A Spirit Dweller raised her hands high above her head for silence in a large room. "Brothers and sisters!" she bellowed loudly.
The din that was rising from the crowd slowly subsided. The woman smirked and continued, "Our imprisonment is no longer!" she said loudly. There was a thunderous cheer before she was allowed to go on. "Seventy years ago two scientists of the Neko-jin race discovered our sacred world and gave us ways to escape into theirs. We were deceived and imprisoned in stone, slaves to those who knew our power. We fought back for our brethren for decades until in an act of piece our Wise Ones gave them selves to the Neko-jin!" she screamed. This was greeted with a series of 'boos' and hisses that she noted with joy before she went on. "I am here today to tell you I've discovered a way into the world of the Neko-jin without their inventions, and without their stones!" A stunned silence washed over the crowd. "My people, we can fight now. We can retrieve our wise ones and we can win over those filthy animals. Who's with me!" she screeched.
The stunned silence remained for several tense seconds before someone stood up and shouted, "Hear hear!"
Another person stood up and nodded. He was followed by his mate, who was followed by her friend. Soon the whole area was alive with angry spirit dwellers. The woman who gave the speech looked over them with a smirk. "Perfect," she whispered.
Takao nuzzled his pillow, far too comfortable to awaken at that particular moment. 'You should really get up you know," a voice prodded him.
Takao groaned and buried his face even deeper into his pillow, "I'm warm," he murmured.
'I know, but you should get up anyways, it's almost noon,' Dragoon told him.
Takao sat up and yawned, his tail twitching lazily. "All right, you win," he said then added as an afterthought, "for now."
Dragoon laughed, 'What do you wish to do today?'
Takao looked thoughtful and glanced at his top. "You can come out you know," he said.
There was a flash of light and Dragoon appeared. "Why do you stay in that thing anyways?" Takao asked him. "Are you scared of being outside?"
Dragoon's lips twisted then he gave Takao a sad smile as he put his hand on his head, "Not everyone thinks like you do. Some believe that Spirit Dwellers exist to serve the people."
Takao blinked, "That's stupid. Why do people think that?"
"Because, your people hold a monopoly over our people," Dragoon said.
"How?"
Dragoon sighed, "I don't think…"
"No really, how?" Takao pressed.
Dragoon looked thoughtful and sat next to Takao on his bed, "Well, your people invited my people over to live in this world, but imprisoned them in the stones of the Blade in order to use their power. We were deceived. There was a silent war that raged for a few years, hidden from public view but both sides had heavy casualties. Finally the leaders of the Spirit People told your people that if they gave up themselves to them your people would have to call a truce. The leaders, the 'Wise Ones' are very powerful, and caused much damage so your people readily agreed to the truce. All the gates were destroyed and the Spirit Dwellers that were captured stayed in this world and those who weren't stayed in theirs. And so it has been for sixteen years," he said gently.
Takao gaped at Dragoon, "No way. You were kidnapped?" he gasped in horror.
Dragoon shook his head with a small smile, "No I was one of the ones to come willingly for the sake of peace. Although others were forced here and their spirits are uneasy."
"Is that why you always look so sad?" Takao asked him.
Dragoon blinked then rubbed Takao's ears, "No," he said.
Takao sighed, "I don't feel like doing anything, not if you're not welcome outside," he said with a grimace.
"I should have never told you that," Dragoon said with a small frown.
Takao shook his head, making his ears flop, "No, I'm glad you did. But I really don't want to go outside."
"Still sore about yesterday?" Dragoon teased.
Takao looked indignant, "Shut up," he told his friend, his tail puffing out slightly.
Dragoon let a half smile cover his lips; Takao noted this with a full grin. "You almost smiled," he teased.
Dragoon blinked, "Is this a big thing?" he asked.
"You almost never smile," Takao said while hopping out of bed. "It's a big deal when you do." And with that he left his room to change and eat leaving a slightly confused Dragoon behind.
"Do we have fixes on the locations of the Wise Ones?" a shadowy figure murmured into a small walkie talkie.
"Yes, your mission is to find the wise elemental of Wind. Bring him back here, capture him if necessary. The time for the truce is over, we're bringing our leaders back," a voice told him.
The figure bowed his head, "Yes ma'am," he murmured and disappeared in a flash.
Inside Takao's house the boy was pouring milk over cereal and getting ready to do absolutely nothing. Ah, the joys of summer vacation. He entertained the thought of apologizing to Kai for a few seconds before pushing it from his mind to plan his day of nothingness.
