Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Author's Note: This is the revised version of the second chapter, which, in my opinion was unsalvageable to the rest of the story unless I changed some of it, so I did. I hope you find Jenrya more in character, and the Christianity is gone, it just didn't work. Now that I've finish revising this chapter, I hope to get onto the next one. ^_^*
Contains extreme violence. Email me at: daisukefire@yahoo.com
Ruki = Rika
Jenrya = Henry
Legends of Love By DaisukeFire Chapter Itchi: Dragon Slayer Four years later…The rhythmic beat of the horse's hooves echoed off the tightly packed dirt road, a trail of dust rising in the path behind the black steed. The rider shouted to the horse to go faster just as the rough wake of a flying creature shot overhead. Gazing up into the night sky, the rider saw the silhouette of a dragon cross the moon, and then circle back down and accelerate in her direction. Urgently she rammed the heels of her heavy boots into the horse's side, causing it to burst forward and increase its speed. She looked to find the dragon's position in the sky, only to be surprised at how fast it had reached her. The rider ducked her head as a spray of flames screamed just above her head. The heat was intense, but she'd felt hotter. She glanced over her shoulder to see the dragon circling around for another strike. Quickly she pulled back the horse's reins, bringing the horse to a stop on its back legs as it raised its front ones high into the air. She jumped off its back and looked into its eyes.
"Stay here, Rena. I'll be right back," she said soothingly to the steed. Then she took off sprinting in the direction of the dragon. She drew the sword from its sheath, which was strapped across her back.
The black armor she wore clanked as she ran. Yet it was light and didn't hinder her mobility. She'd had it specially forged by the land's most prominent smith a couple of years ago. It could withstand the blows of most swords, but she was able to swim in it as well.
When she was a safe distance from the horse, she stopped and awaited the oncoming dragon. Yet it did not attack when it approached, but landed a short distance in front of her. She remained silent, raising her two-handed broad sword into battle position.
"Human, you've entered the southern realm. The Dragon King has annexed it to us dragons, and you are forbidden to enter here. I give you now the choice of leaving peacefully, or I shall kill you," the dragon warned.
The girl smirked, "The decrees of the Dragon King mean nothing to me. You act as the hunter here, destroying those who enter your realm. But have you ever considered that I might be the one hunting you?"
The dragon pulled back his head in dismay, "You cannot be the "Dragon Slayer." It is impossible that a woman could have killed so many of my brethren. Do you say this to try and scare me away? I should kill you right now for such an insult to my intelligence!"
"Then let us make a bet," the girl laughed, "if I slay you, then I shall rip out your teeth and sell them to all the superstitious fools out there, as I do with all dragons I defeat. But if you defeat me, then you may tell all of your kin that you were the one to slay the "Dragon Slayer." Deal?"
The dragon growled, "How dare you show such disrespect for one superior to you! I'll feast on your flesh once I tear the life from your body!" Then, with a motion so quick and well placed that it would have diced most knights, the dragon swiped his claws at her. But she was no lightweight knight; in fact she wasn't even a knight at all. Long anticipating the time and direction of the swing, the girl dug the bottoms of her boots into the ground and pushed back as hard as she could. This resulted in her dodging the fatal blow by just a few inches.
She could feel the surge of energy overwhelm her as adrenalin was dumped was into her bloodstream. This feeling was all that she lived for anymore. Every resting moment was spent preparing for the next fight. Was it this passion, this love for battle that made her seem invincible? Many people had called her a goddess of war, and her most common title had once been the "Angel of Death." That title and person were long dead now, they had died in the siege of the forgotten realm of Icarnia. Now she was the "Dragon Slayer." This name was less flashy, and really didn't seem to strike fear into the hearts of her enemies, but it described her to a tee.
Adjusting her black gauntlets to grip the sword better, she leapt in at the dragon with her sword raised over her head. The dragon did not flinch. Rather than bringing the sword down on the dragon's head, though, she checked the swing midway and instead kicked the dragon's lower jaw with her boot. The dragon reeled its head back in surprise, a trickle of blood flowing from his jaw. He looked down at the girl, and then at her boots; they were spiked at the tips.
