Moonlight Disaster

Sorry I updated so late! So much homework and working on other stories, I'm so sorry! Forgive me, please! For the late update, and also for the fact that out of ALL these chapters, it's only been ONE whole day. Yes, one day. Hope you find that this chapter makes up for it, please say it does. At least its chappie 10 now. I think. I'm really not too sure…but it was 10 the last time I checked…couple of weeks ago…or was it months?

Chapter 10: Don't leave me…

Chiyo looked forlornly out of her window, staring out at the star-filled night. It was nights like this that made her wish she could die, if only to just leave it all behind and forget it all. The stars brought back too many painful memories, ones she had wished she could forget. But she knew she couldn't; she was bound here by something she could not control nor have a say in.

As beautiful as the stars were, as much as she loved watching them twinkle and sparkle, Chiyo couldn't help but to remember the unpleasantness they also represented in her life.

'Kaede-san…'

"Stay back, Chiyo!" a tall, silver haired girl ordered the younger, dark haired girl. Chiyo quivered uncontrollably, yet quietly obeyed her elder sister's command. She couldn't help but shudder as she watched her sister attempt to protect her.

That horror-filled night, so many years ago…so long yet so close.

"Just give in and I will let you go," hissed a hazy figure maliciously. The only thing about it you could really see were its purple eyes that glinted so threateningly.

"Kaede-san, what does he mean?" the 7-year old asked, frightened.

"Never mind, just stay back!"

The young teen's shoulders began to shake as the events of that night ran through her head. It was terrible…she didn't want to see it again.

She couldn't see anything…it was too blurry.

"Kaede-san! Big sister, where are you?" Chiyo called, terrified out of her wits. She coughed a few times, the smoke choking her.

"Big sister!"

Then the darkness came to her, and she slipped out of consciousness.

"Chiyo! Chiyo!" a weak voice woke her up. She opened her large grey orbs sleepily, until the events of that night came back to her.

"Kaede-san?"

She would never forget that.

"Kaede-san!" Chiyo shrieked, and ran over to her sister. She reached out to grab her, but was horribly surprised as she found her fingers went through her.

"Kaede-san!"

She was so scared…

"Chiyo, whatever you do, you must never let the same thing happen to you." Kaede told her softly. "Protect yourself, and Kotatsu. And you must do what I was doing, before this; protect the spirits, and anybody else in danger, from him…Kotatsu will help. Get magic…help…he…" Kaede closed her eyes, letting one last clue escape her lips.

"Black…feathers…"

"Kaede-san? Kaede-san! Big sister, don't go!" Chiyo sobbed, her black hair spewing around her.

Kaede smiled, and an ethereal light engulfed her body. A white string of mist broke off as the rest of the body pulsed with light and energy, then slowly dissolved.

The stars shone brighter than usual that night.

"Kaede-san…" Chiyo whispered, her sight blurred by her tears. Now it was all happening again, all over again…

Don't cry, Chiyo-sama. Kaede-sama wouldn't want you to. a light voice reminded her, and Chiyo sniffed.

: I can't help it, Kotatsu. : Chiyo rested her head on her arms. : Everything is so hard. And it's all happening again. :

Remember? Kotatsu faded into view, hovering outside her window. That night we met? We made a promise.

"I know…" she murmured. Indeed, she remembered clearly when she and Kotatsu met.

Flashback:

Chiyo blinked at the ball of mist floating behind her, everywhere she went. She swore it had been a snaky shape just a minute ago.

"Why do you keep following me?" Chiyo asked, reaching out to touch it. "You've been here for a week now. Why don't you leave me alone?"

Ko…

"Huh?" Chiyo blinked again; that was the 6th time she had heard that voice now. "Hey…you're soft. I should have done this ages ago!" Chiyo giggled, feeling a soft centre in the middle of the ball.

A tinkly sound was emitted from the ball. In a flash of bright green light, there was a shiny, slightly sticky ball on her lap. It unrolled itself and blinked at her, its large green orbs looking innocently into her own.