In the hallway, Dragoon felt a small flicker of what seemed to be un-bound Spirit Energy. "Impossible," he murmured.
Takao heard him and wandered into the hallway with his cereal bowl in hand, "What is?" he asked.
"N-nothing," Dragoon said quickly.
Takao shrugged, "You hungry?" he asked.
Dragoon opened his mouth to reply, but before he could the front doors burst open in a harsh breeze. Takao was almost blown over before it subsided leaving a tall male with dark hair and dark eyes standing in the doorway. He grinned and bowed mockingly, "Wise One, I've come to take you home."
Takao blinked with milk all over his shirt and Dragoon growled menacingly. "Fool! Are you trying to break the truce?"
"Wha?" Takao asked, totally lost.
The man shook his head, "The truce no longer exists. We can now come into this world without our power being bound and we no longer have to be slaves. We're here to release our brethren and take back our leaders. Then we declare war."
Dragoon clenched his fist so hard that it shook. Takao glanced at him, slightly afraid, he had never seen Dragoon so angry before. "Our goal was not to declare war but avoid it. Are you willing to destroy 16 years of hard work?"
"No sir," the man said. "But I must ask you to come with me."
Dragoon shook his head, "I will not be responsible for the start of another bloody war."
The man sighed, "I'm sorry then, sir." He raised his hands and a current of air went through the room blowing Dragoon outside and pushing Takao into the far wall. Takao got up and ran outside just in time to see Dragoon get blasted with a current of wind.
Takao ran over to Dragoon and helped him up, "Oh my god, are you okay?" he asked.
"Get out of here," Dragoon hissed.
"You can't fight! You have no power!" Takao yelped.
The man looked angry. "Don't pretend you care for him, you filthy cat!" he yelled and hit Takao as hard as he possibly could. Takao yelled in pain as he flew a few feet then landed in the ground making a small indent in the earth.
"Leave him out of this!" Dragoon yelled, his eyes glowing a light blue color.
"Sir! That is the animal who has imprisoned you for 16 years!"
"I chose my path!" Dragoon yelled. "Now be gone!"
The man let a deep breath out of his nose, "She was right, they brainwashed you…" he murmured.
"What?" Dragoon snapped. "Who was right?"
The man glared at Dragoon, "Sir, come back to your people, lead us again!"
Dragoon shook his head, "I will stay on the path I chose."
Takao groaned over where he lay. Both men looked at the teen at the same time, then Dragoon figured what the man would do next. "Don't!" he yelled.
Pure reflex managed to save Takao. He landed a few feet away from the attack then collapsed, clutching his leg. "This is your enslaver, isn't it?" the man asked with hatred in his voice.
Takao looked at him with a small amount of fear in his eyes. Dragoon ran over and shielded Takao with his body. "He did nothing."
The man scowled, "Move, sir!"
Dragoon held the man's glare until he was forced to look away. "Leave the young one alone," he growled.
Takao struggled to his feet, ignoring the shooting pain in his left ankle. "Go ahead and attack," he growled.
"What?" Dragoon hissed.
"Do it!" Takao yelled.
Another blast of wind headed towards them and Dragoon held out his hands, canceling the power with his own wind. Takao winced as the energy drained from his body but didn't give any other indication of un-comfort. With two decisive flicks of his wrist he blasted the man into the nearest tree. "Tell your new leader, whoever she is that the 'Wise Dragoon' still chooses the path he did sixteen years ago."
The man growled, holding his now numb arm and vanished.
Dragoon turned around just in time to catch Takao before he collapsed, "Are you all right?"
Takao nodded, "That was really cool Dragoon," he said with a grin before he passed out completely.
Dragoon lifted up Takao's body and started walking towards the other Wise One within the area.
Kai gazed lazily at the ceiling while Dranzer told him of her time in the Spirit World. She was dressed in a long red dress outlined in orange and yellow and her hair was red, orange and yellow and flowed, giving her the impression that she was on fire. Kai listened to her idle chatter before she suddenly stopped.
Kai's ear flicked to the sudden disappearance of sound. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Dranzer stood up, "Something happened," she murmured and went to the front door opening it in time to save a weary looking Dragoon from knocking. Kai looked under her arm to see Takao's body lying limp in his arms. "Takao!" he gasped.
"What happened?" Dranzer asked him.
"It would seem," Dragoon took a breath, "That war is upon us once again."