed into one of the thieves attacking two people on horseback, and sent him flying. She whirled around with lightning speed and blocked a slash that should have taken her head off her shoulders. She kicked the thief in the stomach, and knocked his sword out of his hand. Movement behind alerted her, and she spun around with her sword arcing... and stared straight at the person she had come to see. Dillandau whipped his sword up, but not quite fast enough. Naoko's sword, it's forward momentum pulling her, slashed his shoulder, and he yelled in pain. His eyes seemed to glow with fury, but Naoko had already dropped her sword and was kneeling.
"My Lord Dillandau, I didn't know it was you! Please forgive me!" The words made her stomach roil, but she kept her head down so the disgust wouldn't show on her face. Just in time, she also remembered to deepen her voice. Dillandau grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, but the other man's quiet voice stopped him.
"Dillandau. The boy didn't mean to, and you shouldn't have come up behind him like that." Naoko recognized him as Valken, right hand man to Dillandau, and much cooler in his temper. Dillandau dropped Naoko's arm and held his shoulder.
"What's your name?" he snapped, glaring at Naoko.
"Nao, sir. Nao Kamiya. I was journeying to find you, Lord. I want to join your Dragon Slayers." Naoko replied, rubbing her own sore arm. Dillandau had a tight grip, and already she could see bruises forming where he pinched her skin. Her sword had only glanced off his shoulder, and the wound wasn't even bleeding.
"Join my Dragon Slayers?" Dillandau laughed. "How old are you?"
"Seventeen, sir." Naoko mumbled. "I'm a good fighter, and I want to do my part to help Zaibach."
"He is very well-trained with that sword, Dillandau. In fact, he could give you a few lessons." Valken said, a slight smile on his face. Dillandau glared at him, then looked imperiously at Naoko. Before she could stop herself, her lip curled in disdain. Luckily, Dillandau didn't appear to notice.
"Fine. Come along with us to the castle. You can ride behind me." Dillandau said finally. He swung himself back on the horse and waited impatiently while Naoko pulled herself up. They galloped toward the castle.
Naoko shifted uncomfortably as Dillandau exchanged courtesies with Miraala's king, a shifty-eyed little man named Jaric. Dillandau was obviously bored, and let Valken do most of the talking. He kept watching Naoko suspiciously, as though she would attack him any second. She stared right back at him, forgetting she was supposed to be subservient, and saw a glimmer of respect in the madness in his eyes.
"King Jaric, I'm afraid we must get back." Valken said in his soft voice, startling Naoko, who jumped. "Lord Dillandau and I have some business to attend to." They left the castle, and headed back to Dillandau's ship.
"Nao, Valken will take you to meet the other Dragon Slayers." Dillandau said, slumping into a chair and waving his hand dismissively. Naoko glanced at him as she followed Valken out of the room, and saw he was tapping a dagger against the arm of the chair over and over. She shivered slightly at the mindless look on Dillandau's face. She almost walked into Valken when he stopped suddenly. He grabbed her arm and stared straight into her eyes.
"Who are you really? If you're Nao Kamiya, then I'm the king of Asturia." He said, searching Naoko's face.
"Pleased to meet you, Your Highness." Naoko retorted, her heart beating again. For a second, she had thought he knew she was female.
"I know you from somewhere, Nao. If that's your real name, which I seriously doubt." Valken replied, and resumed walking towards the Dragon Slayers quarters. "I'll get Mirsal to measure you for your uniform." He opened a door and then left silently, leaving Naoko to have fears about being forced to strip, and then being killed for lying.
Luckily, Mirsal, a short old man with bad teeth, just whipped a cord around her hips and her shoulders, then handed her a uniform. When he left, Naoko sat on the bed and shook her head. It all seemed so unreal. This was the Zaibach Empire? An insane boy, a man who didn't seem to care about anything and knew things he shouldn't, and a group of boys who acted like little puppy dogs, obedient to every command. She looked at the uniform, then quickly stripped off her clothes and put it on. She looked in the mirror and made a face at herself, then whirled around as her door opened.
"Are you Nao?" The speaker was a boy with blond hair. He was a Dragon Slayer, and there were three or four other boys behind him.
"Yes, I'm Nao Kamiya." Naoko replied nervously.
"Lord Dillandau wishes to speak to you." The blond said. "Didn't you hear him?"
"No, I didn't. I'll go right now." Naoko said, pushing past them and walking down the hallway. Behind her she heard whispers of what Dillandau would do to her if she didn't hurry, and of why Dillandau would allow a newcomer.
"Di- Lord Dillandau?" Naoko asked, pausing before him. He was sitting on a throne-like seat, twirling a dagger through his fingers. He stood up silently, and slapped her across the face hard enough to make her stagger.
