Chapter 14: Attack of the Shadows
'BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!' a loud sound echoed throughout the huge room as a slim, black body flew through the air only to collide with the hard surface of a wall.
"WHY?!" a dark voice roared after it "Why is it that I am surrounded by useless idiots?"
The shadow trembled as it watched it's enraged Master approaching with killing intent shinning in his eyes. That was it. The poor creature would never get to see the death of another one of those filthy dragons! The Master would for sure kill it! It searched the room with fear stricken red eyes, trying in vain to find one of its kin to help it. Futile attempts. It knew that it was alone in this and none would ever dare oppose the Master. Especially when he was like this. If the Master was scary when he was calm, right now even the Devil himself would cower before him. The poor thing was broken out of its thoughts when it felt the Master's hand tighten around its neck.
The Master easily lifted the shadow's sorry existence off the ground and pinned it with a glare that would make even one of those brutal Mountain Giants shake in fear.
"Tell me one reason why I shouldn't end your misery right here and now" the man said and noticed with a wicked sense of satisfaction that the shadow started shaking even more, if that was possible. Fear was the best way to control someone. Especially creatures like the one before him. They had no morals and would betray even their own kin if it meant saving their skin. And he couldn't and wouldn't allow that. They were afraid of him and that was what kept them from abandoning him. They were more afraid of him than anything else and that was what kept them under his control. He needed them for now. Soon they too would be expendable but right now he needed them. They were his eyes and ears. He still hadn't gotten his full power back and he couldn't leave the dark comfort of his underground cavern. The sun light would only weaken him more and that would make him an easier target for those damned people, Kaien and Kurenai.
When the shadow managed only a weak choke of breath, his hand pushed it harder up against the wall effectively earning a grunt of pain form the creature.
"Why is it that the girl and the dragon are not here before me?" he growled and lessened his hold on the creatures neck. Not from compassion or mercy. He only wanted to hear what it had to say.
"M-Master, fo-fo-r-give your h-humble se-servant. It happened b-before I could d-do anything about it. They just t-took o-off. I didn't have the time to follow. I c-came here to you to inform you" it said and fought to breathe.
"There are only three months left. Three months and I will be able to crush anyone that opposes me. The only one strong enough to ruin my plans is this girl and her hatchling and you tell me that they took their first flight together" the Master said through gritted teeth and for a moment his eyes flashed crimson "That makes them stronger and I don't like that" he continued in a dangerously low voice that only made the already intimidating man, all the more scary.
"M-Master, forgive your servant. Show this poor soul some mercy" the shadow pleaded, fear more evident than ever in its red-as-blood eyes.
"Mercy?" the Master asked and smiled cruelly at the shadow that was pressed against the wall. It was a smile that promised pain and anguish "I don't know what that word means. But I won't kill you. Not yet at least"
The dark man loosened his grip and the slim, black body of the creature fell down with a loud 'thud'. It choked for breath as it crawled a few feet away from the Master, afraid that it would have to face his wrath for the second time that day.
"Thank you Master, thank you" it repeatedly said and bowed down to the man "Your servant is unworthy of your kindness"
"You fool" the Master said and sent the creature a disgusted look "But I can still use this stupidity of yours to my advantage"
He raised his right hand and closed his eyes. Suddenly, the pendant around his neck started glowing with a black light surrounding it. The shadow shrank further away in fear. That black light, that dark energy was enough to make even a creature of night as the shadow was, move back and hide behind a dark, marble pillar. The air around it became suffocating as a new kind of dark energy filled the room. And it all came from that pendant around the Master's neck. It was so powerful that it caused the walls and the pillars that supported the ceiling to shake dangerously. The golden letters that were carved on the black diamond started glowing and to the shadows utter surprise, the dragon that circled and bound the unique stone came alive and spread its golden wings.
