Chihiro stumbled back in shock,"But....what about.....?"
"You mean the Zeroku that I was riding three years ago at the river?"Zero chuckled, "that was just an illusion I created, Kohaku could do the same thing if he wanted to."
Chihiro nodded,"But still, how could you know how Kohaku felt about me?"
"Beause we can feel each other's emotions."Zero smiled,"And I know, one of these days Kohaku will come back, and when he does you'll be there to greet him."
Chihiro shook her head,"I should be so lucky."
"Come on, Chi, let's check around here, see if we can find any sign of Kohaku."Zero suggested.
"No, it's ok."Chihiro smiled,"Let's get back, you've got a book report to do and I need to get to work on my science project."
"That works too."Zero hissed,'I hate homework.'
The two girls flew back to the river without a word. When they finally got back, Mae was waiting for them. Zero landed first,"What's going on, mother?"
"There's news about the war."Mae replied,"The Chineses have started bombing Tokyo."
Zero let out a tired moan,"Ugh, just what we need, the war coming to us."
Chihiro landed next to her,"More bombs? What's next?"
"DEMONS!! DEMONS!!!!"several frightened spirits came racing through the trees,"DEMONS, RUN!!"
Zero slapped her forehead,"You had to open your big mouth, didn't you?"
Chihiro groaned,"Let's go."
The two shot off in the direction the spirits had come from. When they finally reached the edge of the forest, they could clearly make out several shadowy creatures tearing away at the trees. Zero suddenly changed into her dragon form and charged one of them. The creature didn't have a chance, Zero tore it to shreads. Chihiro shook her head and muttered something about 'show-offy spirits' and formed a ball of purple energy in her hands, then shot it at one of the smaller demons, destorying it on impact. This continued until only one was left, one very big, ugly, demon with three heads.
Zero fell back and stood next to Chihiro,"That's no demon, it's an evil spirit."
"There's a difference?"Chihiro hissed.
"It's a spirit, usually a guardian, that went bad. Demons are just evil by nature."Zero prepaired for an attack,"I think it was an evil spirit that's been causing all these earthquakes, and killed your parents."
Chihiro's eyes glowed,"Say no more." She formed a gigiantic ball of energy on her hands,"Think you can tear him up if I weaken him?"
"It'll take more than that,"Zero snarled,"we have to draw him back to the river. I need to be in my element to beat him. I'll recognize a fire spirit anywhere."
"Then what do I do?"Chihiro asked.
"He can't see, but he can smell your energy, lead him back to my river."Zero turned back to the forest,"You'll have to fly faster than ever before. If you can't outrun him yell for help from the other sprits. Just get to the river." She shot back into the trees.
The spirit suddenly turned to her, and lunged. Chihiro turned and shot into the trees, keeping a tight hold on the energy ball in her hands. The monster drew closer, she ouldn't out run him, she wasn't fast enough. "Damn,"she clenched her fist for a moment, putting out the ball of energy and began to whistle as loud as she could,'Oh, please, let this work.'
Several centaurs suddenly came out of the trees and attacked the spirit. Chihiro formed another energy ball and shot back into the trees. She finally broke through into the clearing where Zeroku's river was. She had reurned to her human form, and was standing on the water, eyes glowing a wild shade of red. Chihiro flew into the trees across the river and put out her energy ball as the dark spirit erupted from the trees. It stopped short at the river, moaning and growling angrily.
"TAKE ONE MORE STEP, MONSTER, AND I'LL KILL YOU!!"Zero shouted, creating a gigantic wall of water behind her,"NOW GET BACK, SPIRIT!!" The spirit didn't listen, it simply charged, searching for the pure energy it had smelled just moments ago. Zero's eyes flared,"FINE, THEN YOU CAN DIE!!"
The wall of water suddenly slammed down on her and the evil spirit. Chihiro watched in shock as the sprit was completely destoryed. When the water and steam finally cleared she saw Zero, still standing on the water, completely dry, surrounded by a glowing black aura,"Wow." She came out of the trees and stood on the river's edge,"Is it gone?"
