I am so mad! This was supposed to be out a whole lot earlier, but first I was grounded for a week, and then my stupid disk goes and erases almost all of my files! I had nineteen left, out of FIFTY-ONE! ARGH! Unfortunately, the next part to this was one of the ones deleted, so it's late. Well, that's my excuse. So, yeah, I wanted to expand a lil more on the background of Draconians, so I decided Naoko should be one. Adds a nice lil plot twist, doesn't it? Enjoy da fic!
"Naoko Motomiya." Dillandau whispered. "You're Draconian!"
"Yeah, Dillandau, I am. Will you kill me now, like you killed my family?" Naoko snapped, glaring at him. Tears trickled down her cheeks, but her eyes were hard and frosty.
"Naoko, I wouldn't kill you." Dillandau said, stretching his hand towards her. For the first time in three years, he could think clearly. It was hard for him to believe that this young woman with the fiery temper was the same scrawny girl he'd saved from bullies. She looked totally different.
Naoko looked at his face, then down at the hand outstretched towards her. Indecision flashed in her eyes. Slowly, she reached her hand out, then suddenly dropped it again. She stared at him, searching his eyes.
"Naoko. I won't tell anyone. You have to believe me. Remember when we first met? I promised you I'd always protect you." Dillandau said softly.
"And then you destroyed my home, my family, even a part of me." Naoko backed away from him.
"Naoko, it wasn't my fault. Truly. I was under Zaibach's control, and I didn't know what I was doing." Dillandau took a step towards her. He had no worries about the king; Folken had seen to it that the king would sleep for days, courtesy of a sleeping herb slipped into his drink. Folken had, of course, recognized Naoko for who she was, but Dillandau had refused to believe him. Tonight had been a test, Dillandau's idea, to prove that it wasn't Naoko. But he'd been wrong...
"Why should I believe you, Dillandau?" Naoko glanced behind her and Dillandau followed her gaze to the open window.
"Naoko, don't." Dillandau replied softly. "What happened to the girl who became my friend? What happened to her?"
Naoko looked back at him, the expression on her face one Dillandau would remember for the rest of his life. Pain and anger made her seem unrecognizable, but what really struck him was the defeat in her eyes.
"You destroyed her, Dillandau." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You destroyed her with her family." Then she was running, sprinting towards the open window. Dillandau, surprised, ran after her, but it was too late. Her wings burst through her shirt and she flung herself out the window. Her wings, the white of fresh-fallen snow with hints of sapphire, caught the wind and spread out, lifting Naoko high into the air.
"Naoko!" Dillandau cried. She spun around to look at him, but Dillandau's eyes had caught a flash of movement elsewhere. Folken shot out from the cover of the trees, also with his wings spread, and hurtled towards Naoko. Naoko, catching the expression on Dillandau's face, tried to turn around, but Folken was faster.
"Folken, stop!" Dillandau yelled, trying to assume his usual commanding tone. Folken ignored him, and dealt a stunning blow to the back of Naoko's head. She dropped towards the ground, her body suddenly limp. Dillandau cursed and swung his legs out the window, dropping onto his hidden guymelaf. Above him, Folken dived towards Naoko and caught her before she hit the ground. Carrying her in his arms, he flew towards Dillandau, who carefully assumed his usual maniacal stare.
"Folken, I told you to stop. I do not appreciate being ignored." He snapped, glaring at Folken. There was a flicker of something unreadable in Folken's eyes as he landed on the outstretched arm of the guymelaf. Dillandau stepped forward and took Naoko out of his arms. Folken hid his wings back under his shirt, all the while staring at Dillandau as though trying to remember something.
"She would have gotten away, Dillandau." Folken replied in his soft voice. He smiled, a chilling smile that made Dillandau shiver inwardly. It was a smile that said he knew Dillandau could think clearly.
"Back to the fortress." Dillandau growled. Folken inclined his head, then dropped off the guymelaf into the darkness beyond. All was silent as Dillandau carefully climbed into the guymelaf, Naoko against him. A few seconds later, he was flying back to his fortress.