"Awww…how cute!" Chiyo cried, picking it up to stroke its silver scales. "What a nice silver…just like Kaede-san's…" she held back a sob or two at the thought of her sister, but she had told herself to move on by then, and do what her sister wanted her to do.

The creature slinked up onto her shoulder, its soft scales gradually hardening as it moved. Chiyo lifted a finger to stroke its tiny snout as it emitted a rumbly sound from its throat. She adored it, regardless of the fact that it was a tiny dragon, was created from a mist and nobody else appeared to notice it. Strange things had occurred in her life before, and she was fairly used to it.

"A dragon…Kaede-san's favourite animal. Tatsu was her favourite word…"

Ko.

"Ko?" Chiyo blinked at the dragon as a memory of one of Kaede's last words came to her.

"Ko…Kotatsu?"

That's me, kiddo.

Before her eyes, the dragon floated into the air, twisting around in a spiral. A sprinkling of green powder seemed to be dusted off the dragon as it gradually changed form. Chiyo squeezed her eyes shut from the powder then peeked out a minute later.

Emerald eyes watched her playfully as the girl lifted a hand in greeting.

"Hey Chiyo-sama. My name is Kotatsu." She winked, her short silver hair bouncing as she looked around the room.

"Who are you?" Chiyo replied stupidly, watching the girl in awe.

"I told you, my name is Kotatsu. And I'm the Tamer of the Dragons. Before I came to you, I was with your sister, Kaede-sama." Kotatsu explained, resting her hand on her chin.

Chiyo watched her, amazed. Oh yeah, Kotatsu was hovering off the ground too.

"I'm here to help you in the fields of magic. You can find other help too, but consider me your personal magician." Kotatsu grinned, snapping her fingers to reveal a scale in her hand. "See? Anyway, I'm also like a part of Kaede-sama. We were really close. That's where my silver part comes in. A bit of her soul has seeped into mine, we are like one person." Kotatsu smiled gently at Chiyo. "And the same will be with us, Chiyo-sama."

Kotatsu's image shimmered and disappeared. A pulsing green ball flew to her ear, where it faded to a round earring with the face of a dragon painted on to it.

I'll be with you like this in the day. This way, I can still watch out for you. And I'll be back in my original form at night, ok?

"Uh…ok?"

Learn to speak with your mind, Chiyo-sama. Your mind holds the key…to me!

.Like this?.

Exactly. A musical laugh came from her earring, and Chiyo fingered it thoughtfully.

"Kaede-san…that's why she always wore that earring…" Chiyo mused, remembering her sister's bright smile, joyful attitude, and the way she always seemed to finger the earring while in thought.

"I miss her…" Chiyo felt tears start running down her face with these memories.

She felt something soft brush across her face, as if in reassurance, then a voice spoke in her mind.

Don't cry. Make a promise to me, Chiyo-sama. Promise me that you will always remain strong, no matter what.

Chiyo nodded and then sniffed softly. .Ok. I-I'll do it. For Kaede-san.

That's the spirit.

End Flashback.

Remember, you're not alone. Like I said, a part of Kaede-sama's soul is a part of mine, so in a way, your sister is still with you. Kotatsu told her, stroking Chiyo's long black hair.

"Why? Why me?" she murmured, burying face in her hair.

Because your DNA is that of a unique one. You and your bloodline are one with the spirits. Plus, Kotatsu added, matter-of-factly, much different from that reasoning tone she had used before. There are others out there. Remember Dark? And Krad?

"What about them?" Chiyo muttered, annoyed. (A/N: When I wrote about her looking up Daisuke's family name, that had nothing to do with Dark. I changed the plot, you see.)

Oops! My mouth is sealed! Kotatsu winked cheerfully, then faded out of view once more. Chiyo sighed, staring into the sky; for once couldn't life be easy?

-----------------

--Oi, Daisuke.--

"What?"

--We're looking for Chiyo tonight, ok?-- Dark told him seriously. Daisuke sighed an answer of agreement, not that he really had a choice when it came to a serious Dark.

"Can't you get over it?" Daisuke asked hopefully, lying upside down on his bed. It was a Friday afternoon and he didn't really have anything to do. School was let out early, being the last day of school. He had 2 weeks of holidays to look forward to before school started again. The only bad thing was that Emiko found yet another reason to send notices daily on his 'homework free' nights. He was hoping for nights where he could actually sleep, instead of having to sleep late from his thefts.

