A/N: Hullo people! I finally decided this was worthy of posting, so here ya' go!

Disclaimer?: The plot is mine! Mine I tell you! Anything else is a creation of Saban and Toei! If you think I'm making money off'a this, you can eat my shoe!

Summary?: Chapter 3 up! A new character comes into play for the young knight and his rebel friends. Beware the wrath of the Assassin! Target practice is for the birds! Er- Dragons! Enjoy.

Additional Note:: "Koi" is a Ginjika BlackWarGreymon, I had no other choices for Alpha male, because just about every other male character has his own part- Thank you, and have a nice read! Enjoy!

Dragon's War

Chapter 2: Enter The Mage – The Assassin's Assignment

~*~*~*~

A horse and rider trotted darkly through the castle gates. The rider's cloak covered most of his face, but he radiated a sinister air about him, all the Slayers at court feared him. He was the Assassin. They clearly doubted trusting him, and wondered why Yamato even needed him, the Traitor couldn't possibly be that hard to kill.

******

Sir Yamato paced up and down in his large, spacious bedroom. He was nervous, the Assassin he'd called for had arrived, he was to meet him in just a few minutes. He stared out the window, at the green forests, where that little whelp of a so-called knight was, the Traitor.

A haunting flute melody filled his ears, erasing his thoughts, and sending a chill up his spine. He whirled around, facing a shadowed figure, sitting silently on his bed, a silvery flute to his lips. His chocolate brown eyes stared up at the blonde, a eerie glimmer shining in them. A purple cape was draped about his shoulders, a red-gem– ruby, most likely– pure gold lining it's edge, pinned his cloak up, magic was seemingly emitted from it; it was his vessel of his luck. He was a Mage.

He placed the flute on the bed beside him, and stood. A proud, grim smile danced on his face; his grin alone could freeze water.

Yamato shivered, "You came."

"I did." He smiled back, his voice was pleasant without being friendly, quite a surprise from such a treacherous-looking figure. "And I see you're in good health, yes?"

Yamato nodded, "Yes, quite.. well.. uhm.. the.. reason I called you was-"

"You need my.. assistance, yes?" the Mage finished for him. Yamato nodded. "Ah, good. Who?"

"Ahrm.. it's Matsuda.. my apprentice. He's-"

"Defied you and joined the rebels. Yes?" he finished, he was amazingly good at this.

The blonde nodded again, "Yes. Very… How did you-?"

"I get this a lot. No problem." He smiled again, "Now.." he stretched out his hand– as if for a handshake– Yamato knew exactly what the magician meant.

He drew in a deep breath, a pulled a small velvet bag from his pocket. He tossed it at the brunette, who caught it deftly.

The Mage weighed the bag in his hand, evaluating his prize. "And.. where would this.. boy be?"

"He's with the rebels."

"Yes. But who-?" he looked up, Yamato wasn't going to get off easily tricking the Master of Tricks.

Yamato held his breath, exhaled jaggedly, and answered, "Drns.." he mumbled it lowly, not wanting the Mage to hear exactly what he would be facing.

"Hm? Mind repeating that, friend?" his voice had dropped to a more icy tone.

Yamato gulped, "Drgns." He muttered it again.

The Mage was beginning to lose his temper, "What. Am I going against exactly?" his voice was becoming a growl.

Yamato whimpered softly to himself, then spoke out loud. "Dragons! The rebels are dragons!"

The Mage relaxed, smiled. "Oh. And I thought it was something hard."

The knight sighed in relief. As the magician continued, "Well, then. In that case… No. Keep your damned jewels.. I could get more out of a blind peddler…" he grumbled incoherently, chucking the bag roughly back at the blonde. "Imagine… the nerve.." his mood was quickly dropping into anger.

"Alright! I'll double the pay." The knight snorted haughtily. He pulled another velvet case from his other pocket, tossing both bags to the magician.

The assassin snorted, "Two bags.. do you think I'm tickling gremlins!?" his eyes flamed, as his tone rose dangerously.

