Sherby: Hey and howdy, my readers! Welcome back, and enter the world of
scrummy yummy chapter three!
Oil Pastel: What the hell. . .?
Sherby: HEEHEE
Oily: I think she's delirious with pain. Why, you ask? Because . . .
Sherby: SHE just braided my hair.
Oily: Yer point?
Sherby: I'd better get on with this. Okay, Thankies for all da lovely reviews! Marvellous, honestly! Lol. Anyhows . . . yup, here we go, and enjoy chapter three! Any questions, ya know what to do. Email me at reiko_hiwatari@hotmail.com - or, if I don't email you back (coz I'm lazy) then try Oil Pastel here, who frankly can answer any questions better than I can, at sara_bloom@hotmail.com. Yup. Au revoir. Till the end of the chapter. Toodles!
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Chapter Three: Red
"I'm not helping."
Sara raised a hand and turned up her nose. She wasn't having any of this. Getting her hands all dirty and blood covered - well, she'd already done that once tonight. Why should she help this guy anyway? Did she know him? No. Did she even care? No. Was he good looking? No . . . well . . .
~"Helping could be good . . ."~ she mused, turning back to the lad lying on the floor. They were positioned at Tyson's old Dojo - the house Tyson had once shared with his grandfather. It was empty and abandoned now, broken and burned, like most buildings within the city constricts, but it was slightly more sheltered than some areas, and so was just that extra bit more safe. She and Tala had arrived about ten minutes ago, after a brief search through the city for more survivors or a place where the team could hide out until morning (after the devastating loss of their safe haven hours earlier). Unfortunately, neither had been found. No survivors, no haven. Just nothing. An empty expanse of barren, smoking city life and charred population had ended in a dead city. Every building had been ripped down to the floor. Every dead body cleared by the beasts for their own uses. There was nowhere left to hide. And soon, they'd even be here, at the Dojo . . . where would they go then?
"What's his name again? Ozzy?"
Rei rolled his eyes, and looked up at Sara from his position on the floor next to the unconscious newcomer. "His name is Ozuma."
Sara nodded. "Ozzy it is then. Hmm . . . how do you know him?"
She glanced over at Kai, who was kneeling next to Ozuma's head. She couldn't see him too well in the gloom of the night. It was pretty silent all around them, and a strange smell of charred meat was on the air. Above them, the stars were invisible, veiled behind the sheathe of mist that rained down so often upon their days now. She could just about make out the russet glare of their Captain, and she smirked. She had hardly ever shown Kai any respect - in fact, she probably never would. She didn't understand why Jenny had spoken about him so often to her in private; she didn't see what qualities her friend had seen in him. He was just another warrior to her. Okay, so he was strong. Big deal. She knew better guys.
"He's an old acquaintance," replied Kai without looking up at her, concentrating on what he was doing. Sara squinted so she could actually see what was going on.
"Is that . . . your shirt?"
Kai looked up, annoyed. "Yes. Can you let me concentrate?"
Sara rolled her eyes dubiously, her eyes still on his bare chest. He'd removed his shirt? What for?
Kai lifted Ozuma's head gingerly, and then lay it back down, attempting not to move it too much. He'd wrapped his shirt in a tight bundle and created a makeshift pillow for his injured companion. Occasionally, when the moonlight finally managed to pierce the net of mist that covered them all, she could see the rare shimmer of damp upon the pillow. Ozuma was bleeding. Badly.
She took a seat on the floor next to Lindsay, who was watching intently.
"Hope they don't expect us to give up our shirts," laughed Sara, attempting to lighten the mood. Lindsay offered a forced grin.
"Hehe, yeah."
Sara sighed. This was getting too depressing.
"Does anyone have any more bandages?" came Tyson's voice. Looking over, Sara could see that his shirt was ripped to shreds, as he had stripped it in order to tie up Ozuma's wounds. There were so many. Glancing at Rei, she watched as he unravelled his wrist bandages - the traditional ones he wore to remind him of home.
"Gosh, fine, here."
She stood up and stomped over to the unconscious Ozuma. She looked down at his face for a moment, wondering why she was doing this, and then removed her shirt grudgingly.
"WHA?!?!" Tala jumped up, a shocked expression on his face as the light blue material slipped off Sara's toned brown shoulders. "Sara, don't!"
Sara raised an eyebrow. "Tala, I have to. Besides . . . " she slipped the shirt off entirely to reveal a white T-Shirt underneath, " . . . Would I?"
Tala sighed and sat back down (masking a slight grimace of disappointment . . .), running a hand through his bright unruly hair. His eyes were still ice bright in the deep purple atmosphere, and the soot from his earlier experiences was starting to disappear. Suddenly reminded of his adventure in the warehouse, he glanced over at Lee, who was starting to come round a little. It couldn't be easy for the poor guy. He had been carried simply by being held, arms and legs, a good mile now, right into the heart of the city. Plus the dangerous wound across his chest and stomach didn't help matters.
Max was talking to the Chinese boy. Good old Max. He was a very caring boy, sloppy as it sounded, and, although he knew he was in a dangerous position, here, in the middle of a beast infested city, was risking his time and effort talking to the semi conscious Lee and making him feel as comfortable as he could. In fact, the whole team was displaying the highest quality by helping the injured. Even Sara - probably the coldest girl he had ever met in his life merely because of her sarcastic tongue and sharp wit - was helping out. As a matter of fact, the only person that wasn't helping was . . . himself.
"I'm going to check around," Tala remarked in his smooth, rather nasal voice, placing his rough hands upon his knees and standing up slowly. He was tired, just as Kai was. The whole team was tired. They needed a break. Being constantly on the watch, on the alert for any sort of new danger, like rabbits above ground, was exhausting in itself. There was no peace of mind in a place like this, and relentless worries plagued all of their minds, haunted them, wouldn't leave, and wouldn't sleep without the aid of the sunlight.
Tala turned away from the team, and made his way to the front entrance of the Dojo - well, what remained of it. That beautiful wall of delicate red brick had been broken and burned to the extent that it stood lower than even the shortest members of the group. The once awe inspiring garden about the Dojo was charred and lifeless, all forms of new birth extinguished, even the tiniest shoots and weeds ripped from the ground in a furious, vicious attempt to destroy any hope of prosperity for the human race. The water in the pond at the back of the house was a murky sort of brown colour, probably too dirty to even consider drinking, devoid of life. The house itself only had one tattered room remaining - the one that the team were in at the moment, and even that was missing a roof and one wall. The whole thing was a shambles.
Tala had watched Tyson's face when he had seen his former home. It had hurt him badly, that and the fact that his grandfather was nowhere to be seen. Both Tala and Tyson knew that it was highly likely the old man was dead - taken long ago by the creatures of the night. Tyson, being Tyson, had avoided the subject and gotten on with the matter at hand - rescuing Ozuma from death's claws. They'd worked for a good ten or fifteen minutes on the boy, who had collapsed before them in a pitiful state. Tala did admire that about his team - they wouldn't let another survivor down, regardless of who it was.
He ran his azure eyes over the crumbled line of the red brick wall, focussing on the brick yet taking in what lay behind it sharply, constantly on the lookout for any enemies, and attack. It was essential that they had a lookout. He thought it silly of Kai not to appoint one. But he did have a lot on his hands at the moment. Two injured, and no home. Their world was falling apart before their eyes - and they couldn't even see that due to the cruel darkness about them.
He took a deep breath, trying to push these depressing thoughts out of his head and think of happier times, both before him and ahead of him. He was hopeful - more than hopeful - that they'd somehow get out of this. And he hadn't lost everything - not quite. Still in his pocket he clung to his Wolborg - his faithful beast that had never abandoned him, no matter what. He would never give his Wolborg up, not to anyone. Because he knew Wolborg would never give up on him.
A shadow to his left made him jump, and his gaze snapped in that direction, glowing with a chill in the darkness. He found that he had been joined by Kai.
"We need to move on," said Tala quickly, never shy, never afraid to voice his opinions. Kai sighed.
"I know. But we can't leave Lee and Ozuma. They're in no position to travel. I don't know what to do."
Tala glanced at his Captain in surprise. The great Kai Hiwatari, asking for his help? Surely not!
"Well, if you're asking me . . . " started Tala.
"I'm not asking you."
Tala smirked, knowing full well why Kai was out there. He just had too much pride to ask for help.
"Fine. You keep watch," Tala said, still smirking rather nastily, as he turned to go back inside, ignoring the chill wind that shot through them suddenly. Kai turned to the city, his eyes shrewdly gazing at the horizon.
"Should . . . I . . . should we leave 'em?"
Tala stopped at this, another smile tickling his lips. So Kai had finally done it.
"I don't think so," he answered, without turning about, now noticing the cold wind and enjoying the feel of it as it moved through his hair and cleansed his face of earlier soot. "We'll manage. There are five or six of us stronger members left. We'll carry them. As long as we don't lose any more of us, we'll be fine."
