A Love to Die for...

By: Clear Water

Hello ^_^. Well, I really don't know what people around here like, so I just happened to tend and write Angst stories. I'll try to write a humor one next time, but I really need opinions on this story. ^_^, Please. Anyhow, I know it's probably not that good. Anyways, Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to Konami, and Konami alone! Hehe

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Futch was sitting down on the balcony of the castle with Bright in his hands. It was early morning, and the little baby dragon laid asleep in his hands. A smile crossed Futch's face as he looked at his new dragon. Even though it didn't resemble Black, and it was about the exact opposite, He had chosen to accept this new baby dragon, and he would take great care of it. Even if he did have problems adjusting to it for the first few months, more or less, the dragon saw Futch as a father, and eventually Futch opened up to his new dragon. Suddenly, the dragon's sleep was interrupted by a sudden ruckus.

"There you are, Gadget! Come on, I should start waterproofing you already!" Meg exclaimed as she dragged Gadget to the barracks, who seemed to try and resist. The girl was loud, alright. Even the soldiers on the 3rd floor peeked out the window to see what was going on. Futch patted his dragon on the back, as he tried to prevent it from waking up. The dragon shaked a little, but it only took another few minutes for it to fall back into deep sleep. Futch let out a sight of relief as he held the dragon in his arms. Suddenly, just as Futch stood up and prepared to head back to his room, he heard Meg's voice again.

"Oh! It's so cute! Is this your dragon?" She exclaimed at the sight of the small sleeping dragon. Futch was just about to tell her to be quiet, but Meg quickly took the dragon from Futch's arms and held the baby into her own arms. Suddenly, the dragon's eyes blinked open, as the first thing it saw was Meg's face. Futch was about to take the dragon from Meg's hands, but the dragon started to laugh as Meg tickled it, which forced Futch to stop.

"Uh... Yeah" Futch replied, as he started to blush at the sight of the two playing together. Meg continued to tickle the little dragon, and giggled a little bit herself because she was having fun too.

"Your name's Futch, right? I heard about you. You used to be in the Toran Liberation Army as well, right?" She asked as the dragon sat in her hands, its eyes fixed onto Futch's face. Suddenly, as Futch was about to reply, they were interrupted by another voice.

"Hey Meg! Are you going to the dance tonight? I heard everyone's going, including Sir Flik!" screamed Nina from downstairs.

"What! There's a dance tonight! I'd have to find a date though!" Meg replied, a little bit shocked at the news.

"That's fine! You can find anyone to dance with at the dance!" Nina screamed back at her, and with that, she ran off as soon as she caught sight of Flik in the distance.

"So, are you going?" Meg asked focusing her attention back onto Futch.

"Huh? Uhm... I don't know... I probably won't go because I've got no one to dance with..." Futch responded slowly, his head hanging down a bit.

"Then I'm not going as well..." Meg said, her voice was optimistic as usual with a slight tone of mischief in her voice.

"Eh? Why? A pretty girl like you would get the attraction of everyone..." Futch said, a bit shocked at her statement.

"Thanks for the compliment" She giggled, "But I don't want to dance with anybody else!" Meg exclaimed as she gave a wink at Futch which made his face go red. Futch was at a loss of words... Surely, he wanted to go... but he just got to know this girl. He looked at his dragon which stood up on Meg's hand. The dragon only responded to Futch by nodding at him.

"How about you go and I go?" Meg said smiling at him. Her eyes sparkling as if she was pleading for the answer, "Yes". Futch was left without a choice, and he did kind of like this girl... So without hesitating too much, he nodded at her. Meg's mouth curved into a grin as understood Futch's response.

"Yes! Well, here's your dragon!" She said placing the dragon back carefully into Futch's hand.

