A/N:: All who are fans of this fic, thank Cruzer. She keeps yelling at me, and truthfully, if it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't be posting as much… Stop laughing!

Disclaimer?:: Hm, well, I own nothing. Unless someone is out of character, then it's probably all my fault.

Summary?:: As the War continues to hover over the lives of both dragon and knight, the Chief of Knights is forced into an unwanted arrangement, and on the way, he finds an equine friend. Chapter 6, enjoy.

Note:: That "direction-telling stone" that Taichi refers to is an actual rock (forgot the name) found in Greece (and other places that I can't remember right now), and is really just a rock with a high magnetic field—so it's basically a natural compass.

Other Note:: I'm using "Masaharu" for the name of Yamato's father, because that's what I heard (somewhere) it was. I don't know for a fact, so don't go flaming me if I'm wrong, because I don't care.

Anything Else We Should Know?:: Uh… all cliffhangers and similar entities will be explained eventually. And so, without further ado-!

Dragon's War

Chapter 6: Dates with Destiny, and Other Intimations of Madness – See to Believe

~*~*~*~

            Yamato stared at the ceiling once more, sitting in his study, feet propped up on a second chair. He nursed the bruises on his shoulder, cursing his father every time pain pricked at him.

            "Son," Masaharu Ishida called. "I have news for you."

            Yamato sat up. "Want to break an arm, now?"

            "Son, please," his father returned calmly, "You know I'm only teaching you a lesson. You need to respect your elders."

            The knight snorted. "Whatever. What did you want to tell me?"

            "You know Jun, don't you?"

            Yamato glanced at his father, questioning. "Who?"

            "The apothecary."

            Yamato tensed, remembering her now. "Oh. What about her?"

            Ishida smiled, "I've arranged for you to dine with her."

            "You what?" Yamato jumped up, disgusted. "Why?! Didn't I pay penance enough? Why do I have to take Her to dinner, too?"

            "Yamato," Ishida tapped his cane on the knight's sore shoulder. "You need to learn to keep your promises. She told me you had promised to dine with her earlier."

            The blonde sunk back into his chair, "She remembered that? That was three months ago!"

            "Months? She told me it was last week."

            Yamato put his hands to his face, murmuring, "I can't say I'm surprised."

            Ishida tapped Yamato's head, "That's not very nice, Yamato. You're going to take her to dinner, and you're going to make sure she has an acceptable time."

            Yamato growled under his breath, so his father wouldn't hear, "I hate you, you—"

            "What was that?" Ishida leaned forward, straining to hear.

            The blonde snapped his head up, "I'm not going. I refuse to go. You may be my father, but you have no right to torture me like this."

            "Yamato, it's just dinner."

            But the knight was already walking quickly away. "I will not go!" Yamato stomped down the hall to his room, where he changed into more comfortable clothes—a forest-green tunic over gray pants, accompanied by a fine hunting dagger— and made his way out of the castle. His father only watched, figuring that Yamato would return soon enough. Ishida wasn't worried; he knew Yamato did this often—when the boy was frustrated, he would go for a walk in the woods. He had done it since he was old enough to walk.

~*~

            Yamato was, to say the least, fuming. He didn't bother with a horse, but simply hiked down the road, glaring strait ahead and nowhere else. After a few minutes, he turned off the road and into the forest, where he pushed aside brush and branches as he made his way.

            He ignored everything around him, listening only to the thoughts that raged in his mind.

            Yamato did not know how far he'd gone in this direction, only that he'd been walking for an hour. Now that his anger had subsided some, he stood in place and listened to the forest around him. Nothing. Not even a bird.

            He realized something was wrong, mentally kicking himself for not listening earlier. How stupid he was!

            Yamato set a hand to his dagger, and found that the knife was gone. Forcing himself to remain calm, as if he'd never noticed, Yamato slowly began to turn and gather his bearings, listening for any movement whatsoever. His dagger was stolen, he was positive—a knife as curved as his couldn't have simply fallen out.

            Yamato whirled at what sounded like a log snapping. What he saw awed him, making him freeze where he stood. A huge horse, whose head was the torso, arms, and head of a man, leaped from the trees in front of him, wielding a huge mace, readying it to swing.

            The blonde saw his life flashing before his eyes—his father, life at the Guild, and that one backwards memory when he saw himself in the arms of his mother— but his instinct saved him. Yamato dived to the side, narrowly avoiding collision with the immense hooves of the monster. The horseman swung the mace, taking chunks out of two trees and ripping another young one from the ground, as well as knocking something down. The horse part of it reared, crushing whatever the horseman was aiming for underfoot.

