I posted this against my will. I shouldn't but I did! I should have written the next chapter first but the urge to publish was just too damn strong! I blame you readers! xD Thank you so much for reading. I love you allz!
There isn't much I'd like to elaborate on this chapter. Oh, one thing to say. They won't meet yet. Mwahahahahahaaaa! Okay, technically they did but...they didn't. End. Of. Story. *pointedly looks away, sweatdropping* Anyway, just read! Since I has nothing else to says! ONWARDS!
Disclaimer: Again, not mine...T_T
Warning: Uhh, tame. Not yet anything explicit. I know, its taking way too long. xD
Chapter 4: Third Sighting
"Gosh, you look terrible Allen," Linalee said worriedly as her gaze fell on her white-haired friend. Allen raised his hand to greet her and yawned. He was still a little sleepy but that was usually the time when Linalee and her brother eat breakfast so he had to move. Allen walked towards his friend and she pushed him into the house.
"Do I look that bad?" Allen asked as he sat by the dining table and yawned again.
"Very," Linalee nodded. "You look like you've been crying all night. Bad dream?" she asked. It wasn't all that odd for Allen to frequently have nightmare. His eye sometimes brings up bad memories. Allen shook his head.
"Not really. I mean it was scary but I can't say it was a bad one," Allen stifled another yawn. Linalee look at him questioningly as she worked on the stove.
"How so?"
"Well, it started out mysteriously, then it got scary, then I was okay and by the end of it I was annoyed," Allen tried really as much detail as possible. He was beginning to forget the dream.
"That's a weird dream. What was it about?"
"I… uh, don't remember," Allen said. Well…not exactly the truth but…
"Really now, you are the lousiest liar I've ever known. Spill it," Linalee gave him 'The Stare', basically a stare that compels him to spill, a Linalee Lee specialty, and he would never resist! One reason because her whole being forces him to tell, meaning that's exactly what his left eye sees. He pouted.
"I'm good at lying. Lavi can't even tell I'm lying most of the time," Allen sulked. Linalee giggled.
"Yeah, and exactly how many times have your lies worked on me? It's not my fault Lavi's that dense. He's an airhead most of the time," they both laughed at that. Allen contemplated about telling her his dream.
"Well, I dreamt about the dragon," Allen finally admitted. Linalee looked a little taken aback then horrified.
"What did the dragon do to you? Did it threaten to kill you? Are you okay?" Linalee began to panic on his behalf. Allen sighed. He knew she'd act like that.
"Relax, it was just a dream. It's not like it was a real dragon," Allen tried to calm his friend and she sighed gladly.
"Sorry about that. All this dragon business is really nerve wrecking. All those stories about them," Linalee shivered and sighed, "I'm just glad it's not happening like that to us yet. Book Man said he'd try to negotiate a treaty or something with it. You know, so it won't wreck our village to shreds. He said the dragon might actually listen but I don't know. Everyone says dragons are bad," Linalee sighed again. Allen smiled politely. He heard stories about the first port, not really sure whether or not it's happening to their village yet but he totally agreed with Linalee on the last part. He had a feeling that the dragon was highly disagreeable… but maybe not that disagreeable.
He didn't sound bad… though he's a big, damn, jerk! Allen frown a little feeling disgruntled. Bean sprout my foot. How exactly am I similar to one? Grr!
"I'm sure you'll be fine. I mean, that dragon isn't attacking us yet," Linalee said distracting Allen from his inner ire. He took a second compute what Linalee said ad realized she must have mistaken his frown for something else.
"Yeah, sure," add nervous laugh here.
"Oh Allen, good morning," Komui greeted warmly as he entered the dining room. He saw Linalee's worried expression and his eyes twinkled with murderous intent. "Are you making Linalee sad on purpose Allen?" he asked with sweet venom making Allen broke out cold sweat. Komui still hasn't gotten over his sister complex.
"N-no, K-Komui-san," Allen shook his head mechanically and instantly Komui was back to his jovial self. He clapped his hand once and smiled brightly.
"Good!" He said overly too bright. "So, you had dinner with Lavi last night eh," he said as he took the seat opposite of Allen. Allen nodded and smiled warmly back. Komui was scary when he wants to be but most of the time he's okay. "Linalee gets word fast," he added.