"I'll see you tonight then! Bye!" She exclaimed running off excitedly, the look on her face giving away the fact that she is happier than anything else on the world. Futch turned his attention back to Bright who was sitting down in his right arm. Futch broke into a smile as he tickled Bright with his left hand. The dragon laughed playfully as it rolled around in Futch's right hand. Futch only continued to smile at it, before he made his way back to his room which he had shared with Humphrey. Futch quietly stepped into his room, trying not to awaken Humphrey who was sleeping on his bed. Futch quietly tip-toed over to his bed where he placed Bright down onto his bed. Futch then jumped onto the bed himself as he laid there thinking of what he should be doing tonight. He had thought about what to wear, someone like Flik, Camus or Humphrey should be able to help him out... Eventually, after lying down on the bed too long, he fell into a slumber... A few hours later, Bright woke his master up by licking him on the face.

"Mmph... Haha, that's ticklish Bright... Stop it!" Futch laughed as he rolled around in his bed. The dragon continued to lick Futch, but suddenly Futch turned around and grabbed Bright as he tried to scare the dragon. The dragon shivered for a second, but it knew that Futch was only playing around with it. Futch hugged the dragon as he whispered a few words into its ears, and on his face you could see his smile. A smile that no one had seen ever since Black had died... Futch then slowly sat up in his bed as he observed what time it was... Humphrey wasn't in the room and the sky seemed to be about sunset. Understanding that it was about time he had got started, Futch lifted Bright up into his hands as he made his way out of the room. Just as Futch closed the door behind him, his eye caught sight of Camus who was heading back to his room.

"Sir Camus, may I have a word with you?" Futch exclaimed all the way across the room, his voice echoing. Camus turned around to face the boy, as Futch walked over to greet him.

"What is it?" Camus asked, his voice reasonably polite, and the gentle smile always on his face. Futch looked around to make sure no one else Was around listening and then cleared his throat as he prepared to ask a favor of Camus.

"During Tonight's Dance... Could you or probably Sir Miklotov lend me something to wear?" Futch asked, his face turning a bit red because he was a little bit embarrassed by his own request. Camus continued to look at Futch with the same smile he always had and simply nodded at him before saying "Sure. Would you want to come to my room?" Futch didn't know what to say or how to thank Camus, he only nodded Back in agreement as Camus lead the way to his room. Futch followed behind him and quietly made his way to Camus and Miklotov's room. Miklotov lifted his head from the book he was reading and noticed Futch's appearance.

"Futch! What brings you here?" Miklotov exclaimed sounding a bit surprised as he got up from his bed to greet his guest.

"Relax, Miklotov. He's only here to borrow a suit for tonight's dance" said Camus, as he made his way to his own closet. Futch eyes started to shift around as he quietly observed the room. Futch was actually quite amazed at how tidy the room was. Everything in was its rightful place, and seemed so clean... Apart from the role-calls and paperwork that covered Miklotov's table.

"So, Futch... Who's the lucky girl?" Camus said turning away from the closet and grinning at Futch. Futch hesitated for a second before he opened up his mouth to speak.

"Um... Meg" Futch mumbled his voice barely audible. Camus and Miklotov had a surprised look on their face, while Futch's face continued to burn red with embarrassment.

"Well, she's not a bad girl, I guess... Do you feel up to the job of taking care of her though?" Miklotov questioned a serious look on his face which actually made Futch hesitate for a second. Futch didn't respond for a second, he was actually pondering within himself whether he was really up to the job. Futch only nodded back at Miklotov though, his face was still bright red and he didn't seem like talking. The serious look on Miklotov's face wore off as he only smiled at Futch with a proud look on his face.

"Anyways... Here's the suit, Futch. See if it fits, ok?" Camus said walking over towards Futch to hand him the suit in his hand.

"Thanks" Futch whispered upon receiving the suit. Futch, himself, had no idea of why he was so timid and shy at the moment. His face was blushing bright red, and he didn't know the reason nor did anyone else. Camus looked at Futch for a second, as he seemed to notice that the boy's whole face was totally red.