The shadow felt a strong wind pick around it. But that was impossible! They were in an underground cave! There was no way the wind from the surface would have reached such depths! The creature turned its frightened eyes to the Master. The wind was playing with his black hair and his usually dark eyes were glowing crimson. The color of blood. The shadow heard movement around it and turned only to see a great number of its kin gather in the room and around the Master. The man chanted words that the shadow had never heard before and the wind around them picked up even more.
Suddenly the shadow felt a strange power surge through it. A new kind of energy that the creature had never experienced before, not even when their kin had still been in control, before those damned dragons had made their appearance. It felt a sudden wave of pain hit it as the wings on its back started growing. The shadow watched in amazement as its claws and fangs grew along with a pair of horns that hadn't been there before. Its eyes flashed to some of his kin and it noticed the same changes on them as well. A new wave of pain hit it as thorn like scales started growing along its back from the base of the neck to the edge of the tail, which now had the shape of a trident. The shadow let out a growl and was soon joined by others of its kin. This new power was strange and new but the creature wasn't one to complain. Along with its body, this new kind of energy had also made its hatred towards dragons grow even more, if that was even possible. It let out another ferocious snarl at the thought of those filthy creatures and started flapping its newfound, powerful wings. A great number of its kin followed its example and soon the room was full of dancing shadows and cruel, glowing, crimson eyes. They were out for blood.
"FIND THEM! AND KILL THEM!"
XxxOxOxOxxX
Kaien's eyes shot open as he stumbled out of his meditating position. Bids of sweat ran down the side of his face as he hit certain stone blocks of his shop's back wall. An all-too-known path appeared before him and hurriedly followed it. He once more found himself in the underground room where only a week or so ago he had contacted Kurenai through The Mirror. He grabbed a torch and went to stand in front of the same, strange object. With shaky hands , he followed the same ritual as the previous time. There was no time to waste.
Soon, the familiar ruby eyes of Kurenai were staring back at him. She had a worried look plastered on her face. She knew very well that Kaien contacting her through The Mirror meant that something bad had happened. She was afraid to think of what it could be. The panicked and frantic expression on the dark haired man's face was all the answer she needed. Something was terribly wrong!
"Kaien? What is it, Kaien? What happened?" she asked, panic starting to take over her as well.
"Get ready Kurenai! Hurry up! We have no time to waste! And call the Guardian!"
The ruby-eyed woman only nodded and felt a wave of dread wash over her when she recognized a certain emotion on the, usually, composed man's face. Something that she had seen only once in the past. Fear…..
"Right! But please tell me! What is going on?"
The wild look in his eyes answered the question for him.
"He's on the move! And he's after Sakura and Tsuki!"
XxxOxOxOxxX
"Hey!" Sakura yelled playfully when Tsuki splashed her with the clear, cold water of the lake. They were back to the lake, enjoying the beautiful scenery and the fresh air. Tsuki was flying in circles over the water, doing a flip or two every now and then. It was close to noon and soon they would have to go back. Sakura was sure that Toshiro would be waiting for them, curious to know everything about their flight. And she felt kind of bad for leaving him there waiting for God-knows how long but she wasn't ready to end their flight yet. Sure, there would be countless more in the future but the first time was, well….the first time!
She lightly slapped Tsuki's scaled neck when another spray of cold water hit her skin.
"Hey, stop that!"
'Why should I? It is fun' answered Tsuki, knowing full well that it would only rile Sakura up even more.
"Maybe for you! The water in freaking cold!"
'Oh, don't be just a baby! It is only a few drops of water!'
"Hey! I'm not as thick skin-sorry, scaled! I'm not as thick scaled as you are! I get cold you know!"
Tsuki only chuckled and continued to fly in circles over the lake, nearer to the coast this time and the forest that surrounded the area. The trees were lush and she was sure that no one would be able to see them even if they were walking only a few feet deep in the forest. The coast, on the other hand, was something else entirely. It was quite dangerous, flying out in the open for everyone to see but the water was too cold for anyone to swim and the weather was still not hot enough for it. They were safe for now.
