Reprise: Whoa, where have I been lately, right? I'm so happy! I got a review...yay!!! These days it's hard to get any attention for some reason XD.

Disclaimer: I do not own TRC…damn again. (did I put this last time?)

Dragon Chronicles

Chapter 2:

"Where the Wind Gently Blows"

Listen to the wind as it gently blows.

Whispering something I barely can hear.

If anything would I like to hear it's secretive words.

If anything to hear what the wind blows…

Cries from afar echoed in the night as lights in the tents in the small camp sight flickered in the night like small candles. The rebels had traveled up a steep hill in the forest on a dirt path that was barely visible from the underbrush that almost completely covered it. Only the dim lights from their lanterns helped lead the way to their secret camp sight that was hidden from the sight of others by large boulders and trees. Once there, the rebels wasted no time in getting to their tents, Aidiaro and Syaika taking Syaoran and the others with them in their own tent. The tents were camouflaged with their scenery and were big enough for about four people a tent, all except Aidiaro and Syaika's tent, which was big enough for ten. In the middle of the camp sight was a small bon fire, lighting the rest of the area that the lanterns couldn't light. Syaika helped Syaoran, Sakura, Kurogane, Fye and Mokona get settled, giving them plenty of pillows and blankets to use for beds. As they made their beds and talked, Syaoran noticed that Aidion was nowhere in the tent and he became curious. Knowing that the tent had no extra rooms, Syaoran walked quietly to the opening of the tent and peered outside. He saw Aidiaro walk away and out of the camp sight, unnoticed by any of the other people as they unpacked and went inside their tents. Aidiaro's sudden distance somewhat worried Syaoran and he quietly left the tent to follow him. As Syaoran left the camp area, the lights of the small bon fire went out and all was cloaked in shadow.

The pathway Syaoran followed seemed to have been taken many times before. It was also a dirt path but unlike the other path, not many weeds or other undergrowth covered it. As Syaoran continued down the worn path, he heard the light sounds of water flowing. He became more and more intrigued as the sound grew louder and peeking through the large-leaved bushes, Syaoran saw Aidiaro, sitting on a large rock that jetted out over the a lake. To the far right, there was a small version of a waterfall, small rocks were piled on each side of it and the water gently flowed into the lake. Aidiaro seemed to be lost in a trance, staring blankly into the lake and at his reflection. It was the same look he had when they were inside Lady Usagi's hut at the village. Syaoran tried to look back to the exact time when he started acting this way and it didn't occur to him before, but it was something he had said.

"When I told them about the white dragon," Syaoran thought, "That was when he became so distant. Was that a special dragon around here?"

Syaoran then decided to confront Aidiaro and stepped out from behind the bushes. The sudden sound of the bushes rustling surprised Aidiaro. He looked and saw that it was Syaoran and he became calm once again.

"Syaoran, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"You didn't seem yourself so I followed you," answered Syaoran, "Is there something that's bothering you? I wasn't going to ask before but-"

"No, it's fine," he said, stopping him.

Aidiaro looked up at the sky, his eyes fixated on something passing by. Syaoran looked up and saw a white dragon quickly yet elegantly fly by; the same white dragon he saw before. Looking back at Aidiaro, he noticed that the blank look was back on his face. Turning away, Aidiaro walked towards Syaoran.

"Come on," he said as he walked passed Syaoran, "We should go back and get some rest."

Though something didn't seem right, Syaoran decided to leave the topic behind and followed Aidiaro back to the camp sight. The dragon in the sky quickly flew on; forbidding shadows without a recognizable form followed it closely.

The light of dawn shinned through the opening of the tent and into their eyes. Sakura and Syaoran slowly opened their eyes and rubbed them sleepily. Fye sat up from his bed and stretched his arms into the air while Kurogane grumbled and pulled the blanket over his head. Mokona gleefully jumped up from his spot and on top of Kurogane, pulling down the blanket from his head.

"Wake up Kurogane!" he said with joy, "Ninja's are supposed to get up early, aren't they?"

"Get off me!" Kurogane snapped as he grabbed Mokona by the ears.

Ignoring the yells, Sakura looked and saw small neat piles of folded clothes next to their beds. On top of each of them were small note cards with their names on them. They both took the pile of clothes that had their name on it and got dressed in them. Sakura wore a small pink shirt that was similar in size to the one she normally wore. Underneath it was a long black shirt that went up to her waist but was close to her body. It had a turtleneck collar and long sleeves. She wore dark pink skirt that went just above her knees and black baggy pants underneath. Around her waist was a ribbon-like belt that tied into a bow in the back and on her feet were black slippers.