"You should go back to your room to get changed. Come back to tell me if it fits, and I also want to see how you look" Camus said as he patted the boy on the head before heading back over to his bed. Futch only nodded back at him, as he slowly opened the door and walked out silently without even making a noise. Minutes later, someone was knocking on Camus's door.

"Who is it?" Camus yelled from his bed.

"It's me... Futch" Futch said in his timid voice.

"Come on in" yelled Miklotov from his bed, as he got up from his bed.

Slowly, the door creaked open as Futch stepped in. The boy actually looked good in the suit. His hair was normal but he didn't have that circlet around his head anymore. Futch wore black shoes with a grey shirt plus a navy blue tie. His face was still as red as ever though, and he didn't seem like he could say anything apart from stand there and blush until someone screamed at him. Both Camus and Miklotov stood up to analyze the boy, as they walked around a full 360 degrees around the boy, analyzing him from top to bottom.

"It fits perfectly, doesn't it?" Camus asked as he grinned at Futch, his face showing that he was quite proud of Futch. Futch, once again, only nodded back in response, because it seems like had probably lost his voice or his ability to speak due to some unknown reason that probably doesn't even exist. Camus patted Futch on the shoulder as he brushed some dust off the suit.

"This one's old... I think I used it back when I was 17... Gosh, I feel so old now" Camus said, the grin on his face growing even happier and wider. Futch looked at Camus; his sudden shyness disappeared as he smiled back at Camus. Miklotov placed both his hands on Futch's shoulder as he pushed Camus aside.

"Good luck on tonight's dance, Futch. I know you can win her heart!" He said, confidently looking at Futch in the eyes. Futch looked directly into Miklotov's eyes, his face suddenly filled with confidence and determination to not let his friends down. Bright, who was sitting on Futch's hand excitedly jumped towards Miklotov,who caught the dragon in his hand.

"Hey Bright! Doesn't your master look great in this suit?" He said, making the dragon turn around and face Futch. The dragon made a few screams of joy and excitement as it jumped back from Miklotov to Futch, as the baby dragon hugged his master.

"Thanks Bright" Futch said, his smile was happier and wider than ever as he hugged his dragon too. Camus and Miklotov only smiled at the scene of the baby dragon and his master together.

"Anyways, Futch. We'll come by your room later, ok? There are still a few hours left" Camus mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He started to sound a bit drowsy, and that was probably due to the fact that he was up till 3:00AM last night doing paperwork.

"Alright. I'll see you tonight then" Futch chuckled, as Bright continued to hug him tightly. Miklotov and Camus smiled at Futch as they seemed To be proud of him. Futch then made his way out of the room with Bright in his arms still hugging him tightly. It seemed that the baby dragon never wanted to let go of his master.

So the next few hours passed peacefully, the castle were filled with couples who were getting ready for the dance. Some of the couples were more recognizable like "Tengaar & Hix" and "Freed and Yoshino". But there were a lot of couples who weren't that recognizable like, "Millie and Luc" or "Kinnison and Ayda" and even "Sheena and Apple". It was around 7:00PM that Futch heard someone knocking on his door.

"Who is it?" Futch yelled from his bed, turning his attention away from Bright.

"It's me, Camus" replied the voice at the door. Futch jumped off his bed as he stretched his body and yawned.

"Come in" he yawned. The door creaked as Camus opened the door. Standing at the door was Camus and Miklotov were both dressed in their suits and ready for tonight's dance. Camus was wearing a chocolate brown shirt and a scarlet red tie, while Miklotov was wearing a vanilla white shirt with an azure blue tie. Futch was amazed at the sight of both knights. It was no wonder that nearly every girl within the castle had wanted to date with the two knights. They already looked outstanding in their uniforms, and they looked even more outstanding in their suits.

"Hey? You're not changed yet. Quick. We only got half an hour left!" Camus exclaimed as he looked at Futch who was in his usual Dragon Knight uniform. Camus and Miklotov closed the door as Futch got changed into his suit. After a few minutes after Futch got changed, Futch opened the door as Camus and Miklotov stood outside waiting patiently.