Zero turned to her and walked gently across the water, the black aura around her slowly dying away,"For good. That thing turned its back on us centuries ago. It tried to steal the river from my father, Garasaki. It took a full army of spirits to bring him down that time, this time he was stupid enough to follow you back to my river, where I could easily destory him."
Chihiro absorbed all this,"Then, they won't come back?"
"Those won't,"Zero looked into the trees,"but there'll be more, bigger and stronger too. Somehow I get the feeling that the World War isn't going to stay in this world much longer."
Chihiro didn't know what she was talking about, then, but she knew, their life was going to seem very easy compared to what they were going to have to live with in a few years.
Kohaku landed on the Zeroku River's edge,"Where is she?"
"Kohaku?!"
He spun around to see Mae walking toawrds him,"Mother!"
"It's really you."the ancient dragon rested her head on the teen's shoulder, his shoulder length hair brushing her face,"I missed you so much."
"And I you."he reached up and stroked her head,"Where is my sister?"
"Zeroku is dead."Mae hung her head low, the night air swinging her mane around,"She died fighting your father. She turned against him and tried to take over the rivers."
Kohaku was taken by suprise,"Zeroku wouldn't do that. She and father never got along, everyone knows that, but she'd never try to take the rivers from him!"
Mae shook her head,"It's true. I watched the battle with my own eyes. Zeroku is dead. Now, leave, before Garasaki finds you. If he sees you he'll kill you, to him you are dead, and not permitted to return. Run, and never return. Go to the Spirit World, and don't come back. I don't want you to die too."
Kohaku went wide eyed,"I can't just leave! This is my home. I've fought to hard to come back."
"You have to go, my son. Garasaki wants you dead. There's no way you could defeat him. Just go, please, this is hard enough as is."
Kohaku nodded,"I'm looking for someone, a human girl named Chihiro. Have you seen her?"
Mae hung her head,"She was killed by Zeroku. The entire city was. Now, please, go, before Garasaki finds you."
Kohaku looked back at the waterfall beinhd him,"Alright." He took half of a gold dragon's eye amulet out of his pocket,'I know you're alive Zero, and I will find you.' "goodbye, mother." With that he took off into the night sky.
"You mean the Zeroku that I was riding three years ago at the river?"Zero chuckled, "that was just an illusion I created, Kohaku could do the same thing if he wanted to."
Chihiro nodded,"But still, how could you know how Kohaku felt about me?"
"Beause we can feel each other's emotions."Zero smiled,"And I know, one of these days Kohaku will come back, and when he does you'll be there to greet him."
Chihiro shook her head,"I should be so lucky."
"Come on, Chi, let's check around here, see if we can find any sign of Kohaku."Zero suggested.
"No, it's ok."Chihiro smiled,"Let's get back, you've got a book report to do and I need to get to work on my science project."
"That works too."Zero hissed,'I hate homework.'
The two girls flew back to the river without a word. When they finally got back, Mae was waiting for them. Zero landed first,"What's going on, mother?"
"There's news about the war."Mae replied,"The Chineses have started bombing Tokyo."
Zero let out a tired moan,"Ugh, just what we need, the war coming to us."
Chihiro landed next to her,"More bombs? What's next?"
"DEMONS!! DEMONS!!!!"several frightened spirits came racing through the trees,"DEMONS, RUN!!"
Zero slapped her forehead,"You had to open your big mouth, didn't you?"
Chihiro groaned,"Let's go."
The two shot off in the direction the spirits had come from. When they finally reached the edge of the forest, they could clearly make out several shadowy creatures tearing away at the trees. Zero suddenly changed into her dragon form and charged one of them. The creature didn't have a chance, Zero tore it to shreads. Chihiro shook her head and muttered something about 'show-offy spirits' and formed a ball of purple energy in her hands, then shot it at one of the smaller demons, destorying it on impact. This continued until only one was left, one very big, ugly, demon with three heads.
Zero fell back and stood next to Chihiro,"That's no demon, it's an evil spirit."
"There's a difference?"Chihiro hissed.
"It's a spirit, usually a guardian, that went bad. Demons are just evil by nature."Zero prepaired for an attack,"I think it was an evil spirit that's been causing all these earthquakes, and killed your parents."
