Akai High

by Vertigo Zero

The darkness threatens Akai High School, and Meria Kissaki and Zakera Zero need to be prepared to defend their village with their dragon companions, Kiandra and Akira. Will they accept the challenge or cower at the feet of the darkness?

Akai High
Started Friday, March 5th, 2008
Finished Thursday, May 8th, 2008
--

"That's the new kid."

"Haha, she looks emo."

"Dude, how old is the word 'emo'?"

"Dude, how old is the word 'dude'?

People watched as I came in, they were all staring. I didn't like my new school so far. I had just came from the Dark Country and transferred to the Twilight Country, so now I'm in a school called 'Akai High school.' I was already examining each of the students. The two that were talking about me, apparently their names are Kimiko and Naichi. There were only a few people in our class. The teacher came in, holding her books, her long red coat flowing behind her. She put her books down and fixed her glasses.

"All right, calm yourselves." She said. Her eyes were burning red, her hair was a regular natural red, her lipstick was red, and even her ponytail was red! She was almost all red. Her skin was tanned, so she probably had a thing for fire. The class began to quiet down. She directed her slight glare look at me. "We have a new student. Why don't you introduce yourself?" The teacher said. I put my bag down and stood at the front of the class. They were all grinning at me. I blinked.

"I'm... Meria. I come from the Dark Country. My main element is water and ice." I said. The teacher nodded and the only boy in the class blushed.

"Well, I'm Ms. Kaida, class, introduce yourselves. Starting with Kimiko and going around." The teacher said. Kimiko stood up.

"I'm Kimiko, I use bow and arrows for my weapons and my main element is fire. From what I've heard, I tend to be... strange and spastic." Kimiko said. She sat down and Naichi got up.

"I'm Naichi. I originally came from the Light Country, and my element is lightning. I mostly hang out with Kimiko, and from what I've heard, I'm calm and usually a good leader." Naichi said. She smiled and sat down. Next a black haired girl stood up.

"I'm Eva Cosette. I also come from the Dark Country, and my element is Earth, or Karasi. I use a spear for my weapon, and I look forward to making a friend from my own country." She said. Next a blonde girl stood up.

"My name is Winona. I have a thing for wolves, and my main element is wind. I'm usually always hyper, but I'll admit I'm stubborn! I use two guns as my weapons." She said. Next the boy slowly stood up.

"I'm... Zakera. I come from the Light Country originally... and my main element is water and ice, like you... and I use a sword as my weapon..." The boy said. He seemed quiet, and he sat back down, kind of blushing. He put his head down. I just stared at him for a while.

"So is that all?" Kaida asked. "Tell us a little more."

I rubbed my arm. "Well, as I said, my element is water and ice. I come from the Dark Country and my weapon is well..." I said. I looked back at the handle of my sword. "Nodachi is my sword."

"Cool! Can we see it?" Winona asked. I nodded and took it out. My sword's handle had a pattern of ruby and sapphire along it, and a tangled and dangling red and black ribbon. The blade had a line down it, and strikes of red. It looked old and rusted. Zakera blinked. Kaida looked at my sword and looked at the sword case beside Zakera's desk. I could see it coming- Zakera probably had almost the same sword.

"Zakera... Show her your sword." Kaida said. Zakera slowly stood up and took out his sword. His sword had a pattern of sapphire and onyx and there was a black and blue ribbon around it and dangling. The sword's blade had a line down it and strikes of blue. I was a little surprised. "Both Nodachi... anyway, off to class. We've wasted most of our time talking..." Kaida looked at the clock and then straitened her glasses. "...Since we have a new student and there only five minutes left of class, I'll be willing to take you guys outside for a few..." Kaida stood up and Eva, Kimiko, and Naichi were obviously happy. Cheering and grinning. Kaida walked to the door and we all walked out to the dome. The dome is pretty much where we have recess or locker break, it's a clear dome that can't be penetrated if we are threatened by an enemy. I carried Nodachi, not wanting to put it away. I admired the sword a lot. It was from my Grandmother, whom I was named after. She was once a great warrior of her age, and I hope that I can be like her one day. Most of my things are from her, since I lived with her until she died. My parents were killed trying to slay a white dragon who was threatening my old home, days after I was born, and grandmother took me in. Winona ran up to me and nudged me, getting me out of my daze.

"So?" She said, grinning. I blinked, obviously completely clueless at the time. "...So, do you like Zakera?" I blinked and looked at Zakera. I blushed.

"Like what?" I asked. She paused.

"I mean as in like like, you know, love at first sight?" Winona said, being serious. I found it kind of funny.

"I don't believe in that kind of thing... So no, I don't." I lied. Winona shrugged and smirked. Zakera was leaning against the wall of the dome, staring up at the sky. You could barely see his eyes behind his black curly hair and glasses. I didn't seem to notice I was blushing. Winona grabbed my wrist and started to drag me over to him. "Wha- what are you doing? Winona! Hey!" I yelled, Winona keeping a firm grip on my arm. We got to him and Winona almost threw me into him. My lips touched his neck and I quickly put my hand up, it's a reflex, but it went against his chest and he put a hand on my elbow. I dropped Nodachi while falling into him. I blushed, hard, and I could tell Zakera was too. He almost freaked out, but he kept his cool and backed away. I turned around and picked up Nodachi. "Winona!" I yelled.

"Got to go now!" She smiled, then turned and ran a few steps, and you could barely see her through the wind. I glared at where she had left.

"She better be good at running..." I mumbled. Zakera rubbed his arm and laughed nervously.

"Well... that's Winona for you..." He said, keeping his tomato red face. I turned around to face Zakera and sighed. He had his sword case on his back like mine. I put mine away, and they looked alike.

"Sorry about that..." I said. Zakera avoided eye contact as much as possible, only slightly glancing up at me. I was looking strait at his eyes, they were brown and deep, and he kind of looked cute, I'll admit. He seemed so dark to have lived in the Light Country before. I leaned against the dome beside him and sighed. "...So how long have you been here for?" I asked.

"An hour at least..." Zakera hung his head down. Winona, Kimiko, Eva, and Naichi were looking and them and pointing and giggling. I had an urge to spar with him, it was so tempting but I didn't want to. I should- He cut off my thoughts. "Want to spar?" I was surprised he asked. Kaida apparently had a keen ear, and all the other high school students came in for recess. Kaida walked over to us.

"So... you guys fancy a spar? We'll be having spars after recess, and I see we've got our first opponents. Sign up over there." She pointed at a paper on the wall, and no one had signed up yet. Kaida went over to the stage and picked up the mic. Zakera and I walked to the paper on the wall and I grabbed the pen to write it down. "Everyone for sparing may sign up. The paper is where you usually find it, so you're on your own." Eva and the others ran over to Zakera and I, as I signed us up. When I finished, I moved aside and the others attacked the pen. Zakera and I moved away from the crowd and I looked at him and smiled.