Yamato stumbled backwards, gripping his dagger and pointing it at the wizard, who glowered. "Stay back, friend."

The mage snapped his fingers, a evilly curved blade appeared at the knight's neck. "You think I'm joking?" his proud grin returned. "Well.. I have a surprise for you…" His lifted his gloved hand, pointing his figure at the blonde. His thrust his finger forward violently, the knife plunged into the blonde's throat-

******

Yamato sat up in bed, screaming. His breath came in jagged rasps.

The menacing hiss of the playing flute stopped. "Ah.. you awaken." Came a friendly voice, but Yamato knew it all too well.

His stomach churned, as he answered, "You…"

"Indeed. Have a nice.. rest?" he smiled, his chocolate eyes reflecting cheerfully. The cloaked figure put a silvery flute to his lips, played a few notes, sending a chill through the knight. "Now.. let's talk.. business. You.. have a job for me? Yes?"

The knight nodded, the figure smiled grimly.

"Bring it on…"

~*~

The dragons gathered around the boy, still pestering him with their curiosity. Ruki watched from a distance, up in an old oak tree, frowning distastefully.

A rustling caught her sharp ear, she gritted her teeth, leaping from the tree's boughs and charging towards the others, "Hide the boy- Dark approaches!"

They scattered immediately, ushering the boy to a safer hiding spot. They returned and huddled, resuming their lively chat, Ruki keeping wary of the brush behind her.

A roar, like that of a madman, and a boy's scream echoed around them, one after the other. The knight burst from the brush, scrambling fearfully, tripping and tumbling, unable to find his balance. Another figure, large and well muscled, leaped from the bushes, stamping over the ground, in pursuit of the boy. He was much swifter than his large frame suggested. A strong, knotted hand struck out, grasping the knight's shirt and throwing him backwards, then skidding to a rough stop.

The pursuer was a large, heavily-built man, blonde hair that hung, uncut for many years, at his shoulders. He stood at six foot-ten; his eyes were a piercing, gold color. His wardrobe consisted only of worn, tan pants, that didn't quite fit him, as the legs barely came to his calves.

Takato blinked, shook his head, ridding himself of confusion, but not quick enough- his pursuer lifted him off the ground, large hands gripping brutally at his neck, ready to snap it in half. He gargled a protest, his air supply was slowly being cut off.

The other dragons protested loudly, but only two took action. Ruki forcefully attacked the elder from behind, catching him off guard in a headlock; he dropped the boy, thrashing. He growled furiously, tossing her off, as if she was nothing but a leaf. The other dragon, the pink-haired girl, stomped angrily up to him, and slapped him squarely across the cheek; he stopped his ferocious assault instantly, and hung his head.

He had a deep, bass voice, that reflected his tough attitude perfectly, "Sorry, Mimi." He dropped his eyes to the ground, like a scolded child apologizing to his parent.

"Explain, Koi." Her tone was harsh, Takato hadn't expected this sort of behavior from a great man, such as he, in front of a woman.

"He's the enemy!" he shot a glare at the knight, but Mimi shushed him.

"How do you know that?"

"He was hiding in the bushes! He was spying! He-"

"He was being hidden. We wanted to introduce him to you.. before you jumped to conclusions." She stated it dryly, he managed a whimper in reply. "You have no right to go about attacking our guests-"

"Guests? Guests!? I will not allow a knight to stay on my territory! He will kill us all in our sleep! He-!"

"He's perfectly decent. He's a rebel now, too, as I've been told-…" she glanced over at Miyako and Sora, who smiled nervously. Hikari whistled innocently, staring up at the trees. "His.. friends have disowned him, and now wish him dead."

Ruki staggered up, glaring hatefully at the man. He rounded on her, "What in the name of Hades did you think you were doing!? Bringing a knight to the premises is strictly forbidden. How many times have I told you not to befriend demons, you little whelp!?"

"Don't yell at her! It's not her fault! I-" Takato was cut off by a shove from Ruki.

