A/N:

Blue Eyed Dragon Girl: Alright, I'm updating now. But what's with the rush to get to the Titans?

Jedi Master Kyre AKA JKM for now: I try my best with these stories. So it at least should be interesting for a few chapters. :)

Stupid1058: (Glancing around) No Flinger yet.
Sandstone: (Relaxing on a couch) He'll come.
Stupid1058: (Sweatdrops)

Bond

Toiréasa rested on my shoulder. She'd reluctantly started to take a liking to me. We were still traveling, but now we were beside a ribbon of stone, with moving vehicles that raced past the two of us. Pardon me… a highway. We were surviving for now on the 'meal pills' that were issued to any personnel. I wasn't getting what I needed for energy, but I got all the vitamins I needed daily, and water was easy enough to find. Toiréasa was sort of enjoying herself. We'd reached a rest area, and she'd gotten a lot of coddling from children, and even some adults.

I hadn't liked that area.

&&&&&

"Wow, that hair color real?"

I brushed a strand of hair from my face, then put on a long-suffering face. The human female smiled at me, and then turned back to the bi'waga "It's amazing… a teenager like him, with such a lovely rabbit…"

I sighed, and leaned back on the tree. I'd asked… her not to draw attention, but she apparently loved a crowd. I closed my eyes to mere slits again, trying to look like I was asleep.

A few teenaged human girls looked over at me, then looked away. Ok… what, is the hair color really THAT big a thing?

Well, she'd actually spoken to me, and requested half of a mark to 'have some fun'. I'd humored her… and now I was suffering because of it.

&&&&&

Toiréasa said softly, "are we there yet?"

I sighed. "No. It will take some time to get there."

"But I want to be there now… I'm bored! That 'hero' thing you described sounded like fun!"

I restrained the urge to snap at her, and instead laughed, watching her out of the corner of my eye. She tilted her head, and then perked up. "Well, since you're so slow, I guess I'll take matters into my own paws, so to speak…" She coughed, and I looked directly at her. She gave me the equivalent of a smirk, and dug her nails into my skin, slowly climbing down to the middle of my back. I hissed in pain (it felt like fire was moving across my body), but otherwise remained silent. She settled, and I felt the weight change.

What? I thought…

You thought wrong, dearie. It would be easier for the two of us if you could fly, no? And as much as I enjoy the stuff humans call 'grass', I'd like some more solid food. So… consider yourself tied to me… I felt a mental eyebrow arch, as she continued, S… summoner? You're a… first rank summoner at your age? By Lir… Lughaidh… child, you have a gift here. No wonder I somehow liked you!

I smiled wryly, and replied with my thoughts directed at her, It's Tuán.

I 'heard' a mental snort. Vain creature. I never should have bonded. Ah well, you're not so bad.

I sighed, and shook my head. I'd never win with her, she was my superior by thirty years at least. I stretched upwards, and looked back at her. Well… what she was now. She had literally fused to my back, and her body had transformed into a pair of sapphire wings that were barely connected (a small path of my skin was covered in feathers – I knew some friends who bonded to a bi'waga, they explained it to me. And the fact that the wings were magical – they were huge, but anyone sane could tell you that they couldn't handle my weight alone.

"Ready to fly?"

Always wanted to do this… looking through the eyes of a summoner is even better. I nodded, and started to 'stretch' my wings (she became part of my mind while we were linked like this, but she couldn't control anything – she could separate from me, but not control my body… and the wings she'd became counted as part of my body… so to speak. It's complicated.) Once they were loose, I took a running start, and started to flap them desperately. Toiréasa corrected me on how to fly, and I took off into the sky. I circled around, smiled, and started to use a updraft (thermal, I believe) to rise up even higher. It would be easy if I let the air do the work for me.

&&&&&

Well, you're a quick learner. No wonder, a few of us were tied to your friends.

I smiled, and looked down, catching another covered building, with several ground vehicles standing idle. Another 'rest stop'.

Oh! Land now. I think I'm going to enjoy this… I had a bad feeling, but obeyed her directive, swooping down, and 'landing' with a partial backwinging, and running to a stop the rest of the way. "Alright Toiréasa, you got your wish. Getting off me now?"

She purred in my mind contently. Oh no. I just want to see how the humans react. After all, we're going to a place with a great population density, correct? I nodded, realizing what she was talking about. "Oh." I smiled, and sat down on the… grass, looking away from the building, apparently just fiddling with my staff. In actuality, I was straining my senses to hear every sound.

&&&&&
A short time later, I had my attention. I must have landed on the side where few went, because no one noticed. I'd heard a rushed inhalation, but after that, for a … what's the word… minute, nothing else.