"You can come in now" He said with a kind smile on his face. Camus and Miklotov made their way into Futch's room as they quickly scanned and observed the area. Bright was sitting on Futch's bed as it jumped in excitement at the sight of the two knights?

"Hey Bright. How are you?" Camus said as he walked towards Bright, who squealed excitedly as Camus approached him. Camus chuckled a bit with a cheerful expression on his face as he patted Bright on the head. The little dragon stood up from the bed and licked Camus on the face. Camus continued to laugh as he played with the dragon.

"Camus" Miklotov said, as he used eye contact to tell Camus what they were actually here for. Camus patted the dragon on the head one more time before standing up and walking over towards Futch.

"Sorry about that, I got carried away... Anyways, let's get go downstairs!" He said as he walked out the door. Futch nodded at Camus while Miklotov left the room as well. Futch walked over to his bed as he picked up his dragon in his hands.

"Do you want to go to, Bright?" he asked as he looked at the baby dragon. Bright nodded his head excitedly at Futch as it hugged him again. Futch smiled for a bit before taking the baby dragon in his arms and following Miklotov and Camus out the door. The 3 made their way to Restaurant where the Dance would be held. As Camus, Miklotov and Futch made their way to the restaurant; nearly everyone that could catch a glimpse of them would notice them. The 3 looked quite outstanding that girls would faint at the sight of them, while guys would envy them... One girl even dropped to the floor because she was too charmed by their looks. As the 3 entered the restaurant, the whole place was filled with people. Camus, Futch and Miklotov took a seat at one of the tables while they waited for the others to come in. The restaurant was gigantic. The dance floor was situated in the middle of the whole room, while the tables were put around the dance floor; there was also a balcony there. Futch placed Bright onto the table as the dragon danced around the table out of happiness. The 3 laughed a little bit before they got serious.

"Futch! Calm down ok? When she comes in, just smile at her and don't do anything else until the dance starts!" Camus exclaimed as if he were tutoring Futch in "How to Pass Through a Successful Date". Futch stared right into Camus's eyes as if he were listening to every word that came out of Camus's mouth. 10 minutes later after Camus finished his lecture, the room started to fill up with people... Then... There she was... It was Meg at the door in her black dress, and behind her was standing Rina and Kasumi. They looked like maids who were serving the Royal Princess or something. Meg wore black high-heels and a black dress that nearly touched the ground. Her hair wasn't tied back anymore and instead was loose. Futch and Meg smiled at each other while Meg went to take a seat with Rina and Karen. Rina was in a dark dress similar to Meg's, but instead it actually sparkled and the dress had roses attached to the bottom part of it. Kasumi was actually wearing a white dress that went down all the way to the ground, and it seemed like she was also wearing high heels. Suddenly, entering the room was Lord Shu who was the strategist for the army. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a white shirt, black tie and black shoes. He walked to the center of the room as everyone took a seat at a table. He cleared his voice before he opened his mouth to say something...

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Tonight is the dance celebrating the Victory of Dunan. Jowy Blight has fallen, and it's time we relax. Thanks to everyone's hard work and commitment to the army, we have come through to this stage. So everyone, I hope you enjoy this party and have fun! Thank you" He announced. At the end of the speech, everyone gave Shu an applause before Shu retreated back into his room. Then, Annallee's band started to play the song, "Orrizonte" while Annallee got herself ready.

"Good luck!" Camus whispered into Futch's ear. Futch looked a bit nervous, but he took a few deep breaths and stood up.

"Can the both of you take care of Bright for me?" Futch asked, still looking a bit nervous.

"Sure. No problem" Miklotov replied as he pushed Futch into the audience. Futch nervously made his way through the crowd to the table where Rina, Kasumi and Meg were sitting. Futch cleared his throat as his face started to burn red, once again. Upon arriving at the table, Meg's attention was directed to Futch.