            The horseman grinned triumphantly, shouldering the mace. He bent, with some difficultly, and took up something from the crushed creature. The horseman turned and held out a curved dagger, smiling, to Yamato.

            "This is yours, isn't it? Saw him take it from ya'." The horse kicked at the creature with a hind hoof.

            Yamato stared at the immense creature, then at the dagger, and then returned to the creature. "Wha-…what are you?"

            The horseman straightened his body, standing tall. "Well, that's not very nice. I'd have figured you would already know that, being well studied like you are. I'm Centauri."

            The knight slowly got to his feet, taking note that the top of his head barely came to the centaur's chest. "C-centauri?"

            The horseman nodded, "That's right. My name's Taichi, what about you? I haven't seen you before."

            Yamato took a moment to study this new being, this centaur. It, Taichi, had a well-muscled human torso, and a thick mess of dark brown hair hanging limp on his head. The horse half of him was lean and strong, the same chocolate brown color as his hair. The human half looked to be Yamato's age, though if this was true, the knight could not tell.

            All the centaur wore was an iron gauntlet on each of his arms, and a thick belt, from which hung the rabbit-skin sling that held his immense mace. Next to that was a larger pouch, but what it held, Yamato could not tell. The centaur also wore an unmistakable look of honest, friendly stupidity. Yamato, reassured, looked confidently into the horseman's face, "I am Ishida Yamato."

            Taichi made a face, as if he were thinking incredibly hard. After a moment, he relaxed and shook his head, "I've never heard of your family."

            "I-"

            The centaur turned his horse half to face the knight, "Need a ride, Yamato? I can take you back to the Village—or we could go back to my camp for tea, which ever you would prefer."

            The blonde stared at the offer. He had ridden so many horses in his training, but when would he ever have this particular chance again? Yamato nodded vigorously, adding, "But I don't live in the… village." Yamato, however, was unsure of what exactly the Village was.

            Taichi smiled and nodded, "I can take you wherever you want."

            The blonde strode forward, and tried to mount, having some difficulty on so large a horse. Taichi aided by grabbing Yamato by the belt and hauling him up into place. Yamato rubbed his sore abdomen, "Thanks, I think."

            The centaur grinned ear to ear. "You're welcome!" He stuck a hand into the mysterious pouch, "What direction do you need to go?"

            "Oh," Yamato glanced around, unsure of where he'd come from. "North and east, I think."

            The centaur smiled, glancing over his shoulder, "You think a lot, don't you?" Yamato blinked, never having had the pleasure of being directly ridiculed.

            From out of the pouch, Taichi produced a little, pointed, gray-black rock tied on a string. He held it out in front of him, at eye level, and watched the thing spin, then smiled as the sharp end pointed towards the north. Taichi smiled and turned in that direction, then began to walk.

            "What is that?" Yamato leaned forward to see over the centaur's broad shoulder.

            Taichi handed the little rock to the blonde, "It was a gift from a friend of mine. It tells me where North is."

            "Oh?" Yamato twirled the rock, watching as it gradually returned to pointing in the direction they were going. "Impressive."

            "I take it you don't have one."

            Yamato shook his head. "I've never seen something like this before."

            The centaur grinned. "It's yours, then."

            "What?" The blonde leaned forward to see the beaming face of the horseman, "You're giving it to me? I thought it was a gift-"

            "That's true, it was." Taichi shrugged. "But that friend was afraid I'd get lost without it, so it's not exactly special to me."

            Yamato looked at the direction telling stone and smiled. He wrapped it up in its string and set it carefully in the small pouch on his belt. "Thank you."

            The centaur waved a hand dismissively, "Don't mention it."

            Yamato tapped Taichi's left shoulder, "Mind if I lead?"

            Taichi shrugged, "Why not?"

            "Alright, then!" The knight nudged his heels into the flanks of the centaur, who jumped forward in reaction and began to gallop. Yamato set his hands on the centaur's shoulders, turning him east.

            Five minutes riding in this direction, and then Yamato turned the horseman north again; it wasn't long before they rode out into a huge open area. Taichi marveled at a long, wooden structure that held other horses.

            Yamato hopped off the centaur's back and gestured to the structure, "Those are the stables."