Daisuke gazed at the little note held before him, before reminiscing that he had once again forgotten to hand it to his mom.

"I forgot again…" he mumbled, turning back the right way around.

His gaze fell on the large book that rested on the carpet, having been casually set down by Dark the night before.

"Hmmm…"

Daisuke retrieved the book and opened it.

"Let's have a look at this…"

Dark appeared in the air next to him, hovering over his shoulder as Daisuke turned the page. The first page was a blast of fiery colours, ranging from raging red to soft yellow. He looked over to the title that was so flashingly decorated.

"Phoenixes…"

The next page was about unicorns, then the Loch Ness, then nymphs and then eventually…

"Dragons!" Daisuke announced triumphantly. Sure, the other pages were interesting, but so far, the dragons were the most important.

--Hurry up!--

"Fine, fine…"

He gazed at the first page, titled 'Sea Dragons'. Many splashes of different shades of blue and sea green were shown clearly, giving it a nice effect. A long, slippery figure was drawn majestically in the middle of the page, its dark green eyes peering out from beneath the watery glaze.

"I don't think this is the one we're looking for…"

Chinese Dragons were next, then western ones, then finally…

"Wild Dragons/Moon Dragons" Daisuke read out loud, looking with interest at the large text on the page. There wasn't much about it, but it should be enough.

"Not much is known about this species of dragons, for they are untamed, therefore untainted by mankind. They are tiny creatures, who inhabit the moon, although quite often they come down to bathe in the lakes of earth. Often they take on the appearance of common lizards. They are the only remaining species yet to be hunted to near extinction, where they are forced to leave earth forever, and may they remain free forever.

"Only one being has ever been closely related with the dragons. She is the True One, the ones the dragons have chosen to be their human ally, although she is actually a spirit of the dragons. She is a part of the dragons themselves, although not much is known about her. Her appearance is ever changing, for she is also a guiding spirit to humans of a particular bloodline. The females of that bloodline inherit the True One when they are blessed by the Ethereal Spirit. Only one of each generation is granted this privilege, although there may be exceptions at times. If so, the latter will inherit her when her sister reaches the age of 20, not including interruptions." Daisuke paused; ok there was more than he thought.

"The True One becomes a part of her human Tamers, therefore causing the change in appearance. The dragons rely on the True One to protect them from their one true enemy, for they are defenceless in themselves. Their enemy is known as…." Here, the words were blotted out by something that looked a bit like an ink spill of a medium shade of grey. The next sentence continued as usual. "The True One exists in the bloodline of Takaido." Daisuke stopped here, disappointed that the evidence seemed to point away from Chiyo, otherwise known as their only source of information.

--Wait. There's more--

Obligingly, Daisuke read on. "However, it is not known if the Takaido family has changed their name to avoid any further attention."

Daisuke scanned the rest of the page and the next few, but there was no more information. He sat back and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally they had some answers.

--Who even wrote this book?--

"It doesn't say…" Daisuke lay back down on his bed, exhausted but not knowing why.

--You better rest. Like I said, that's one powerful book.-- Dark told him seriously, and Daisuke nodded, falling asleep quickly.

Dark lingered in the air for a moment, thinking about that book. It was quite strange that someone would actually write a book like that. Having a brainstorm, he flicked through the book again, and noticed that the one about the Moon Dragons actually had the most information, meaning that it must have been written by someone with 'inside information'.

He examined the cover again. It was a pretty nice cover, and he traced the title with his finger absent-mindedly. Suddenly, his finger hit a notch.

--Huh?--

Suddenly, the cover rearranged itself, turning into a smooth glass screen emitting a pale green light. A projection of a young girl appeared, clasping her hands to her heart sadly. Her long silver hair floated out behind her as she opened her eyes, revealing bright red orbs.