"I can't wait. To spar with you." I held out my hand.

"Don't hold back." Zakera shook my hand and smirked. We watched the others sign up. Naichi vs. Kimiko, Eva vs. Winona, and a couple of other people that I don't know had signed up too. Others were to late, and the page was finally filled. Finally, some excitement. At my old school in the Dark Country, we never spared. It was going to be fun, and Zakera seemed to have some potential, I'll admit. After an hour, the bell finally rang and we followed everyone to the next room. It was a bit dark and depressing, but I loved it. There were a few broken lights here and there, and a large area where the audience is protected. Everyone went in, and the competitors sat in the front seats. Kaida took us to the middle of the room.

"All right, the battle begins when I give the signal. Be clean and I'll break in once there is an obvious winner, or else who pins down who first." Kaida said. Zakera and I were smirking at each other, our eyes connected. Kaida smiled and suddenly, wings burst out of her back, then a tail, and she became a Red Dragon. "Go!" She yelled, and with a beat of her wings, she was off to the top of the small room where the audience is watching and cheering. I mostly hearing "go Zakera!" from the crowd, and only a few cheering for me. I took out Nodachi.

"Okay Nodachi, let's roll." I smiled and grabbed the tsuka of my sword. Zakera took out his sword and held it right up to the tsuba.

"Meria Kissaki versus Zakera Zero! I'll be naming off the attacks and such, now begin the first match of the year!" Kaida announced. Zakera made the first move. He circled around me, clutching Nodachi. I stood there, then closed my eyes and jumped. I grabbed ten kunai knives from my pocket and twisted around, throwing them in a circle, chasing Zakera with knives. One hit his arm and he quickly took it out and used a water spell on it, and it came back harder and faster. I flew backwards in the air, dodging the kunai, but it slit my cheek. I landed and blood dripped off my face. I took flash steps toward him, it was almost impossible to see us both, we were going so fast. I heard the crowd cheer, and then our swords clashed.

She was good- she was able to push me back. I didn't want to fight a girl, and this one seemed nice, but maybe we could still be friends after this. She was from the Dark Country, I know, and it was everything I go against. Meria sent me flying back, but I landed on my feet. This was going to be rough, so I'll give it my all. Blood dripped off of both of us, and my arm was stinging. It was easy to ignore anyway. My Nodachi glowed blue, and hers had began to glow red. Her sword was one of the most amazing of it's type! Mine was slender and looked new, with blue blood tiger stripes. I placed my thumb on the edge of the line that went down the sword, and cut my thumb. Blood quickly went down the blade, and I could tell Meria did the same. "All right Meria, don't hold back!" I yelled. Meria smirked and came at me, I dodged her and hit her in the back with the kashira part of my sword, which was sharp so it pierced her skin, in the middle of the shoulder blades. She screamed- well, if you call a loud scree a scream. That was probably her weakness, I figured. That was my weakness. She turned around and cut my arm with her sword, and very deeply at that.

"All right, time to turn it up!" She yelled. Our blood mixed in her sword. I needed to get back at her. I tripped her as she ran past me, but she did a flip and landed on one of her hands, her Nodachi in the other. She looked back at me with a smirk. I smirked back and we both put our Nodachi away. The crowd cheered.

"DRAGONS! DRAGONS!"

I grew out my wings and tail. Meria had feathers traveling down her arms, her tail was long and had long feathers. The crowd got louder. Scales traveled across our bodies, her scales were black and glistened red. We turned into our full forms and suddenly,the crowd was quiet. She flipped back around and we stared at each other in shock. I expected a dragon.

--
I expected a dragon. His eyes were black and blue, and a slit ran through it. My eyes were black and red, and had a black slit. Our tails were long and scaly, with long feathers at the end. Not much was different between us- just color and gender. Kaida sat there on the room, looking down at us. It seems as if she had expected this, predicted this would happen. The crowd's eyes were wide, all of them gawking. You might be getting annoyed, wanting to find out what we are. Well, tell me if a half human and half bird creature sounds familiar. Regular legs, only scales down them and our feet with huge silver talons, our hair messy, fangs hanging out, and large wings on our arms. Yes, harpy. If you guessed right, you know your creatures. We gawked at each other for a while. Kaida had finally snapped us out of it. "Carry on." She had said in a calm voice. Another harpy of my type. It amazes me. Is he actually standing in front of me? Is this for real, or not? So many questions ran through my head. The timer above was running thin on time. I shook my head, and snapped out of it.

"All right, let's finish this." I smirked, and he closed his eyes and nodded.

"Right." Zakera opened his eyes with the urge to fight. The crowd cheered again, louder and even more eager to watch the fight. I ran towards him and flew up, he did the same and grabbed my shoulders with his talons. I was in trouble. He tightened his grip and constricted me with his tail, then threw me down. Out of the dust, I came back up and we met eyes, both glaring, and it felt like slow motion when I met his. I soared above him and hit him with my tail, it probably had no effect, but it was worth a try. I sliced through his shoulder with my claw, then he grabbed my ankle and swung me around, then back down at the ground. The force wasn't enough and I managed to regain balance. He was easy. I came in front of him, and almost hit him with my 'fist' I guess you could say, but he blocked each hit with his arms. I spun around him and bit his neck, my fangs seeping deep into his scales. I'm thinking that I can win. He let's out a loud scree, and whips me off with his tail. I fly into the wall, and stick to the hole I made while crashing into it. Zakera pinned me against it and ringed my neck, our faces were close and he remained to have a glare. As did I, but I knew I was losing at this time. It went back and forth- me losing, then him. The battle lasted until the timer went off, and Kaida broke us apart. Now I felt so weak, I could barely stand. Kaida set us down and waited for one of us to fall. Zakera and I stared at each other for a while, it was fun fighting him. The crowd was silent. My legs felt weak. I couldn't flap my wings. We both kept our form and continued to keep balance, but then finally. He fell backwards, and me? I fell on top of him.

"A tie!" Kaida announced. That was it. All I can remember is that my head was on his chest, and our hands connected. I couldn't move a muscle, and neither could he.
--

The last thing I remember was she was on top of me, her head against my chest and our hands connected. I wanted to move, but I couldn't. I was to stupid at the time to realize that I was blushing. Her body was warm, strange for a harpy. But Kaida was near, and her heat was immense. Soon, everything was black, and then I found myself and Meria in the nurses room. I looked over, and she was on the bed beside me. We were both still in our harpy forms. She stared at the ceiling, aware that I was staring at her, but she kept her gaze to the ceiling. I saw her lips move to talk. "So..." Her fangs shown, they were long and covered with dry blood. She had bandages over her chest, arms, and ankles. I only had a few on. She smiled. "...So how about that battle?"