            Taichi moved forward at a brisk trot, "It's big. It's almost as large as the stables in the Village." He examined the stalls and the white horses within them. "Kind of scrawny, aren't they?" Taichi reached out a hand to touch one, "What do you feed them?"

            "Oh, uh-" Yamato scratched his head, "Horse-feed."

            Taichi glanced at the knight with an upturned eyebrow. "Alright, but what's in it?"

            Yamato shrugged. "I'm not the one that feeds them. The stable-hand does."

            "Well, where does he keep the food?" The centaur pulled himself away from the horse and trotted the length of the stable, glancing around. Yamato pointed to an empty stall where several bags and a full bucket of odd-looking, grain-like mixture sat. Taichi took up the bucket and lifted a handful of the stuff to his mouth. Almost instantly, his face contorted to display utmost disgust—the centaur clapped a hand over his mouth, reluctantly swallowing. He dropped the bucket; it fell to the ground with a clang, but still sat upright. Taichi whirled and lashed out a heavy hind leg, kicking the bucket clear across the stable.

            Yamato stared as the pail clanged to the ground, scaring all of the horses contained in the stables. "I take it that the food is not acceptable."

            The centaur wiped an arm across his lagging tongue, still with a revolted look on his dark face. "I wouldn't feed that to the ants."

            "Hello? Sir, is that you?"

            Yamato jumped, grabbing Taichi by the arm and pulling him towards a hay-filled stall. "Quickly, you must hide!"

            "What? Why?" The centaur reluctantly trotted into the stall, looking back at the blonde knight.

            Yamato gestured to the hay, "Hide!"

            Taichi stared at the pile, "You're kidding me."

            "Hide!" The knight barked again.

            "Sir?" Came the stable-hand's voice.

            The centaur glanced once more to the hay, and then knelt, completely concealing his human half in the moldy stack.

            "Sir?" repeated the servant.

            "What?" Yamato turned a fierce eye to the hand.

            The servant bowed, "Your father is looking for you, sir."

            "Yamato!"

            The stable hand quickly moved to the side as Masaharu Ishida strode towards them.

            "Yamato, what are you doing out here?"

            "Nothing, father." Yamato replied icily.

            Ishida did not look amused. "Get your ass inside, or—… Yamato, what's wrong with that horse?" The knight moved closer to examine the horse with its head buried in the hay.

            Yamato stood in front of his father, obscuring the view. "He's, er, shy."

            "Shy? You're joking." Ishida pushed Yamato to the side to get a better look. "You! Stablebuck! What's wrong with this horse?"

            The servant glanced in the stall, staring at the centaur. "I do not know, sir. I've never seen this horse before."

            Ishida glanced at his blonde son, "Yamato…?"

            The knight stepped in front of their view once again, glaring daggers. "It's mine—I told you, he's shy."

            Master Ishida shook his head, "Fine, do what you will. Just be ready for your date—it's in two days."

            Yamato's glare was piercing, but it went ignored.

            As soon as the servant had gone, Taichi burrowed out from the hay. "I am not shy."

            Yamato breathed a sigh, turning back to the centaur. "You said something about tea, earlier?"

~*~

            "Takeru!" Koushirou gasped, clawing desperately at the ground, trying to pull himself over the ledge of the cliff. "Takeru!" Koushirou nearly threw himself into the cave, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

            The griffin did not move, he just continued to lie in the gold-filled nest.

            Koushirou ground his teeth, rasping loudly, "Takeru!"

            No movement.

            "TAKERU!"

            The griffin lifted a hand. "I heard you the first time."

            Koushirou flexed his paws, taking a deep breath. "Takeru! The Village—"

            "It's gone, isn't it?"

            The sphinx stopped mid-sentence, then slowly nodded.

            "I know."

            Koushirou shifted uncomfortably, "Takeru, there were survivors— one of them, he said that—"

            "I know…"

            Koushirou frowned, barking, "Then why am I even here!? You know everything, so why do I have to stay here!?"

            "I'm sorry… Do continue…"

            "Never mind!" Koushirou bellowed, stomping back outside and lying down on the dirt, growling under his breath.

            Takeru sat up, watching the sphinx fume in silence. He pushed out a sigh, shaking his head slowly, and then lay back down, staring at the stone ceiling.

~*~

            Mimi had been watching Ruki brood ever since the redhead had returned from wherever she had gone in the first place. Miyako, Sora, and Hikari were engaged in a game, one skipping between two ropes while they all chanted some absurd rhyme.