Sakura yelped when Tsuki took a quite sharp turn and glared when the silver-scaled dragon started laughing at her.
But Tsuki's laugh was cut short. Out of nowhere, a loud growl was heard, one that had Sakura's hair stand on edge, and was soon followed by several more. Suddenly, what seemed like a black cloud appeared out of nowhere and started moving towards them. But wait a minute…..how was it that that strange cloud was moving towards them when the wind was blowing from the other direction? As it got closer Sakura could make out the shapes of creatures that she was sure were not birds and that she was positive she had never seen before in her life. These creatures were pitch black with dragon-like wings but with what seemed like tears in their membranes. The almost looked like dragons but were so different at the same time. Their face resembled that of a dragon but it was twisted in a cruel way that made her shudder. Their body wasn't covered in scales but in what seemed to be like some kind of slithery skin. There was no flesh on them; only skin. She could clearly make out their bones. She noticed razor sharp fangs and claws that could tear her apart in a matter of seconds. But what scared her most was when a certain pair of crimson eyes clashed with her emerald ones. At that very moment she knew that these creatures were evil and were coming straight at them. And not with the best of intentions…..
'Tsuki! Hurry! Let's get out of here!'
The dragon didn't answer but, completely understanding what she meant, turned around and started picking up her speed towards the other direction and away from those….things. Sakura tried to calm down but her fears were confirmed when she turned around and saw that those dragon-like beasts were still following them. And they were closing in.
'Tsuki, they are catching up!'
'What are these things?' the silver scaled dragon asked and casted a side glance at the creatures that were following. She didn't like the aura they were emitting. She didn't like it at all. She could practically smell their hostility and she didn't like the way they were closing in on them.
'I don't know; but it doesn't seem like their friendly!'
The one that was flying in the front, it appeared to be the leader, let out a ferocious snarl. The rest started flying in a certain formation that Tsuki knew all too well.
'Sakura! Watch out! They are circling us!'
'What?!' the girl yelled and turned to look back. Tsuki was right. These creatures were trying to trap them in a circle where there would be no escape. Tsuki beat her wings faster to outrun them but it was no use. Those creatures were lighter and Sakura and Tsuki were outnumbered. The cerulean-eyed dragon was bigger in size but not even she would be able to take on a carefully planned attack from these dangerous creatures. Tsuki slowed down a bit, knowing full well that running was not an option. They were trapped. What she had to do was watch out for any surprise attacks. She wouldn't allow these things to hurt Sakura. She would fight. She would tear them apart if they even as much as tried to take a step closer to the pink-haired girl.
'What do we do now, Tsuki?' the girl asked and the dragon could recognize the fear in her voice. She couldn't blame her. The odds weren't exactly on their side and she highly doubted that they could call for help.
'Watch out Sakura. We don't know when they are going to attack'
Sakura carefully looked around to make sure none of those black, dragon-like beasts was moving. They stayed there for a couple of minutes (it was more like years to Sakura), only staring at each other. Tsuki ran her blue eyes over their enemies one by one. So far everything was quite; even the wind had stopped. One of the black creatures let out a growl and lunged forward.
And then all hell broke loose.
Sakura watched in horror as the creatures lunged at them all together, claws ready to tear them apart with ugly snarls and growls coming from them.
'Sakura, hold on tight! And stay down!'
The girl did as she was told and firmly grabbed the leather strap around Tsuki's neck. The dragon was ready to defend her rider and herself. Her whole body was rocking from her growl and her own claws were shining in the sunlight. One of those creatures, that was either really brave or really stupid, went for Tsuki's neck only to be crushed by Tsuki's powerful jaws. Sakura watched in both horror and amazement as the creature turned into black dust and disappeared. Tsuki roared after taking care of another one of their enemies. That seemed to halt their movements and for a moment they hesitated. It was only a moment but it was all the silver dragon needed. With a powerful swing of her wings, Tsuki flew past them and towards Konoha. Sakura noticed this and frowned. They couldn't lead these creatures to Konoha! Who knew just how dangerous they were! It would put the citizens in danger!
