Garishma! Sorry for not updating. I'm lazy. TT I know. You're free to kill me, but then I won't be able to update, so booyah!

(Sorry! My little friends are on vacation to la-la land, so they won't be helping me with the intro)

D.W.A.S : sporks r awesome dude!

Shadow : except for him TT

D.W.A.S : vat es upeth, man?

Shadow : go lie down before you hurt yourself.

D.W.A.S : but doing intros r so coolio man!

Shadow : sigh fine. hands him a sheet and whispers a bit

D.W.A.S : ahem! Uh, disclaimer: shadow does not own Dragon knights – dragon knights? Dragons r like, so IN, man!

Shadow: just keep reading.

D.W.A.S : uh, as I was saying, shadow doesn't own the coolio dragon dudes-

Shadow : don't change it! Just read!

D.W.A.S : uh ya, so she doesn't own them, they belong, sadly, to someone else, and uh, don't sue.

Shadow : on with the story (while I go and stuff D.W.A.S in a box and mail him to lala land with no return address)

(Oh ya: my spell check is broken (no really. I serious. This isn't just an excuse!) So I'll re-post this once it's checked. For now, don't report me)

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"Demons in the castle?" Thatz repeated.

"Where?" demanded Rune.

"Out front" Tetheus explained urgently. "We don't know how they got in. come on!" he waved with his hand, indicating for them to follow. They did, merging back into the hoard of fighters rushing towards the front of the castle.

As they passed by the main hall, Rath stepped in beside them and began shouting instructions.

"Rune, go down the left flank. Thatz, you take the right. I'll take center." They nodded, not questioning for once as they fell into the routine of battle.

"I'll take fire with me; have Water and Earth hide until the last moment." This was also routine for them, as it gave them the element of surprise when facing stronger or more numerous enemies.

They faltered at the front of the procession, hearing loud gasps behind them as they looked at the battle field before them; the grounds were a bloody wash, demons crawling and swarming everywhere they looked.

"Don't wait!" Rath cried as they saw that the battle had begun without them. "Forget the formation! ATTACK!"

The three of them ran forward leading the hoard of fighters behind them. Runes blood boiled at the sight of the demons crushing the plants and trees as they ran. Where there was once a vast expanse of lush forest and garden in front of the castle, a breeding ground for death had grown in the trampled void.

Uttering a cry of rage, he lunged at the closest demon and sliced its head clean off. (Rath growled in approval as he spotted the work of the usually pacifist elf.) The three made quick work of the demons around them, but as Rune emerged from his recent victory against a mountainous she-demon, he realized how many more there still were. He was pulled out of his thoughts as a blackened arrow sped past his head. He whirled around and his enchanted blade blew sparks as it met the blood stained cutlet his opponent was wielding. He started at the sparkling blue eyes that met his though the tight black cloth wrapped around his opponents face and head. Since when did demons have blue eyes? He quickly brushed that information aside and swung his blade high, muttering an enchantment as he did so. As his sword crashed down on his opponents, a bright blue flash blinded his for a moment and he heard his opponents high pitched shriek of pain as they where thrown backwards.

As they lay groaning on the ground, he got his first good look at them; his enemy had a black cloth wrapped tightly around her face covering everything but the eyes and mouth, and a skin-tight black leotard that clearly showed the female figure under it.

His gut clenched oddly at that information, and Thatz briefly wondered why Rune was hesitating in killing the demon, before he swung at his opponent.

The demon glared coldly up at Rune with those frightening blue eyes and jumped to her feet. All Runes hesitations were forced out of his mind as he met her again in battle. She jumped and flipped over his head as he took a wild lunge, landing gracefully behind him and pulled two hidden daggers from her belt as Rune attempted to regain his balance. A wicked smile revealed ivory fangs as she hurled a dagger at the back of the elf.

The first dagger imbedded itself in the back of his calf, forcing him to the ground in pain. The she-demon hurled the second one and cackled as it landed with a sickening thump in the elf's lower back. Rune gasped as the air was forced from his lungs, feeling the bile begin to burn his throat.

He swallowed hard and blinked through his pain as the she-demon landed neatly in front of him, cackling. He glared coldly and hefted his sword into his shaking hands, holding the point of the blade to her throat as he staggered up. He wasn't about to lose, but the cackle held to much intelligence to belong to one of Kharls mindless killing machines. He had to know,

"Who are you?" he growled. In answer, her fangs flashed as the smile grew.

"Tell me!" Rune demanded. She just kept smiling and slowly lifted her hand, not faltering when Rune pressed the blade harder into the soft flesh of her neck. She grabbed something at the back of her head and tugged lightly, causing the fabric wrapped around her head to fall around her shoulders.

The silence was deafening. Though the screams and sounds of battle continued around them, Rune had become deaf to it all. He staggered back and slowly dropped his blade as he gapped; long, curled, golden locks flapped in the breeze and framed the beautiful face of one of Rune's childhood friends.

"N-Neera-" he stammered, stunned. The she-elf cackled mercilessly as she grabbed her old friend's sword as brought his smashing across his chest. Blood spurted from his mouth, tainting his pale skin as he fell backwards. His lips slowly moved soundlessly as he lay on the battle field. "No…" he whispered as his eyes slowly shut.

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Okay. Feel free to kill me now. I know I deserve it. I haven't updated for over 6 months, at least TT sorry! But it's up now! And it's an unusually long one, so be happy! (actually, I wrote this when I didn't have an internet connection in the car on the way to vacation (where I also didn't have internet, but did have 3 weeks worth of peace and quiet to get cracking on updating) so by the time I get this up, it will be 3 weeks since I wrote this TT

Now I shall write back to all of you lovely reviewers out there! I really appreciate it!

Inuyashaloverfan – thankee!

Artemislee– hey! Great idea(s)! Nadil trying to make Rune his bride would be oddly shocking… shiver and I would feel really bad for Rune, but I think I'm going to be cliché and have the shirt rippy-thingy. Maybe not saving Thatz, but maybe Rath. I have too many Rune and Thatz scenes as it is. People think I'm trying to set them up.

thecat – I do love you! I just procrastinate! I'm sorry! I hope you're still alive! But I have reviewed now. It's totally and completely you're right if you want to kill me now, but remember: I won't be able to update if you do!

ShadowdLynx – can anyone say Mulan? But that's probably what I'm going to do anyways :)

Black Angel of Destruction – thankee! It's alright. I think I already know what I'm going to do, cliché or not.

AketA – lemony fresh, eh? Well, good. I like those. Especially the florescent yellow ones that look green when you pour them :P yay! Procrastinators unite! dun dun dun!

Loser with a llama – sorry Lisa. I'm a depressing girl by nature. To bad. But yes, you're lucky that they're not giving me ideas. (No offence to them) lots of perverted-ness and cows would pursue…..

Reviewer – oops… my bad

Kagome-reincarnation – thank you! You've been with me the whole way through :) um, well, not really, but I like thinking I have friends. It makes me feel loved :)

iceheart3000 – hey thanks! Ya, I know they need to be longer. I'm a bad person. I know. Forgive me?

Peophin-chan who is too lazy t – thankeeth! (a.k.a. "thanks a lot!" in my scary language. You get used to it after a while.) Peophin-chan who is too lazy t….. To log on? Maybe. Hehehehe :)

Please review! Flame me and watch me bash your head in innocent grin!

Love ya!

-shadow