            "Ruki, what's wrong?" The alpha female finally called, quietly enough so the others would not hear.

            The redhead turned away, refusing to answer.

            A slight frown creased Mimi's face; she stared up at the back of Ruki's head, concentrating. Ruki tensed, bringing her knees to her chest. Mimi's concentration faltered, colliding with the mental wall Ruki had put up. Taking a deep breath, the alpha forced herself to concentrate harder, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes.

            The redhead balled her hands into fists, all her muscles clenched as she tried to block Mimi out.

            Unconsciously, the alpha reached out a hand, brushing her fingers against Ruki's shoulder. With a jerk, Mimi pulled back and Ruki sat up, roaring, "STOP IT!"

            Miyako tripped on the ropes, hitting the ground with a dull sound as Sora and Hikari turned to stare.

            Realizing how much of a scene she'd made, Ruki leaped down from the tree, running off as fast as she could go. Mimi chased after the redhead, yelling, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to see that far—!"

            Mimi returned to her curious companions after several long moments, shaking her head slowly. "I lost her."

            Sora helped Miyako to her feet, eyes never leaving the alpha. "What happened?"

            "She wouldn't talk to me," Mimi began, wondering if she could really justify herself. "I tried to read her, but she blocked me out…"

            The ginger-haired dragon stared, her expression hovering somewhere between concern and horror. "You forced the link?"

            Miyako blinked, looking back and forth between the two. "You can do that?"

            Ignoring Miyako, Mimi hung her head, "I'm sorry! I just wanted to know why she was so upset!"

            "What did you see?"

            Mimi looked up, "I saw Takato—he was with that friend of his… what was his name? Davis?"

            "Daisuke," Sora corrected.

            "Yeah," Mimi amended, "Daisuke. They were there… then everything changed…"

            Sora nodded slightly, "And?"

            Mimi kept her eyes to the ground, thinking, "I'm not really sure." Her face softened as she ran the brief images through her mind again and again. "I saw people… it hurt…" She put a hand to her heart, "I felt so cold inside… it was awful."

            "How does Ruki manage?" Hikari murmured, "She keeps it all bottled up."

            The thought settled uncomfortably into the group, and they nodded in agreement.

            Mimi tried to imagine how it would feel to keep everything she ever felt to herself, but found it impossible to visualize. She studied the faces of the group, coming to a conclusion. "Let's not let this change anything."

            Sora frowned, "What?"

            "Ruki wouldn't like it if she knew I told you about what I saw. Try not to treat her any different than you do now." With those final words, Mimi focused a glance at Hikari, who shrugged quickly in reply.

~*~

            The centaur had been traveling with Yamato on his back for less than an hour, trotting at a leisurely pace. "You didn't tell me you were human." The words sounded almost conversational.

            Yamato raised his eyebrows in amusement, "Was I supposed to?"

            "I would swear you to be Elvish, if I knew no better."

            "I look like an Elf?" Yamato stared at the back of the centaur's head as Taichi nodded.

            "You do. Any other creature would say the same, I'm sure." The centaur brushed aside low hanging branches as he passed through, choosing the widest path as he made his way.

            Somewhat flattered, Yamato allowed himself a smile. "Really?"

            "I take it you've never seen an Elf."

            Yamato shook his head, "No, I haven't. What do they look like?"

            "Oh, real light hair, like yours, and blue or green eyes. Most of them wear something like you, green and gray, to blend in with the forest. Real nice people."

            The centaur nodded again, then reached into his pouch. He handed Yamato the curved knife that he'd picked up earlier. "You never took this back."

            Yamato slipped the dagger into its sheath, "Thanks."

            Yamato had never seen anything like what the centaur introduced to him. A huge oak tree had been hollowed out for a shelter, and next to it grew a tall apple tree, full of ripe fruit. The remains of a campfire burned in a spot clear of trees on either side, and near it, the utensils for tea-making were set up.

            The centaur kneeled by a tall stump, allowing Yamato to dismount with no trouble. Taichi grinned from ear to ear as he trotted about, stirring the fire and setting the tea kettle over it; the centaur picked up a rock that was at least twice the size of Yamato's head—he carried it back to the knight, setting it near the fire as a crude chair.

            Taichi smiled as he worked, keeping up with the conversation as he trotted to and fro. "I don't get much company, anymore."

            "Really?" Yamato studied his surroundings, taking note of where he was. "Why not?"