"Of course nii-san. Lavi, Allen and I made a pact and Allen will honor it as long as he lives," Linalee said smiling as she laid out the table with food. Once she was done she took the seat between the two, on Allen's left and Komui's right. "If Allen has dinner with us then the next morning he has to eat breakfast at Lavi's, and vice versa. That way we both share Allen equally," she added proudly.
"You guys treat me like a cat sometimes," Allen sighed.
"Can't help it. You're too cute not to be treated like one," Linalee teased and laughed at Allen's pout. " See, you are too cute! Also you don't have much healthy food at your hut. All you ever eat are fruits. You have to eat meat! Lavi and I can't fulfill our stomachs if we eat at your place so you were made into a cat instead," she ended with a tone of satisfaction.
"Well I can't help with that now can I? I told you meats have too much residue of emotions. I can't bear eating them every day. I mean I cannot not see. I can't shut my left eye," Allen defended himself. Both Lees nodded in understanding.
"Still you have to eat meat too. You won't get a hundred percent nutrients just on fruits and you are still growing Allen," Komui added kindly.
"That's my brother's way of saying you're too short for your age," Linalee laughed at the telltale tantrum reaction coming from Allen.
"I'm not short! I'm just a late bloomer!"
"Yeah right, eighteen years late bloomer," Linalee snorted and that earned her a glare from Allen. "But that's okay! You're cuter like this," Linalee hastily added and the annoyance in Allen was quickly replaced with disgruntle.
"You got that right. I'm way cuter than you are," Allen said cheekily and smiled deviously.
"Oh dream on Walker. You may be cute but you've got nothing on me!" And they both laughed while Komui chuckled as he watched them. Breakfast commenced merrily with the two joking and making fun of Komui or the Lees teasing Allen much to his annoyance. Shortly after breakfast the two friends left the house in Komui's care. He told them he'd handle the dishes and were promptly kicked out of the house. They quickly set their heading to Lavi's house. They were dead sure the red-haired rabbit would still be asleep but much to their surprise said rabbit met them halfway.
"Am I dreaming Linalee? Is Lavi really standing in front of us?" Allen asked in awe. In response Linalee pinched his right arm, hard, and damnit it hurts!
"Oh you're awake alright," Linalee said ignoring his indignant 'OW!' and glare. "Wow, you're up early for once," Linalee said with surprise much to the eye-patch's annoyance.
"Haha, very funny," Lavi said sarcastically. "I can wake up early. I just choose not to. I'm just feeling really awesome today so voila! I'm up early!" Lavi's smile was back on.
"Still, where were you headed to?" Allen asked genuinely curious. Before Lavi could even open his mouth, a very angry shout came from the direction Lavi came from. Make no mistake, everyone knew to whom it belonged too. And Lavi was in deep trouble.
"Boy! Where do you think you're going? I specifically woke you up so you won't miss your lessons!" Book Man's voice rang all over the village. Both Allen and Linalee sweat dropped comically and they were thinking the very same line: So that's why he's up early. Go figure…
"No time to explain. We gotta run," Lavi said excitedly as he pulled his friends' arms and in a random direction.
"Where are you gonna take us too exactly? Book Man knows every single hiding place you've ever used," Allen asked in a monotone as he allowed his friend to pull him. He rather not be dragged thank you very much.
"And my house's a no go. Nii-san's still there. He's happily hand you over to Book Man tied up and gagged," Linalee said. Lavi visibly shivered. He remembered that as if it happened yesterday... Allen laughed at his other side. He was there too when it happened. Rest assured it was very hilarious…and a tad bit scary.
"Don't worry. There's one place panda would never go look," Lavi said smugly and Allen finally realized that they were headed in the direction of his hut.
"My house? Seriously? He'd go looking the first," Allen pointed out but Lavi shook his head. They ran straight past the lonely looking hut and went straight into the forest.
"Oh, smart," Linalee said appraisingly.
"Thank you," Lavi said appreciatively. He didn't let them go though, and lead them further into the woods. His two friends shared questioning glances.
"Are we headed somewhere? You're safe already. Book Man would never step a foot into the forest," Allen asked curious.