Kai breathed in the air about them, savouring the cleaner smell than he was used to. This area of the city was slightly less polluted than where their base had been.
"Okay. I'll trust you, Tala."
Tala nodded. "I know you will. You don't trust yourself anymore."
Kai snapped around, the wind blowing his bangs across his piercing gaze. "What?"
"It's true!" persisted Tala, not in the least afraid of his former teammate, "You don't know what to do with us and you know it."
"Oh, and you do know, Tala? All you're interested in is Sa---"
"AT LEAST I can think of ways to get us out of this jam!" interrupted Tala smoothly, attempting to keep his voice lowered. They others needn't know about this little 'discussion'.
Kai stared at him for a moment, before turning back into the wind. "Go back inside, Tala," he said quietly, his voice sounding a little defeated.
Tala watched his team Captain, dressed only in his trousers and shoes, the tattered remains of his scarf hanging limply about his neck, his bare chest splattered with flecks of painful scarlet blood, his own and others', and his face tired and pale.
"Okay."
He backed away, appreciating that his Captain, however defeated in this little argument, wasn't defeated yet. He needed his time. Tala merely stepped back towards the inside of the Dojo, into the interior darkness, planning to start a fire somewhere and sharpen some arrows in the light it offered. That's if there was any firewood to be found.
~"Unlikely,"~ he thought pessimistically. He had never been an optimist. Despite the fact that he believed they would all get out of this hellhole, he was dubious as to how long it would take, or how many of them would survive. In fact, he doubted that more than three of them would make it alive. He was determined to be one of them.
~"I will never let them break me,"~ he growled to himself, his icy blue eyes lighting for just a second with a cold fire that he had mostly forgotten. He slipped into the Dojo, his face a neutral mask, watching once again the team doing their best to save Ozuma's life. They seemed to have things a little more under control now - the young boy lay still on the floor, bandaged in a strange array of multicolour, scraps of different material sacrificed to save his life. Nearby lay Lee, still talking weakly to Max, and Rei sat still against one of the walls, his face bloodied and tired, the glow of his eyes slowly being extinguished by all around them. Tyson stayed next to Ozuma, watching over his sleeping ally, and, not too far away, sat Lindsay and Sara, looking through the pitiful amount of weapons they had left and looking a little depressed. Then there was a crowd of youngsters, about ten or eleven years of age, who sat together, not really sure what was going on and feeling they should keep themselves to themselves. Tala wasn't interested in them - they showed little interest in him, and so why should he return the favour?
He started to look around for some firewood unsuccessfully. There was nothing. He had hoped there would be some wood, some food - anything just to sustain the group for a little while longer. But everything was gone. Help was practically impossible. They would have to look elsewhere.
Singling out Rei again, Tala made his way across the small room and sat next to the boy. He generally got on well with Rei - the two respected each other enough to like each other and not compete - which is more than could be said for some members of the team.
"Hey Tala," smiled Rei as the redhead took a seat, slumping down against the wall and allowing his slim form to crumple into a more relaxed position for once.
"Rei."
"Did you see anything?" asked Rei, attempting to make conversation. He was tired of these long silences - they made him so uncomfortable.
"Nope. Just darkness."
"That's what scares me the most," commented Rei sensibly, running a hand across his face and managing to smear some more blood upon the pale skin. "Damn."
Tala laughed. "It's not like you're any dirtier than the rest of us."
With a raised eyebrow and a smile, Rei agreed, and sighed. He was so tired - not just physically, but mentally. So exhausted that he would love to just stop caring about his own survival, stop caring about the rest of the world's survival, and just, for once, enjoy a dreamless sleep. They invaded his dreams often of late, and so he preferred to sleep less. Unfortunately, this resulted in an annoying lack of energy. It was a no win situation - and he couldn't help but feel that the rest of the group was also in the same situation as he was.
"Kai just told me he was thinking about leaving Lee and Ozuma behind."
Rei snapped up at this, and turned to face Tala, a confused frown upon his golden features. "What?"
"I know, I thought the same thing. Not like him, is it? Maybe he's losing what he once had."
Rei shook his head. "Nah, not Kai. He's just . . . I dunno, he hasn't slept in a good while. I guess he's tired."
"We all are," protested Tala, "But that doesn't mean we abandon our teammates!"
"I know, I know," agreed Rei, "But he has more to cope with than you think, Tala. He has to think about everybody's safety."
"And I don't?"
"I didn't mean that."
Tala pursed his lips together, annoyed. It wasn't like he didn't do his fair share in this operation! How dare Rei suggest that?
"You know I didn't mean that Tala," continued Rei a little hesitantly, not sure why he cared if he had angered Tala but carrying on amending anyway, "But we can't claim to have more - or less - worries than anyone else. We should just all support each other when we need it - whether we ask for help or not."
Tala nodded, agreeing. Rei had always been a diplomat. An admirable quality.
A sudden crash interrupted both of them, and they jerked their heads up towards the open wall of the room. Tyson and Max leaped to their feet, adrenaline pumping. Hearts racing. Eyes bolting madly in this sudden rush, sudden lash of vigour and energy. Fear jolted through each of their veins like insane lighting pulsating through their beings, and they sprang towards the exit.
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Tyson gasped when he got outside into the cold wind, which had picked up to a mad pace and howled inconsistently around them. The remnants of the red brick wall had been shattered into thousands of flecks and pieces and lay scattered across the floor. More frightening was the ten-foot dragon that loomed over him, its scales glistening in the mist, somehow reflecting in the heavy air around them. The green eyes glittered nastily, and its breath was so loud that Tyson could hear it above anything else just for a quick moment. He was unarmed, and so backed away quickly, calling inside the Dojo for swift reinforcements. He could hear Lindsay and Sara fumbling through the scarce weaponry pile, and turning swiftly he caught sight of a spear flying toward him. He caught it deftly, not in the least afraid of the weapon, and turned to face the evil creature that loomed above him. Looking around, he could see that this thing hadn't come alone. There were about eight of these things milling about his old garden, all similar in size, all cruel in purpose, and powerful in strength.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Tyson saw the flaming hair of Tala as he began a torrent of arrows upon the leathery hides of the beasts. The scent of meat littered the air, and Tyson could tell that they had been feasting only minutes ago. He felt a quick wave of hopelessness, just looking upon the massive hoard of mighty beasts that advanced upon them, but that was quickly removed when he hurled his spear forwards with an aggressive snarl into the chest of the dragon that watched him with no relent. It rammed into its skin and skipped back off again, and Tyson's face fell in fear.
"What?"
He scrambled backwards, his hair falling into his eyes irritatingly, as the beast continued to advance upon him.
~"How? How did it just brush off my attack like that?"~ Tyson 's mind span with questions as he moved towards the Dojo, eyes never moving from the hideous creature, its scales black to match the colour of its heart.
"Tyson!"
Tyson turned, and suddenly ducked, knowing what was coming. He pressed himself to the floor as a volley of arrows shot straight over his head and poured into the dragon's face, skimming areas of skin but ramming cruelly into its eyes and nose. The creature burst into blood red tears and roared as it backed away from Tyson, who still covered his head on the floor. He glanced up after a moment. Tala and Sara stood side-by-side, bows up and at the ready, and more arrows prepared to be fired again.
"Go for the eyes, Tyson. You won't break their skin easily," said Tala, lowering his bow for just a second to talk to Tyson properly. Tyson nodded, scrambling to his worn out feet, his ribs hurting from the impact when he hit the floor. They were still very sore from his previous encounters with the monsters. Still, now wasn't the time to give up, and, amidst cries of pain and eagerness for battle, he swept up his spear and turned to look for another monster.
His grey gaze caught sight of one, a huge, bulky, strong looking creature, thrashing about at the back of the Dojo. He nimbly ran about the ruin and entered the back garden, where he discovered there were three or four creatures, two already slain on the floor, puddles of blood seeping around them. A flash of amber to his right showed him that Rei was back here, and he had already caught sight of Max at the front of the Dojo. He fixed his eyes upon the beast he wanted to claim next. Oddly enough, this didn't faze him. Tala and Sara had discovered the weakness of this type of beast for now, and so he had the advantage, not physically but mentally. He knew where to hit them hardest. And he was actually beginning to enjoy himself. Having the advantage made for a pleasant change.
He stopped short unexpectedly, not quite understanding why his body made him do this, and his eyes widened. A massive trail of flame, deep green in colour and burning hot to the touch, blazed across the front of his face and he stumbled backwards, amazed that he hadn't been injured by it. It flashed horridly, jade tongues licking the air, hungry for fresh meat, and Tyson glanced to the source. The dragon he had been watching, preying upon, had opened its jaws in a vicious attempt to crush anyone surrounding it. Luckily enough, it seemed that no one had been caught up in the emerald glaze of that weapon. Catching his breath for a moment, Tyson advanced, not frightened by the fire of this beast, and watching its eyes with his own as it turned away from him, facing something else that Tyson could not see.
"HEY! Lizard breath!"