"Umm.... May I have this dance...?" He said nervously, his face still burning a bright orange red. Futch put out a hand as Meg smiled at him and stood up to face him.

"It would be my honor" She replied smiling at him, and she was definitely ALOT calmer than Futch was. Meg placed her hand in Futch's as Futch took her to the dance floor. Rina and Kasumi looked from afar as Meg and Futch made their way into the dance floor.

"Hmmm... I'm so envious of her... I wish Tir would be here now..." Kasumi sighed as her eyes were fixed onto Futch and Meg as envy started to fill her heart. Rina only chuckled at that comment as he continued to observe Meg and Futch. The slow music of the song "Orrizonte" continued to play on. Suddenly, something struck into Futch's mind... He couldn't dance. Without losing a minute, Futch decided his only chance was to imitate what the other guys were doing. Futch and Meg embraced each other as they got into the dancing position... Both of them embraced each other so tightly that they didn't seem to want to let go. It was more like a hug than a dance for them. Time continued to fly by as they embraced each other, Futch had stopped blushing and happiness and relief was written all over his face. Meg was closing her eyes as she continued to hug him.

"I love you so much, Futch... Today, when I met you... I knew that you would be someone special..." Meg whispered into Futch's ears, her eyes still closed and her voice barely audible due to the music that was playing in the background. For a second, Futch didn't make a response. Suddenly, he embraced Meg even tighter as if he were never going to let her go.

"Meg..." He mumbled into her ear. Both of the lovers seemed to be in a state of happiness, and it seemed like they were only aware of one another's existence and at the same time, they just embraced each other like there was nothing else in the world that mattered apart from the person they loved. Suddenly, they realized that they were doing all this in the middle of a dance floor. The two suddenly let go of each other out of embarrassment, but they were still holding hands. With a pleasant smile on her face which made Futch blush, Meg held Futch's hand as they walked out and over to the balcony. Futch just followed her silently, and his face was once again, as red as a tomato.

"It's understandable though" Camus said who was now sitting on the same table as Rina, as he held a drink in one hand while he had held onto Rina's hand in the other.

"Hmmm... Yeah. The boy's way inexperienced in this... First time, I guess. I wonder how many times Meg has dated?" She said, smirking at Camus as she flipped her hair back, which made the guys around her (apart from Camus) look at her in awe. Camus laughed for a second as he Knew that trick that girls used to attract guys. Rina smiled at him before turning her attention back to Meg and Futch who were now standing alone on the balcony.

"It's a beautiful night, eh?" Meg said, her eyes gazing right up at the stars. Futch looked at her for a second; he actually adored her beauty as the image of her in the beautiful dress fitted right into the scenery of the lights in the houses and the starry night. He then shifted his head and gazed up at the starry night, himself.

"Yeah..." He replied. He was amazed at how many stars were in the sky tonight... It was uncommon to have a starry night in Jowston ever since Muse city was burnt down. Suddenly, Futch turned around to face Meg. His face was still bright red, but it seems like he suddenly got a nervous look on his face as well.

"Meg..." he mumbled, staring into her eyes as she turned around to face him. Futch even grew a lot redder as he continued to open his mouth.

"Will... you... close... your... eyes...?" He mumbled once again. Meg smiled at him, she knew exactly what he wanted to do, and so, she obliged. Futch walked closer towards Meg as he slowly leaned his head forward. His face was as red as ever, but with every second that went by, he got closer to kissing her.

"He's nearly there..." said Rina, looking at the couple with amusement from the table. Kasumi who was sitting on another table with Miklotov only continued to look with envy at the couple as she sighed for nearly the 73rd time during the whole dance. It appeared that she got so envious of Meg she continued to whine about how she wanted to be with Tir, after she got drunk. Miklotov who was sitting next to her... well... he tried to ignore her. Slowly, Futch brushed his lips across hers as they came into a kiss. For a second, everything seemed to go still and the both of them had wished this moment would last... But suddenly, the kiss broke as Futch heard the scream of his dragon...