The girl smiled. She knew that the blow she had dealt had hardly hurt the dragon, but she always liked to toy with them before she gave them their deathblow. She was not as ignorant as she had been in her younger years. She had learned the hard way that the dragon's scaly armor was thickest on its back and on the top of its head. You would have more luck trying to hammer your way through a mountain than to penetrate the backside of a dragon. The weakness of the dragon was its belly. One or two good blows to its underside would bring it down. But exposing its belly was easier said than done.
The dragon seemed to forget its minor wound, began to beat its wings. Rising into the air, it spewed a blast of flames at the girl. The girl rolled to the side, but a few of the flames touched her shoulder. Smoke rose from her singed armor, and the girl growled angrily. Now she would have to polish it to get it back to its black shine again.
Enough games, she decided. The dragon swooped down with his jaws open, planning to snap her in half with a single bite. The dragon slayer pulled to the side, at the same time drawing a dagger that had rested at her side. As the dragon shot by, she placed the dagger in its mouth, the tip pointing up in the dragon's mouth so that the dragon bit down the dagger would impale its brain.
The dragon crashed to a stop and clawed at its mouth, trying to free the dagger from its jaws. The girl took the dragon's distraction to her advantage and attacked from behind. With a vertical slash she sliced through the skin of its left wing, cutting the flap into two sections. This would prevent the dragon from going airborne again. The dragon rose onto its back feet in pain, still clawing at its mouth to remove the dagger. The girl dodged its random slashing and moved in front of it. The dragon gasped as it realized what she was doing, and tried to swipe her away. But it was too late, and she drove the sword into its belly with all her might. The dragon thrashed in pain, but the girl did not let go of the sword. She laughed triumphantly and began to push the sword across the dragon's belly, spilling its insides.
In fear and pain the dragon pulled away from her, trying to flee the battle. But its sliced wing would not catch the air and it fell to the ground. The girl watched with an icy smirk as the dragon began crawling away from her. After it had gone a few feet, its arms lost all strength and it fell to the ground, dead in defeat. The girl waited for a few minutes to make sure most of the blood had drained from the dragon's body, and to make sure it was dead. The last thing she wanted was to loose a limb when it snapped at her in one last motion of death.
Certain the dragon was dead, she approached its head. The dagger was still lodged in its jaws and a pool of blood had formed where the carcass lay. She forced open the jaws and removed the dagger. Then, using the dagger, she began to dig out the teeth from its jaw. She would also cut the claws from its fingers. The black market for dragon's teeth and claws was well paying, and she had a monopoly on the market. She needed the money to purchase the food and supplies needed to continue her quest of exterminating the dragon race. This was always the hard part, slaying the dragon was fun but only lasted a few minutes, this one had been easier than normal. But removing the teeth and claws would still take her a few hours.
She looked over the dragon to make sure her steed hadn't fled, and seeing the horse still standing where she had left it, whistled and called, "Rena!" The horse trotted to her, but kept a few feet away. It never liked to get close to the dragons.
The sun was just rising when she cut the last claw from its foot, scrapped it clean of the flesh, and placed it into a brown supply pack on Rena. She pulled some dried fruit and meat from a different pack and chewed on the food. The girl was disappointed to see that her supplies were running low, and that she would have to leave dragon country for the civilized world to get food again. Hopping onto Rena's back, she gently hit her heals against the horse's side and it started a relaxed trot.
Still chewing on the food, she looked back at the dragon's corpse. The corpse was her calling card. In a few hours, dragons patrolling the area would find it and know she had struck once again.
Dragons. She hated them as much as she loved killing them. She had been told that there were good dragons as well as the bad ones out there. But if this was so, where were those good ones to stop the bad ones from giving the Dragon King so much power? To her a dragon was a dragon. Any dragon she could get her hands on, good or bad, would feel the edge of her blade.
The horse and rider continued traveling for a few more hours, and they had been close to the border of dragon country, so the girl was sure that they were now well out of the southern realm.
Stopping in a grove of trees, well away from the sight of the road, she dismounted her steed and tied its reins to a tree. She heard the song of a stream nearby, and looked at her body. Her armor was covered in the dried blood of the dragon, and dirt caked her boots. She was overwhelmed by the smell of sweat and rotting flesh coming from her body. Normally she ignored being so grungy, but since she was heading to civilization, she decided a bath might be necessary.