Tyson called out to it, well aware that if this was the best line he could think of he was running out of ideas, but knowing he had to catch its attention. The beast ignored his protests and advanced in the opposite direction.
"HEY!" Tyson yelled indignantly, getting annoyed. It wasn't rude enough that these things had trashed his former home and probably eaten every living relative of his - no, they were ignoring him too!
"That's it!"
Tyson snarled and threw the spear forward in frustration, knowing that it would be useless to do this but angry beyond belief at this audacious creature. The spear bounced off, but obviously the beast felt it, because it turned in fury, its footsteps shaking the very foundations of the earth beneath them. Tyson watched it, incensed, and then caught sight of what it had been advancing towards.
"No way!"
With a truly angry growl now, letting himself fill with rage, he yanked his spear up from the floor, crying out in his anger.
"So," he said, attempting to control his voice, watching the dragon as it advanced, tall and undefeated, "You think you can just pick on friends of mine like that, huh? Think again, freak."
Wrinkling his nose and snarling animalistically, Tyson raised the spear and ran forwards with it, determined to slay this foul being. He'd forgotten about the green fire it could emit from its being, and so was taken completely by surprise when he was met with a burst of flame from the jaws of his foe.
"ARGHHH!"
Tyson skidded, and simply watched as the snake trail of vengeful blaze sprinted towards him with no mercy. He closed his grey eyes, not wanting them to be lit with the jealous green, and waited for the impact.
It never came.
He opened an eye cautiously, wondering what on earth had happened, and looked around to see the blaze of jade thrash past his face and miss by inches. He gasped, the breath taken out of him, and looked back at the beast.
He could see the golden hilt of Kai's sword extruding from its thick neck, and across the other side, the tip of the sword could be seen, flashing silver, dotted here and there with the occasional tint of rouge.
Tyson certainly hadn't expected that. Moments ago, Kai had been down on the floor, at the complete mercy of the dragon, and he hadn't looked like he would be getting up any time soon. Now he stood next to the flailing dragon, shoulders heaving in rakes of air. He reached upwards and removed his sword, yanking it roughly out of the dragon's flesh before it collapsed to the ground, the life drained from it.
The tip of the sword grazed the infertile soil, and Kai's arm drooped with the weight, pulled down by gravity. He swayed on his feet for a moment before slipping to his knees dizzily, unable to stand. In parallel, the beast hit the floor, blood gushing from its wound like a fountain and leaking in lashings onto the browny-black earth.
Tyson sprang forward, alarmed. He could see no visible wound upon his Captain, but he was obviously injured if he couldn't stand. He grabbed Kai by the shoulders and looked into his face. No wounds to be seen.
"Kai? What is it?"
Kai opened his mouth to talk, but no sound came out, just rasping air for a moment. His eyes were not glazed, as Tyson expected, but merely dull and lacklustre.
"Kai?" Tyson repeated, alarmed at his Captain's lack of response. He scanned over the tall boy, still supporting him, aware of the danger around them, searching for any wounds.
"I can't find anything, Kai, what's wrong?"
Tyson looked desperately at Kai, searching for an answer, the sounds of the battle still intense around them. The wind blew through them, picking up more power by the moment, and Tyson watched the tattered remains of Kai's once white scarf shift backwards and trail in the rush of air. And it revealed what Tyson had been searching for.
Tyson's face fell further, and he shook his head, suddenly unable to breath. He choked out the words.
"No . . . Kai . . ."
From the top left of Kai's neck ran a deep slit, stretching around to the front centre and down to the right of his collarbone. It poured blood as Tyson watched it with woeful eyes, and, if Tyson looked closely, he could just about see Kai's windpipe, unbroken as yet but looking as though it could snap open at any second. He watched Kai swallow, his throat dry despite the sudden wetness running through it, and more blood, scarlet and deadly, oozed out of the brutal wound.
Tyson caught his breath with effort. He'd never seen anything like this. He was surprised that Kai was still alive; never mind able to dispose of one final beast before his body gave in to its injury. Not quite knowing what to do, Tyson could only think to call over his friends.
"REI! REI GET OVER HERE!" he screamed, his grey eyes focused immovably upon the wound. He could see Kai watching him, those brown eyes not quite put out yet. Could he even breathe? Tyson didn't have a clue. All he knew that one of his best friends was about to die, and if he wanted to save him he would have to get him off this blood soaked battle field and inside.
He heard lighter footsteps than those of their enemy, and turned to see Rei approaching swiftly, a deep scratch running down his face, and one arm looking blackened and scorched. He had obviously been caught in the path of another one of these dragons. Still, he looked alert and able, so to speak, and he halted next to Tyson.
"What?"
Tyson nodded to Kai, but he didn't need to. Rei's exclamation had been one of disbelief, not one of question. He dropped to his knees and leaned forward, amber eyes wide and shocked at the bloody mess before them.
"Kai, can you hear us?"
Kai didn't move his body, but merely averted his gaze so he was looking at Rei instead of Tyson. This was enough to answer Rei's question.
"Good. Don't move, okay. Try not to breathe hard on it - I know that's difficult. You'll be okay."
Kai watched Rei for a moment or two after he finished speaking. He knew that even if he tried he couldn't speak. He wasn't about to try. When that beast had torn his throat in the instant the attack had come, he hadn't known what had hit him. He had simply been robbed of all air but the occasional mouthful, and had been focused on the fact that he was about to drown in his own blood. He could feel it, trickling down his throat foully, some exiting and seeping across his neck, dripping down his bare chest and soaking his tattered scarf all the way through. He hadn't given up though. No, he'd fought on. Wasn't about to let his team down, no matter what. When Tyson had been in the path of that fire, he had seen how close the boy had come to death. He couldn't let that happen, and his last strength had slipped out on saving the boy's life. Now, sounds, sights, smells began to swim and merge as one blood red hue, clouding his eyes and framing all he saw. Not that he saw much - the darkness was getting heavier around him, and he knew he wasn't going to last long.
He swallowed again, feeling oddly dehydrated, and felt the urge to cough.
"Don't!" warned Rei, his own heart racing in utter fear for his friend. "Don't you do it, Kai."
Tyson looked from one to the other, and then watched in horror as Kai's eyes flickered and fell shut, the boy's world disappearing once more about him. He fell backwards and Rei slipped around deftly, catching their friend and supporting his neck as best he could.
"Tyson, we . . . we have to get him inside." Rei said quietly, his face white. He looked up at Tyson, and Tyson saw the need for reassurance and aid in Rei.
"I'll help you, Rei."
Tyson offered Rei a wonky smile, though his eyes were clouded with misty waters. Rei glanced down at his hand, already soaked in Kai's blood. Each breath Kai took was a compromise - he could either have air or blood, but, in this situation, not both. Every breath he scraped, more blood pumped out.
"Let's get him inside, then," said Tyson, nodding determinedly, helping Rei lift Kai from under his arms. Blood spilled from the wound, splashing over Tyson's own hands, and he shuddered, resisting the urge to vomit. This was awful. He knew then and there that Kai's main jugular had been slashed. His chances of survival were so slim that Tyson didn't want to think about it.
"Um . . . Tyson?"
Tyson glanced at Rei, who had stopped moving.
"What, Rei?"
Rei looked up to behind Tyson, and Tyson noticed the shadow, the black shadow that had fallen over all three of them.
"Crud," he cursed, not turning just yet. He was unarmed, as was Rei. His eyes widened in fear, and he slowly spun, knowing what he would see anyway.
~"This is it,"~ he thought sadly, ~ "Another one bites the dust, huh?"~
He caught sight of the dragon looming over him, stretching up to its full height and its jaws grinning at him lustily. Tyson once again closed his eyes, knowing that Rei was doing the same.
There was a pause, and then a thud.
~"What is it with me and closing my eyes? Does it scare them off or something?"~ Tyson thought a little sarcastically to himself. He opened both eyes this time, and watched as the dragon tottered backwards with a roar of agony. A spear had sliced into its eye, and stuck straight out. Looking at it made Rei feel ill. He glanced about, looking for their saviour - but the only person he could see was Lindsay.
Lindsay?
She grabbed another spear, her curly locks crossing her face in the wind, her clothes bloodied but her face determined.
"Get away from them!" she yelled at the top of her voice, and Rei watched in admiration as she hurled another spear, aiming for its ear and only just missing the mark.
~ "I'm impressed!"~ Rei smiled as Lindsay advanced. Her green eyes matched those of the beast eerily enough, and she snarled.
"I said MOVE!"
The beast stumbled, its whole body writhing in pain as it attempted unsuccessfully to dislodge the infiltrating spear. Lindsay laughed.
"I owe Kai some thanks! I didn't know I could aim so well!"
Rei smiled at her, and then glanced over at the front of the house, the front garden, where he could see the massive shape of Wolborg towering above the shattered ruin of the Dojo. The mighty white wolf was radiant and luminous in the blackness around them. Obviously Tala had felt cause for heavier artillery. It howled, its entire form wreathed in ice white flame, and began to brawl with the nearest dragon. There were only about three left now, at least there were according to Rei.