"It was fun... didn't get to see the others though." I switched my gaze to the ceiling. She sat up and turned human. I decided to turn human, but still lay there in bed.

"So you're a harpy, hm?" She looked at me. I nodded and stood up.

"Thought I was the last one." I could move perfectly again, it was like the nurses here were miracle workers. I could tell she wasn't to well. She nodded and struggled to stand. I saw her knee give out and step forward just in case she fell. "Maybe you should stay in here for a while, Meria." I used her first name, even though we weren't that close yet, I did anyway. She took notice to that and smiled a little.

"I need to get back to my dorm, Zero." I could take a hint. She started to walk weakly and slowly. She couldn't get back there by herself, so I took pity on her. I grabbed her arm and held her firmly.

"Well if you're going to be stubborn, at least let me help you." I smiled a little and she sighed.

"Okay, fine." She put her other hand on my arm. "Room 13." I nodded and we checked out, then I took her to her room. It was quiet as we walked down through the halls. We arrived at her room and I opened the door for her. Her room was lit by only a few candles, expected from someone from the Dark Country. I took her in and looked around. She didn't have a roommate. Earlier when I came, hey were talking about putting me in a room with a girl, so she might have been it. I sighed a little and set her down on her bed.

"There you go, Ms. Kissaki." I said as she let go of my arm. I smiled kindly.

"Meria." She said. "You can call me Meria." That was a quick change in trust. I didn't mind it still. "Thank you, Zakera." We met eyes, and our faces were close. I noticed this and then stood up strait.

"Okay, well, I better get going. Get some sleep, okay?" Meria nodded and lay down and under the covers. I closed the door and then walked to my room. Room 3, I remembered. I opened the door and turned the lights on. My dragon companion, Akira, was sitting on the bed. He is a small dragon, he only hatched a year ago. He was disciplined and tamed, and he is a great companion to have around. His scales were a nice red, usually red on a dragon is kind of weird to me, but Akira made it look nice. Akira put his head up, laying like a modern day house cat would. "Hey Akira... did you see the spar?" I asked him. Akira shook his head. I sat down on the bed beside him and smoothed my hand across his scales. "Well... there is another harpy I met here. Her name is Meria Kissaki, and she's from the dark realm. We're a lot alike... and the spar ended with a tie." I explained. Akira couldn't talk yet, so all he could do was listen. I lay down on my bed and put my hands behind my head. Meria was on my mind most of the time. Soon I got under the covers and fell asleep after feeding Akira, and the next morning our breakfast came in.
--

In the morning, I was awakened by my dragon companion, Kiandra. She nuzzled my neck, and I noticed someone knocking at the door. I got out of bed and opened it, Kiandra on my shoulder. It was Zakera, and his companion. Kiandra and Zakera's dragon squawked at each other in surprise. "Oh, hey Zakera! Good morning!" I smiled. Zakera smiled.

"Morning! So how are you doing?" Zakera asked. I stepped aside to let him in.

"I'm good, so what are you doing here?" I asked. I decided to get ready, and Kiandra jumped off my shoulder to greet Zakera's dragon. I put my shoes on and threw Kiandra a fish, she caught it and swallowed it whole.

"I decided to check on how you were doing, and your room is on the way to class, so I just figured I'd check on you." Zakera leaned against the wall. I picked up Nodachi and put the strap over my head.

"That's nice of you." I walked to the door and Kiandra climbed back on my shoulder and Zakera's dragon got back on his shoulder. "So what's his name?" I asked. I walked out the door and Zakera walked out behind me, closing it.

"Who? This guy?" Zakera pointed at his dragon and I nodded. "Akira. He's my companion."

"He's very handsome!" Akira smiled and squawked. Kiandra sat on my head. "This is Kiandra, she's my companion." Kiandra greeted Zakera and we were close enough for Kiandra to reach out and bap his hair out of his face. We laughed and Kiandra and Akira flew off our shoulders and played in the air. We talked a little on the way to class, and when we got there, everyone was just taking their seats. Everyone had their companions. Zakera and I took our seats. Kaida hadn't came in yet, but it was about time to. Kimiko had an eagle sized phoenix, it was a beautiful shade of red. Naichi had a large lizard, about the size of a crocodile around her desk. Eva had a long slender emerald green snake wrapped around her javelin, and Winona had a wolf pup at her feet. Kaida came in and smiled.

"I see everyone has their companions." She said as she stood at her desk. She looked at Zakera and I. "Very interesting spar yesterday, you two." Zakera and I grinned and blushed. Kaida walked to the left of the room. "Okay everyone, introduce your pets! Same order we did yesterday, and we'll have a little chat later." First Kimiko stood up with her phoenix on her arm.

"This is Halcyona, my fire phoenix. She loves playing and I am trying to teach her how to dive now. She is five years old." Kimiko explained. She sat down and Naichi stood up. The lizard stood up and balanced himself on her desk, flicking his long tongue.

"This is Silva, my serphant. He is calm and docile, and right now I am trying to teach him how to shock things with his tail. He's fifty one years old and he's been in the family for a long time." She explained. Silva snapped. Eva stood up next, and Winona was getting impatient.

"This is Orochi, my snake, and he hasn't fully grown obviously, but right now we're teaching him how to put venom in his prey. He's five years old and he likes hanging out on my javelin." I was getting frigidity. Kiandra was the youngest, but I'd have to wait for Winona and Zakera to say their pet's age. Winona jumped up with the wolf pup in her arms.

"This is Shadow, he's supposed to have a human form when he gets older, and right now he is two years old. We're teaching him to hunt, and we are assuming that he's going to be one of the greatest wolves in our pack, and he loves playing with friends." She explained, and Shadow was watching us all, then barked. I was beside Zakera, so I'd be last. I wondered how old Akira was, since Kiandra was still the youngest. Zakera stood up with Akira playing with his hair, and he grabbed him and craddled Akira in his arms. I have to say, Akira was so adorable!

"This is Akira," Zakera began, "he's my dragon companion and he only hatched a year ago in the Light Country. I found his egg when a certain special dragon was killed, so I was chosen to take care of Akira. He'll later learn to talk in Draconic or regular English, and we're teaching him how to write in Rune. He's an ice and water type like me and he'll hopefully grow bigger and stronger." I found it interesting, how he talked about Akira. He was the same age as Kiandra. "He was born July 15th." Zakera finished. He sat down and they looked at me and Kiandra. I was air headed at the moment and forgot, then I realized it and stood up.