The water was cool and relaxing as she bathed. Her armor lay clean and neatly organized on the bank of the stream, and she had cleaned her sword as well. The dagger she kept in her hand as she bathed. She would not be caught off guard and unarmed. She speared a few fish that swam close to her, tossing them on the bank to her rear for her dinner that afternoon.
Her muscles relaxed from the tension, caused by years of battle, which plagued them. She lay her head on a smooth rock and let the water rinse the dirt and oil from her hair. The sun was warm, and the water gentle. As much as she tried, she was unable to keep the peacefulness of her dreams from consuming her, and she fell asleep.
*******
The sound of something rushing through the trees around her tore her from the sleep she treasured. She caught a glimpse of something red moving, but her eyes were still somewhat blurred with sleep. Sitting up, she looked in the trees around her. She could still see Rena tied where she had left her. The horse seemed calm, and if something dangerous were around, Rena wouldn't hesitate to start neighing in distress. The dragon slayer was certain that she smelled a dragon, but the smell could be coming from her hands, which she never seemed to be able to get clean. Whatever she had seen was gone now, and she decided it was best not to worry about it. She turned to gather the fish she'd speared, only to find pieces of them left. Whatever had been there had eaten her dinner. The dragon slayer wasn't too upset about it, though, she had some dried meat still in her supply sack. Not quite as good as fish, but it would suffice.
She rose from the water and put on the tunic she wore under her armor. She had just finished putting on her boots when she heard it. It was the sound of taunting, and it was coming from the road. She grabbed her sword and trotted to the edge of the grove. In the road were three men, all of them scraggly and grim looking. Thieves, the girl guessed, surrounded a young man in a strange looking gray robe. One of the men had a pack and was throwing the contents of it carelessly to the ground.
One, who appeared to be the leader of the group, said, "Don't you have anything of value?"
The young man calmly replied, "No, I'm sorry. I don't have many possessions."
"Well, I do like that outfit you've got on, it looks very comfortable," said one of the other thieves.
"And what about that dangly thing around his neck? Is that real silver?" asked the leader.
"You can't have this," the man said sternly as he grasped the decoration in his hands. It was a silver star with a quarter moon in the center.
"I'll cut your head off to get it if I have to," the leader snarled, moving in on the young man.
"Please, don't make me fight you… you wouldn't want that," replied the man, a certain, confident gleam in his eyes.
The girl decided that now was the time to move. Whoever the man in the gray robe was, he certainly didn't look like he could handle himself, despite his strong words. She began walking toward the group. One of the thieves noticed her approach and said something to the others who turned and looked at her. The man in gray looked at her in confusion.
"Leave him alone," the dragon slayer growled.
The leader laughed, "And what are you going to do about it, peasant girl?"
The dragon slayer smirked and raised her sword. "I'm no peasant. Let him go or answer to me."
"I can take care of myself," the man in gray said to the dragon slayer.
"Sure," she laughed.
"I'd hate to have to fight such a pretty," interrupted the leader, "little, and innocent young thing." His smile was toothless and ugly. "It would be a sin to get blood on such a beautiful face."
"If anyone's blood paints my face, it will be yours."
The leader turned to his companion with the pack and said, "Go and get her. She'll make us some good evening entertainment."
"Right," the thief smiled and ran towards the girl, raising a large branch that he intended to use as a club. He swung at the girl, who easily parried the blow with her sword. The thief swung again only to find his blow blocked once again. Crying out angrily, he swung the club over his head and down at her. The dragon slayer sidestepped so the blow hit the ground, and then brought her sword down on the club, splintering it just below the thief's hand. He cried out in dismay and tried to punch her. She dodged and drove her spiked book into his thigh. Moaning in pain, the man began hobbling back to his companions, who looked at the girl in fear. The leader and other companion began to run, leaving their hurt companion pleading with them not to abandon him.
When the thieves were a good distance away, the girl approached the young man and picked up his pack. She stuffed a few of his possessions in it and handed it to him. Then she turned and began to head back to the trees.
The young man called after her, "Wait!" The girl stopped and turned to look at him. He was a dark haired young man with a pleasant face, and he panted as he stopped just in front of her. "Thank you, that was very impressive."
"It was nothing… nice dress," the dragon slayer said coldly.
"This isn't a dress, it's a robe. Thank you for helping me, but I could have taken care of them fine by myself."