'Tsuki! Turn around! Head somewhere else! We can't lead them to Konoha!'
The dragon agreed with her rider and changed her course. Instead, she headed to the Fire Canyon. They would have a better chance of losing them there. The Canyon was like a labyrinth to those who didn't know it. It had many secret passages and caves that could prove useful. Tsuki had flown many times through it when she was hunting and could easily find her way. It would also make facing them easier. The narrow passages of the Canyon wouldn't allow great numbers of their enemies to come at them. Tsuki wasn't a full grown dragon yet but she knew how to take care of herself and she was strong. Those damn things would face their deaths if they even as much as tried to come closer to them than necessary.
They were close to the Canyon. Another couple of minutes and the odds would no longer be against them. Sakura, feeling that they were safe, turned back to look and immediately regretted it. Their enemies hadn't given up yet as it seemed and they were dangerously close to them.
'Tsuki! They are behind us!' the girl informed her dragon immediately, her previous panic returning. The dragon growled in frustration and roared. She had hoped that it would have the same result as the previous time but as it seemed their enemies had learnt their lesson. They didn't hesitate.
Sakura screamed when one of those monsters snapped its jaws at her, barely missing her arm. She looked up and hope filled her. The Canyon! 200 feet more and they would be safe. But her happiness was cut short when suddenly, burning pain shot through her right shoulder. She groaned in pain but thanked whoever was up there that the creature hadn't managed to get her good. She glanced at her shoulder and gasped when she saw her white T-shirt drenched in blood and three equally deep cuts.
'Sakura? Sakura! What happened? Are you ok?' came Tsuki's panicked voice and she patted her neck lightly to reassure her.
'It's nothing. Just a scratch. Don't worry'
Tsuki was so caught up on making sure that Sakura was alright that she didn't notice the leader of those black creatures coming at her with its claws ready, clearly aiming for her neck; going for the kill. Sakura did see it though.
'TSUKI! WATCH OU-'
She didn't get to finish her sentence. A black blur shot out of nowhere and collided with the leader of the creatures effectively getting it out of Tuki's way and saving her from very severe injuries or worse….death. Sakura didn't know what that blur was but she was thankful that it had appeared.
'Are you ok?' the rosette asked and caressed her dragon's neck to sooth her, completely forgetting her own injuries.
'I'm fine. Don't worry. What was that?'
'I don't know but we owe them. We should help them. They did the same for us! We can't leave them to fight all alone!'
Tsuki, agreeing completely with her rider, let out another growl and turned around once more, ready to fight and kill those filthy creatures that had dared touch AND hurt her rider.
Now, the sight that they were met with was not the one they had expected to find.
Only few feet away from them were that strange man from the shop, Kaien, if she remembered correctly, and Kurenai, the town's librarian! And the most bizarre?
They were riding….dragons!
Kaien was on sitting on a pitch black dragon with dark grey wing membranes. The dragon was bigger than Tsuki in size but it seemed lighter than her. Kaien was holding what appeared to be a sword in his hands and Sakura could tell that he knew how to use it. He effectively killed one of the creatures before slashing at the wing of a second one.
Sakura turned her head towards Kurenai. Her dragon was different. Its color was a light blue one with a few rows of white scales across the neck and belly. She also had a dagger in her hands. She too was expertly wielding it, avoiding and delivering blows.
Sakura stared in amazement as they both moved expertly and in perfect sync with their dragons.