"This is Kiandra, my dragon companion, and he had hatched a year ago." I said, then looked at Zakera. "Like Akira. I found her when a certain dark dragon mother was killed and I was chosen to take care of Kiandra. She'll learn to talk soon, but we know that they can only talk in mind, and right now Kiandra is to young to talk yet. She is learning Rune and Draconic, and we hope to get her properly educated. She is an ice and water type like me, and she'll be old enough to fight and ride at around twelve years old. She was born on September 15th." I finished and sat down. Kaida looked at the time and frowned.

"We've spent a lot of time on this, there are only five minutes to lunch... well, lunch helpers may go down, and the rest of you, I'll pass out an assignment." Kaida said. She stood up and passed out a paper to everyone, and Eva and Kimiko went down to help with lunch. I looked at the paper.

"Students,

For todays assignment, you will do a research paper on Earth history and Karasi history. This project is due Monday, two weeks from now and I expect it two pages or more and neatly written. You may work together with a friend, and I will not split the grade since it is the beginning of the year.

Kaida Sensei."

Zakera and I looked at each other and smiled. We all got up and ready for lunch, and Zakera and I were hanging out most of the time. It was fun, and I actually made a friend from the Light Country which is almost impossible for us, since those Countries are rivaled. In the middle of lunch, four people sat beside Zakera and I.

"Hey new kids, you guys from the Light and Dark Country right?" The oldest girl said. The boy was looking at me with that gleam in his eye that makes it obvious that he likes you. Sick. Zakera kept eating but I said something.

"Yeah? What's your point?" I retorted. The girl grinned.

"Aren't you two big rivals? I mean, come on, you two are from opposite countries." She put her hands on the table. From her attitude, she was most likely a Dark, but acting like this towards me, she was probably a Light. It's like the deal between the colors of our skin. I shook my head.

"We fought, we're equal in power, and both the same species." I should have thought before saying that.

"Ooooh, we got two love birds then? Now that's almost illegal!" She cooed. Zakera closed his eyes and sighed. My eyes flickered into harpy, then back.

"I suppose you're just begging for a spar, aren't you?" I glared at her and waited for an answer. Zakera glanced at us.

"Yeah. Four against two sound good?" She smirked. I smirked back and was very into this school right now.

"I like those odds. Hey Zak, you up for it?" I asked, looking at Zakera with the biggest grin on my face. Zakera sighed and finished his lunch.

"Sure." He said. "Not like I have a choice... you'd force me to anyway..." I laughed a little.

"You already know me to well!" My grin disappeared as the bell rang. I finished only half of my lunch, but that's okay.

We ran to the dome and everyone signed up for sparing, and we all got there first as usual. We all ran into the sparing room and Kaida looked happy. Slowly, Zakera and I got ready. "Are you sure about this...?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Nope! But it sure will be fun!" I grinned. Zakera sighed and we waited for the others to get on the court. The crowd was cheering, and some jeering, continuously, even though we were just standing there. I never quite get these kind of things. Soon our four opponents came out and they all had their weapons. Kaida jumped onto the roof of the audience room and got the mic.

"Today we have Maria, Liam, Shyamal, and Lexine versus Zakera Zero and Meria Kissaki! Our first four on two spar! Yesterday, Kissaki and Zero had sparred and both ended in a tie, has their power replenished? Let's find out! And also, it looks like we have their companions in today!" Kaida announced. Kiandra and Akira came to us and readied themselves.

"Kiandra, get out of here!" I yelled.

"Akira, what are you doing?!" Zakera said. Kiandra and Akira gave both of us a hard look. Maria, Shyamal, Liam, and Lexine all had their companions. We sighed.

"Fine." I said. Kiandra and Akira stuck out their scales. Frost risen from Kiandra's nostrils. Had she been training before the spar? Kaida was announcing more about us and our companions, and our four opponents were chatting. I turned to Zakera. "Zakera, what's our strategy?"

"I don't know! You decide!" Zakera snapped. I smirked.

"If I'm in charge, then I say..." I paused. "...Then I say, let's go wild!"

Zakera blinked and dropped his head. I turned into a harpy, and when he saw that, he picked his head back up and turned into a harpy. No way we were going to lose! But something strange filled the air. I sensed... an evil presence, but what could it be? This would be on my mind probably the entire time, so I ignored it.

"...Now, let the spar begin!" Kaida yelled, and that was our cue. Zakera and I looked at each other, then rushed off in opposite directions. "Zero and Kissaki start off in their harpy forms, disappearing as soon as I said begin..." A smirked crawled across Maria's face. Her eyes watched me as I ran, so quickly too! Lexine readied herself. She was one of the biggest girls I've ever seen! Shyamal started throwing fireballs in random directions, one hitting Kaida. Kaida coughed and turned into a dragon. "And next time, I'm staying as a dragon." She mumbled. Liam started up a storm. He closed his eyes and directed his attack to Zakera, and sent a wind towards him. I dashed over and sent the wave right back at him, and as I flapped my wings, the wind pushed me back into Zakera. I quickly, a little to quickly, got off of him and we dashed off into opposite directions again. Their companions surrounded Kiandra and Akira. A hawk, tiger cub, snake, and some sort of dog were all around them. Kiandra made the first move and struck the hawk. Maria threw a kunai knife at me and charged towards me. I broke the kunai and as she went to kick me, I blocked her foot. Next she threw a punch, and I caught that, next was her other foot, but before she could even lift it, my tail wrapped around it and I threw her to the side and sliced her neck. "And it looks like Meria, from the Dark Country, could care less for her opponents!" Kaida yelled. The crowd was cheering and jeering, but I hadn't noticed it. I didn't even notice that Maria's name was almost the same as mine. I just fight. Zakera threw a hit at Liam. I went to Shyamal and beat my wings. Soon a storm began inside the building and doused Shyamal. She screamed and as a fireball was directed towards me, it slowly turned to steam.
--

I tossed Liam to the side and he was the next out. I see that Meria had already got out Maria. Akira and Kiandra worked together and got all the companions out, then ran back to their owners. Akira flew beside me and bit Lexine. "Okay Akira! That's enough! Get back!" I yelled. Akira looked up at me then obediently got back, before he was punched back. Lexine was the biggest girl I've ever seen! I dodged a punch from her and clawed her from the chin up with talons. She grabbed my ankle with her other hands and pinned me down. She was strong! And heavy! She grabbed my neck and started to strangle me. Meria took notice to this and went from Shyamal to Lexine. Shyamal was wet, so there wasn't much she could do. Meria kicked Lexine off me and bit her shoulder, and kneed her in the stomach with the sharpened bone that stuck out of her knee. Meria jumped off of her and finished off Shyamal by kicking her with her talons. Shyamal screamed and disappeared, probably teleported to the nurses office.