Syaoran wore a long-sleeved black shirt with a turtleneck that was much like the shirt he usually wore. Over the shirt he wore a long emerald green vest-like coat that he kept open instead of buttoned closed. The lining of the vest was a darker shade of green and he wore baggy black pants. He still wore his gloves and black boots.

Fye wore an outfit that was similar to Syaoran's, with a few differences though. He also wore a long-sleeved black shirt but it had no turtleneck. He wore a light blue vest-like coat that went down a little past his waist and the lining was a dark blue. His pants weren't as baggy as Syaoran's and they were a dark navy blue color, but his boots were black like Syaoran's.

Kurogane's outfit was a bit more different then Syaoran's and Fye's. He wore a short-sleeved black turtleneck shirt with a black vest that went up just above his waist. The lining of the vest was red and was left opened. His pants were baggy and his boots were black. On his wrists were black bands and around his waist was a thick reddish-brown belt where his sword was attached.

The only thing Mokona wore was a small red vest.

After they got dressed, the five of them got up and went out side to the camp sight. Aidiaro and Syaika were already up with the other rebels, packing their backpacks with supplies. They dodged the random people that walked back and forth as they made their way to Aidiaro and Syaika. Aidiaro looked up to see the three late risers and greeted them with a smile.

"I see you're all finally up," he said, "We were just about to go and wake you up Oh and you're wearing the clothes we got for you. You like them?"

"Yes, thank you," Sakura replied.

"Why is everyone packing?" asked Syaoran.

"We're getting ready to go on our usual search," Aidiaro said excitedly, "Every morning we go and find clues to where the Hybrid might be. If we find something really good, we mark it and keep going."

"If nothing better comes up, you go back to the marked place, correct?" asked Fye with his usual smile on his face.

"Yup."

"This will be great!" exclaimed Aidiaro, "With your help, we'll cover more ground!"

Although this was only the second day they were in the strange country of Eldire, Syaoran could tell that Aidiaro was a very adventurous person. It seemed that nothing, not the small possibility of the Hybrid's existence or the arrogance of the villagers, could convince him to stop searching in what he believes so deeply in. He was tough as well as caring…something both Syaoran and Aidiaro had in common. But, there were still those moments of distance that he'd suddenly have, giving him an almost mysterious side as well. In all his anticipation, Syaika roughly smacked Aidiaro in the head with a rolled up map. She looked at him sternly as she lowered the map.

"My dear brother, please learn to bottle your excitement inside so you don't scare off people," she said calmly, "You can always explode with joy when we actually find something worth the enthusiasm."

"Uh-huh," Aidiaro replied dully.

Syaika seemed to be a very serious person who wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty with a job. From the first day they saw her in the village they saw how tough and strong she was, giving them reason as to why they wouldn't want to cross her. She lifted her back onto her back and began walking, signaling to Aidiaro with her hand that they were leaving.

"Everyone goes with their usual groups," she announced to everyone, "Our new friends here will be coming with Aidiaro and me."

With her announcement said, the rebels departed, going in the woods in different directions in groups of five and six. With a last quick check of their supplies, they finally left into the deep woods in search of the Hybrid…as well as Sakura's feather.

The villagers woke up an hour earlier then expected from the sudden cries of someone outside. Fearfully yet curiously, the people looked out their windows and stepped out of their houses one by one. They saw a young man running from within the woods and into the village. He was so hysterical that it looked as if he'd cry at any minute and once he finally came into the middle of the village, he collapsed in exhaustion. From outside the large crowd of people that formed around him, Lady Usagi hurried to the man's side. With one good look at him, her eyes widened in astonishment and she quickly lifted his head from off the ground.

"My god! You are that boy…Anthony!" she gasped, "You went missing in the forest years ago! Tell me, are you not that same boy?!"

"…Y…Yes.." he answered with a struggle.

"W-where…where have you been?! What happened to you?" she asked frantically.

"It…they…ahhhhhh!" he screamed as he lowered his head to his knees and tugged at his hair in frustration.

"Calm down, it's alright," Lady Usagi said comfortingly, "We'll take care of you first. Then you can tell us all about it."

Anthony's eyes widened in fright as he immediately lifted his head from off the ground and stared at Lady Usagi in horror. He then quickly backed away from her as if she was one of the nightmarish dragons that the people feared so deeply.

"No! No, don't!" he cried.