"Don't get involved in this." She hissed, he stammered objectively, but was silenced by her icy glare.

~*~

The assassin loitered bored-ly on the ceiling rafters of Yamato's room, playing his flute now and then, as they conversed the plan.

"So.. how would you like it done?" the Mage asked, looking down on the knight.

"I don't know." The blonde grunted. "Can't you spell him to death or something!?" he snapped hotly.

The magician snorted, "I think not." He was rewarded with a queer glance. "I major in illusions. Not power spells. It's much more effective, as well."

"How so, pray tell?"

"Well- for instance, I can make an illusion of his rebel friends and kill him that way. So, if he still draws breath, he'll accuse another. And- if their law is like yours- it'll be two lives for the price of one, easy." He explained it quite accurately, he knew what he was doing.

"Ah." Yamato mused at the murderer's account.

"-Or we could just find a centaur and have him trample the boy to death." The wizard uttered dryly.

"What do you mean?" Yamato glared at the man, who sat haughtily on the rafters.

"It's about all you're paying for."

"What!?"

"Oh, well- a centaur would kill the boy for free. I'm more expensive.. miser.." he mumbled incoherently, playing several sharp, angry notes on the flute.

The knight fumed, ripped a velvet bag from his waist and flung it up at the mage, who caught it deftly.

"Ah! Here's the first half of my pay now…" he weighed the bag in his hand, grinning to himself. "You do good business, friend knight." He beamed in a friendly manner, but anyone who knew the mage would know great evil lurked behind it.

Yamato seethed, but the assassin seemed satisfied. "I hope your happy. Friend."

"Oh, indeed. I am. Have a nice day." He smiled coldly, and, in a flash, was gone.

~*~

Ruki brooded angrily about in a great oak tree, leaning against it's strong boughs and grumbling. Takato watched her with a profound sense of uncertainty, she made him extremely nervous- with her cold attitude and tough approach. None of the others seemed to have that effect on him, strange.

"What're you staring at?" he shook his head, realizing she was addressing him, and none too warmly.

"W-wha?" he blurted, losing most of his vocabulary in the deep recesses of his memory.

"Moron.." she spat, then stood and bounded through the branches of the forest, finding another place to brood in peace.

"Takato!" the other dragons skipped over to him, each with a wide grin plastered onto their pretty countenances.

"Huh?" he blinked confusedly at their secretive smiles.

"Com'on!" Hikari tugged at his arm.

"We want you to show us how to use this!" the orange-haired lass, Sora, held up his yew-wood bow; as Miyako held up his quiver of arrows; each of the long shafts' fletching were of white, spiraling feathers, flecked with black at the tips. The other girls nodded, with pleading, innocent eyes.

The knight gave in, "Alright! Alright!" They cheered and giggled amongst themselves a moment, before Takato took his bow and arrows, the girls leading him a bit deeper into the forest, into a small clearing- perfect for target practice.

He nocked the first arrow, beginning his explanation, "Okay, you start off like this-" he pulled the bowstring back. "Then aim…" he took sight on a small knot hole in the little elm tree. "And fire!" he let the arrow fly, it soared truly and wedged itself with a sound thock into the knot-hole.

"Ooh! Wow! That's so neat!" the dragons all applauded, chattering praise all the while. "You're amazing! That was perfect!"

He blushed, "Aw.. I-it's nothing.." Yet they still praised him, making his already red blush intensify.

"Hn. Anyone could do that." Ruki snorted from her sitting place in the tree tops.

"Really? Then why don't you show us!" Miyako shot back, not wanting her new friend to be outdone.

"Fine." Ruki landed perfectly, unlike the first time Takato had seen her, falling unceremoniously from a tall oak tree, with an arrow through her shoulder. He did wonder whatever had happened to her arrow wound, as well.

She took the bow from the boy, grabbing another arrow and nocking it to the string. She pulled back the bowstring and aimed for the exact same knothole Takato's arrow stuck out from.