"Bright?!?" Futch said as he was suddenly aware of his dragon's presence... Suddenly, Futch's eye caught a shadow moving under the balcony. The shadow had Bright in its hands as it made a run into the town. Without even thinking, Futch ran back into the restaurant as he made his way through the crowd and dashed for the entrance. Meg who was still in her high heels tried to follow him as best as she could. Rina and Camus who were aware of something going on quickly followed the couple as fast as they could... while... Miklotov was taking care of a heart-broken and drunken Kasumi which made him not able to see what was going on...

Futch was still unaware of the fact that he was dressed in a suit, but it didn't slow him down nor did it matter to him. He quickly made his way down the stairs as Meg followed behind him closely. As soon as Futch stepped off the last stair he quickly made his way and outside the castle where quickly dashed into town... Meg quickly followed him as she stood right behind him as Futch stopped at the town center... Futch hastily observed the following area, but he couldn't seem to find any clues because his heart was racing and he was panicking. Suddenly, as he looked onto the ground, he noticed a muddy trail that lead to a house...

"Meg... You stay here, ok? I'll be right back..." Futch said his voice full of fear and sadness. Meg nodded back at him. Confirming that Meg had obliged what he said, he slowly made his way into the house. It was an isolated house... and no one lived there anymore, because the family that had lived there already moved back to South Window. Meg had a worried look on her face, she didn't know what to do and she didn't feel Like disobeying Futch's orders...

Meanwhile

Camus and Rina had a hard time trying to catch up with the couple, because when Rina was walking down the stairs she hurt an ankle and this made Camus stay to take care of her wounds before he could go on and pursue Meg and Futch.

"Can you walk...?" Camus asked, helping Rina stand up.

"Yeah... You go ahead first, I'll be right behind you..." Rina said, as she slowly tried to regain her stance.

"I can't do that! Do you think I'd leave you alone here by yourself?" Camus asked, his voice seemed furious but he only tried to understanding and caring. Rina closed her eyes for a second and shook her head.

"Listen. Something's gone wrong there. It could be a serious problem involving human life. Don't waste your time here when you could go save somebody else's life. Ok?" She replied, a serious tone in her voice. Her eyes came in contact with Camus's. She was serious, and Camus had understood her message.

"Ok... But you'll be right behind me, right?" Camus said, his voice expressing his own concern. He didn't want to leave Rina on her own, but as Rina said... This could have concerned the life of a dear friend.

"Yeah... So go, quickly..." Rina said smiling at him, which actually also made Camus smile... Camus went off into the dark night as Rina slowly walked over to the entrance, forcing her ankle to not fail on her.

Back To the Scene...

Futch slowly opened the door. Meg was out of his sight now and possibly no one else could hear him, considering nearly everyone went to the dance... The room was dark and Futch could feel an eerie presence.

"Welcome... Soldier of the Dunan Army..." said a voice from within the room. Suddenly, the lights turned on as a few faces appeared in the corner. They were people who were wearing a highland uniform... and beside them, was Bright... The dragon squealed at the sight of his master. The dragon urged his master to go back, but it was too late by the time Futch had understood the message. Futch was now surrounded by 3 soldiers as he stood in the middle of the room. Right behind him was Bright. Futch didn't have his weapon around, nor could he defend himself from anything. The soldiers were also unarmed, except for one of them who had a dagger and a whip. With Bright behind him, Futch acted as a shield to his dragon. The soldiers started to attack Futch by punching him and kicking him. Even though Futch was trying to block himself, the pain was coming from all directions...

"Run... Bright... Run..." Futch said to his dragon as he shut his eyes tight, but his words weren't even audible to the soldiers because they were too busy attacking him. The baby dragon shook his head; he didn't want to leave his master behind... Besides, if his master were to die, then his meaning of existence would have ceased as well. Although Futch couldn't see the dragon, he was aware that it hadn't followed his orders.