The dragon slayer smirked, "You probably would have tripped on your dress."
"I'm peaceful most of the time, and I only result to fighting when I have to. But when I do fight, I am always confident that I will win."
"You certainly don't look like a fighter," the dragon slayer said, cocking one of her thin eyebrows.
"I am a missionary from the east. There my order is responsible for protecting the people, and we are fully trained in the art of fighting."
"Oh, a religious man," the girl scoffed. "Not many of you journey into this land, most consider it evil."
"That's true, but that's also what makes it so much more important to preach peace here. I'm a Paladin, a very important religious position where I come from. No one from my order would come here, so I volunteered."
"So you're a fighting religious man? Weird."
"Yes, and it's not that weird. By the way, what are you, if you're not peasant?"
"A dragon slayer," she smirked calmly.
The Paladin looked surprised, "You say that as if you're serious. I'm serious about being a missionary."
"And I'm serious about being a dragon slayer."
"Come now. Everyone knows that dragons are just myths."
"What, do you live in a monastery or something?"
"Well yes… I do. But no one has ever reported seeing a dragon in the east. I've always been taught that they were just an evil myth from this land."
The dragon slayer sighed in annoyance. "I doubt dragons would go east anyways, there's nothing worthwhile out there anyways."
"Hey- "
"Well I don't suppose you've heard of the Dragon King then either."
"No, who's he."
"Never mind," she shook her head. "You lead a much too sheltered life."
"I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe in something so foolish as dragons until I actually see one."
"Fine with me. You probably won't see any around here, most reside in the southern realm." The dragon slayer began to walk away.
"Wait! I'm sorry if I've angered you. We haven't been properly introduced yet. My name is Jenrya, what's yours?"
"I have a lot of names, what do you care?"
"It always helps to know the name of a friend," he said, disappointed in her indifference.
"Who said I was your friend?" The two were now into the grove and the girl began digging in some of the packs at Rena's side. She turned to him and tossed him one of the dragon's teeth she'd harvested that morning. "You can call me Ruki."
The Paladin looked up at her and smiled, "Thanks Ruki. What's this, why's it sticky and why does it stink?"
"A dragon's tooth, because it's fresh, and because all dragons stink."
The man dropped it and took a step back. "Nice try, but I still don't believe in dragons, and I don't even want to know what poor creature you got that from."
Ruki shrugged and began to gather her gear and pack it onto Rena. She picked up the tooth from the ground and looked at Jenrya, "Don't be so careless with these, they're worth a lot of gold."
"Sorry."
The girl walked back to the stream and began to put her armor back on. Noticing that Jenrya hadn't left she told him, "You're free to go. You don't owe me anything for saving you."
"Well actually, the only reason I was on this road is because I was lost. I was hoping that maybe you could be my guide for a little while. I can't pay you, but I will teach you some of my religion if you wish."
"Your beliefs mean nothing to me, and they make me desire your company even less. I would just assume leave you out here and let the dragons get you, but then I would never see the look on your face when you realized that I was right."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I guess you can come with me to the next town. Then you can go wherever you want from there." The dragon slayer, now fully dressed in her armor, hoped on top of Rena and looked down at the missionary.
"Thank you very much. I shall do my best to keep up with your horse."
"Don't fool yourself, it'll take forever if we go at your pace. Climb on." Jenrya looked unsure. Becoming impatient, Ruki patted the horses rear and ordered, "Get on the horse."
Jenrya gulped and climbed on the horse, and turned red as he grabbed onto the girls waist. "Please excuse me for holding onto you like this, I've never ridden a horse before."
Ruki looked at him in surprise, "How else do you expect to hang on? Yah!" The horse shot forward and Jenrya had to grip her all the tighter to keep from falling off.
"This is ironic, usually it is the girl holding onto the man as he rides the horse," he yelled to her. She ignored him.
While she rode, the missionary behind her spouted out all the wonderful things about his religion and his home was so great. She ignored his foolish chatter and looked at her surroundings as they rushed across the landscape. Glancing to a forest to her left, she thought she saw the red creature she had seen earlier. She slowed the horse and then brought it to a stop.
"Why are we stopping?" Jenrya asked with a dumb look.