She still fumed from earlier, and this only made her angrier. As she let the string go, it snapped her smartly on her right arm and she dropped the bow in pain, while the arrow flew at an awkward angle, missing the intended target by a mile. She cursed under her breath, clutching her arm, which was turning red from the snap.

Her mood was worsened as the other girls began to laugh outrageously at her misfortune. Takato could see she was seething, eyes aflame with vague thoughts of revenge. He had to do something, he didn't want her to hate him. "Uh.. You know! You shouldn't shoot when you're angry! It messes up the entire shot! Really!" he offered helpfully, the girls stopped laughing and stared at him. Ruki watched him with a queer look on her face. "Ah… Clear your mind- and try again!" he nodded hyperly, the red-head rubbed her sore arm, and picked up the dropped bow.

She chose another arrow and nocked it to the string. Takato stepped cautiously behind her, taking hold of her arm and hands, shifting her grip every now and then, to make her aim more efficient. He nodded and she looked down the shaft, and let it go, the arrow flew true, splitting the knight's first arrow and landing squarely in the tree.

The others 'Ooh'-ed and applauded, mystified. Ruki gave her clan a small, triumphant grin that said, 'I told you I could do it.'

The boy smiled, happy for her. His help was rewarded with a blank glance, though it was much warmer than how she usually treated him. She gave him a long blank stare, then swiftly climbed up a nearby tree, disappearing from sight.

Thank you. Takato blinked, baffled by the mysterious voice in his head. It sounded like the red-headed dragon-girl, but she was no where to be found. Sir Yamato never mentioned anything about dragons being psychic before, it came as a slight shock, but he'd had enough strange things happen to him in the last twenty-four hours for this to mean much at all.

The rest of the day was spent at target practice. The girls learned quickly, and pretty soon the little elm they practiced on was riddled with arrows. When, at last, day reached it's end, the dragon-women lead the way back to camp.

They arrived within minutes, they knew every tree like the back of their hands, and Takato found himself surprised, if not fully amazed, at their home. It was just a clear patch of land surrounded by trees on all sides, but a great rock formation protruded from the ground and flattened at the point, a perfect imitation of a cliff. The cliff was a placement, for the Alpha male– whom he'd had the luck of being attacked by earlier– as a lookout post, very handy. The land also included a small drinking pond, and the honor of having another, larger lake not even half a mile away.

Their camp was very comely, though Takato had to wonder where they slept, as they had no beds, no blankets, and no pillows.

Miyako seemed to appear, like smoke, behind him, "We sleep in the trees. You should try it."

He jerked forward, taken aback by what she'd said. Hikari shoved the purple-haired girl, "Miyako! It's not nice to read the minds of guests!"

She shoved the brunette back, retorting, "He asked a question!"

"It's still very rude!"

Sora shook her head, "They always find something to argue about. Hey, you two! Back off, you can continue this later! We've-"

"Stay outta' this!" they rounded on the orange-haired girl, who grinned sheepishly, backing off. The two continued their argument in raised tones.

"Will you two just calm down!?" Mimi burst into their argument, the three began a chain of complaints and excuses, each talking at the same speed, completely jumbling the other's words, so no one outside the circle could understand what was going on; though they seemed to thoroughly understand each other perfectly.

Ruki landed stealthily behind the boy, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, spinning to face her, then relaxing as he recognized her face. "Oh.. just you." He sighed.

She nodded, stuffing a large piece of cloth into his hands, wool, as he deducted, from it's soft feel. "Take a bath. You need it." She sniffed the air, and crinkled her nose in disgust for emphasis. She then jerked her thumb in the direction of the larger lake.

Takato gave her a thoughtful glance, and nodded thankfully. "Thank you." He smiled, and she shrugged it off, climbing back into the trees and laying back, watching the argument.

He slung the towel over his shoulder, walking off in the direction the girl had offered.

"Such nice people- er, dragons." The boy smiled to himself.

An eerie gust of wind whispered harshly to the trees, sounding almost like the piping tune of a flute…