"Bright! This is an order... Run!" Futch screamed. The dragon nodded, but tears filled his eyes as he couldn't bear to see his master make such sacrifices for him... Bright slowly started to flap his wings as he started to levitate... The dragon's eyes were fixed onto his masters... The dragon had hoped that this wouldn't be the last time they would see each other again... Bright then flew out of the window without the soldiers noticing, considering Bright was only as big as a helmet.

"Take care... Bright..." Futch whispered to himself as the beatings continued. He had thought this would probably would have been a last time for him to see his dragon... his last time to see everyone... Suddenly, it stopped. Futch opened his eyes a bit... The 3 other soldiers had their attention focused to the door... where another Highland soldier stood with... Meg.

"I found this girl outside... Seems like she's associated with the boy..." said the soldier. The other 2 soldiers had a twisted look on their face as if they were about to do something to her, but the middle soldier who seemed like their captain had commanded them to go tie her up. As the other two soldiers tie Meg up, the captain turned around to face Futch.

"You know why I'm trying to take you two down? Cause you're the ones who are responsible for my lovers death... It was all your fault..." said the soldier as his eyes came in contact with Futch, his voice was as cold as it could get...

"But no..." he continued... "I'm not going to kill you both yet... I'll torture you so you can die in front of her... then I'll see what to do with her..." said the soldier in a cold and evil voice. Futch was confused at what he heard, but he did understand that during the war he had taken the lives of many Highland soldiers... and that included females... and what this soldier seeks now is revenge... The soldier hardened his fist as he punched Futch on the face which made Futch take a few steps back... Blood could be seen around Futch's mouth as well. The other 3 soldiers had tied Meg up against a chair, where she could stand, but she couldn't do anything else... Her feet was her only reliable source, and she couldn't run out of here, even if she wanted to...

"Give me the whip" instructed the commander as another soldier handed him a whip that was attached to his side. Meg's eyes grew wide as she saw the leather whip... The commander lashed his whip across Futch's upper torso leaving a scar and an unforgettable pain. The jacket of his suit was already on the ground, and the scar left by the whip had tore the navy blue shirt that Futch was wearing. The commander continued to whip Futch... lash after lash, scar after scar... Tears started to well up in Meg's eyes as she observed what was going on... by the time the commander had stopped, Futch had uncountable scars over him... He was bleeding all over and yet... he was still alive... but he was already on his knees... Futch managed to give Meg a weak smile... and to him, he probably thought it would be the last one...

Suddenly, just when nobody expected it, the door blew open leaving smoke in every corner of the room. The soldiers coughed for a second, trying to regain their stance and see who their intruder was... Hope had regained its place on Futch's face as he smiled at his saviors...

"I hope we're not breaking in on the party... Cutey" Rina said smirking at the soldiers. Camus stood right beside her as he winked at Meg and Futch. 3 of the soldiers who were standing in front of the commander acting as his defense charged towards Rina to attack her...

"You're all fools... Dancing Flames!" She screamed as flames erupted from the ground and consumed her enemies. The flames made a small flaming tornado which annihilated all the soldiers who were inside... The commander looked in disbelief at what happened to his underlings as he quickly tried to think of what to do... Suddenly, he drew out his sword...

"Unbelievable! I'll just have to..." He said as he eyed Futch. Everyone looked wide eyed at the dagger as soon as they saw the the glimmer of it. Meg instantly got up from her seat, and even if her arms would fail her... her legs wouldn't. The commander was about to lay the deathblow, when Meg pushed Futch out of the way... The knife had given Meg a wound on the arm... The moment she had been cut... The looks of pain on her face... The blood that came out... It all saddened Futch and enraged him as well... The soldier stood took a few steps back as Meg landed into Futch's thighs... Just lying there... lifelessly... He had heard the last word she whispered into his ears before she was striked down... The last word she managed to whisper was his name... Camus and Rina looked in shock as what happened to Meg... They both hadn't expected this coming...