"Tyson, let's go!" he yelled quickly, over the noise of the white wolf. The battle raged on around them, and Rei was about to pull Kai's limp form once again, when he felt something slam into him hard, and he toppled to the side, losing his grip on his slowly slipping friend and rolling over on the solid ground.
He landed hard, and his black bangs, now dirty with the mud and dead soil of the ground, fell into his eyes. He growled and pushed himself to his feet, looking around manically, trying to make sense of what had happened. He caught sight of Tyson, also on the floor, rubbing his head in pain. But . . .
"Where's Kai?" he hollered to Tyson, who had now started looking for who - or what, indeed - it was that had rammed into them like that. A scream from Lindsay grabbed both of their attention, and she pointed upwards frantically.
"REI! TYSON! LOOK!"
They glanced skywards swiftly, their eyes bright with energy and adrenaline, and both of their faces crumpled.
Soaring above them was yet another dragon beast, larger this time, a deep red hue in colour and its fangs glinting through the mist it seemed to revel in. The moon sheathed upon its scales and made it glitter in a morbid fashion, and its long tail trailed behind it as though some sort of territorial marker. This area was theirs. The team were invading, and they needed to get out.
Most disturbing for Rei was the sight of their Captain, dangling limply in its talons, blood still rushing from his wounds, all over him now, in his hair, on his face, and he almost looked like some sort of demon, as though he belonged there, as though he should go with the foul creature. Rei instantly began to run towards the front of the wrecked Dojo, closely followed by Tyson. The back garden was devoid of life now anyway, apart from Lindsay, who proceeded to check for any more beasts hiding in the surrounding area.
Rei plunged into the midst of people at the front of the house. There was one more beast alive here, and as Rei watched, it fell to the floor, its head swaying as it succumbed to gravity. Max emerged from behind the creature, once again covered in dirt and blood.
"Max, where's Tala?"
Max glanced over, and smiled. "Kicking butt with Wolborg, that's where!"
Rei nodded, and darted over to the massive form of the unbeatable wolf, which stood proud and tall, just like its master by its feet.
"TALA!" yelled Rei, scrambling across the littered bodies in the garden. He saw Tala spin around, alert at the sound of his own normally smooth voice. Rei skidded to a halt next to Tala, and watched the redhead's eyes cautiously. They were icy white - no longer that cold, azure blue. Now his irises seemed to have disappeared into the dazzling white of their background, and all that was left was a tiny black pupil, constricted anyway due to the adrenaline rush Tala was on. The release of his beast had altered his appearance. There had always been a very close link between any master and their beast. Rei often wondered whether his own eyes turned green instead of amber when he released his Drigger, but frankly he hadn't had the time to check in a mirror.
"Tala, up there!"
He yanked his head upwards, and Tala's snow gaze traversed upwards to Kai, held fast in the animal's grip. Rei noticed Tala's beautiful eyes widen, and he sprang towards Sara.
"ARROWS! Sara, get take it down!"
From across the ruined garden, Sara heard her partner's call, and looked to the heavens.
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed in frenzy, raising her bow, doubtful about the range of her shots but determined to try nevertheless. She aimed three arrows at once, knowing that speed was of the essence, and then, in almost complete synchronisation with Tala's, she launched, watching the arrows fly through the air at a dazzling pace, flitting through the heavy mist as though it were nothing at all and ram into the mighty dragon.
They had no effect.
"AGAIN!" cried Rei, determined to save his friend.
~"This isn't happening, it can't be happening. We can't lose Kai."~
Rei watched as more arrows flew through the air.
~ "Come on, bring it down . . ."~
The arrows resounded from its hide, some completely missing the mark. Tala yelled something to Sara that Rei didn't quite hear. He couldn't believe this was happening. If only he'd held on to his friend rather than let go when that thing had knocked into them.
"Come on, guys!"
"We're out of arrows!" yelled Sara angrily, her eyes flashing with worry. Tala shrugged, defeated.
"I'm sorry, Rei, I'm clean out."
Rei glanced at the both of them, and then back to Tyson.
"The beasts? Drigger, Dragoon? Can we do it?"
Tyson grabbed Rei by the wrists. "Look."
Rei glanced upwards, his gaze heavy and unwilling, and watched as the creature began to move away from them, its huge wings swooping and creating a soundless hush throughout the heavy air. Rei watched on, panting for breath, feeling his heart thudding in his chest as his Captain was stolen away from them.
And they could do nothing about it.
**************************************************************************** ***********
True to his loyalties, Rei didn't remove his gaze for a second, even as the others began to move, silence descending upon them all as the heavy mist above. Rei felt as though he'd been shot. He hurt all over, and he was incredibly tired, and he felt empty. He had no Captain to obey - and he'd lost one of his best friends. Just like that, whipped away on the wings of the night as though he were worth nothing at all, known to nobody.
~"Why . . ."~
Rei shook his head, his eyes glistening with amber tears and streaking down his blood stained face. He glanced down at his hands, still lathered with Kai's blood, stained all over, tiny holes in the darkening red appearing when his tears dripped onto his palms. Rei restrained more tears, and wiped his face quickly, aware that he looked a mess but not really caring. Ignoring the people around him, he stumbled back into the rear garden of the house, not sure why.
~"He'd never let one of us go like that,"~ he thought sadly, his head spinning. He couldn't hear Tyson calling to him from the front garden. He simply carried on walking, his feet shuffling along the bloodied ground as though it were too much for him to lift his feet. His eyes focused upon nothing and simply dragged.
When his feet came into contact with something on the floor, Rei blinked, and looked down. It was a small, blue object, and, upon closer inspection, Rei picked up the broken blade of Dranzer. It had been crushed in the attack, and was a scattered mess of plastic chips and pieces. Still intact, however, was the tiny bit chip, with its image of its prisoner engraved and still glowing on the outside.
The Dranzer, the mighty, unquenchable phoenix, was still in there. It was still alive.
"Dranzer?" Rei muttered to himself, his black bangs falling into his eyes messily. Thinking for a moment, he moved back into the front garden, where the others were starting to clean up and check for major wounds or injuries.
He sought Tyson out. His friend looked tired, even in the dim light.
"Tyson? Check this out."
Rei caught a quick glimpse of Tyson's tear stained face, and knew he was hurting as much as himself. He had a feeling that they weren't the only ones. The team had lost their leader.
Or had they?
"It's still there, Tys." Rei commented quietly, "Dranzer isn't gone. And that means . . . "
"Don't be dumb, Rei," snapped Tyson, glancing up, and Rei saw how tear stained his eyes were. "You saw what happened. Give it up. He's gone. We don't have a Captain any more. You have to take over."
Rei stared, startled, and shook his head. "I won't take over."
Tyson's eyes widened in annoyance. He'd had a long night - as had they all.
"And why not?"
Rei raised an eyebrow, and closed his hand around the Dranzer bit. "Because our real Captain is still alive. I'm not gonna give up so easily."
Tyson stared in disbelief. "I don't believe I'm hearing this, dude. I know you've just lost a close friend - believe me, I understand - but we have to get on with things, for the sake of the team."
Rei shook his head. "I won't do it. It's mutiny."
"WHAT?"
Rei turned, not interested in this conversation anymore. He wouldn't take part in any act of mutiny. And he knew that Kai was still alive. He could feel it, somehow. He'd learned to trust his feelings, his gut reactions, a long time ago. And somehow, he knew that his Captain, Kai Hiwatari, was not lost. At least not forever.
/And I know you're alive.
And you know I will always try.
I could never care less about
What this world has to offer. If the price is to die,
I'll keep my human spirit alive./
**************************************************************************** ***********
Tyson watched Rei walk away, as though lost in a world of his own. This was ridiculous. Tyson would not try to fool himself here. He had faced up to Kai's death, and dealt with it. He wouldn't give in to any wishful thinking of his own - or Rei's - or anyone else's. The important thing now was to keep the team going. Somehow they had to survive. Kai had to be put behind them.
Tyson turned, and looked up to the sky, where he had last seen that image of his Captain, being heartlessly removed from them. And with an upset sort of smile, Tyson noticed that the sun was rising.
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Sherby: DONE!
Oily: During the process of writing this chappie, Sherbet Mayhem managed to drop a whole toilet roll down the bog.
Sherby: It was an accident!
Oily: Damned funny accident.
Sherby: I know yeah. Anyways . . .
Review people! I'm so tired, and I have a back cramp, and I have to go and sit in church for like two hours now on the UNCOMFY pews, so please, have pity on me!
Oily: Ha.
Sherby: *gets out computer bashing hammer* REVIEW PEOPLE! Hope you enjoyed it. Lyrics were Blindside, and . . . erm . . . the time is 17:17 on a Sunday. Who said day of rest, eh? Not for me it ain't!
Au revoir!
Oily: C ya! *smiles and waves stupidly*
Sherby: Yeah, what she said! Chocolate if you review! *bribery, eh?*
Oil Pastel: What the hell. . .?
