Sorry that took so long, but I lost my disks. Got new ones now, though. Well, enjoy! Oh, and review! Or Nathan will get you.

Chapter 6

Kerbris opened his eyes and sat up. He saw the Wingly put down Kyra next to Fanoc, Ghenga, and the woman. Kerbris looked around and discovered everyone's transformations had worn off. Jack was on the ground further away. Kerbris returned his attention to the Wingly. He was searching Kyra. He found what he wanted and held it up in his left hand. It was the White Silver Dragoon Spirit. Kerbris opened his mouth to speak, but shut up when both the Wingly's hands began to glow, the left in brilliant white, of course, but the other in violet. Kerbris looked at Fanoc, Kyra, and Ghenga. This time, he actually saw their terrible wounds. He grimaced in horror and then stared in shock as Kyra's wounds healed and closed up. She sat up. The Wingly handed her swords and Dragoon Spirit to her and spoke briefly. Kyra nodded and walked over to Ghenga. The Wingly repeated the act with Fanoc while Kyra did the same, minus borrowing the Dragoon Spirit. Fanoc and Ghenga got up and took their weapons. Fanoc stepped over to the woman and Kyra stopped by in front of Kerbris. She spoke to him. "Relax, you'll feel better in a minute." Her spirit glowed and she was right. Kerbris stood up and finally spoke. "Thanks. Who's…?" He gestured to the Wingly and the woman. Kyra blinked. "I actually don't know, but they seem to be on our side. That's good enough for me." Kerbris gave her an interested look. "Lost our natural suspicion, have we?" Kyra went defensive. "No, I'm just giving the benefit of the doubt to the guy who saved my life." Kerbris raised his hands in surrender, but before he could speak, a scream split the air. The Dragoons turned as one. Jack and Adumi.

Adumi ran to her father. She had hightailed it outta there after Kerbris flew towards the explosion site, but now she ran back at a slightly lower speed than then. She collapsed on her knees at her father's side. Her eyes filled with tears. "Dad…" He opened his eyes. "Adumi, my daughter…How are you?" Adumi's tears spilled out. "I'm fine, Dad. Ghenga saved me." The Supreme Dragoon armor had been erased by the blast and miniscule portion of the blast had reached Jack. His wounds made the others' seem trivial. He managed a typical cocky grin. "We won, right?" Adumi sobbed in reply.

Kerbris was yelling at the Wingly-Nathan, he reminded himself yet again. "Why wasn't Jack first on your healing list, huh? He's got to be the worst hurt!" Nathan looked at him and decided not to tell the truth, that Jack would die even if he were healed. "His wounds were too severe." "No way!" Nathan felt no guilt or remorse. "It is the truth." Kyra and Fanoc had dashed over to Jack at hyperspeed. Ghenga and Dusk-yes, she introduced herself-sat next to each other on the ground nearby. Kerbris yelled some more. "That doesn't mean you give up!"

Kyra was trying her hardest, but the wounds wouldn't heal. Fanoc was trying just as hard beside her. Adumi wept, holding her father's hand. Jack's eyes refocused. "Don't bother with that, Kyra. It won't help." He pulled out the Jade Dragoon Spirit and looked at Adumi. "Take it, the Dragon says you're next." Kyra cried. She had stopped trying. Fanoc had too. Adumi sniffled and took it. The Spirit glowed faintly "Me?" Jack managed a faint smile. "Yes, you." He turned his head to Kyra. "By the way, Albert wasn't my ancestor. He was my father." His hand slipped out of Adumi's grip and Jacob, King of Serdio and Supreme Jade Dragoon, was gone. Kyra turned away and wept disconsolately on the intensely troubled Fanoc's shoulder. The other four felt it too. Kerbris stopped yelling and stared, mouth open. Nathan hung his head. Dusk consoled the crying Ghenga. Adumi stared at the sky, a steady stream of tears running down her cheeks.

The funeral was a private affair. Dusk managed to get a rectangular hole to form in the ground. Nathan, who didn't care in the least about Jack and therefore could touch him without emotional reaction, placed him in the hole. He did, however, keep a sorrowful expression on his face the whole time. Nobody offered to say anything, so Dusk closed the hole.

Kerbris sat down next to Kyra at the edge of camp. He managed to smile at her. "Hey, it'll be all right. In time, you'll feel better in time. You may not want to now, but you will." Kyra turned to him. Her voice broke as she talked. "I, I…don't know how he could…die, you know?" Her voice gained strength. "He wasn't supposed to leave!" The tears started again. Kerbris took her hand and she gained his shoulder and wept.