Futch immediately got to his feet, despite the injures all over his body... Futch had also in his hand, a dagger that he had found on Meg's body... It was one of those knifes she had used as a weapon... Enraged by what just happened, Futch caught hold of the commander's arm which had the knife in it and using the dagger he found on Meg, he stabbed the commander in the abdomen. The commander seemed to shiver a bit as he looked at Futch in shock as he slowly sank to the ground... Eventually, the commander sank to the ground... dead... Futch slowly walked over to where Meg was as he slowly picked her up in his arms and slowly walked over towards Camus and Rina...

"She's... I think she's fine... It should only be a minor wound..." He said as Camus quickly picked Meg up from Futch's arms...

"Send her to Dr. Huan's Clinic... Immediately!" Camus ordered as he put Meg into Rina's hands. Rina nodded at Camus as she quickly made her way out of the house...

"Futch... Are you ok?" Camus said, as he noticed the expressionless emotions on Futch's face. Futch suddenly got very dizzy, as everything around him started to become barely audible and his vision was blurring... Suddenly, Futch fainted on the floor... Camus panicked for a minute, but he found the best thing & first thing to do would to be bringing him to the clinic. Without losing a minute, Camus picked Futch up as he made a dash for the clinic which was at least 20 minutes away.

'Hang in there... Futch' Camus thought to himself, hoping that his friend would make it through this stage.

Later at the Clinic...

"Dr. Huan, how are they?" Camus said as Dr. Huan walked out of the clinic, shutting the door behind him. There weren't many people at the clinic who were actually worried about Futch or Meg. The only people that were there were Rina, Miklotov, Camus, Millie, Nina, Humphrey, Gadget, Bright and Tuta who was serving alongside Dr. Huan. Everyone else in the castle seemed to be asleep.

"They're fine... They just need some rest... and I'm sure everyone here does as well..." Dr. Huan replied taking off his glasses to rub his eyes. A relieved smile went all around the room as everyone sighed in relief to the incident. Not long after, everyone left the room apart from Bright who stood in front of the door trying to open it, but due to the fact that he was too short, he couldn't do anything. Suddenly, Tuta entered the room as he forgot to pick up his bag of medicines. Tuta's eye then caught sight of the little dragon who was trying to open the door. Tuta slowly walked up to the dragon as the boy crouched to talk to the dragon that faced the boy.

"Do you want to go in?" Tuta asked the dragon as he looked into the eyes of the little dragon. The dragon nodded in reply to the boy's question. Tuta smiled for a second as he patted the little dragon on the head before standing up to open the door for the dragon. The dragon slowly walked in, trying to not make any noise as Tuta closed the door behind him. The dragon quietly walked up to the beds as he caught sight of his Master and Meg. The little dragon flapped his wings as he flew up to his Master's bed. The dragon slowly walked up to the face of his master as it hugged him by the neck. Tears started to well up in the dragon's eyes as it continued to hug its master. Slowly, the tears started to stream down the dragons face as it fell down onto Futch's neck... Futch moaned for a minute as he had just been awaken from a sleep...

"Bright...?" Futch whispered, his voice seemed weak but glad that the dragon was still with him. The dragon made a small squeal as his master called his name. Futch slowly placed a hand over his dragons head as he closed his eyes for a second.

"It's ok... Bright. It's all ok now..." Futch whispered to his dragon, his voice actually relieved that everything had ended now. The dragon only nodded at Futch, but the tears still streamed down its face.

"Look at you... Here... I'll help you clean up..." Futch whispered silently as he used his hand to wipe away Bright's tears... Futch suddenly turned over to face Meg, who was lying on the other bed, asleep. Futch slowly got off his bed, despite the injuries he could still stand up... Futch limped over to Meg's bed where he took sat down right beside her... Without hesitating, Futch ducked his head towards Meg... Futch brushed his lips across Meg's as he whispered the words... "Thank you... Meg".