Sherby: HEEHEE
Oily: I think she's delirious with pain. Why, you ask? Because . . .
Sherby: SHE just braided my hair.
Oily: Yer point?
Sherby: I'd better get on with this. Okay, Thankies for all da lovely reviews! Marvellous, honestly! Lol. Anyhows . . . yup, here we go, and enjoy chapter three! Any questions, ya know what to do. Email me at reiko_hiwatari@hotmail.com - or, if I don't email you back (coz I'm lazy) then try Oil Pastel here, who frankly can answer any questions better than I can, at sara_bloom@hotmail.com. Yup. Au revoir. Till the end of the chapter. Toodles!
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Chapter Three: Red
"I'm not helping."
Sara raised a hand and turned up her nose. She wasn't having any of this. Getting her hands all dirty and blood covered - well, she'd already done that once tonight. Why should she help this guy anyway? Did she know him? No. Did she even care? No. Was he good looking? No . . . well . . .
~"Helping could be good . . ."~ she mused, turning back to the lad lying on the floor. They were positioned at Tyson's old Dojo - the house Tyson had once shared with his grandfather. It was empty and abandoned now, broken and burned, like most buildings within the city constricts, but it was slightly more sheltered than some areas, and so was just that extra bit more safe. She and Tala had arrived about ten minutes ago, after a brief search through the city for more survivors or a place where the team could hide out until morning (after the devastating loss of their safe haven hours earlier). Unfortunately, neither had been found. No survivors, no haven. Just nothing. An empty expanse of barren, smoking city life and charred population had ended in a dead city. Every building had been ripped down to the floor. Every dead body cleared by the beasts for their own uses. There was nowhere left to hide. And soon, they'd even be here, at the Dojo . . . where would they go then?
"What's his name again? Ozzy?"
Rei rolled his eyes, and looked up at Sara from his position on the floor next to the unconscious newcomer. "His name is Ozuma."
Sara nodded. "Ozzy it is then. Hmm . . . how do you know him?"
She glanced over at Kai, who was kneeling next to Ozuma's head. She couldn't see him too well in the gloom of the night. It was pretty silent all around them, and a strange smell of charred meat was on the air. Above them, the stars were invisible, veiled behind the sheathe of mist that rained down so often upon their days now. She could just about make out the russet glare of their Captain, and she smirked. She had hardly ever shown Kai any respect - in fact, she probably never would. She didn't understand why Jenny had spoken about him so often to her in private; she didn't see what qualities her friend had seen in him. He was just another warrior to her. Okay, so he was strong. Big deal. She knew better guys.
"He's an old acquaintance," replied Kai without looking up at her, concentrating on what he was doing. Sara squinted so she could actually see what was going on.
"Is that . . . your shirt?"
Kai looked up, annoyed. "Yes. Can you let me concentrate?"
Sara rolled her eyes dubiously, her eyes still on his bare chest. He'd removed his shirt? What for?
Kai lifted Ozuma's head gingerly, and then lay it back down, attempting not to move it too much. He'd wrapped his shirt in a tight bundle and created a makeshift pillow for his injured companion. Occasionally, when the moonlight finally managed to pierce the net of mist that covered them all, she could see the rare shimmer of damp upon the pillow. Ozuma was bleeding. Badly.
She took a seat on the floor next to Lindsay, who was watching intently.
"Hope they don't expect us to give up our shirts," laughed Sara, attempting to lighten the mood. Lindsay offered a forced grin.
"Hehe, yeah."
Sara sighed. This was getting too depressing.
"Does anyone have any more bandages?" came Tyson's voice. Looking over, Sara could see that his shirt was ripped to shreds, as he had stripped it in order to tie up Ozuma's wounds. There were so many. Glancing at Rei, she watched as he unravelled his wrist bandages - the traditional ones he wore to remind him of home.
"Gosh, fine, here."
She stood up and stomped over to the unconscious Ozuma. She looked down at his face for a moment, wondering why she was doing this, and then removed her shirt grudgingly.
"WHA?!?!" Tala jumped up, a shocked expression on his face as the light blue material slipped off Sara's toned brown shoulders. "Sara, don't!"
Sara raised an eyebrow. "Tala, I have to. Besides . . . " she slipped the shirt off entirely to reveal a white T-Shirt underneath, " . . . Would I?"
Tala sighed and sat back down (masking a slight grimace of disappointment . . .), running a hand through his bright unruly hair. His eyes were still ice bright in the deep purple atmosphere, and the soot from his earlier experiences was starting to disappear. Suddenly reminded of his adventure in the warehouse, he glanced over at Lee, who was starting to come round a little. It couldn't be easy for the poor guy. He had been carried simply by being held, arms and legs, a good mile now, right into the heart of the city. Plus the dangerous wound across his chest and stomach didn't help matters.
Max was talking to the Chinese boy. Good old Max. He was a very caring boy, sloppy as it sounded, and, although he knew he was in a dangerous position, here, in the middle of a beast infested city, was risking his time and effort talking to the semi conscious Lee and making him feel as comfortable as he could. In fact, the whole team was displaying the highest quality by helping the injured. Even Sara - probably the coldest girl he had ever met in his life merely because of her sarcastic tongue and sharp wit - was helping out. As a matter of fact, the only person that wasn't helping was . . . himself.
"I'm going to check around," Tala remarked in his smooth, rather nasal voice, placing his rough hands upon his knees and standing up slowly. He was tired, just as Kai was. The whole team was tired. They needed a break. Being constantly on the watch, on the alert for any sort of new danger, like rabbits above ground, was exhausting in itself. There was no peace of mind in a place like this, and relentless worries plagued all of their minds, haunted them, wouldn't leave, and wouldn't sleep without the aid of the sunlight.
Tala turned away from the team, and made his way to the front entrance of the Dojo - well, what remained of it. That beautiful wall of delicate red brick had been broken and burned to the extent that it stood lower than even the shortest members of the group. The once awe inspiring garden about the Dojo was charred and lifeless, all forms of new birth extinguished, even the tiniest shoots and weeds ripped from the ground in a furious, vicious attempt to destroy any hope of prosperity for the human race. The water in the pond at the back of the house was a murky sort of brown colour, probably too dirty to even consider drinking, devoid of life. The house itself only had one tattered room remaining - the one that the team were in at the moment, and even that was missing a roof and one wall. The whole thing was a shambles.
Tala had watched Tyson's face when he had seen his former home. It had hurt him badly, that and the fact that his grandfather was nowhere to be seen. Both Tala and Tyson knew that it was highly likely the old man was dead - taken long ago by the creatures of the night. Tyson, being Tyson, had avoided the subject and gotten on with the matter at hand - rescuing Ozuma from death's claws. They'd worked for a good ten or fifteen minutes on the boy, who had collapsed before them in a pitiful state. Tala did admire that about his team - they wouldn't let another survivor down, regardless of who it was.
He ran his azure eyes over the crumbled line of the red brick wall, focussing on the brick yet taking in what lay behind it sharply, constantly on the lookout for any enemies, and attack. It was essential that they had a lookout. He thought it silly of Kai not to appoint one. But he did have a lot on his hands at the moment. Two injured, and no home. Their world was falling apart before their eyes - and they couldn't even see that due to the cruel darkness about them.
He took a deep breath, trying to push these depressing thoughts out of his head and think of happier times, both before him and ahead of him. He was hopeful - more than hopeful - that they'd somehow get out of this. And he hadn't lost everything - not quite. Still in his pocket he clung to his Wolborg - his faithful beast that had never abandoned him, no matter what. He would never give his Wolborg up, not to anyone. Because he knew Wolborg would never give up on him.
A shadow to his left made him jump, and his gaze snapped in that direction, glowing with a chill in the darkness. He found that he had been joined by Kai.
"We need to move on," said Tala quickly, never shy, never afraid to voice his opinions. Kai sighed.
"I know. But we can't leave Lee and Ozuma. They're in no position to travel. I don't know what to do."
Tala glanced at his Captain in surprise. The great Kai Hiwatari, asking for his help? Surely not!
"Well, if you're asking me . . . " started Tala.
"I'm not asking you."
Tala smirked, knowing full well why Kai was out there. He just had too much pride to ask for help.
"Fine. You keep watch," Tala said, still smirking rather nastily, as he turned to go back inside, ignoring the chill wind that shot through them suddenly. Kai turned to the city, his eyes shrewdly gazing at the horizon.
"Should . . . I . . . should we leave 'em?"
Tala stopped at this, another smile tickling his lips. So Kai had finally done it.
"I don't think so," he answered, without turning about, now noticing the cold wind and enjoying the feel of it as it moved through his hair and cleansed his face of earlier soot. "We'll manage. There are five or six of us stronger members left. We'll carry them. As long as we don't lose any more of us, we'll be fine."
Kai breathed in the air about them, savouring the cleaner smell than he was used to. This area of the city was slightly less polluted than where their base had been.