Dillandau sat and stared at the girl lying on the bed in front of him. She was dressed in the uniform of his Dragon Slayer's. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow. Dillandau still couldn't believe how she had tricked him; in fact, how she had tricked almost everyone on his floating ship. He thought back to the day he first met her, although then he hadn't known she was a girl. Folken had tried to tell him, but he'd refused to believe it. As he watched Naoko sleep, he thought back to the first day he'd met her...
"Ow! Mattie, don't hit me! Ow! I didn't mean it, honestly!" The terrified voice cut through young Dillandau Albatou's daydreaming. He was traveling with his guardian, Folken, on their way to meet with Emperor Dornkirk.
Without even a glance at Folken, Dillandau kicked his horse towards the voice's direction. There was a bend in the dirt road they were traveling on, and it was there Dillandau suspected the person was. As he galloped round it, there was a scream from up ahead and a young girl ran up the road, glancing back wildly at the heavy-set boy pursuing her.
"Mattie, leave me alone!" The girl screamed, then spotted Dillandau galloping towards them and froze. The boy, Mattie, knocked her over and stared at Dillandau with a sneer. Dillandau reined his horse to a stop and leaped down, glaring at Mattie.
"What do you want?" Mattie sneered. The girl lay in front of him, quietly sobbing. Her long, silky black hair partly covered her face, and her shirt and breeches were torn and dirty. Dillandau stepped forward and helped her up, ignoring Mattie completely.
"Hey! I was talkin' to you!" Mattie snapped, walking over to them. He held a fist in front of Dillandau's face, but Dillandau just looked him up and down and smirked. The girl leaned heavily on Dillandau as she regained her breath; there were bruises covering her arms and face, and blood on her lip. Turning his back on the glowering Mattie, Dillandau helped her over to the side of the road and got her to sit down.
"Who do you think you are?" Mattie snarled, grabbing Dillandau's shoulder and spinning him around. He was taller than Dillandau by a foot, and at least fifty pounds heavier, but Dillandau remained calm.
"Unhand me." Dillandau said softly. He stared at Mattie, forcing the other boy to look away. Mattie's face went red, and he grabbed Dillandau's shirt, lifting him off the ground. Dillandau's eyes narrowed. Too fast for the watching girl to see, his hand flashed down to his side and he drew his sword. There was a gleam in his eyes as he pressed it to Mattie's throat, forcing the other boy to let go of his shirt. Mattie's face was as white as paper, and his eyes bugged as he stared at the shining silver sword pressed to his throat.
"Please, sir, don't kill him." The girl's voice was so soft Dillandau almost missed hearing it. He glanced at her, and she met his gaze boldly, revealing beautiful emerald eyes. She had stood up, swaying slightly, and was staring at him with pleading in her eyes.
"It isn't his fault, sir. It's mine, really." Her face was earnest, but there was a tell-tale waver in her voice that she was obviously trying to hide. "I-I brought it on myself." Her eyes dropped as Dillandau continued to look at her, and a faint blush colored her cheekbones. Dillandau looked back at Mattie and caught the faint self-satisfied smirk the older boy quickly hid. Dillandau pulled his sword away and, taking a step back, sheathed it. Mattie rubbed a hand across his throat as Dillandau turned back to the girl.
"Was it truly your fault?" he asked softly. The girl nodded. When Dillandau looked back, he saw that Mattie was gone, and sneered slightly. Wimp, he thought.
"Thank you, sir. My name is Naoko Motomiya." She replied, extending a slender hand. She looked about thirteen, but there was a look in her eyes that seemed too old for someone her age. Dillandau himself was only a year older.
"Dillandau Albatou." Suddenly, Dillandau remembered Folken. Where had his guardian gone? As if on cue, Folken appeared around the bend, letting his horse walk lazily down to join them. He slid off and looked questioningly at Naoko, then at Dillandau.
"This is Naoko Motomiya. Naoko, this is Folken."
"Pleased to meet you, sir. Are you travelers? I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if you rested at our house." Naoko offered.