Ruki shushed him and stared into the trees. Yes, the red thing was definitely there, but it was hard to make out its shape. Then she noticed a wing, a tail, and finally the regular ugly face. "A dragon!" she hissed happily. Dragon's were a rare site out of the southern lands, and this one was probably a loner since it was out of dragon country.
"Where, I don't see it?"
The dragon slayer reached to her side and pulled a bow and some arrows from her supplies. She quickly thread an arrow into the bow. As she drew the arrow back in its tight string, she waited for the head to appear again. Though she preferred close combat, sniping was also enjoyable. All she would need is one arrow through its eye; that should be enough to kill it.
Jenrya continued his rambling. "Even if it is a dragon, which it isn't of course, I consider all life to be sacred. I highly object to you killing whatever it is."
The dragon slayer ignored him. She could see the top of its head now. If she just waited a few more seconds, its eye would be exposed and she would send the arrow straight into its head.
Jenrya, realizing that she wasn't going to listen to him, yelled at the top of his lungs, "Run creature, you are hunted!"
Ruki saw the dragon's head rise in confusion, and then she saw its body shoot out through the top of the trees and begin flying away. She turned back and looked at the priest crossly, "You really shouldn't have done that! Now we have to chase it! Yah!" She pulled the reins of the horse and kicked it. Rena jumped and began running across the plain, keeping the dragon just above and ahead.
"D-d-dragons are r-real?" Jenrya stuttered, his mouth gaping.
The dragon was flying across the plain and away from the main road. Jenrya grasped the dragon slayer for dear life, struggling not to fall from the intense dashing of the horse.
The dragon slayer was surprised that the dragon hadn't turned back to attack them yet. It seemed like this one was… afraid. Most dragons were cocky, and only blinked in remote terror at hearing the name: Dragon Slayer. This one seemed to be running from her. Well -if that was the case- then she would follow it until it landed, or until she lost track of it. She hated it when her prey escaped.
"We're too slow," Ruki growled looking back at the Paladin, who had his eyes closed and was mumbling some kind of prayer. "If you want to be of help, Jenrya, pray that this dragon doesn't drag us halfway across the world!"
"Right!"
They continued racing across the plain for nearly an hour. Ruki knew Rena must have been getting tired by now, and if it came down to choosing between hurting Rena of exhaustion and killing the dragon, or letting it escape, she would let the dragon go free. But in the distance was a large forest, and she saw the dragon dive into the thick cover of the trees. She laughed inside. Did this dragon really think it could hide from her?
When they reached the edge of the forest, the dragon slayer brought her horse to a stop and then she hopped off. Jenrya slowly worked his way of the steed, and then began rubbing his behind. The dragon slayer looked at him, "Sorry, you must not be used to riding bareback."
"I'm not used to riding at all, remember?" he moaned.
The girl wrapped the bow around her shoulder and took a few arrows in one of her hands. She didn't intend to use them, but she wanted to be prepared for the opportunity. "You," she pointed to the Paladin, "stay here and watch my horse." Then she turned and walked into the forest. Jenrya yelled at her to wait, and that he would come with her, but she ignored him.
She walked carefully through the foliage-cluttered paths of the forest, making sure to avoid stepping on anything that might alert her position to the dragon. The dense mass of leaves above her blocked most of the light entering the forest, save for an occasional beam of light illuminating the ground. Birds chirped and darted from branch to branch, ignoring the dragon slayer's presence.
Eventually she heard the soothing song of a small pond. She crept between a couple of thick tree trunks, and peeked into the clearing. In it was the dragon, looking in her direction. It was curled up like a cat that might spring if an enemy came near it. It seemed to be shaking. Ruki felt all to honored that it was afraid of her, but she wasn't about to let overconfidence make her miss a kill. Standing next to the dragon, however, was a man with his back turned to her. He wore a bright cloak with a simple white tassel tied around his waist. In one of his hands was a wooden staff. The man didn't move, he just stood there looking down at the dragon.
"What's with everyone wearing dresses lately?" the girl mumbled to her self.
"That's not a dress, it's a robe," the Paladin said as he came up behind her.
"Be quiet, you fool!" Ruki growled, "I thought I told you to stay with the horse."
"Don't worry, I tied it up. Besides, you're going to need my help. There's no way you could fight that beast on your own."
"I don't need your help, and even if I did, what would you do? Stab it with your pendant? Don't even think about warning it again, because if you do I'll drag you with me until I finally have its teeth in my bag."