"Okay. I'll trust you, Tala."
Tala nodded. "I know you will. You don't trust yourself anymore."
Kai snapped around, the wind blowing his bangs across his piercing gaze. "What?"
"It's true!" persisted Tala, not in the least afraid of his former teammate, "You don't know what to do with us and you know it."
"Oh, and you do know, Tala? All you're interested in is Sa---"
"AT LEAST I can think of ways to get us out of this jam!" interrupted Tala smoothly, attempting to keep his voice lowered. They others needn't know about this little 'discussion'.
Kai stared at him for a moment, before turning back into the wind. "Go back inside, Tala," he said quietly, his voice sounding a little defeated.
Tala watched his team Captain, dressed only in his trousers and shoes, the tattered remains of his scarf hanging limply about his neck, his bare chest splattered with flecks of painful scarlet blood, his own and others', and his face tired and pale.
"Okay."
He backed away, appreciating that his Captain, however defeated in this little argument, wasn't defeated yet. He needed his time. Tala merely stepped back towards the inside of the Dojo, into the interior darkness, planning to start a fire somewhere and sharpen some arrows in the light it offered. That's if there was any firewood to be found.
~"Unlikely,"~ he thought pessimistically. He had never been an optimist. Despite the fact that he believed they would all get out of this hellhole, he was dubious as to how long it would take, or how many of them would survive. In fact, he doubted that more than three of them would make it alive. He was determined to be one of them.
~"I will never let them break me,"~ he growled to himself, his icy blue eyes lighting for just a second with a cold fire that he had mostly forgotten. He slipped into the Dojo, his face a neutral mask, watching once again the team doing their best to save Ozuma's life. They seemed to have things a little more under control now - the young boy lay still on the floor, bandaged in a strange array of multicolour, scraps of different material sacrificed to save his life. Nearby lay Lee, still talking weakly to Max, and Rei sat still against one of the walls, his face bloodied and tired, the glow of his eyes slowly being extinguished by all around them. Tyson stayed next to Ozuma, watching over his sleeping ally, and, not too far away, sat Lindsay and Sara, looking through the pitiful amount of weapons they had left and looking a little depressed. Then there was a crowd of youngsters, about ten or eleven years of age, who sat together, not really sure what was going on and feeling they should keep themselves to themselves. Tala wasn't interested in them - they showed little interest in him, and so why should he return the favour?
He started to look around for some firewood unsuccessfully. There was nothing. He had hoped there would be some wood, some food - anything just to sustain the group for a little while longer. But everything was gone. Help was practically impossible. They would have to look elsewhere.
Singling out Rei again, Tala made his way across the small room and sat next to the boy. He generally got on well with Rei - the two respected each other enough to like each other and not compete - which is more than could be said for some members of the team.
"Hey Tala," smiled Rei as the redhead took a seat, slumping down against the wall and allowing his slim form to crumple into a more relaxed position for once.
"Rei."
"Did you see anything?" asked Rei, attempting to make conversation. He was tired of these long silences - they made him so uncomfortable.
"Nope. Just darkness."
"That's what scares me the most," commented Rei sensibly, running a hand across his face and managing to smear some more blood upon the pale skin. "Damn."
Tala laughed. "It's not like you're any dirtier than the rest of us."
With a raised eyebrow and a smile, Rei agreed, and sighed. He was so tired - not just physically, but mentally. So exhausted that he would love to just stop caring about his own survival, stop caring about the rest of the world's survival, and just, for once, enjoy a dreamless sleep. They invaded his dreams often of late, and so he preferred to sleep less. Unfortunately, this resulted in an annoying lack of energy. It was a no win situation - and he couldn't help but feel that the rest of the group was also in the same situation as he was.
"Kai just told me he was thinking about leaving Lee and Ozuma behind."
Rei snapped up at this, and turned to face Tala, a confused frown upon his golden features. "What?"
"I know, I thought the same thing. Not like him, is it? Maybe he's losing what he once had."
Rei shook his head. "Nah, not Kai. He's just . . . I dunno, he hasn't slept in a good while. I guess he's tired."
"We all are," protested Tala, "But that doesn't mean we abandon our teammates!"
"I know, I know," agreed Rei, "But he has more to cope with than you think, Tala. He has to think about everybody's safety."
"And I don't?"
"I didn't mean that."
Tala pursed his lips together, annoyed. It wasn't like he didn't do his fair share in this operation! How dare Rei suggest that?
"You know I didn't mean that Tala," continued Rei a little hesitantly, not sure why he cared if he had angered Tala but carrying on amending anyway, "But we can't claim to have more - or less - worries than anyone else. We should just all support each other when we need it - whether we ask for help or not."
Tala nodded, agreeing. Rei had always been a diplomat. An admirable quality.
A sudden crash interrupted both of them, and they jerked their heads up towards the open wall of the room. Tyson and Max leaped to their feet, adrenaline pumping. Hearts racing. Eyes bolting madly in this sudden rush, sudden lash of vigour and energy. Fear jolted through each of their veins like insane lighting pulsating through their beings, and they sprang towards the exit.
**************************************************************************** ***********
Tyson gasped when he got outside into the cold wind, which had picked up to a mad pace and howled inconsistently around them. The remnants of the red brick wall had been shattered into thousands of flecks and pieces and lay scattered across the floor. More frightening was the ten-foot dragon that loomed over him, its scales glistening in the mist, somehow reflecting in the heavy air around them. The green eyes glittered nastily, and its breath was so loud that Tyson could hear it above anything else just for a quick moment. He was unarmed, and so backed away quickly, calling inside the Dojo for swift reinforcements. He could hear Lindsay and Sara fumbling through the scarce weaponry pile, and turning swiftly he caught sight of a spear flying toward him. He caught it deftly, not in the least afraid of the weapon, and turned to face the evil creature that loomed above him. Looking around, he could see that this thing hadn't come alone. There were about eight of these things milling about his old garden, all similar in size, all cruel in purpose, and powerful in strength.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Tyson saw the flaming hair of Tala as he began a torrent of arrows upon the leathery hides of the beasts. The scent of meat littered the air, and Tyson could tell that they had been feasting only minutes ago. He felt a quick wave of hopelessness, just looking upon the massive hoard of mighty beasts that advanced upon them, but that was quickly removed when he hurled his spear forwards with an aggressive snarl into the chest of the dragon that watched him with no relent. It rammed into its skin and skipped back off again, and Tyson's face fell in fear.
"What?"
He scrambled backwards, his hair falling into his eyes irritatingly, as the beast continued to advance upon him.
~"How? How did it just brush off my attack like that?"~ Tyson 's mind span with questions as he moved towards the Dojo, eyes never moving from the hideous creature, its scales black to match the colour of its heart.
"Tyson!"
Tyson turned, and suddenly ducked, knowing what was coming. He pressed himself to the floor as a volley of arrows shot straight over his head and poured into the dragon's face, skimming areas of skin but ramming cruelly into its eyes and nose. The creature burst into blood red tears and roared as it backed away from Tyson, who still covered his head on the floor. He glanced up after a moment. Tala and Sara stood side-by-side, bows up and at the ready, and more arrows prepared to be fired again.
"Go for the eyes, Tyson. You won't break their skin easily," said Tala, lowering his bow for just a second to talk to Tyson properly. Tyson nodded, scrambling to his worn out feet, his ribs hurting from the impact when he hit the floor. They were still very sore from his previous encounters with the monsters. Still, now wasn't the time to give up, and, amidst cries of pain and eagerness for battle, he swept up his spear and turned to look for another monster.
His grey gaze caught sight of one, a huge, bulky, strong looking creature, thrashing about at the back of the Dojo. He nimbly ran about the ruin and entered the back garden, where he discovered there were three or four creatures, two already slain on the floor, puddles of blood seeping around them. A flash of amber to his right showed him that Rei was back here, and he had already caught sight of Max at the front of the Dojo. He fixed his eyes upon the beast he wanted to claim next. Oddly enough, this didn't faze him. Tala and Sara had discovered the weakness of this type of beast for now, and so he had the advantage, not physically but mentally. He knew where to hit them hardest. And he was actually beginning to enjoy himself. Having the advantage made for a pleasant change.
He stopped short unexpectedly, not quite understanding why his body made him do this, and his eyes widened. A massive trail of flame, deep green in colour and burning hot to the touch, blazed across the front of his face and he stumbled backwards, amazed that he hadn't been injured by it. It flashed horridly, jade tongues licking the air, hungry for fresh meat, and Tyson glanced to the source. The dragon he had been watching, preying upon, had opened its jaws in a vicious attempt to crush anyone surrounding it. Luckily enough, it seemed that no one had been caught up in the emerald glaze of that weapon. Catching his breath for a moment, Tyson advanced, not frightened by the fire of this beast, and watching its eyes with his own as it turned away from him, facing something else that Tyson could not see.
"HEY! Lizard breath!"
Tyson called out to it, well aware that if this was the best line he could think of he was running out of ideas, but knowing he had to catch its attention. The beast ignored his protests and advanced in the opposite direction.