Anthony then rose to his feet and began running, pushing aside the people who were crowded around him. Lady Usagi cried out to him to stop but he ignored it. Far from the crowd, a woman in a black cloak watched the boy run away with interest. Her piercing magenta eyes watched as he disappeared around the corner of a building

Anthony ran blindly through the alleyways of the village, looking for a safe place to rest. He felt no safety near the people despite the fact that he once called them friends. For years he had run through the forest that he went lost in and now, when he finally found his way home, he refused to look the people in the eye…the same people who had searched tirelessly for him. Something had happened to him to take away the trust he had in the people and it was something that he continued to suppress. As he came to a quiet and isolated spot in the village, he collapsed once again onto the ground. Relief overcame him as he dragged himself to the side to rest against a stonewall. He then felt a shadow fall upon him and he opened his eyes to see the cloaked woman with the piercing magenta eyes. At first, he was frightened and struggled to his feet. The woman then knelt down before him and flashed him a gentle smile as she extended out her hand.

"Fear me not, lost one," she said with a mysterious voice, "I know what tears at you so. I understand the things that are going through your head for I have experienced the same thing in my past. Please share with me yours."

Anthony calmed down from the sound of her soothing voice and kind words. He looked at her in the eye and took a deep breath.

"I…I saw it," he said, "I believe now the words that were spoken to us by the rebels of our country. I saw with my own eyes the soul that we see as myth. Oh, the great heavens above blessed us with a small thing that holds such power. The thing to bring back the light and wash away this eternal darkness. Heaven above, I now believe!"

His voice grew louder as he spoke, looking up to the heavens with tears forming in his eyes. The woman looked at him with a blank expression. Her eyes showed no doubt but showed no joy. She then pulled him up from his feet and looked at him in the eye, holding him close to her.

"Let the heavens above not hear a word. Let the heavens above make no sense of it," she said quietly to him.

His eyes then showed remorse for letting the woman in as he gazed into her magenta eyes…eyes that now seemed almost red. They were closed to a cat's eye, slit and sharp as well as deceptive. He then felt the sting of something sharp, piercing into his stomach. It was like the blade of a knife but was more slender then that and it went right through him. He looked once more at the woman, her eyes showed the same fierceness as they did before and her lips were now curved into a wicked smile.

"Let not a soul hear these words," she spoke.

The long slender blades retracted from inside him and he then fell to the ground, his blood surrounded him. The woman looked down at him, her smile returned into a serious frown. Her fingers were now stained with blood but did not seem to bother her at the least.

"Letting you go seems to have been a mistake," she said as she looked at the forest behind, "Those three better do a good job. Cause now we know for certain of what lies beyond our sight."

She then turned back and began walking, her presence went unnoticed by the people who continued to search for poor fallen Anthony.

Hours had gone by and nothing of interest could be found. Kurogane seemed to be the only one who was getting irritated, Syaoran and Sakura were tired but not enough to complain, and both Fye and Mokona were happy as usual. The sky was growing dark and they decided to head back before the nightmare dragons came out. The sounds of nocturnal animals sounded throughout the woods and were calming until one loud screech echoed from afar. The seven of them stopped in their tracks and looked around them, curious as to where it exactly came from. After a few minutes, another screech echoed followed by a different sound. It was somehow familiar and was lovelier then frightening. Looking into the sky, they suddenly saw a white streak pass by, followed by three shadowy streaks. Sounds of high-pitched laughter rang out and the white streak seemed to be getting tired. Syaoran then realized what the streak was.

"It's that white dragon again!" he yelled.

Aidiaro's face became shocked and after hearing that, he quickly followed the streaks in the sky as they continued to fly away.

"Aidiaro!" called Syaika.

They quickly followed Aidiaro, running through the dark woods without worry. There was a sudden pain filled and frightened screech followed by an earth-shaking thud ahead of them. They looked up to see the three shadowy streaks head towards land, slowly taking another form. Unfortunately, the large branches and leaves of the trees blocked their view of the creatures forms, leaving them to assume the dreadful truth….that these shadowy streaks were indeed Nightmare Dragons. The very thought immediately raced through Syaoran's head and he had the feeling that the others thought the same thing. They hastily climbed over fallen tree branches and large rocks, fearing whatever it was that waited ahead. The thin branches that extended from the tall trees looked like long eerie fingers in the night, trying to get a hold of them as they rushed by, but this they ignored for all their fear was centered on the ghostly figures. Suddenly, the sounds of deep breathing and groans emitted from behind a couple of trees and bushes that were in front of them and within the bushes stood Aidiaro; staring at something with wide eyes.

"Aidiaro!" Syaika harshly whispered, "What were you thinking?! Why did you follow those things!?"