Fanoc leaned against a tree, deep in thought.

Ghenga stared at the fire. Dusk was next to her. Ghenga would cry no more for this. "Dusk?" Dusk looked at her. "Hmmm?" Ghenga looked back. "You wanna know something?" Dusk's blue eyes danced. "Maybe." Ghenga frowned. "Hey." Dusk giggled. "I'm kidding. Tell me." Ghenga rolled her eyes and solemnly started. "I've always been an outsider, because I'm so big. I never met any of my family. I'm usually too big to fit through doors." Dusk was solemn, too now. "I'm similar. Being albino is a pain." Ghenga continued. "Jack was the first person who actually didn't care about my size. He never mentioned it, like the others, but he was the only one who wasn't constantly surprised whenever I appeared. Kerbris and Kyra mean well, but they can't help it. Fanoc actually looks through me, but he does that to everybody." A grin tugged at Dusk's lips. "Not everyone." Ghenga was surprised. "What? Who?" The grin appeared on Dusk's face. "Kyra, and to a lesser extent, Kerbris." Ghenga was surprised again. "How did I not see that?" Dusk shrugged. "I'm new here, remember?"

Nathan watched her. Adumi, that is. She sat hugging her knees and crying. No sobs, no sighs, no noise at all. Just the tears endlessly flowing. Nathan couldn't take it any more. He marched up. "That's enough!" Adumi didn't change. "I said, that's enough!" She looked up at him wordlessly. At this point, the depth of sorrow in her eyes should have cowed him. Any other of the Dragoons would have been. But not Nathan. He pulled her up to her feet with his left hand and backhanded her with the right. Adumi went back down, surprise on her face. Nathan glared at her. "Yes, I hit you. What are you going to do about it?" Adumi grabbed her lance. "That's what I thought."

Kerbris watched the melee between Nathan and Adumi. Kyra had cried herself to sleep. He held her, not wanting to wake her with this. Do something, Fanoc.

Fanoc moved within Adumi-defending distance. His hand gripped the hilt of his katana tightly.

Ghenga watched the fight, concern etched on her face. She saw Fanoc move, and discarded plans for a spring. Dusk glanced in the clash's direction and then surveyed the landscape.

Nathan dodged left, then right, jumped to avoid a sweep and brought his trident into play. He slipped the points just underneath Adumi's splint mail and lifted in an arc. Adumi went flying, flipping over and landing hard on her back. She got up.

Kerbris whistled. Nice launch. Kyra stirred, but stayed asleep.

Fanoc raised his eyebrows. He has no intention of killing her. Still, there are always accidents.

Ghenga stared. Wow. She really flew. Dusk was observing a lizard crawling across the ground.

Nathan blocked with the tri-pointed end and whacked Adumi in the face with the non-pointed end. She went down like a sack of potatoes and stabbed at him. Nathan blocked and whacked her again, this time in the left side. He felt a rib give and decided there would be no more left side whacking. Adumi gasped and scrambled to her feet. Nathan blocked again and thrust the non-pointed end straight into her belly button. She backed up and fell to her knees, gasping for air. Nathan waited. Adumi came at him again. He sidestepped the attack and swept her feet out from under her with the non-pointed end. Then the tri-pointed end came down.

Kerbris couldn't look. Kyra slept on, oblivious.

Fanoc knew he wouldn't get there in time, so he didn't move.

Ghenga looked away in horror. Dusk had picked up the lizard and was now petting it.

Nathan looked down at Adumi's open eyes. He spoke coldly. "I could have done that at any time. Or worse." Adumi glanced down herself. Her neck was in between an outside and the inside arm of the trident. Cold steel was touching her throat. She moved to attack, but Nathan's foot stepped on that wrist, and the lance fell away from her numbed hand. He kicked it away. "Now, don't you feel better?" Adumi blinked. "I…I do." Nathan smiled slightly. "Hmph. Good." He walked away. Adumi realized something. "Hey! I'm stuck! Get this thing off of me!" Nathan laughed and kept walking, laughing all the way.

Kerbris moved wrong and Kyra woke. She saw and heard Adumi hollering. "What'd I miss?" Kerbris grinned. "Let me tell you all about it. Then you can heal Adumi." "What?"

Fanoc resumed his tree-leaning position.

Ghenga moved to help Adumi, but Dusk placed a hand on her shoulder. "Wait."

Nathan stopped. He raised his hand and the trident pulled itself out of the ground and flew to his waiting hand. He turned around. "Anyone else feel like leaving?"