"Sakura! Watch out!" she was broken out of her trance by Kurenai's voice. One of those creatures was coming with amazing speed towards her. Her eyes widened in fear. That was it. She was going to die. They didn't have the time to move away. The razor sharp claws of the creature would sink in her soft flesh and-
'WOOSH'
She was once more interrupted. This time by an arrow that caught the attacking creature right between its crimson eyes. Sakura gaped and her eyes widened. She looked around frantically, trying in vain to find who had shot that arrow, saving her life in the process.
"Sakura, move!"
Both Sakura and Tsuki were broken out of their thoughts by Kaien's voice and the girl pushed the arrow to the back of her head. She had more pressing matters to think about. Getting out of there alive and in one piece being one of them.
The fight lasted half an hour more. Kaien and Kurenai worked as a team effectively taking out a great number of their enemies. Sakura noticed a great deal of arrows during the fight but she found herself unable to find their source. But Tsuki did her job well, too. No creature managed to come closer than a couple of feet and it was torn apart by Tsuki's teeth and claws. Soon, their enemies retreated with great loses.
The three dragons remained on edge for a few more minutes just in case the creatures decided to come back. Sakura, for a moment forgot that the strange shop owner and the librarian were riding dragons and fixed her eyes on the direction the creatures had flown. She wouldn't be able to relax if she wasn't sure that the danger had passed. A couple of minutes later, the girl let out a relieved breath and visibly relaxed. Phew! That was close!
Sakura turned her head and her gaze landed on the two dragons that were now flying in circles around them. Tsuki growled threateningly, warning them that there would be hell to pay if they even as much as tried to come closer or try anything. They had helped them fight off their enemies but Tsuki would never put her rider's life in danger. Even if it meant going up against two dragons bigger in size and probably with more fighting experience than her.
"Calm your dragon, Sakura. You know that we mean no harm. I think we have proved that" spoke Kurenai softly and smiled at Sakura. Poor girl… Her first flight and she was already fighting.
'Easy Tsuki' the girl said affectionately and patted the dragon's scaled neck 'Relax. There is nothing to worry about. What she said is true. They mean no harm'
'How do we know that we can trust them?' answered the silver dragon still not completely sure of their intentions despite what her rider told her.
'Don't worry. These people we can trust'
'You know them?'
'I do' the girl said and nodded while turning her attention back to the other two riders. Her eyes clashed with Kaien's and she noticed a certain spark in them that made her uncomfortable. It was as if he could see right through her. And she couldn't shake the feeling that he probably was. Something told her that the strange man already knew what question she was going to ask next. She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by the man lifting his hand to silence her.
"I know you have questions, young dragon rider. And answers you shall receive. But not here. Take us somewhere we will not be disturbed"
"And we still need to look after that wound on your shoulder" interrupted Kurenai who had a worried expression on her face.
Sakura groaned. With the fight and all she had completed forgotten her injured shoulder and along with it the pain and the blood drenching her shirt. But now, the pain was back and with it came a wave of dizziness. Her mother would have freaked out if she had seen her like this. Kurenai was right. She had to get that wound cleaned and bandaged or it might get infected. Also, the blood loss was getting to her and she was starting to feel lightheaded.
'Come on Tsuki. Let's go home. Toshiro must be worried'
Without answering, the dragon turned around and started flying towards the Haruno residence and Tsuki's cave where a white-haired boy was waiting anxiously for them, with two dragons following after her.
XxxOxOxOxxX
'Where the hell are they?' thought Toshiro as he paced back and forth in Tsuki's cave.
'It's been four hours already! Four freaking hours!'
What was taking them so long? Sure they had read that the first flight is very important but it was taking them ridiculously long to come back! He had been sure from the very beginning that once Sakura got over her initial nervousness and fear, she wouldn't want to ever get down but after four hours there was still no sight of them. He was starting to grow worried. What if something had happened? What if Sakura had been right and the saddle wasn't good enough?