Aidiaro didn't answer. His wide-eyed stare was fixed on the scene that was taking place before him and his angry sister's harsh words were muffled to him. They looked in the direction of sounds to see three shadowy dragons cornering an injured dragon…a white dragon. Sinful smiles were plastered on the shadow dragons' faces as they slowly approached the weakened white dragon. As upsetting as it was for them to behold, they made no movements towards the dragons from their hiding places to help the doomed creature…all except Aidiaro. He swiftly ran out from his place behind the bushes and trees, heading towards the white dragon and coming in between the shadow dragons and their victim. Syaika let out a scream, showing her growing anger and frustration towards Aidiaro as she and the others reluctantly came out from their hiding spot. The Nightmare dragons looked at Aidiaro curiously, deeming him as a fool for exposing himself as well as coming between them and their victim.

"Leave her alone!!" he screamed at the dragons angrily.

"Her?" questioned Kurogane as he and the others watched him from afar.

"That's it," said Syaika," my brother has officially gone mad."

The dragons looked down at Aidiaro, their faces showing only confusion, no fear whatsoever. They then spread out their wings and folded them around them, making them look like cocoons of shadows and began to shrink in size. The shadows then dispersed and before them stood three human girls, all dressed in similar black outfits. One wore a sleeveless black shirt that had a collar much like Syaoran's regular shirt. Part of the shirt seemed to be ripped away, all except for the shoulder. Underneath the ripped shirt was another tight black shirt that appeared to be leather. The leather shirt underneath went down to her waist while the other ripped shirt only hung upon her ribs. She wore a short black skirt that had long black shorts that stretched down to her knees. Around her waist, legs and arms were brown straps and chains. On her feet were long black socks that had the feet and heels cut out. She wore long black gloves that went up to her elbows and had the fingers cut out. Her hair was black and went down to her waist, while a few long strands hung in front of her face. She wore a black headband and in the back of her head was a ponytail.

The other girl who was the same height as the first had a similar outfit, only the side her shirt was ripped was on the opposite side as the other's. The third girl was smaller then the other two and her shirt was ripped differently then theirs. Her right glove was longer then her left and her left sock was longer then her right. The smaller girl also had long black hair that hung in her face and the other girl had dark brown hair. They all had fierce purple eyes that were cat-like and smiles that were big and mischievous.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," said the lead girl, "An idiot who's trying to be a hero."

"Hehe, can we play with him? Can we!?" asked the small girl.

"Yeah, I bet he'll be lots of fun," agreed the other girl.

"No," said the leader, "He's not for playing with."

Her spiteful smile widened as she approached Aidiaro. Aidiaro stood his ground, glaring hatefully at the strange girl. Both of them tightened their fists as they neared each other. The girl then suddenly stopped, her eyes flashing with frustration and annoyance. There was somewhere they needed to be now. She looked behind her and then back at Aidiaro and the white dragon. She took a quick glance at the others watching them before walking up to Aidiaro. She put her face up to his and grabbed him by the collar.

"Listen you," she whispered harshly, "You're lucky we have to leave. You can have your little dragon but we'll be keeping a close eye on you. Don't think you won't see us again."

Aidiaro looked at her in confusion as she let go of his collar. Upon releasing him from her grip, she immediately punched him hard in the stomach, taking him by surprise as he collapsed to the ground in pain. He looked up to see her smile at him maliciously and walk away back to her fellow dragons. Syaika and the others ran to Aidiaro's side and watched as the three girls were surrounded by shadows and then disappeared into the night, their childish and immoral laughter echoed in the distance.

Aidiaro slowly got up and took deep breaths. He smiled at his worried sister and friends to reassure them that he was fine. They then all turned their attention to the white dragon that was before them. Aidiaro stood up and took a couple of steps towards the luminous dragon. The dragon then straightened its posture and wrapped its wings around itself, like the Nightmare dragons had done. A bright light shined from the dragon and just as suddenly as it appeared, the light dimmed. They then looked and saw a young girl standing before them. She had long black hair that went down to the middle of her back and amber brown eyes that sparkled beautifully. She wore an outfit that was similar to what Sakura was wearing, only it was all white. On her right shoulder was a large wound. She smiled a sweet yet weak smile at them and looked at Aidiaro kindly.

"Aidiaro," she said lovingly.

Aidiaro stared at her with sad eyes and a happy smile. They others stared in disbelieve. Syaoran was right…the white dragon was special…but only to Aidiaro.

To be continued…

Reprise: Yay…I finished Chapter 2!! I haven't been writing for a while….starting playing my Sims again and forgot all about my stories XD. I hope you all like it and that I can update again soon.

Please R&R!