"HEY!" Tyson yelled indignantly, getting annoyed. It wasn't rude enough that these things had trashed his former home and probably eaten every living relative of his - no, they were ignoring him too!
"That's it!"
Tyson snarled and threw the spear forward in frustration, knowing that it would be useless to do this but angry beyond belief at this audacious creature. The spear bounced off, but obviously the beast felt it, because it turned in fury, its footsteps shaking the very foundations of the earth beneath them. Tyson watched it, incensed, and then caught sight of what it had been advancing towards.
"No way!"
With a truly angry growl now, letting himself fill with rage, he yanked his spear up from the floor, crying out in his anger.
"So," he said, attempting to control his voice, watching the dragon as it advanced, tall and undefeated, "You think you can just pick on friends of mine like that, huh? Think again, freak."
Wrinkling his nose and snarling animalistically, Tyson raised the spear and ran forwards with it, determined to slay this foul being. He'd forgotten about the green fire it could emit from its being, and so was taken completely by surprise when he was met with a burst of flame from the jaws of his foe.
"ARGHHH!"
Tyson skidded, and simply watched as the snake trail of vengeful blaze sprinted towards him with no mercy. He closed his grey eyes, not wanting them to be lit with the jealous green, and waited for the impact.
It never came.
He opened an eye cautiously, wondering what on earth had happened, and looked around to see the blaze of jade thrash past his face and miss by inches. He gasped, the breath taken out of him, and looked back at the beast.
He could see the golden hilt of Kai's sword extruding from its thick neck, and across the other side, the tip of the sword could be seen, flashing silver, dotted here and there with the occasional tint of rouge.
Tyson certainly hadn't expected that. Moments ago, Kai had been down on the floor, at the complete mercy of the dragon, and he hadn't looked like he would be getting up any time soon. Now he stood next to the flailing dragon, shoulders heaving in rakes of air. He reached upwards and removed his sword, yanking it roughly out of the dragon's flesh before it collapsed to the ground, the life drained from it.
The tip of the sword grazed the infertile soil, and Kai's arm drooped with the weight, pulled down by gravity. He swayed on his feet for a moment before slipping to his knees dizzily, unable to stand. In parallel, the beast hit the floor, blood gushing from its wound like a fountain and leaking in lashings onto the browny-black earth.
Tyson sprang forward, alarmed. He could see no visible wound upon his Captain, but he was obviously injured if he couldn't stand. He grabbed Kai by the shoulders and looked into his face. No wounds to be seen.
"Kai? What is it?"
Kai opened his mouth to talk, but no sound came out, just rasping air for a moment. His eyes were not glazed, as Tyson expected, but merely dull and lacklustre.
"Kai?" Tyson repeated, alarmed at his Captain's lack of response. He scanned over the tall boy, still supporting him, aware of the danger around them, searching for any wounds.
"I can't find anything, Kai, what's wrong?"
Tyson looked desperately at Kai, searching for an answer, the sounds of the battle still intense around them. The wind blew through them, picking up more power by the moment, and Tyson watched the tattered remains of Kai's once white scarf shift backwards and trail in the rush of air. And it revealed what Tyson had been searching for.
Tyson's face fell further, and he shook his head, suddenly unable to breath. He choked out the words.
"No . . . Kai . . ."
From the top left of Kai's neck ran a deep slit, stretching around to the front centre and down to the right of his collarbone. It poured blood as Tyson watched it with woeful eyes, and, if Tyson looked closely, he could just about see Kai's windpipe, unbroken as yet but looking as though it could snap open at any second. He watched Kai swallow, his throat dry despite the sudden wetness running through it, and more blood, scarlet and deadly, oozed out of the brutal wound.
Tyson caught his breath with effort. He'd never seen anything like this. He was surprised that Kai was still alive; never mind able to dispose of one final beast before his body gave in to its injury. Not quite knowing what to do, Tyson could only think to call over his friends.
"REI! REI GET OVER HERE!" he screamed, his grey eyes focused immovably upon the wound. He could see Kai watching him, those brown eyes not quite put out yet. Could he even breathe? Tyson didn't have a clue. All he knew that one of his best friends was about to die, and if he wanted to save him he would have to get him off this blood soaked battle field and inside.
He heard lighter footsteps than those of their enemy, and turned to see Rei approaching swiftly, a deep scratch running down his face, and one arm looking blackened and scorched. He had obviously been caught in the path of another one of these dragons. Still, he looked alert and able, so to speak, and he halted next to Tyson.
"What?"
Tyson nodded to Kai, but he didn't need to. Rei's exclamation had been one of disbelief, not one of question. He dropped to his knees and leaned forward, amber eyes wide and shocked at the bloody mess before them.
"Kai, can you hear us?"
Kai didn't move his body, but merely averted his gaze so he was looking at Rei instead of Tyson. This was enough to answer Rei's question.
"Good. Don't move, okay. Try not to breathe hard on it - I know that's difficult. You'll be okay."
Kai watched Rei for a moment or two after he finished speaking. He knew that even if he tried he couldn't speak. He wasn't about to try. When that beast had torn his throat in the instant the attack had come, he hadn't known what had hit him. He had simply been robbed of all air but the occasional mouthful, and had been focused on the fact that he was about to drown in his own blood. He could feel it, trickling down his throat foully, some exiting and seeping across his neck, dripping down his bare chest and soaking his tattered scarf all the way through. He hadn't given up though. No, he'd fought on. Wasn't about to let his team down, no matter what. When Tyson had been in the path of that fire, he had seen how close the boy had come to death. He couldn't let that happen, and his last strength had slipped out on saving the boy's life. Now, sounds, sights, smells began to swim and merge as one blood red hue, clouding his eyes and framing all he saw. Not that he saw much - the darkness was getting heavier around him, and he knew he wasn't going to last long.
He swallowed again, feeling oddly dehydrated, and felt the urge to cough.
"Don't!" warned Rei, his own heart racing in utter fear for his friend. "Don't you do it, Kai."
Tyson looked from one to the other, and then watched in horror as Kai's eyes flickered and fell shut, the boy's world disappearing once more about him. He fell backwards and Rei slipped around deftly, catching their friend and supporting his neck as best he could.
"Tyson, we . . . we have to get him inside." Rei said quietly, his face white. He looked up at Tyson, and Tyson saw the need for reassurance and aid in Rei.
"I'll help you, Rei."
Tyson offered Rei a wonky smile, though his eyes were clouded with misty waters. Rei glanced down at his hand, already soaked in Kai's blood. Each breath Kai took was a compromise - he could either have air or blood, but, in this situation, not both. Every breath he scraped, more blood pumped out.
"Let's get him inside, then," said Tyson, nodding determinedly, helping Rei lift Kai from under his arms. Blood spilled from the wound, splashing over Tyson's own hands, and he shuddered, resisting the urge to vomit. This was awful. He knew then and there that Kai's main jugular had been slashed. His chances of survival were so slim that Tyson didn't want to think about it.
"Um . . . Tyson?"
Tyson glanced at Rei, who had stopped moving.
"What, Rei?"
Rei looked up to behind Tyson, and Tyson noticed the shadow, the black shadow that had fallen over all three of them.
"Crud," he cursed, not turning just yet. He was unarmed, as was Rei. His eyes widened in fear, and he slowly spun, knowing what he would see anyway.
~"This is it,"~ he thought sadly, ~ "Another one bites the dust, huh?"~
He caught sight of the dragon looming over him, stretching up to its full height and its jaws grinning at him lustily. Tyson once again closed his eyes, knowing that Rei was doing the same.
There was a pause, and then a thud.
~"What is it with me and closing my eyes? Does it scare them off or something?"~ Tyson thought a little sarcastically to himself. He opened both eyes this time, and watched as the dragon tottered backwards with a roar of agony. A spear had sliced into its eye, and stuck straight out. Looking at it made Rei feel ill. He glanced about, looking for their saviour - but the only person he could see was Lindsay.
Lindsay?
She grabbed another spear, her curly locks crossing her face in the wind, her clothes bloodied but her face determined.
"Get away from them!" she yelled at the top of her voice, and Rei watched in admiration as she hurled another spear, aiming for its ear and only just missing the mark.
~ "I'm impressed!"~ Rei smiled as Lindsay advanced. Her green eyes matched those of the beast eerily enough, and she snarled.
"I said MOVE!"
The beast stumbled, its whole body writhing in pain as it attempted unsuccessfully to dislodge the infiltrating spear. Lindsay laughed.
"I owe Kai some thanks! I didn't know I could aim so well!"
Rei smiled at her, and then glanced over at the front of the house, the front garden, where he could see the massive shape of Wolborg towering above the shattered ruin of the Dojo. The mighty white wolf was radiant and luminous in the blackness around them. Obviously Tala had felt cause for heavier artillery. It howled, its entire form wreathed in ice white flame, and began to brawl with the nearest dragon. There were only about three left now, at least there were according to Rei.