"Never ignore me." He said, and glared at her. Naoko reacted totally on instinct and slapped him right back. A shocked look came over his face as he held a hand over his cheek.
"Never hit me." She replied, anger making her voice tremble. He stared at her, his eyes wide. He dropped his hand, revealing a red mark across his face, and looked at her with more than a glimmer of respect now.
"I should kill you for that." He hissed. "But there's something about you that I like. My other Slayers are wimps, never standing up for themselves. You have fire, and I like that." He turned and strode back up to his seat.
"What was I called down here for?" Naoko asked, calming down and blessing every god she could think of that her temper hadn't cost her her life.
"A dragon has been spotted, and I think you should be the one to kill it. It's a golden dragon, and it's easy to spot because it has silver wings. Find it, Nao, and bring me back the Energist."
Naoko felt as though she couldn't breathe. Only one golden dragon in the world had silver wings: Darakk.
Dillandau sat and stared at the girl lying on the bed in front of him. She was dressed in the uniform of his Dragon Slayer's. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow. Dillandau still couldn't believe how she had tricked him; in fact, how she had tricked almost everyone on his floating ship. He thought back to the day he first met her, although then he hadn't known she was a girl...
"Naoko, are you sure you want to do this?" Yolanda Darvis asked her best friend, Naoko Motomiya. "If Dillandau finds out..." She looked nervously at the pair of scissors Naoko had handed her, then at her friend's long, black hair.
"Do it, Yolanda. I have to become a Dragon Slayer if I'm ever to find Darakk again." Naoko replied, clasping her slender hands in her lap and biting her lower lip. "I know, you said I should just forget about Darakk, but I can't. He's not even human, but he was the best friend I ever had."
"But he's a dragon!" Yolanda wailed. "Dillandau has probably already had him killed. And your beautiful hair..."
"Yola, I asked you because I trusted you. I promise, as soon as I find Darakk, I'll come home. Even if I find out he... he is dead." Naoko looked down at the large shirt and pants she was wearing to hide her form. "Now, do it!"
Yolanda winced, then gingerly sheared Naoko's hair all the way up to her ears. Strands fell like black silk. Despite herself, Naoko felt her wide emerald eyes fill with tears; her hair had been her one vanity. The petite fifteen-year-old looked in the mirror when Yolanda was done and sighed. Her heart-shaped face still looked too feminine, but she guessed it would have to do.
"No longer am I Naoko Motomiya." She said sadly. "Now I'm Nao Kamiya." Nao had been her cousin, who looked almost exactly like her. He had died fighting against Zaibach, and Naoko had hated them ever since. Darakk, a huge golden dragon who had saved her from an avalanche, was the only one able to help her, and then he disappeared. Naoko had vowed to join Dillandau's Dragon Slayer's, find Darakk, and try to destroy at least part of the Zaibach Empire.
"Remember, tell me where you are." Yolanda said, embracing Naoko. "Good luck." Naoko wiped a tear from her face, and stepped out the door of Yolanda's house.
"Goodbye, my friend." She whispered, then squared her shoulders and walked toward the castle.
"Valken, is this really necessary?" Dillandau asked, his voice showing his boredom.
"Of course it is. Stop being a child, Dillandau. You know the Emperor told you to get on better terms with Miraala's king." Valken replied irritably. He ignored the hot flash of anger in Dillandau's eyes, and the scowl that twisted his mouth. They turned their horses up the road towards the castle, but neither noticed the dark shadows on their heels.
Naoko yawned as she trudged up the road towards the castle. She wished she could buy a horse, but her parents were both dead, and she only lived with Yolanda. Suddenly, her sharp ears picked up the sound of a fight up ahead. Knowing it was probably vagabonds jumping on some helpless person, she drew her sword and started to run.
With a yell, she crashed into one of the thieves attacking two people on horseback, and sent him flying. She whirled around with lightning speed and blocked a slash that should have taken her head off her shoulders. She kicked the thief in the stomach, and knocked his sword out of his hand. Movement behind alerted her, and she spun around with her sword arcing... and stared straight at the person she had come to see. Dillandau whipped his sword up, but not quite fast enough. Naoko's sword, it's forward momentum pulling her, slashed his shoulder, and he yelled in pain. His eyes seemed to glow with fury, but Naoko had already dropped her sword and was kneeling.
"My Lord Dillandau, I didn't know it was you! Please forgive me!" The words made her stomach roil, but she kept her head down so the disgust wouldn't show on her face. Just in time, she also remembered to deepen her voice. Dillandau grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, but the other man's quiet voice stopped him.