Dillandau shook himself out of his reverie. He and Folken had accepted Naoko's invitation, and stayed with her family for almost a year. He had become very good friends with Naoko. And then, Dornkirk had brought him to his palace, and he couldn't remember anything from then until now...
"Naoko Motomiya." Dillandau whispered. "You're Draconian!"
"Yeah, Dillandau, I am. Will you kill me now, like you killed my family?" Naoko snapped, glaring at him. Tears trickled down her cheeks, but her eyes were hard and frosty.
"Naoko, I wouldn't kill you." Dillandau said, stretching his hand towards her. For the first time in three years, he could think clearly. It was hard for him to believe that this young woman with the fiery temper was the same scrawny girl he'd saved from bullies. She looked totally different.
Naoko looked at his face, then down at the hand outstretched towards her. Indecision flashed in her eyes. Slowly, she reached her hand out, then suddenly dropped it again. She stared at him, searching his eyes.
"Naoko. I won't tell anyone. You have to believe me. Remember when we first met? I promised you I'd always protect you." Dillandau said softly.
"And then you destroyed my home, my family, even a part of me." Naoko backed away from him.
"Naoko, it wasn't my fault. Truly. I was under Zaibach's control, and I didn't know what I was doing." Dillandau took a step towards her. He had no worries about the king; Folken had seen to it that the king would sleep for days, courtesy of a sleeping herb slipped into his drink. Folken had, of course, recognized Naoko for who she was, but Dillandau had refused to believe him. Tonight had been a test, Dillandau's idea, to prove that it wasn't Naoko. But he'd been wrong...
"Why should I believe you, Dillandau?" Naoko glanced behind her and Dillandau followed her gaze to the open window.
"Naoko, don't." Dillandau replied softly. "What happened to the girl who became my friend? What happened to her?"
Naoko looked back at him, the expression on her face one Dillandau would remember for the rest of his life. Pain and anger made her seem unrecognizable, but what really struck him was the defeat in her eyes.
"You destroyed her, Dillandau." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You destroyed her with her family." Then she was running, sprinting towards the open window. Dillandau, surprised, ran after her, but it was too late. Her wings burst through her shirt and she flung herself out the window. Her wings, the white of fresh-fallen snow with hints of sapphire, caught the wind and spread out, lifting Naoko high into the air.
"Naoko!" Dillandau cried. She spun around to look at him, but Dillandau's eyes had caught a flash of movement elsewhere. Folken shot out from the cover of the trees, also with his wings spread, and hurtled towards Naoko. Naoko, catching the expression on Dillandau's face, tried to turn around, but Folken was faster.
"Folken, stop!" Dillandau yelled, trying to assume his usual commanding tone. Folken ignored him, and dealt a stunning blow to the back of Naoko's head. She dropped towards the ground, her body suddenly limp. Dillandau cursed and swung his legs out the window, dropping onto his hidden guymelaf. Above him, Folken dived towards Naoko and caught her before she hit the ground. Carrying her in his arms, he flew towards Dillandau, who carefully assumed his usual maniacal stare.
"Folken, I told you to stop. I do not appreciate being ignored." He snapped, glaring at Folken. There was a flicker of something unreadable in Folken's eyes as he landed on the outstretched arm of the guymelaf. Dillandau stepped forward and took Naoko out of his arms. Folken hid his wings back under his shirt, all the while staring at Dillandau as though trying to remember something.
"She would have gotten away, Dillandau." Folken replied in his soft voice. He smiled, a chilling smile that made Dillandau shiver inwardly. It was a smile that said he knew Dillandau could think clearly.
"Back to the fortress." Dillandau growled. Folken inclined his head, then dropped off the guymelaf into the darkness beyond. All was silent as Dillandau carefully climbed into the guymelaf, Naoko against him. A few seconds later, he was flying back to his fortress.
Dillandau sat and stared at the girl lying on the bed in front of him. She was dressed in the uniform of his Dragon Slayer's. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow. Dillandau still couldn't believe how she had tricked him; in fact, how she had tricked almost everyone on his floating ship. He thought back to the day he first met her, although then he hadn't known she was a girl. Folken had tried to tell him, but he'd refused to believe it. As he watched Naoko sleep, he thought back to the first day he'd met her...