"Well, since we're here already I thought I'd show you guys a place I found last week when I was out picking herbs," Lavi said slowing down and letting go of his friends. The trees were much tighter packed and the grasses tall so he needed his hands. He took out his knife to cut the vines out of their way. The two followed him silently. They trusted his sense of direction very much. He had never even once got lost in the woods even at unfamiliar places. Linalee's sense was okay and Allen's was… well, let's just say he was really lucky he didn't end up deep inside the woods instead that last time he ran back to the village.
They heard the sound of running water as they walked further. True enough soon they were greeted by the most wonderful and beautiful scenery they had ever seen, after Lavi cut down a few more vines and grasses out of their way. Clear water, beautifully placed boulders glossing with moss, sandy shored and as they got closer they could see fishes swimming happily in the wide stream.
"Wow," was all Linalee and Allen could say. What with the clear sky and beautiful weather, the place looked even more surreal!
"No one else ever found this place before?" Allen asked in awe. Lavi nodded excitedly.
"Yep," his smile was side, "I've been looking around after I got better and I found this place. I checked for human tracks but I only found animals. So this place is exclusively for us to use!" Lavi exclaimed enthusiastically and he pulled his two stunned friends closer to the river side. "There's even a small waterfall upstream and the river's wider and deeper there. Maybe one day we can just come here and have a picnic or a swim. The water's really cool," Lavi informed them.
"I have to admit, this place is a thousand times better than that last thing you found," Linalee said sounding very impressed.
"I say this place is your best find ever!" Allen announced and he shook Lavi off to run to the water edge. "Wow, I can see all the fishes up close. And alive!" That made Linalee and Lavi laugh.
The three teenagers explored the river the whole morning up till noon. They scavenged for fruits around the area and had lunch sitting by the river with their feet soaked in. They even drank from the river since the water was so clear and cool.
"This water is really delicious. I don't think the well water in our village could ever taste this good," Linalee said receiving nods from her friends. Not long after, the trio got tired and found a clear patch of grass shaded from the sun. So they rested their feet, backs on the ground, and prepared for a nap. Lavi and Linalee fell asleep as soon as they lay down on either side of Allen. Unlike his friends, Allen was wide awake and energized. He didn't feel the least bit tired. He made sure his friends were totally out before getting up and crawling towards the river silently. He wanted to see what else were there upstream.
I won't get lost if I follow the river. I mean, I'm not that direction blind. As long as I follow the river I can always come back here, Allen thought confidently and nodded. I will not stray away from the river, he assured himself and began trekking along the river side.
Allen had never seen so many fishes in his entire life! Not to mention the thoughts or feelings the give out were so calming. Actually the whole place radiated calmness unlike in the village. Even from dead things he could see residual feelings and they were never positive. Death was a scary thing, that was what Allen concluded wherever he go. That was why he couldn't eat meat. Their thoughts were more potent than plants or fruits. Actually he liked eating fruits the most because that emit pleasing residual thoughts as he ate them. It's as if they were glad to be eaten. He had never really eaten fish before so it came as a surprise to him seeing the living ones.
And they are so colorful! Allen never thought fishes could have so many colors on them, especially when the sun hit their scales. It was as if the fishes fully transformed into jewels, twinkling and sparkling. Some even changed color entirely! It was so fascinating to the late teen.
Light hitting the scales, Allen mused absently, just like his scales but he reminds me of starry nights. These fishes reminds of rainbows, Allen giggled to himself. He walked a little further and heard water rushing really fast. A little climb and he found the waterfall Lavi was talking about earlier. Allen was in awe again. The water was still clear and he could see every single pebble on the river bed. Allen couldn't remember being this excited over something his whole life! Okay maybe that time when Lavi and I saw a field of butterflies coming out of their cocoons when we were ten, he thought.
Allen decided he's like a higher view and he headed to the waterfall and began climbing up. It wasn't steep or anything but there were a lot of moss covering the rocks thanks to the water spray from the waterfall. Allen did not want to think what would happen if he accidentally slipped. Even without thinking he could imagine the very unpleasant sight.