"Looks like this match is in the bag! Zero and Kissaki almost have this finished!" Kaida announced. I had just remembered the crowd cheering, and where we were. But I focused on the match. I started towards Lexine again, Meria quickly coming to my side. I turned to her, and we met eyes for a moment. I quickly looked away and we punched Lexine in the gut at the same time. She fell back and Meria and I jumped back. That was it, that had to be the last blow. As Lexine fell back, she turned into a dragon and twisted around, landing on her feet. She was a huge White Dragon with the most longest and toughest scales I've ever seen! She looked down at us. The crowd gawked at us. Meria and I landed and we looked at each other.

"Harpy can't take care of this. Is your Nodachi ready?" Meria asked. I nodded and we took out our Nodachi, still in harpy form. Meria was the first to jump and Lexine raised her claws. I took notice to this.

"Meria! Watch it!" I yelled, then jumped up and pushed Meria out of the way. I was hit. Meria looked back at me.

"Zakera! You idiot!" She yelled and flew down towards me. My eyes were closed now, I couldn't see much, but I felt arms wrap around me from behind. We landed to a screeching halt, it was Meria who had caught me obviously, and her talons dug into the ground. She had dropped Nodachi, I opened my eyes and saw it half in the ground in front of me. When I could regain balance, Meria went back to Lexine and grabbed her sword, then clashed with her. I felt pretty pathetic, sitting there watching. Meria broke through Lexine's claw and pierced through Lexine's scales with her talons. Lexine roared at the top of her lungs, then was teleported. Meria put her sword away, turned human, in mid air might I add, then landed perfectly on her feet. I turned human and put away my sword. So, the spar was won, and I had just noticed that Kaida was still talking, saying things like the match has been won or whatever. I didn't pay much attention to her, I stared at Meria most of the time. Meria still had her hand on the tsuka of her sword and dust cleared around her. The crowd was screaming at the top of their lungs. Meria walked over to me and smiled. Kaida flew down beside us, and Akira and Kiandra came to our shoulders.

"Good fight! Zero and Kissaki have won!" Kaida yelled, and the crowd cheered more. After getting out of there, and being congratulated by everyone, Meria and I went outside. It was actually a sunny day out, and people were everywhere. It was a nice village, and so peaceful. "Zakera, Meria." Someone said. We turned around to face a strict looking Kaida.

"Yes Kaida Sensei?" Meria muttered. Kaida straitened her glasses.

"About... a year ago, Zakera, do you recall an incident in your school where a red dragon attacked it and threatened your country?" She said. I nodded. "That dragon... her name is Julia. We're putting this school through... a special training."

"Wait, wait, why are you telling us all this?" Meria cut Kaida off.

"Because right now, you two seem to be the strongest in the school. Our class is. Julia has been threatening two of the villages, from your country, Meria Kissaki." Meria frowned. I put my hand up.

"But what could we possibly do? With a dragon as huge as Julia, we couldn't possibly--"

"Zakera, did you see how Meria broke through Lexine's claw? And do you recall when you threw back a water kunai? You two are water types." Kaida cut me off. I let out my breath and Meria looked at the ground.

"Right... thunder over water, earth over thunder, fire over earth, and water over fire..." Meria said, "So you really think elements have to do with this? Strength and level defeats that purpose."

"You beat an earth type today, Meria. You're high in level, as is Zakera." Kaida at least convinced me to try. Meria was stubborn about this, it seemed like she didn't want to do it. Meria sighed.

"So we're going to have an army of young students at our school, plus the teachers again my countries' forces... And I guess I've been chosen as one of them because I happen to come from the Dark Country..." She said. Kaida nodded.

"Are you up for it?" She asked. Meria looked at me and smiled a little.

"Only if Zak is." Hey, she called me by my nickname. I thought. I nodded and smiled back.

"Then it's settled. We'll begin training the other students, but you two need to figure out a plan with me. The attack is coming from Mt. Kaena." Kaida said, then Meria's head shot up and her eyes widened.

"Mt. Kaena! That isn't just Julia! That's Ahrishivyssakaena, Modiaunakaena and all the other Underlords!" Meria yelled. I recognized those names, those were the ultimate dragons of the dark part of Karasi. I laughed nervously. Kaida nodded and sighed.

"I will go against both Modi and Ahri." She said. Meria slowly nodded. I felt a little ignored. "Well, the battle is coming up, so best be off. I leave Meria in charge." I didn't argue with that, in fact, I had to agree. She would be our loop hole through this, besides, Mt. Kaena was basically her home. We walked into the school and to the top room, where the principle office was. Kaida opened a hidden door and let us in, it was dark, and a circular room, with scrolls everywhere. Kaida put down a packet with a list of every different creature in the school. I sat down beside Meria and looked at it by her shoulder. There were so many, and mostly dragons. There was a number of how many there were in the school of each creature. Three thousand forty eight dragons, three hundred twenty eight wolves, twenty four golem, and... two harpy. Those are the ones that had caught my eye at first. Meria skimmed through it, and I could actually keep up with her. "I want you to read most of everything in this room, about every clan, creature, and believe me, it'll help." Kaida said. The ENTIRE room of scrolls! Are you kidding me! I thought. But Meria seemed to be skimming right through it all. I kept up the best I could.
--

After a few hours, Zakera and I had finally finished the entire room of scrolls, books, I mean really, by now I could name everyone in the school! Zakera was almost asleep, his eyes getting heavier and heavier. Kaida came in and looked around. The scrolls and books had been put neatly back up. "You finished?" She asked. I nodded and Zakera had his head down, his hair in front of his face and his glasses falling off. Kiandra and Akira came running in, their little talons scratching against the floor. Akira jumped gently on his master's lap and peered under his hair. Zakera rubbed Akira's long scaly neck and eventually rested his hand on Akira's body as Akira curled up on his lap. Kiandra wrapped herself around my shoulders and looked almost like a scaly scarf. Kaida looked up at the window on the ceiling. You could see the moons easily, and the stars surrounding them. There are only two moons, one was Neptune's Triton and the other is one that used to be Earth's. I looked up at it too. "You two can sleep here for the night, since it seems Zakera is already good and out." Kaida said. I nodded and Kaida left. Kiandra seemed a little uncomfortable, and climbed down beside me. I got closer to Zakera and rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. This was along day. I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't wake up the next morning.
But I did. But I wasn't in the same position as last night. I opened my eyes and I was lying down. I looked up and Zakera's kind eyes greeted me. Akira was cuddled tightly on my shoulder and Kiandra was on my chest. "Morning." Zakera said. I smiled and my eyes wondered for a moment. My head was apparently his lap, I must have fell over. I blushed a little and Kiandra stood up and stretched, digging her claws into my stomach. I gave a little groan and got up, Akira yanking on a bit of my hair. Kiandra jumped off of me and hopped on the table, and Akira did the same. I turned around and rubbed my head. The sun shined through the top window, blinding me.