The Paladin looked at her in defeat, "I still don't think you should kill it. Who's that man in red there?"
"I don't know, and I don't care. But if he stands in my way I'll kill him to get to the dragon."
Jenrya bent his head sadly, "I can't understand why you treat life as if it were so unimportant."
The dragon slayer laid her bow and arrows against the trunk of the tree and looked at Jenrya, "We all have an emptiness inside of us, Paladin. Maybe your religion helps fill yours. Well, fighting fills mine. Would you deprive me of that?"
"I suppose not, though in my opinion life should only be taken if absolutely necessary."
Ruki drew her sword slowly, so as to keep its ring low. Then she pivoted around the tree and began walking quickly toward the clearing. The dragon only seemed to shake harder as it watched her approach. But before she could begin her attack, the man in blue turned around. He was young, with brown hair and a friendly face. Yet as he looked at her his face seemed to fill with power and determination. A fierce wind appeared out of nowhere and began whipping the dragon slayer's hair violently. The man seemed to grow in size and when he cried out his voice sounded like thunder, "You shall not hurt this dragon!"
The dragon slayer took a surprised step back and looked at him in awe for a moment. Then she regained her composure and gave the man an icy glare. "What are you? Some kind of wizard?"
"Yes! I am the great sorcerer Takato!"
"Well, great sorcerer Takato, I suggest you move. I will cut you down to get to this dragon if I have to."
"I will not let you hurt him."
Ruki sighed and walked forward. The wizard stared at her in surprised. Then he let out a grunt as the dragon slayer easily pushed him to the ground. He shook his head and gasped as she walked toward the dragon raising her sword into battle position. The dragon just seemed to cower more.
"Wait!" Takato cried, the strength in his voice turning to pleading. "That dragon is my friend. Please don't hurt it!"
Ruki looked back at him angrily, "How can a dragon be anyone's friend?"
"I've known him all my life. He's just a child compared to most dragons. He would never hurt anyone. I doubt he would even fight you back."
Ruki looked from the wizard to the dragon, "Well, he is kind of small, and he doesn't look like much of a fight."
Takato sighed in relief, "Thank you."
The dragon slayer lowered her head and then laughed, "But dragon's teeth are dragon's teeth!" She raised her sword and rushed in at the dragon. The dragon closed its eyes in fear and whimpered.
When the girl swung her sword, intending to sever one of the dragon's wings, she found it blocked by the staff of the wizard. She looked furiously into his face.
"Please," Takato said, taking a few steps back and lowering his staff. "I don't want to fight you. But I won't let you hurt my friend either."
Ruki pulled back her sword, intending to swing it at the wizard, but a voice cried out for them not to fight. Ruki turned her head back to see the Paladin rushing up. "Stay out of this, Jenrya," she growled.
Jenrya put himself between the two and said, "Please, there's no need for you two to fight." He looked at Ruki, "Do you really want to kill this dragon? Is it really worth it?"
"Yes," Ruki hissed.
"Can't you see that Takato is really friends with it? The dragon can't be all that bad if it has this wizard here to defend it."
"It's not a matter of the dragon being good or not. I hate all dragons, good or bad, and I won't be at peace until they're all destroyed."
"Why?" Takato blurted out.
Ruki turned and looked at him, lowering her sword. "My reasons are my own. But since you two are so intent on protecting this one, and I would probably have to kill both of you to get at it, I suppose I'll let it go." She pushed Jenrya away, and began walking back towards the trees. She called over her shoulder, "If I find it and you're not around, wizard, then I won't hesitate to kill it."
"Wait!" cried Takato. Ruki stopped and turned back to him. "I know we've gotten off to a bad start, but please stay. I was just about to begin cooking dinner, and I would love to have some company."
The dragon slayer was about to scoff at him, but her stomach interrupted her with a growl. Takato and Jenrya smiled at the sound. Ruki wanted to be alone now more than ever, but a cooked dinner did sound good, and the dried meat and fruit in her pack didn't seem very appetizing. She frowned, "Fine, I'll stay only because I haven't had a cooked meal in over a month."
Author's Note: What did you think of this chapter? I had hoped to get into more Rukato, but next chapter there will be more, I promise. Thanks for reading. ^^