"Dillandau. The boy didn't mean to, and you shouldn't have come up behind him like that." Naoko recognized him as Valken, right hand man to Dillandau, and much cooler in his temper. Dillandau dropped Naoko's arm and held his shoulder.
"What's your name?" he snapped, glaring at Naoko.
"Nao, sir. Nao Kamiya. I was journeying to find you, Lord. I want to join your Dragon Slayers." Naoko replied, rubbing her own sore arm. Dillandau had a tight grip, and already she could see bruises forming where he pinched her skin. Her sword had only glanced off his shoulder, and the wound wasn't even bleeding.
"Join my Dragon Slayers?" Dillandau laughed. "How old are you?"
"Seventeen, sir." Naoko mumbled. "I'm a good fighter, and I want to do my part to help Zaibach."
"He is very well-trained with that sword, Dillandau. In fact, he could give you a few lessons." Valken said, a slight smile on his face. Dillandau glared at him, then looked imperiously at Naoko. Before she could stop herself, her lip curled in disdain. Luckily, Dillandau didn't appear to notice.
"Fine. Come along with us to the castle. You can ride behind me." Dillandau said finally. He swung himself back on the horse and waited impatiently while Naoko pulled herself up. They galloped toward the castle.
Naoko shifted uncomfortably as Dillandau exchanged courtesies with Miraala's king, a shifty-eyed little man named Jaric. Dillandau was obviously bored, and let Valken do most of the talking. He kept watching Naoko suspiciously, as though she would attack him any second. She stared right back at him, forgetting she was supposed to be subservient, and saw a glimmer of respect in the madness in his eyes.
"King Jaric, I'm afraid we must get back." Valken said in his soft voice, startling Naoko, who jumped. "Lord Dillandau and I have some business to attend to." They left the castle, and headed back to Dillandau's ship.
"Nao, Valken will take you to meet the other Dragon Slayers." Dillandau said, slumping into a chair and waving his hand dismissively. Naoko glanced at him as she followed Valken out of the room, and saw he was tapping a dagger against the arm of the chair over and over. She shivered slightly at the mindless look on Dillandau's face. She almost walked into Valken when he stopped suddenly. He grabbed her arm and stared straight into her eyes.
"Who are you really? If you're Nao Kamiya, then I'm the king of Asturia." He said, searching Naoko's face.
"Pleased to meet you, Your Highness." Naoko retorted, her heart beating again. For a second, she had thought he knew she was female.
"I know you from somewhere, Nao. If that's your real name, which I seriously doubt." Valken replied, and resumed walking towards the Dragon Slayers quarters. "I'll get Mirsal to measure you for your uniform." He opened a door and then left silently, leaving Naoko to have fears about being forced to strip, and then being killed for lying.
Luckily, Mirsal, a short old man with bad teeth, just whipped a cord around her hips and her shoulders, then handed her a uniform. When he left, Naoko sat on the bed and shook her head. It all seemed so unreal. This was the Zaibach Empire? An insane boy, a man who didn't seem to care about anything and knew things he shouldn't, and a group of boys who acted like little puppy dogs, obedient to every command. She looked at the uniform, then quickly stripped off her clothes and put it on. She looked in the mirror and made a face at herself, then whirled around as her door opened.
"Are you Nao?" The speaker was a boy with blond hair. He was a Dragon Slayer, and there were three or four other boys behind him.
"Yes, I'm Nao Kamiya." Naoko replied nervously.
"Lord Dillandau wishes to speak to you." The blond said. "Didn't you hear him?"
"No, I didn't. I'll go right now." Naoko said, pushing past them and walking down the hallway. Behind her she heard whispers of what Dillandau would do to her if she didn't hurry, and of why Dillandau would allow a newcomer.
"Di- Lord Dillandau?" Naoko asked, pausing before him. He was sitting on a throne-like seat, twirling a dagger through his fingers. He stood up silently, and slapped her across the face hard enough to make her stagger.
"Never ignore me." He said, and glared at her. Naoko reacted totally on instinct and slapped him right back. A shocked look came over his face as he held a hand over his cheek.
"Never hit me." She replied, anger making her voice tremble. He stared at her, his eyes wide. He dropped his hand, revealing a red mark across his face, and looked at her with more than a glimmer of respect now.
"I should kill you for that." He hissed. "But there's something about you that I like. My other Slayers are wimps, never standing up for themselves. You have fire, and I like that." He turned and strode back up to his seat.
"What was I called down here for?" Naoko asked, calming down and blessing every god she could think of that her temper hadn't cost her her life.
"A dragon has been spotted, and I think you should be the one to kill it. It's a golden dragon, and it's easy to spot because it has silver wings. Find it, Nao, and bring me back the Energist."
Naoko felt as though she couldn't breathe. Only one golden dragon in the world had silver wings: Darakk.