"Morning, Zakera..." I yawned, "I'm going to go feed the little monster dragon, care to come?"

"I've also got to feed Akira, so sure." Zakera said. We stood up and walked out of the room, and quickly outside. We left Akira and Kiandra to go hunting in a pond for fish and we quickly went back to class. Kaida was already in and everyone was settled so it was awkward as we walked in and took our seats.

"Now that everyone has been introduced and all that, we might as well start getting to work. First off, to see what you know about your history." Kaida said. She stood up with papers in hand and passed them out to all the students. I read it through;

1. Who is Sus Akai?

2. What year did the Apocalypse of the planet Earth happen?

It was all so easy! I skimmed through it, but was stumped at the last question;

16. Who were the main heroes of the Chiyo Light Village?

One, what the heck was a Chiyo Light Village? Two, I wasn't taught much on our enemy Country, but enough to understand most of it. I didn't have a clue who the hero was. The heroes of my village were my parents, the slayers of the dragon that threatened our village, the Dark Village. But thinking back on all this I remember that secret room no one ever let me in. It had something written in Japanese on the front, it was a seal of some sort. I tried going in one day, but I couldn't. Then I started to learn Japanese after my parents death, and was finally able to read it. Kaena Seal. What was that supposed to mean? But anyway, I didn't have a clue what the Chiyo Light Village was, but Zakera and the others, except Eva and I, turned in their work. Zakera was quiet and seemed a little down. I stared at him for quite a few minutes, but he didn't seem to notice. He looked familiar, now that I think about it. I raised my hand, "Kaida Sensei, I need to go see something. To finish the test." I said. Kaida straitened her glasses and glanced at me from her book.

"Alright, but bring your test back finished tomorrow." She said. She looked at the clock and stood up. "And now is time for lunch."

Everyone stood up and walked out of the room, and I walked up beside Zakera. "Zak, what was your last question?" I asked him. Zakera looked at me, confused.

"Who were the main heroes of the Chiyo Dark Village, or something like that." He said. I folded my test in my hands and put it in my pocket, then quickly left Zakera and to the school doors. I opened them, the suns almost blinding me, and Kiandra jumped on my shoulder and I picked up Akira for Zakera. I closed the doors and quickly ran back down the halls, trying to find my dorm, and then I heard Kiandra and Akira squawk, and when I looked up my lips almost met Zakera's. My eyes widened and I yell/squeaked and jumped back, my face was probably beat red, but I couldn't notice even if my life depended on it. I fell on my butt, and Kiandra and Akira fled to Zakera's side. Zakera made a small yell, and when I looked up he took a hand out of his pocket and held it out to me. I could see behind his black curly hair, his face was red as blood.

"Uh, a-are you okay?" Zakera stuttered. I took his hand and he pulled me up and Kiandra got back on my shoulder and fixed my hair. I never knew why she always liked tending to my hair. After she straitened out my hair, my first thought was, Kiandra should be a hair stylist! Okay, so, stupid thought at the time! I could feel my body heat up and my face turning more red. I avoided any eye contact with him.

"Uh, erm, y-yeah, I think so." I laughed nervously. "I got Akira for you."

"T-thanks." Zakera continued to stutter. This was embarrassing! I let out my breath and walked around him.

"Um, I've uh, got something to do to finish my test really quick." I said, still stuttering
--

She quickly made her way around me and I spun around on my heel and followed. "Mind if I tag along? And by the way, I was going to ask you what your last question on the test was, but you rushed out of the door so fast I couldn't catch you!" I said. Meria laughed nervously and walked faster. Akira was holding on for dear life to my leg. The red tint to my face disappears, but my body continues to heat up.

"Oh, sorry. I was uhh, busy...?" She said. "But yes, you can uh, 'tag along.'"

She ran into her dorm, I was behind her and closed the door, and she jumped on her bed and looked under the bed. She dug through numerous things, then finally pulled out a large iron chest and set it on her bed. She pulled out Nodachi and stuck it in, and there was just one more slot. "Put in your Nodachi." She said. I pulled out my blue Nodachi. I put it in the slot next to her Nodachi and the chest flew open. "Finally!" She squealed and dug through it, and the first the she found was a small orb shaped locket that was as big as my fist. It was a glowing blue and it had a black dot above the lock and the lock was gold. She opened it and a hologram of a past picture appeared, and the top of the half orb was labeled;

Maria Kissaki and Otouto Kissaki holding baby AquaMeria Kissaki and Zakera Zero and Chan Zero with young Zakera Zero The Third and Samantha Zero. 3996

It was an old camera. The picture was of a three year old boy and my parents holding my hand. This is the first picture I've seen of my parents! And next to mine, was Meria's parents, and they held her in a blue blanket. My dad looked a lot like me, and he had a large scar on his face. My mother had long brown curly hair and she had glasses, like my dad, and she held my hand and smiled kindly. Meria put a hand over her mouth.

"This... our parents were friends. Kaida set us up!" Meria yelled. Tons of things made sense now. Why we had so much in common. And four large dragon were behind our parents, the mothers holding eggs. One couple of dragons, on my mother and father's side, held a red shining egg. On Meria's parent's side was another pair of dragons with a beautiful blue shining egg. They looked like brand new eggs, the way the shined so beautifully. We stared at the picture for so long, then eventually we looked back down at the chest there was a red orb there too, maybe another camera. Meria closed the blue one and looked at the bottom of it. Kissaki was in gold print on the bottom, and Meria took out the red orb, and on the bottom it said Zero. "This is your's." Meria handed me the orb and I opened it. She paged through her own, and I opened mine. The same picture popped up. I went to the next picture, pressing the button at the side. There was a picture of my mother, she was so pretty! She had her dragon beside her. I didn't bother to read what it was labeled. Next image was of me pulling on some little girl's hair. She had glasses and brown hair, and looked a little like me. I read the label; Zak and Samantha. Samantha? Who was that? "Zakera, let's see what else we have in here." Meria said, cutting off my thoughts. I closed the orb and we began digging through the chest, mostly finding old photo albums and spell books. We found a pair of spell books and took one for our own, and found a note at the bottom;

"December 1st, 2997
To the remaining Kissaki girl, if you ever find the second Nodachi owner, it should be Zakera. We are sorry that we had to leave this world so early, but now something threatens our countries. You must take charge of our school, Akai High School with Master Kaida, our old teacher. Julia, Kaida's sister, has joined forces with Mt. Kaena. Please find the remaining Zero as soon as possible, and find this message. Kaida has probably set you up, knowing her, but we thank her. To our little Meria Kissaki, this is your father writing, if you ever find this, you have probably found Zakera. Be careful. Kimi o ai shiteiru, my little girl."