Toshiro gasped. What if she had fallen? But Tsuki was with her….She would have caught her, right? But, what if someone had seen them? You can't hide a dragon that easily when out in the open and he was sure that they weren't going to risk it by gaining too much height. Sakura was still not used to flying and oxygen so high up wouldn't be enough for her. For Tsuki it was, but for inexperienced dragon rider Sakura, it would be crazy to attempt something like that. The lack of oxygen would probably make her faint and when you are flying on a dragon's back hundreds of meters off the ground it wasn't something that anyone would like to experience.
Toshiro sighed and ran a hand through his snow-white hair in frustration. He was never going to let her leave like that without him knowing where she was going. He knew that he couldn't follow her and Tsuki but still…It would make him feel a little more secure if he knew where they were. That way he would at least be able to go search for them in case they didn't return for long. Like this time, for example….
'WOOSH'
The boys head shot up when he heard that particular sound. It was something that he could recognize anytime. It was the sound of Tsuki's wings. Relief exploded inside of him and he thanked God for bringing them back safely. Without wasting a moment, he ran outside but stopped dead in his tracks. Now, he never expected to see three dragons standing in the small clearing right outside Tsuki's cave. Especially not with the two of them being full-grown adults. He shuddered when the black one of the two pinned him with its gaze, emerald green eyes clashing with his own. He felt a shiver run up and down his spine when the dragon's eyes narrowed, accessing him. The boy swiftly turned his gaze to the other dragon. It was a light blue color with some white scales here and there. Hey, wait a minute….That woman sitting on the blue dragon's back…..Wasn't she the librarian? Karanui? No. Keranui? No. Karunai? No. Kurenai? Yes! Her name was Kurenai. He remembered seeing her, a couple of times when he had visited the library for school projects. But, what was she doing here? And more importantly, why was she on a dragon's back?!
His eyes turned to Tsuki and Sakura and immediately widened in worry.
"Oh my God! Sakura!" he yelled and ran towards the pink-haired girl who was trying hard not to fall off the saddle. He quickly went to her side and Tsuki lowered herself a bit to give him better access to her rider. Toshiro's worry got ten times worse when he was met with the white-as-a-sheet face of the weak-looking girl. He gasped when he noticed the blood drenched T-shirt and the three wounds that were dangerously similar to claw marks.
"What happened to you?" he asked softly as he carefully lowered her body from the saddle and held her closer to himself, not really paying attention to the blood that started staining his shirt. All that mattered was Sakura and her well being.
"Get her inside, boy" ordered a voice from above him and Toshiro glared at the dark haired man that was looking down at him with an emotionless expression on his face.
"Who are you?" the young man said through greeted teeth and sent Kurenai a side glance, clearly mistrusting these people who had brought back Sakura in such a state.
"Questions will be answered but the girl's life comes first. Now, get her inside"
Toshiro watched closely as the man, with a steady and proud stride, headed inside the cave, followed closely by the black dragon and Kurenai who hadn't gotten down from her saddle.
Gently, he picked the injured girl up, holding her bridal style. Sakura was only half conscious. Her limbs hang limp and she was completely at his mercy. He had never seen the girl so weak and vulnerable before. He didn't like it; he didn't like it one bit. Scratch that-he downright hated it and he would be damned if he ever let anything else happen to her. He should have known better. He shouldn't have left her alone. He should have followed her, one way or another. God, he was so stupid! He was broken out of his thoughts by a sweet voice addressing him as he stepped inside the cave, Tsuki following close behind him to make sure that her rider was ok.
"Bring her here, young man"
It was Kurenai. She was sitting on the ground, on her dragon's left side with Kaien standing a couple of feet away, searching for something in one of his saddle's pouches. Finally finding what he wanted, the dark-haired handed it to Kurenai. It was a small, dark grey leaf. Toshiro had never seen a leaf like that.
"Put her down please" ordered the ruby-eyed woman with a sweet but stern voice that left no room for argument.