Allen expected to be alone once he was at the top. He thought nothing would be there, man nor beast. Then again his sixth sense was totally nonexistent so wasn't really surprised. But he was surprised when he saw what he saw. Instead of a deer or a wild cat or a wild boar- heck even a bear wouldn't surprise him!- a different sort of beast met his sight. A much more majestic beast supposed to be extinct. It was the black dragon. Allen froze on the ground he stood. A little way from the river, among the trees was a clear field of ground, adequately shaded from the sun, was the dragon. With his right eye he could see the figure of a man right in the middle but his left eye commanded attention.
The gigantic black dragon was lying there curled up with its wings resting on each sides of his body, neck curled and head resting peacefully on his forearms. His eyes were closed and Allen could feel calmness radiating from the majestic being. For once, Allen felt no fear. Quietly he sat down by the waterfall and watched the dragon sleep. Its massive body was covering the whole ground. For a moment Allen worried that the trees surrounding the place would fall if he moved his tail or hind legs but his mind shushed him. He's in his human form dummy. Remember? A small voice reminded him. He tried focusing with his right eye but still the image from his left eye filled his mind.
He's so big and scary I can't make myself see his human form, Allen shuddered with fright. If he stood in the village I'd definitely be scared stiff. If he moves one of his legs I'm sure he'd kill a dozen or so villagers, Allen shuddered again at the thought. I better not think about it anymore. Linalee's right, he's not attacking us…yet, Allen thought vehemently but fear was starting to cloud his mind.
Then the eyes opened. Red glowing coals beheld him. Allen froze again. The eyes looked as if they were searching his soul. Allen was afraid. So much hatred, so much malice, yet so lonely and sad. His head and neck moved upwards and his wings spread open. Allen couldn't move. In the back image he could see the faint outline of the man looking intently at him with his deep dark eyes.
Was that interest he saw a flicker of? Allen thought but it was quickly dismissed. The dragon man stood up and his massive dragon form stood up on all four, eyes still intently staring at him. The dragon's mouth opened wide as if to roar but no sound came out. Blood drained from Allen's face. Then the dragon turned and walked away. His human form Allen saw faintly moved deeper into the woods. He could see long ebony locks swishing as the man gracefully turned around and walked away. He could faintly see red on the man's outfit but it was only faint as his dragon form filled his vision.
"Allen!"
"Allen! Where are you?"
"Allen! Can you hear us?"
"ALLEN!"
Allen was shaken out of his stupor and shakily look down. He looked back at the clearing and saw it deserted. He took a deep breath to steady himself before calling out to his friends.
"Up here! At the waterfall!" He shouted as loudly as he can over the sound of the waterfall. The callings from his friends stopped and soon after he saw Lavi and Linalee emerging from downstream. He flashed them his winning smile, which was very convincing, but they frowned at him instead.
"What do you think you're doing?" Linalee had to shout since the waterfall was quite loud. He could see anger and worry emanating from her as well as relief.
"Why did you come here without us? Can you imagine how shocked we were when you weren't there when we woke up? You know how hard it is to find you if you got lost, don't you?" Allen flinched at the frustration in Lavi's tone rather than the emotion he was emitting. He felt really guilty. He climbed down and walked towards his friends with his head bowed. They pulled him into a bone crushing hug.
"Don't make me worry like that," Linalee sobbed,
"What if a bear killed you? Or-or you fell into the river? You can't swim!" Lavi pulled him closer. He could feel how hard their hearts were beating and he felt even guiltier.
"I'm really sorry," he said remorsefully and both Linalee and Lavi relaxed. They let go of him. Linale instantly checked him out for any signs of injuries and such, much to Allen's embarrassment. He was prone to injuries since he sucked at noticing things. Lavi had his hands on his hip.
"What were you doing here?" The red head asked seriously. Allen contemplated telling them about the dragon and his human form but was a little distracted by Linalee as she finished her checkup. Looking at her reminded him of her reaction towards his dream that morning. "Allen," Lavi called his name with a questioning tone.
"I just wanted to see the waterfall," was all he said.
Okay, I hope you don't mind this not so lengthy chapter. I haven't typed the next chappie into my laptop yet but it will be done so patience! Oh, I was gonna say I dunno how long the next chapter will be. I have this tendency to write with the flow and sometimes my flow is long and sometimes not...okay, I'm ranting. So;
RnR please!