Meria looked stunned. I was still wondering what "kimi o ai shiteiru" meant. "Kimi o ai shiteiru, father..." Meria muttered. I grabbed the handle of Nodachi and pulled it out, then it came out as a red pendant. Everything of mine seemed to be blood red. A note slipped out and Meria took out her own, and it came out a beautiful sea blue. I have to say, I'm a little jealous she has all blue things.
--

I quickly read the Lambert Script note and wrapped the pendant around my neck, trying to click it together. Zakera did it for me, grabbing my hands and clicking the back of the necklace together. I turned around and helped him with his and took out the small spell book. "Zak, if you look in here, it should have a lot about different scripts and things. I just read another note, and I already know Lambert Script. If you were wondering, "kimi o ai shiteiru" means "I love you" in Japanese. But anyway, we have to keep these as secret as possible. The last page is where we can write back and forth to each other, the ink disappears. When we write to each other with this pen," I indicated the small dangling pen at the side, "it'll alert us in our own minds. Okay?
Zakera nodded and he paged through his own. I was happy, I got all the blue stuff. The bell had rang outside, and Kaida kicked the door open and scared the living day lights out of us.

"You two missed class!!" She yelled. Class... class... I forgot all about class!! I panicked and Zakera was laughing nervously. Kiandra and Akira were attached to the ceiling.

"K-Kaida! We're really sorry, we were going to come back but then we found out so much and-" I cut myself off and thought, "You set us up!" Kaida smirked and walked in the room, closing the door.

"Yes, but at least you know what's coming at you now. I knew your parents, indeed. I was their Sensei when they only started at four years old."

"FOUR?!" Zakera and I shouted. Four. Are you kidding? How old was Kaida anyway? She looked so young! And our parents- weren't they still dumb as a doorknob at four?? Kaida nodded and started out the door.

"You'll both adjust, and that letter from your father, Ms. Kissaki," She looked at me with calm eyes and smiled, "it was written a long time ago, and you have a year to prepare." She left and I closed the chess and put it back under my bed and looked at Zakera.

"These pendants are so we don't have as much weight on us as harpy. There harpy armor with Kaida, so we'll be prepared by next year." I said.

"Wait, I can't do this." Zakera said. I blinked.

"Why?"

"Because I... I'm to weak, you and I couldn't possibly take Mt. Kaena on." I sighed.

"It'll be all right, Zak. Just trust me." I tried to encourage him. I took his hand and smiled. "By a year, Kiandra and Akira will at least be close to being a full sized wyrm. We'd be able to ride them by then. Plus, we're the offspring of the heroes of our villages. We'll make it through with Nodachi."

"Not just Nodachi."

"Huh?" Zakera said. I blinked.

"Did you hear me? Or that?" I said. Kiandra and Akira came down beside us and Kiandra started to bat around the pendant. "Kiandra, stop." I put one of my hands on her paw.

"I heard something say, "Not just Nodachi."" Zakera said. I shook my head.

"Forget it. Anyway, you better get back to your dorm."

"The new student came today and needs my dorm, and I had a roommate, so I have to stay here." Zakera said. So that's what he was doing when I ran out of the class...

"Why didn't you tell me this before??" I yelled. Zakera put a hand behind his head and smiled a little.

"I forgot." He said. I sighed and stood up, then pushed my bed against the wall. The stuff under it was stuffed inside a box connected to the bed, so I didn't have to worry about it all falling out.

"You're going to have to sleep on the floor." I said. Zakera nodded and then the door opened.

"Actually, we have a bunk bed." A extremely large woman came in with a bunk bed in her hands, and she place it on top of my bed. "Kaida informed me and I came right away, sorry for the interruption Ms. Kissaki." I smiled and nodded and the woman went out. I let out my breath.

"Golems are huge." I laughed nervously. Zakera agreed and he stood up. "It's getting late so... goodnight, Zak." Kiandra stretched herself out across my bed and I sat down beside her. Akira took top bunk and Zakera put a hand on the side of it.

"Goodnight, Meria." Zakera smiled sweetly and climbed up into the bed. I got under the blankets with Kiandra nestled against my chest. My eyes were kept open most of the night, and I thought about Zakera and I most of the time. I looked at the desk and where he had put his glasses down and smiled. For once I actually had a friend I got along with. For once I was smiling normally.
In the morning, I couldn't hear Akira's small squawking, but only Kiandra's. I slowly opened my eyes and Kiandra was right there to greet me with her beautiful shining eyes. "Morning, Water Baby..." I mumbled. I got out of bed and slipped my boots on and glanced back at the top bunk. No one was there. I opened my door and light blinded me from the large windows in the hall. Kiandra flew ahead and I went outside. It was very sunny outside today, and the two moons could be spotted from the other side of the planet. I walked out of school grounds and found a path that lead to what sounded like running water. Kiandra loved this place, she had probably already brought Akira. It was the first place I went to when I first came to the Twilight Village, let alone the Country. I walked down the path and soon confronted a large waterfall, with one large rock in the center. This was home from the school to me. Atop the rock, I could see a human figure, gazing at the sky. It's neck snapped down and caught my eyes. Judging from him shy brown eyes and glasses, it had to be Zakera. Akira was playing in the river, and Kiandra went and joined him. I went to the edge of the river and jumped up on the rock and climbed up. "Hey..." I said to Zak in a hushed tone. I sat beside him and he smiled.

"How did you know I was here?" He asked.

"I called this place home when I first got here. This is the first place I had been to when I came to the Twilight Country." I could feel the spray of the water as it crashed down. It seemed so peaceful.

"Same here, actually..." Zakera said, breaking through my thoughts. It was quiet for a moment.

"It's quite the romantic place, don't you think?" I accidentally blurted out. I couldn't resist saying that, now I just hope he won't take it the wrong way. I glanced at him for a moment and I saw that his face was a little red.

"...Yeah..." Zakera finally said. I smiled a little and looked down at the water, trying to spot Kiandra. She was almost invisible in the water, but Akira was easy to spot, his red scales glistening as the water touched them. I stood up and sighed.

"We're going to be late." I said, then jumping off the rock. Kiandra poked her head up out of the water then ran to shore and shook herself off. She perched herself on my arm and Zakera and Akira soon followed. As we walked out of the path, I had my head down, thinking about how the day will go. I watched my steps and then ran into something. I looked up, and there was Maria. I hadn't noticed how much smaller she seemed to be until now. Zakera stopped and we looked around. Her whole gang was here.