With gentle and slow moves he sat down and placed the pink haired girl's head on his lap before brushing a few stray locks of pink hair from her pale face. His heart ached at the sight of her. She had lost much blood. She was so pale, so vulnerable that he was afraid any sudden move would break her, like a porcelain doll. With trembling fingers he caressed her soft cheek and wiped some blood from her forehead. He balled his fist and gritted his teeth. He had promised to protect her. And he had failed. Just the way he had failed to protect his mother…..
A hand on his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts.
"Don't worry, boy. She's in good hands" the dark haired man said and moved aside to allow Kurenai to move closer to them. She kneeled in front of him and sent him a sweet smile of reassurance. But nothing would reassure him if he didn't see Sakura herself opening her eyes and smiling up at him, if he didn't hear her laugh or see her shinning emerald. Kurenai ruffled his hair affectionately and he looked up at her in surprise.
"It is clear that you care about Sakura, young man. Don't worry. In less than five minutes she will be up and ready to go"
Toshiro only nodded and allowed Kurenai to do whatever she intended to do.
The ruby-eyed woman placed her hand on Sakura's forehead and closed her eyes. She stayed like that for a couple of minutes before turning to Tsuki.
"Tsuki dear, I need some of your blood"
The silver scaled dragon looked at her with surprise and worry in her eyes but said nothing about it. If it meant saving Sakura then she was willing to do anything. With slow, cautious steps she moved closer to the woman who held up a shinning, silver dagger.
"What are you doing?" asked Toshiro, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Dragon blood is strong" explained the woman "It can cure almost every wound but it can also prove lethal if used unwisely. It was used by our ancestors for antidote making but also as poison. Dragon blood mixed with unicorn saliva and a phoenix's feathers offers something that many people have tried to achieve"
"What?" continued the boy.
"Immortality"
Toshiro gasped in surprise "Has anyone managed it?"
"No" This time it was Kaien who answered "All these ingredients are exceptionally rare and most humans don't know how to use them"
Kurenai lightly cut one of Tsuki's clawed fingers and quickly placed a cup filled with water under it. She nodded in satisfaction as big, drops of blood stained the once clear liquid red.
"This should be enough" she said more to herself than anyone else and took in her hands the leaf that Kaien had handed her only a few minutes ago. She crushed it in the palm of her hand and added it to the cup with the blood stained water. Suddenly the liquid changed color and turned a dark purple.
"Lift her head a little" said Kurenai and Toshiro quickly obeyed.
The woman brought the cup to the girl's lips and allowed some of the purple liquid to run in her mouth. She withdrew her hand and grabbed a small glass bottle before putting the remaining of the medicine in it. Toshiro sent her a questioning look but she only smiled at him.
"In case we need more of this" she said and placed the small bottle in a dark brown pouch that hung loosely around her waist.
Suddenly, Toshiro's attention snapped back to the girl in his arms and anyone would be able to recognize the hopefulness in his gaze. He stared in amazement as the three claw wounds on her shoulder started to disappear leaving nothing behind them but Sakura's soft flesh. They were gone in a matter of seconds. As if they were never there.
"Sakura?" he asked softly and brushed another lock of hair out of her eyes.
He had never been happier to see a pair of emerald eyes looking up at him through thick, black eyelashes. He sighed in relief and gently helped Sakura sit up. Tsuki hurriedly came over and nuzzled the girl's neck with her warm muzzle. Sakura patted the dragon's head and kissed the top of her nose before turning to the other occupants of the cave.
"What happened?" she asked and looked around "When did we get here?"
Her faze suddenly landed on Kaien "You"
"Nice to see you too Sakura" he replied with a small smirk forming on his lips.
Her gaze passed over the foreign dragons and stopped when her green eyes clashed with red ones "What's going on here?"
"You were injured" informed her Kurenai "In the fight with the shadows but you managed to lead us here before fainting. You had three gashes on your shoulder but I healed you and now you are as good as new" the woman sent her a kind and sweet smile. Images flashed through Sakura's mind as the events of only half an hour ago came back to her.