"To my dear little sister,

I'm afraid this is goodbye. My time to leave has arrived, and I wish you the best of luck in the future. I have chosen this book to relay this message to you. I hope you know why. I apologize for this abrupt departure, but I have no choice. I hope you find this message at the appropriate time, for it will help you greatly. I'm sorry for not telling you about my often sudden leaves at night, but it couldn't be helped. Kotatsu will explain everything to you, once you have received this message." Here, an image of the said girl popped up, waving cheerfully. The girl continued. "I hope, however, that what I have taught you has not left." She raised her arms above her head, and a little orb appeared "There is something that only you can read inside here. Make sure it does not fall into the wrong hands. For this reason, it has been protected so that not even the strongest magic can get through to it. Take it, my sister, and sing with me our song." Here, the projection faded away into its normal book cover, presumably because no 'little sister' had taken the orb and began singing with her.

Dark sat back onto his astral heels in surprise. --Well…--

Just to check, he pushed his finger into the notch again, and sure enough, the message appeared. This time however, he tried to take the orb, but found himself repelled by whatever security measures were placed on this.

--Hiwatari ought to get one of those…--

Finally, he gave it up and put down the book, shrinking back into Daisuke's head.

--Maybe I'll show Dai when he wakes…or not.--

--------------------------------

Riku looked at her watch and smiled to herself. There were still 6 hours till her parent came home, and their butler was on sick leave, so she and Risa had the whole house to themselves.

She sighed happily and fell back onto her bed. "Wonder what I'll do…I know!" She jumped back up and ran to get her bike. "Risa!" she hollered at the top of her voice.

"What, Riku?"

"Want to ride down to the beach? It's a really nice day and I heard there's a festival going on down there!"

Risa popped her head through the window with minor interest. "Sounds fun, but I'm busy Riku. Why don't you take Niwa-kun?"

"Are you sure? What are you doing anyway?" Riku asked suspiciously. Risa just smiled and waved goodbye, closing the window. Riku shook her head in resignation. Risa needed to get out more.

Nevertheless, she got on and started pedalling towards the Niwa residence. It took her a while, sure, but she enjoyed every moment of it. Soon, she reached her desired destination, and she got off, panting. She strode up to the door and raised her hand to knock, but she hesitated.

"Niwa-kun…" she thought back to last night, and the awkwardness between them earlier that morning. She shook her head frustratingly, trying to clear her head of any doubts, and knocked the door purposefully.

After a minute or so, the door opened, and a silver-haired woman popped her head out. She smiled at Riku and ushered her in.

"Riku-san! Come in, come in…actually, just wait one moment…" Towa winked at her, than turned around.

"Daisuke! You have a visitor! Tell your mum to turn off the hallway switch!" she shouted, cupping her hands for effect. (The switch for the traps, you see…)

A second later, she heard Daisuke call back. "Ok!" Pause. Pounding of footsteps. "Ah! Riku-san, hello!"

"Niwa-kun, hi!" She smiled shyly, and Towa winked and hurried off, leaving the two in their awkward state.

"Uh…come in." Daisuke offered, standing aside. Riku shook her head and started to babble.

"Oh no it's ok, I don't want to be a bother to you! I just came to ask if you were busy, and if you er, um…, wanted to go the festival at the beach with me?" she looked away, red in the face, not noticing Daisuke's sad expression.

"What time does it go to?"

"Till late…" Riku muttered, looking down at her hands.

"…I'm so sorry Riku-san, but I'm busy tonight." Daisuke too looked away in regret, wishing he could just die here and now.

"O-oh…"Riku said softly, disappointed. "Well…if you're busy, I won't bother you then."

She quickly turned and ran, getting onto her bike and pedalling off, hoping that Daisuke did not see her tears. She heard him call after her, but she ignored him, pedalling on. The beach didn't seem so welcoming anymore.

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Ack! Dai-kun, you heartbreaker! (Hit him on the head.) How could you do that to poor Riku-san? (Little squeaks from mini Dai-kun) oh yeah, its partly Dark's fault… (More squeaks) so what if I wrote it? You manipulated me! Ah…poor Riku…are you with me in saying that I ought to make Daisuke more considerate? Well bad luck! He's staying that way! XD Please R&R! The good thing about this chapter is that you get some answers at least…