hi again. well heres the chap. hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 2: Crimson blue

A thin line of light sparkled through the darkness. The disturbing dreams parted…for now. The pain still lingered, as did the faded memory of the silhouette. The sparkle soon shone like a thousand lanterns in the ever lasting void. Fantasy turned back to reality and it hit like a pounding drum.

Raimoundo woke from his grim slumber to find himself under the covers of his warm futon. He rose from his sleeping place and peeked outside his division of the room. It was strangely empty and quite. Almost like nothing but the dead had walked this room. He wondered how he got here and if the others were still asleep. What had sent him into such a darkness that still bound to him now? He could only wonder as he walked out into the grounds.

"Rai, your awake!" Kimiko ran over to him with a smile spread delicately across her face. The other worried monks soon followed her. "We thought you were gonna be out longer than a bear durin winter."

"Yes, at one point we thought we had lost you."

Raimoundo looked at the small bald monk in confusion. "What do you mean 'lost me'?"

"You were so close to that thing when it grabbed you. We though it had killed you."

He looked at the Japanese girl now with more confusion in his eyes than ever.

'I don't remember being grabbed.'

"Then when it froze us, we thought we were all truly rubbished."

"Wasted" he corrected.

"That to" Omi replied in an unusually unenthusiastic tone.

"Young monks you must linger in your disappear, for what caused it is now not here." Master Fung encourage, though it didn't help as much as he had hoped.

Raimoundo noticed that even Master Fung was not as cheerful as he use to be. None of them were. That thing of darkness had done something to them, but what he couldn't decide.

They carried on the day as normal. Chores here, training there and a little hanging out as well, though they didn't talk as much. That night Raimoundo started to see those blood red eyes more clearly and went to the roof of the temple to clear his mind. He lent against the hard tiled roof and stared up towards his sleeping friend, the sky. This gave him a slightly uneasy comfort but just pushed it to the back of his mind. The glitter of dreams highlighted his face in a mixture of sliver and midnight blue. The peace of purity flowed through him like the very blood that kept him alive. He snapped out of his trance when he heard a movement beside him. The star shine revealed it to be the dragon of fire, Kimiko, who then sat down next to him. "It's been a strange day huh?"

"Yeah, it has."

"You can't sleep either."

"Those eyes haunting you to?"

"Yup"

They sat there together for a while just starring at the glittering stars. Without Raimoundo noticing, his eyes moved down towards the gates of the temple. He could see a dark figure standing motionless apart from the wind that whipped its cape. A gasp escaped his lips, which caught Kimiko's attention. She turned to where Raimoundo was looking and backed away as though the thing was going to pounce. Then Raimoundo realised, it's eyes were no longer the crimson red that haunted his dreams, they were sky blue like his closest friend. They looked so sad and lonely like they were lost in a cruel world that no mortal could comprehend. Its hand slowly stretched out as though it was calling for his help, no, begging for it. He could feel its pain, the pain that had filled him that day at the forest. The darkness that shrouded them lived in it, but there was more. Like the stars that shone above them, it to had light within it. If he could just release it. He to held out his hand, knowing they could never touch didn't stop him. It keeled over in pain almost falling from its post; hand still stretched out and tears in its eyes. Then it was gone. The little light that was there init's eyes had vanished and was replaced by the bloodthirsty crimson Raimoundo and the others had learnt to fear. From its hands came black feathers, long and intimidating with white strips here and there. The gesture for help had gone and all was left was anger as it summoned it's strength and whipped the feathers at tremendous speed towards the two monks. Immobilised by something foreign to him, Raimoundo could not move. Kimiko lunged for him and just managed to push him away in time as a fury of ominous black shards thatwished to taste their blood drove into the stone tilled rooftop.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Kimiko screamed at the Brazilian who was still in great shock.

"She needs help." He whispered in reply.

All Kimiko could do was stare in worry as the boy looked into the stars for advise.

right next chap should be coming soon. the only reason i did these to so fast is because A) i got a review! and B) of been off school for 2 days sick. I'll try and get the next one done within the week though so BYE FOR NOW!