The young, pink haired girl glanced at her shoulder and gasped when she saw nothing but flawless skin where, only a couple of minutes ago, three claw wounds were drenching her T-shirt in blood. She turned to the woman kneeling in front of her and smiled at her gratefully.
"Thank you, for saving our lives" she said referring also to their previous intervention in the fight that had saved both her and Tsuki's lives.
"Enough with this. We have more pressing matters to discuss" Kaien interrupted them and went to stand beside the black dragon.
Sakura, feeling much better quickly stood up, not noticing Toshiro's disappointed look at the loss of her warmth.
"Indeed we have other thing to discuss. You have some explaining to do" she said and pointed and accusing finger at him. Tsuki went to stand beside her, feeling a little overprotective-well, more than usual-of her rider now that they were in the presence of two other dragons and their riders.
"What do you want to know?" asked the man casually, his almost indifferent expression making Sakura angrier at him.
"First of all, how did you know that we needed help?"
"It wasn't that hard. A dragon and a rider taking their flight is not something that happens every day. Also, a number of shadows as great as the one we faced today is also rare. It wasn't a coincidence that they decided to make their move today that you took your first flight"
Sakura nodded, feeling satisfied enough with his answer. It sounded logical. But she wasn't over. Oh no, she was far from it.
"Who are you really? A shop owner, a dragon rider? What?" it was a question that had been eating her and she needed an answer. She needed to know the truth.
"I'm a little of both"
She gaped at his answer "That's not enough"
"That's all I offer" he said smugly.
Sakura growled at him but chose not to yell, for now at least. She needed answers and she was positive that lashing out on him wouldn't help her situation "Why did you choose me?"
"It was never my choice, girl. Tsuki chose you. There is nothing I could have said or done to change that. Once a dragon chooses you, your fates are bound together. You were meant to be a dragon rider and Tsuki was meant to be your dragon. Just the way Arasoi was meant to be mine" he said and patted the black dragons neck "And Ryoshi was meant to be Kurenai's" he motioned to the blue dragon.
Sakura caressed Tsuki's silver-scaled neck. Suddenly, a question popped into her head and even though it was slightly irrelevant to their current discussion, she just had to ask.
"Hey, I have another question" she said earning the attention of both Kaien and Kureanai "In the fight….I noticed arrows. I saw a few of them killing off those things but I couldn't find their source. Do you happen to know anything about it?"
Kurenai shot up from her position while slapping her forehead "Oh Kaien! How could we forget? We need to call him. It's about time they met"
Sakura looked at them confused "Who? What are you talking about?" But they paid her no mind.
Kaien turned to the black dragon "Arasoi go bring him here"
The emerald-eyed beast nodded and without a moment's hesitation he was out of the cave, flying to God-knows-where.
"Who is this guy?" Sakura asked once more.
"You'll see" was all the answer she got from Kaien causing her to cross her arms across her chest angrily earning a smirk from Toshiro who had chosen to remain silent and watch their conversation.
A few minutes later they heard the characteristic sound of a dragon's wings and knew that Arasoi was back. Sakura had her back turned so she didn't notice the tall, male figure entering the cave along with the dragon. She was desperately trying to stop herself from hitting Kaien but his indifferent and smug behavior was making it all the more difficult.
"Welcome!" she heard Kurenai's warm greeting and guessed that their…..visitor had arrived. She turned around to meet this stranger who, as it seemed, had helped save her and her dragon.
She gasped and her eyes almost fell out of their sockets.
"NEJI?!"
TBC
Here you go! Chapter 14! Things are starting to get interesting! Kaien and Kurenai are dragon riders AND Neji comes into play once more! Also, the Master in angry that Sakura and Tsuki took their first flight! Poor shadow! I almost feel sorry for it!
Hope you like it! And don't forget: READ AND REVIEW!