"Ow! Mattie, don't hit me! Ow! I didn't mean it, honestly!" The terrified voice cut through young Dillandau Albatou's daydreaming. He was traveling with his guardian, Folken, on their way to meet with Emperor Dornkirk.
Without even a glance at Folken, Dillandau kicked his horse towards the voice's direction. There was a bend in the dirt road they were traveling on, and it was there Dillandau suspected the person was. As he galloped round it, there was a scream from up ahead and a young girl ran up the road, glancing back wildly at the heavy-set boy pursuing her.
"Mattie, leave me alone!" The girl screamed, then spotted Dillandau galloping towards them and froze. The boy, Mattie, knocked her over and stared at Dillandau with a sneer. Dillandau reined his horse to a stop and leaped down, glaring at Mattie.
"What do you want?" Mattie sneered. The girl lay in front of him, quietly sobbing. Her long, silky black hair partly covered her face, and her shirt and breeches were torn and dirty. Dillandau stepped forward and helped her up, ignoring Mattie completely.
"Hey! I was talkin' to you!" Mattie snapped, walking over to them. He held a fist in front of Dillandau's face, but Dillandau just looked him up and down and smirked. The girl leaned heavily on Dillandau as she regained her breath; there were bruises covering her arms and face, and blood on her lip. Turning his back on the glowering Mattie, Dillandau helped her over to the side of the road and got her to sit down.
"Who do you think you are?" Mattie snarled, grabbing Dillandau's shoulder and spinning him around. He was taller than Dillandau by a foot, and at least fifty pounds heavier, but Dillandau remained calm.
"Unhand me." Dillandau said softly. He stared at Mattie, forcing the other boy to look away. Mattie's face went red, and he grabbed Dillandau's shirt, lifting him off the ground. Dillandau's eyes narrowed. Too fast for the watching girl to see, his hand flashed down to his side and he drew his sword. There was a gleam in his eyes as he pressed it to Mattie's throat, forcing the other boy to let go of his shirt. Mattie's face was as white as paper, and his eyes bugged as he stared at the shining silver sword pressed to his throat.
"Please, sir, don't kill him." The girl's voice was so soft Dillandau almost missed hearing it. He glanced at her, and she met his gaze boldly, revealing beautiful emerald eyes. She had stood up, swaying slightly, and was staring at him with pleading in her eyes.
"It isn't his fault, sir. It's mine, really." Her face was earnest, but there was a tell-tale waver in her voice that she was obviously trying to hide. "I-I brought it on myself." Her eyes dropped as Dillandau continued to look at her, and a faint blush colored her cheekbones. Dillandau looked back at Mattie and caught the faint self-satisfied smirk the older boy quickly hid. Dillandau pulled his sword away and, taking a step back, sheathed it. Mattie rubbed a hand across his throat as Dillandau turned back to the girl.
"Was it truly your fault?" he asked softly. The girl nodded. When Dillandau looked back, he saw that Mattie was gone, and sneered slightly. Wimp, he thought.
"Thank you, sir. My name is Naoko Motomiya." She replied, extending a slender hand. She looked about thirteen, but there was a look in her eyes that seemed too old for someone her age. Dillandau himself was only a year older.
"Dillandau Albatou." Suddenly, Dillandau remembered Folken. Where had his guardian gone? As if on cue, Folken appeared around the bend, letting his horse walk lazily down to join them. He slid off and looked questioningly at Naoko, then at Dillandau.
"This is Naoko Motomiya. Naoko, this is Folken."
"Pleased to meet you, sir. Are you travelers? I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if you rested at our house." Naoko offered.
Dillandau shook himself out of his reverie. He and Folken had accepted Naoko's invitation, and stayed with her family for almost a year. He had become very good friends with Naoko. And then, Dornkirk had brought him to his palace, and he couldn't remember anything from then until now...