I heard another rushed inhalation, then a innocent voice (girlish) saying "Is that a… angel, mommy?"

I waited, continuing to just 'play' with my staff, occasionally tossing it in the air. "I… don't know. Go get daddy. Now, sweetie."

"Aww… ok mommy!" A patter of small feet on stone, and then I lost the child's footsteps. I paused with my playing, and grabbed a stray strand of hair. I fiddled with it, then started to twist it, braiding it, burning some time.

"Honey, what's wrong? What's…" A gasp, then silence. I suspect that was 'daddy' – a male's voice, probably the older human's mate. "Is that… what I think it is?"

"Arthur, I have no idea." Child, this is most puzzling. I expected us to get attacked, or have some negative reaction. That sounds… not negative.

Finished with the first lock of hair, I pulled another strand, and started to do the same to it. Mostly, it was the girls who braided their hair, but I'd had to braid my sister's hair for her formal events, so I knew a great deal about it. It did make one more elaborate looking, I suppose… I'd taken it up as a hobby, since several of my friends (I got along better with the girls than the guys) liked it when I was able to help them. Before I volunteered for service, anyway.

I heard soft footsteps near me, then I felt a hand brush the wings on my back. "Wow… they're so soft!"

"Maggie! Get away from…" I turned, a mild expression on my face, letting my hair drop from my hands. I looked down at the youngling, as she peered up at me. I smiled slightly, and held out my hand. She innocently touched it. "Mommy! He's real!"

At that, I nearly started laughing, and mussed her hair with my other hand, startling a reaction out of her… parents, I think the word is. They started to rush over to her, but stopped after I looked up at them questioningly.

I heard her mental voice burst out in laugher. If she was a Ocisishuhyan, she'd be bent over, hardly able to stand. This is… outrageously funny… you should have… become a ack'ta, you play the stupid innocent far too well…

I responded wryly, Save it, if I start laughing, then we'll see how humans react violently. Want to find out if they have ray weapons, like the Rationalists?

She responded quietly, Shutting up.

They said "well, he doesn't seem to be harming her…"

"He doesn't look… I thought angels had white wings."

"I never read that."

The little one smiled, and touched my wings again. She started to yank at a feather, making me readjust them. I grabbed her hand, then when she looked at me, I shook my head.

"Can I go for a ride, mommy?"

The woman looked over at her child. "What are you…" she looked at me, then her features became shadowed. "Uhm… dear… leave him alone."

Another started to walk around the building, then froze at the sight. Before he could help himself, he started shouting, causing the adult humans to flinch, and the little girl to race to her mother, and grab her leg.

More humans came around back. I suspect it was me, but whatever it was, whenever they had a clear view of everything, they froze. One pulled something from a thing dangling from her side, and pressed a button, making it cast a brilliant light at me.

I blinked away the flash-blindness (what in the cosmos WAS that?), and then tilted my head questioningly. I flipped my staff to my left hand, and asked aloud, "Something the matter?"

A bunch of rushed inhalations, and one voice (immature male – teenager, I suspect), said "dude… it talks!"

I shook my head. "He. Not it… and what's a… dude?"

The immature male walked up to me, and then sized me up. He was wearing all black, and for some reason, had an image on his shirt that had bones on it. Disturbing…

"Like… you're real?"

I nodded, then extended my wings. I could follow what they were saying, thankfully… maybe that pill wasn't such a pain in the… as'… ass.

Several humans had almost awe-struck expressions on their faces (I could tell that much). "Has god sent you?" That didn't make any sense… god… I didn't understand that word. A figure of authority? I blinked, confused. They didn't seem to expect an answer. That seemed to set off several others, who rushed over to poke, prod, and pull on me. Ah, Takashoku… what did I do NOW to deserve this… Plenty.

I shifted my wings, and turned around, shaking my head at the two behind me. Each had their… fingers in a position that made it clear – they were going to pull my feathers. That HURTS!

I looked directly at them, and I believe they either had innocent looks on their faces, or embarrassment. Either way, I shook my head, and narrowed my eyes.

"We gotta call the press! This'll be national news! We'll be famous for seeing the angel first!"

Run. You might not understand what press is, but it's a form of media… the media. Unless you want your pretty face spread all over the world while you're trying NOT to draw the Rationalists, I suggest we leave.

Oh.

I spread my wings again, and motioned aside the humans surrounding me. I started running, then used the speed to climb into the air. More flashes of light (is that an offensive weapon? What in the name of the summoner's Art is WITH these beings?), and I turned my head away, circling on an updraft from the heated stone.

Titan countdown: 4 (This counter is provided by FoS services. FoS: the ultimate solution for any problem.)

Stupid1058: Gyah! Make that name go away!
Sandstone: No.