"Hey Kissaki, going on a little date with your new boyfriend?" Maria said. I glared at her and she looked behind me. "I see you don't have your swords, looks like your defenseless." She chuckled. Kiandra and Akira hissed and Zakera stood beside me.

"Look, we don't want any trouble." He said. I smirked.

"Who says?" I said, then pushing myself in front of him. Zakera grabbed my arm.

"I do, we're going to be late for class, Meria. Do you want a detention?!" My smirk faded and I sighed.

"Fine." I said, then using him grabbing my arm to my advantage by dragging him past the others. Lexine tried tripping me with those boulders for feet, but I simply stepped on them, and walked back to the school.
--

At class, Meria plopped herself in her seat and Akira and Kiandra found a perch on the board behind Kaida. I sat in my seat beside Meria and Kaida came in, her books in hand. Everyone else was already here, quiet, unusually. Kaida pulled down a map of a mountain, a dark one at that. It all had sections; the ice lands, the fire lands, this had to be Mt. Kaena. Kiandra and Akira were knocked off and so they flew to their master's shoulders, Akira looked more serious than usual as I glanced at him. "Okay, in about year, we all know that this school, and our country, will wage war with Kaena Mountain, of the Dark Country." Kaida explained. She got her wand as her pointer. "Ms. Kissaki and Zero will lead our school, so do you two care to share anything you have planned?" Meria stood up first.

"Yeah, I've got it." She said, coming up to Kaida. "But if we want to plan this, it'll have to be in front of the school." Kaida nodded and went to get the microphone at the desk and she pulled it up to her lips.

"All students to the dome, time to discuss next year." Kaida said. Everyone got up and walked out of the room, I followed behind Kaida and Meria. Tons of the students were in the halls, walking to the dome, both on the ground and in the air. When we reached the dome, Kaida and Meria talked for a little while and Kaida pointed her wand at the side of the dome and the map of Mt. Kaena appeared like a projector. Meria walked over to me and frowned.

"Okay, how about we just divide Mt. Kaena in sections, depending on their elements. We can send the opposite element to each place. And we can attack the main base, at the very bottom, can you handle high water pressure?" She asked me. I nodded and she and I walked to the center of the dome, facing all the students. I blushed, because there were so many of them, and there were only two of us. Lexine, Maria, and their gang glared at us. Meria was obviously glaring right back at them, with those piercing eyes. Kaida handed her the wand that held the projection and Meria went up to the board. "This is Mt. Kaena, my home before I moved here. As you should have heard by now, in about a year, we have to prepare for yet another war. I know this place top to abyss, so please follow along. We will send opposite elements to each section of Mt. Kaena. First we'll start with the weakest, which is the ground type's territory, located near the bottom right." She pointed at the ground's area. "Our ground will attack their's and our miniataur clan will crush the wolves. The ground types will proceed down left and attack the lightning territory, and then go to the right of the mountain towards the dark fire to help the twilight water element. Our moon clan will attack the dark suns, and the twilight sun will attack he dark moons. Proceed downward, and when you all reach the water, twilight lightning will attack the water, and by the time, Zakera, Kaida, and I will be in the Kaena's base. The element leaders will be as listed;" Meria closed her eyes and a list of people to lead each element appeared beside the map of Mt. Kaena. She had everything planned out, but I went along with all of it. I felt a little useless, but I knew that when we reached Mt. Kaena next year, I'd be a huge help. I watched Meria explain everything, listening to my rolls mainly. One thing ran into my mind; I know Mt. Kaena, in the Hell at the very bottom, it was mostly a large hall from what I heard. first when you reach the air pocket in the abyss, there is one huge Cerberus and Fenrirs swarming the place. Smaller Cerberus and tons of fenrir guard the rooms of each Underlord. We'd have to find away to get around the fenrir and Cerberus. I guess Meria will discuss it with us later. I think the ninja clans should take care of the Cerberus and fenrirs though. Hounds guard that Hell. I made my own plans up in my head, later to tell Meria. After the speech was done, everyone got to skip the rest of school, but to only dedicate themselves to hard training. I went and stood by the school doors, waiting for Meria to get out of Kaida's office. As people passed by me, some glared, and other gave me a smile. Maria didn't even seem to notice me. After everyone was gone, except the squads outside training, Meria finally came out and smiled at me, but I could tell she was depressed.

"Anything wrong?" I asked her. She shook her head and sighed.
--

I'll admit, I was a little depressed. Usually people can't see that expression on my face, and don't even think about my eyes. I expect to see someone I know at Mt. Kaena, and I have to kill him, because I know he will stand in our way. I kept this from Zakera and Kaida. He was the opposite of my element, but also the only person who could take care of me. I'll only think about that as the next year comes. Zakera and I went outside and back to the waterfall and the first thing I saw in the river was two stones, one red and one blue. Right about now, I've seen enough of those colors. Kiandra and Akira would make a quick snack out of them, so I waded through the water and sat on one of the rocks they were stuck in between. Kiandra and Akira followed me, and Zakera was resting in a tree. I picked up the stones and gave them to the two dragons, their matching colors. The rocks didn't seem to be peculiar in any way, like it was a trap or anything, so I doubt anyone would set them there as a trap or to kill Akira and Kiandra. Kiandra and Akira climbed up the huge rock in between the waterfall and lay on one part. I glanced up at Zakera, the tree he sat in wasn't that far from the river. "So... what do you think that next year will be like?" I asked. Zakera shook his head.

"I don't know." He glanced down at me and we met eyes for the moment. "What do you think it'll be like?" I frowned a little and thought.

"That'll be my last year on Karasi, I'll tell you that much..." I said eventually. By the end of the day, plans had already been planned, and Master Kaida had Kimiko, Winona, Eva, and the others be the leaders of each of their elements. Eva wasn't that much of a strong leader, so she had to get help from one of her friends. Winona's wolf clan filled the night with piercing howls, and the night phoenix filled the skies still. Walking back to the dorms, Zakera and I looked up through the see through ceiling, at the stars, and the phoenix that flocked the night sky. Their red eyes glowed, and black feathers shined purple in the moonlight. It was an amazing sight, and usually at night I would always let Kiandra out, who would always cause trouble with the night phoenix, but now she was asleep in my arms, and Akira was asleep in Zakera's arms. When we reached my dorm, we went inside, and I lit up the room with the floating candles. I put Kiandra in her little bed, and Zakera set Akira down beside her, and I tended to them. Putting a blanket over them, and running my finger under their chin, then I stood up and took my shoes and socks off, along with everything else, except a shirt and pants and... whatever under. Zakera climbed into the top bunk, his shoes by mine by the door. After saying goodnight to Zakera, I fell dead asleep and dreamed about the next year, the next war at Akai High School.