            The centaur shook his scruffy head, "Dunno. No one from the Village has dropped by since last full moon—the moon's nearing full now, but I still haven't seen anyone. I guess it's the trader's harvest, but it seems too early." He glanced at the sky, squinting against the sun.

            "What's that?"

            Taichi blinked, readjusting his eyes, "The trader's harvest? Oh, it's kind of a holiday. Most of the Village takes their horses n' things to over by the sea, and then they trade 'em." The centaur smiled wistfully, glancing into the forest. "Wish I could go, but the trip's hard. 'Specially for me, y'know?" He gestured to his equine half.

            Yamato nodded, trying to be understanding. He found that the feeling came a little easier; he smiled, accepting the large clay cup that the centaur offered him.

            "And Mimi hasn't brought her clan by for a long time."

            The knight raised an eyebrow, sipping his tea.

            Taichi noticed the question in his face, and smiled. "They're dragons. You don't get out much, do you?"

            "No," Yamato murmured softly, his mind processing what the centaur had just told him. "I don't." Could the boy he was looking for be rooming with this… clan? "I've never seen a dragon before… can you tell me about them?"

            The centaur grinned, happy that his new friend found his information so interesting. "Sure! Well, there aren't many dragons left here— Sora told me some knights wiped them out. I've never seen them in their dragon forms before, though."

            Yamato leaned forward slightly, listening intently. "What's that mean?"

            "Oh," Taichi paused. "Well, they have two forms. One is the dragon, one looks human. Neat disguise, huh?"

            The blonde nodded, "It is." He tried to withhold the grin that threatened to split his face. "Where do these dragons live? I'd like to meet them, someday."

            The smile faded from Taichi's face. "Oh… I can't tell you that. Sorry."

            "Why not?" Yamato put on his best innocent expression.

            The centaur suddenly looked as if he'd realized that he'd done something he wasn't supposed to. "Sora made me promise not to tell anyone."

            Yamato made a face of disappointment, "That's too bad. I'd have loved to meet them."

            Taichi bit his lip, his face portraying a severe internal struggle. After several moments, the centaur leaped up, a broad grin on his face. "I can't tell you where they are, but I can take you there! Then you can meet them and I won't break my promise!"

            That same smirk of an adroit slyness returned to Yamato's face. He quickly turned it into one of happiness, "That's great!"

            The centaur skipped around, so obviously excited, "I can take you there the day after tomorrow! They're always in camp when the moon gets full!"

            A sudden thought struck the smile from Yamato's face. Jun. "Oh… no, that won't work."

            "Huh?" Taichi stopped his prancing; Yamato somehow felt like the happiness had been sucked from the area. "Why not?"

            The knight sighed heavily, "I have an arrangement that day… I have to keep my promise," Yamato said it through clenched teeth. "And take that… that woman out to dinner."

            "Oh, well that sounds nice."

            "Are you mad?" Yamato snapped. Upon seeing the centaur's look of indignant shock, he softened. "Sorry… it's just… She… she bribed me." A look of confusion. "I was looking for valerian, she's the only one that had any." More confusion. "She's an apothecary." Absolute confusion. Did the centaur understand anything that was coming out of his mouth? "I had no money, but she said it was alright, just to take it and go, but then I said are you sure? and she said how about dinner together? So then I said sure, how about later? but I didn't know she'd remember!"

            "Er, well… that sounds nice."

            Yamato sighed. "Never mind."

~*~

            Takeru walked out of his cave, standing still and watching the sphinx intently. After a moment, Koushirou stirred, rolling over and glaring.

            Before the sphinx could spout anything, Takeru spoke first. "You're a catalyst."

            "What do—… I'm what?"

            "That's why you're here." Takeru sat on the edge of the cliff, staring out at the forest. "I see things, and what I see is what's supposed to happen. I send you because you're the one who will start the chain of events."

            "Why can't you go?"

            The griffin sighed. "I'm tied to this mountain. I can't leave—He'll come back, if I do." Takeru quickly held up a hand to stifle any questions. "You don't need to know."

            Koushirou sat up, his normally serious face quite blank. "I make things happen, just by being there?"

            Takeru was surprised with the question, it not having been what he was expecting. "Well… yes."

            A rare smile broke the calm of the sphinx's face. "Prodigious."

            The griffin raised an eyebrow, chuckling lightly. "I'll never understand you."

            "You don't need to."

~*~*~*~