"Tyson, let's go!" he yelled quickly, over the noise of the white wolf. The battle raged on around them, and Rei was about to pull Kai's limp form once again, when he felt something slam into him hard, and he toppled to the side, losing his grip on his slowly slipping friend and rolling over on the solid ground.
He landed hard, and his black bangs, now dirty with the mud and dead soil of the ground, fell into his eyes. He growled and pushed himself to his feet, looking around manically, trying to make sense of what had happened. He caught sight of Tyson, also on the floor, rubbing his head in pain. But . . .
"Where's Kai?" he hollered to Tyson, who had now started looking for who - or what, indeed - it was that had rammed into them like that. A scream from Lindsay grabbed both of their attention, and she pointed upwards frantically.
"REI! TYSON! LOOK!"
They glanced skywards swiftly, their eyes bright with energy and adrenaline, and both of their faces crumpled.
Soaring above them was yet another dragon beast, larger this time, a deep red hue in colour and its fangs glinting through the mist it seemed to revel in. The moon sheathed upon its scales and made it glitter in a morbid fashion, and its long tail trailed behind it as though some sort of territorial marker. This area was theirs. The team were invading, and they needed to get out.
Most disturbing for Rei was the sight of their Captain, dangling limply in its talons, blood still rushing from his wounds, all over him now, in his hair, on his face, and he almost looked like some sort of demon, as though he belonged there, as though he should go with the foul creature. Rei instantly began to run towards the front of the wrecked Dojo, closely followed by Tyson. The back garden was devoid of life now anyway, apart from Lindsay, who proceeded to check for any more beasts hiding in the surrounding area.
Rei plunged into the midst of people at the front of the house. There was one more beast alive here, and as Rei watched, it fell to the floor, its head swaying as it succumbed to gravity. Max emerged from behind the creature, once again covered in dirt and blood.
"Max, where's Tala?"
Max glanced over, and smiled. "Kicking butt with Wolborg, that's where!"
Rei nodded, and darted over to the massive form of the unbeatable wolf, which stood proud and tall, just like its master by its feet.
"TALA!" yelled Rei, scrambling across the littered bodies in the garden. He saw Tala spin around, alert at the sound of his own normally smooth voice. Rei skidded to a halt next to Tala, and watched the redhead's eyes cautiously. They were icy white - no longer that cold, azure blue. Now his irises seemed to have disappeared into the dazzling white of their background, and all that was left was a tiny black pupil, constricted anyway due to the adrenaline rush Tala was on. The release of his beast had altered his appearance. There had always been a very close link between any master and their beast. Rei often wondered whether his own eyes turned green instead of amber when he released his Drigger, but frankly he hadn't had the time to check in a mirror.
"Tala, up there!"
He yanked his head upwards, and Tala's snow gaze traversed upwards to Kai, held fast in the animal's grip. Rei noticed Tala's beautiful eyes widen, and he sprang towards Sara.
"ARROWS! Sara, get take it down!"
From across the ruined garden, Sara heard her partner's call, and looked to the heavens.
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed in frenzy, raising her bow, doubtful about the range of her shots but determined to try nevertheless. She aimed three arrows at once, knowing that speed was of the essence, and then, in almost complete synchronisation with Tala's, she launched, watching the arrows fly through the air at a dazzling pace, flitting through the heavy mist as though it were nothing at all and ram into the mighty dragon.
They had no effect.
"AGAIN!" cried Rei, determined to save his friend.
~"This isn't happening, it can't be happening. We can't lose Kai."~
Rei watched as more arrows flew through the air.
~ "Come on, bring it down . . ."~
The arrows resounded from its hide, some completely missing the mark. Tala yelled something to Sara that Rei didn't quite hear. He couldn't believe this was happening. If only he'd held on to his friend rather than let go when that thing had knocked into them.
"Come on, guys!"
"We're out of arrows!" yelled Sara angrily, her eyes flashing with worry. Tala shrugged, defeated.
"I'm sorry, Rei, I'm clean out."
Rei glanced at the both of them, and then back to Tyson.
"The beasts? Drigger, Dragoon? Can we do it?"
Tyson grabbed Rei by the wrists. "Look."
Rei glanced upwards, his gaze heavy and unwilling, and watched as the creature began to move away from them, its huge wings swooping and creating a soundless hush throughout the heavy air. Rei watched on, panting for breath, feeling his heart thudding in his chest as his Captain was stolen away from them.
And they could do nothing about it.
**************************************************************************** ***********
True to his loyalties, Rei didn't remove his gaze for a second, even as the others began to move, silence descending upon them all as the heavy mist above. Rei felt as though he'd been shot. He hurt all over, and he was incredibly tired, and he felt empty. He had no Captain to obey - and he'd lost one of his best friends. Just like that, whipped away on the wings of the night as though he were worth nothing at all, known to nobody.
~"Why . . ."~
Rei shook his head, his eyes glistening with amber tears and streaking down his blood stained face. He glanced down at his hands, still lathered with Kai's blood, stained all over, tiny holes in the darkening red appearing when his tears dripped onto his palms. Rei restrained more tears, and wiped his face quickly, aware that he looked a mess but not really caring. Ignoring the people around him, he stumbled back into the rear garden of the house, not sure why.
~"He'd never let one of us go like that,"~ he thought sadly, his head spinning. He couldn't hear Tyson calling to him from the front garden. He simply carried on walking, his feet shuffling along the bloodied ground as though it were too much for him to lift his feet. His eyes focused upon nothing and simply dragged.
When his feet came into contact with something on the floor, Rei blinked, and looked down. It was a small, blue object, and, upon closer inspection, Rei picked up the broken blade of Dranzer. It had been crushed in the attack, and was a scattered mess of plastic chips and pieces. Still intact, however, was the tiny bit chip, with its image of its prisoner engraved and still glowing on the outside.
The Dranzer, the mighty, unquenchable phoenix, was still in there. It was still alive.
"Dranzer?" Rei muttered to himself, his black bangs falling into his eyes messily. Thinking for a moment, he moved back into the front garden, where the others were starting to clean up and check for major wounds or injuries.
He sought Tyson out. His friend looked tired, even in the dim light.
"Tyson? Check this out."
Rei caught a quick glimpse of Tyson's tear stained face, and knew he was hurting as much as himself. He had a feeling that they weren't the only ones. The team had lost their leader.
Or had they?
"It's still there, Tys." Rei commented quietly, "Dranzer isn't gone. And that means . . . "
"Don't be dumb, Rei," snapped Tyson, glancing up, and Rei saw how tear stained his eyes were. "You saw what happened. Give it up. He's gone. We don't have a Captain any more. You have to take over."
Rei stared, startled, and shook his head. "I won't take over."
Tyson's eyes widened in annoyance. He'd had a long night - as had they all.
"And why not?"
Rei raised an eyebrow, and closed his hand around the Dranzer bit. "Because our real Captain is still alive. I'm not gonna give up so easily."
Tyson stared in disbelief. "I don't believe I'm hearing this, dude. I know you've just lost a close friend - believe me, I understand - but we have to get on with things, for the sake of the team."
Rei shook his head. "I won't do it. It's mutiny."
"WHAT?"
Rei turned, not interested in this conversation anymore. He wouldn't take part in any act of mutiny. And he knew that Kai was still alive. He could feel it, somehow. He'd learned to trust his feelings, his gut reactions, a long time ago. And somehow, he knew that his Captain, Kai Hiwatari, was not lost. At least not forever.
/And I know you're alive.
And you know I will always try.
I could never care less about
What this world has to offer. If the price is to die,
I'll keep my human spirit alive./
**************************************************************************** ***********
Tyson watched Rei walk away, as though lost in a world of his own. This was ridiculous. Tyson would not try to fool himself here. He had faced up to Kai's death, and dealt with it. He wouldn't give in to any wishful thinking of his own - or Rei's - or anyone else's. The important thing now was to keep the team going. Somehow they had to survive. Kai had to be put behind them.
Tyson turned, and looked up to the sky, where he had last seen that image of his Captain, being heartlessly removed from them. And with an upset sort of smile, Tyson noticed that the sun was rising.
**************************************************************************** ***********
Sherby: DONE!
Oily: During the process of writing this chappie, Sherbet Mayhem managed to drop a whole toilet roll down the bog.
Sherby: It was an accident!
Oily: Damned funny accident.
Sherby: I know yeah. Anyways . . .
Review people! I'm so tired, and I have a back cramp, and I have to go and sit in church for like two hours now on the UNCOMFY pews, so please, have pity on me!
Oily: Ha.
Sherby: *gets out computer bashing hammer* REVIEW PEOPLE! Hope you enjoyed it. Lyrics were Blindside, and . . . erm . . . the time is 17:17 on a Sunday. Who said day of rest, eh? Not for me it ain't!
Au revoir!
Oily: C ya! *smiles and waves stupidly*
Sherby: Yeah, what she said! Chocolate if you review! *bribery, eh?*