Chihiro's eyes glowed,"Say no more." She formed a gigiantic ball of energy on her hands,"Think you can tear him up if I weaken him?"
"It'll take more than that,"Zero snarled,"we have to draw him back to the river. I need to be in my element to beat him. I'll recognize a fire spirit anywhere."
"Then what do I do?"Chihiro asked.
"He can't see, but he can smell your energy, lead him back to my river."Zero turned back to the forest,"You'll have to fly faster than ever before. If you can't outrun him yell for help from the other sprits. Just get to the river." She shot back into the trees.
The spirit suddenly turned to her, and lunged. Chihiro turned and shot into the trees, keeping a tight hold on the energy ball in her hands. The monster drew closer, she ouldn't out run him, she wasn't fast enough. "Damn,"she clenched her fist for a moment, putting out the ball of energy and began to whistle as loud as she could,'Oh, please, let this work.'
Several centaurs suddenly came out of the trees and attacked the spirit. Chihiro formed another energy ball and shot back into the trees. She finally broke through into the clearing where Zeroku's river was. She had reurned to her human form, and was standing on the water, eyes glowing a wild shade of red. Chihiro flew into the trees across the river and put out her energy ball as the dark spirit erupted from the trees. It stopped short at the river, moaning and growling angrily.
"TAKE ONE MORE STEP, MONSTER, AND I'LL KILL YOU!!"Zero shouted, creating a gigantic wall of water behind her,"NOW GET BACK, SPIRIT!!" The spirit didn't listen, it simply charged, searching for the pure energy it had smelled just moments ago. Zero's eyes flared,"FINE, THEN YOU CAN DIE!!"
The wall of water suddenly slammed down on her and the evil spirit. Chihiro watched in shock as the sprit was completely destoryed. When the water and steam finally cleared she saw Zero, still standing on the water, completely dry, surrounded by a glowing black aura,"Wow." She came out of the trees and stood on the river's edge,"Is it gone?"
Zero turned to her and walked gently across the water, the black aura around her slowly dying away,"For good. That thing turned its back on us centuries ago. It tried to steal the river from my father, Garasaki. It took a full army of spirits to bring him down that time, this time he was stupid enough to follow you back to my river, where I could easily destory him."
Chihiro absorbed all this,"Then, they won't come back?"
"Those won't,"Zero looked into the trees,"but there'll be more, bigger and stronger too. Somehow I get the feeling that the World War isn't going to stay in this world much longer."
Chihiro didn't know what she was talking about, then, but she knew, their life was going to seem very easy compared to what they were going to have to live with in a few years.
Kohaku landed on the Zeroku River's edge,"Where is she?"
"Kohaku?!"
He spun around to see Mae walking toawrds him,"Mother!"
"It's really you."the ancient dragon rested her head on the teen's shoulder, his shoulder length hair brushing her face,"I missed you so much."
"And I you."he reached up and stroked her head,"Where is my sister?"
"Zeroku is dead."Mae hung her head low, the night air swinging her mane around,"She died fighting your father. She turned against him and tried to take over the rivers."
Kohaku was taken by suprise,"Zeroku wouldn't do that. She and father never got along, everyone knows that, but she'd never try to take the rivers from him!"
Mae shook her head,"It's true. I watched the battle with my own eyes. Zeroku is dead. Now, leave, before Garasaki finds you. If he sees you he'll kill you, to him you are dead, and not permitted to return. Run, and never return. Go to the Spirit World, and don't come back. I don't want you to die too."
Kohaku went wide eyed,"I can't just leave! This is my home. I've fought to hard to come back."
"You have to go, my son. Garasaki wants you dead. There's no way you could defeat him. Just go, please, this is hard enough as is."
Kohaku nodded,"I'm looking for someone, a human girl named Chihiro. Have you seen her?"
Mae hung her head,"She was killed by Zeroku. The entire city was. Now, please, go, before Garasaki finds you."
Kohaku looked back at the waterfall beinhd him,"Alright." He took half of a gold dragon's eye amulet out of his pocket,'I know you're alive Zero, and I will find you.' "goodbye, mother." With that he took off into the night sky.
