Variations Of SPD
Chapter 11: Unveiling Of The Dragon
By: Pink-Green-White-4ever
Last Revised: March 23, 2006

Summary: For years he'd known what his spirit guide was, and never once had the Dragon let him down, would this journey be different
Rating: M, for adult-themed situations.
Disclaimer: I don't own PR, Disney does

"All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy."-- Wayne Dyer --

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." -- Mother Theresa --

"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." -- Indian saying --

"What is tolerance? -- It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly -- that is the first law of nature." -- Voltaire --

An: --ducks and hides from flying projectiles-- I'M SO SORRY! It's been a few months since I posted a new chapter for this one, I do apologize! You can thank School, work, school, other projects, school, writer's block, SCHOOL, for getting in the way. But hey, I'm on spring break right now, so I'm trying my best to get a few updates out per story, but I'm getting ready to graduate after next quarter, and it's only getting busier from here. I will say this, I have the rest of the story mapped out, so it shouldn't be as bad from now on, especially since Race is almost finished, and then I can focus on this until I get it into my head to do something else new.

--

When he came to, he found himself in a clearing in a jungle, and found that he wasn't alone. Blinking his eyes, he found a pure white falcon with the deepest brown eyes sitting on a rock not far from him, staring at him intently.

"You."

"Me. Did you have a nice rest, young Dragon?"

Brian glared at the bird of prey and stretched his muscles before standing up and surveying the clearing. "Where am I?"

"Where do you think you are?"

Brian turned his narrowed gaze back to the falcon, his eyes seemingly trying to bore a hole through the bird. "Look, I don't have time to play games. I need to complete my test and help my sister save our world."

"With an attitude like that, you will not find what you're searching for. I will, however, help you, because you are the son of the one who was my bearer. Come." With that, Falcon took flight, leaving Brian standing there for a few seconds before he too headed off into the jungle.

--

"Where the hell are we going?" Brian called out to the white bird, who was resting up on a tree branch in a tree not far ahead on the path.

"You seek the Power; I'm taking you to someone who can help you find it."

"I've already found the Power; I don't need to have someone help me find it again!" Brian argued.

Falcon winged down to a lower branch and cocked its head at Brian, who was glaring at him. "You were given the training to partially awaken the Power inside you. Your potential has not been reached. The one we seek will help you."

"Why do I need this so-called Power anyway? It's the reason my parents are dead! All it's going to do is make me and my sister targets!" Brian lost control of his emotions and began screaming.

"Sit, young one," the bird ordered.

"NO!"

"SIT!" Falcon raised his voice, causing Brian to gasp and immediately sit on the path, as if he'd been scolded by Ninjor or Commander Cruger, or even his father. "You are mistaken, young Dragon, about what killed your parents."

"If my parents hadn't…they're dead, and it's because of this Power you and everyone else reveres so much."

Falcon closed his eyes for a few moments, the ache in his heart intensifying as he felt the pain radiating off Brian in waves. "The Power did not kill your parents; it was Visvajita and his lust for the Power that killed your parents. He did not understand that only those pure of heart and soul may carry the Power, only those of light and goodness may be soaked in its presence."

"That's just it. Indirectly as it may be, the Power is responsible for my parents being gone."

The bird of prey seemed to shake his head. "Your parents proudly served the Power, Brian, by their own choice. They knew the risks the day they accepted the Power Coins given to them by Zordon of Eltar, and they accepted the fact that at any time, their lives could be taken by those they fought against. They lived with that possibility from the time they were fifteen to the time they died."

Quietly and quickly, Falcon moved so that he was standing next to Brian on the path. "You cannot place blame where there is none. Visvajita is the one who took your parents from you, the one who nearly took your sister, not the Power. In the end, it was the Power that enabled your parents to save those they loved, you included."

The anger inside Brian seemed to clear for a moment, allowing him to think. Falcon had a point, and he knew it. If his parents hadn't had held the Power the night they really and truly died, or any of his aunts and uncles for that matter, his sister wouldn't be alive.

"Alright, I see your point."

"Yet you do not completely agree with me. At least that is some progress. Come, we've rested long enough."

On a sigh, Brian pushed up from the ground even as Falcon took flight once more.

--

"Might I ask something?" Falcon called as he winged from tree to tree, allowing Brian to keep up with him.

"Sure, why not," Brian muttered, not impressed by the bird's desire to talk.

"Why do I sense so much hostility and animosity between you and the one known as Sky?"

Brian's face took on a stony expression at the mention of Sky. "Look, number one, it's none of your business, and number two, I don't want to talk about it."

Falcon inclined his head to the side and stopped in the tree he'd just landed in. "You do not like him, why?"

"None of your business!" Brian reacted, glaring at Falcon.

"Brian."

"I don't like him, because..."

Falcon understood the tone of Brian's voice, and the underlying emotions he sensed there. "Because he has a relationship with your sister?"

"Partially," Brian grumbled, and then sat down on a fallen tree. "It's just...she's all I have left. My parents are gone, I don't have any friends of my own, and the one person who I can actually say belongs to me, I have to share with him. Besides, he's arrogant, nasty, stuck up, and irritating because he thinks he's always right!"

Falcon brought one of his wings up to cover his face, just so he could keep from laughing at Brian. "I see," he started, amusement lacing his voice. "And yet, Sydney loves him. So do you not think there must be some redeeming qualities there that you don't see? The Phoenix's bearer does not strike me as the type to not be able to see the heart of a person."

"I don't like him," Brian muttered.

"Young Dragon, you shall learn, in life, there are many you will not like, but that you must tolerate for the greater good of your mission. Do you not think you can get along with he who is the twin of your sister's soul for her sake?"

Brian sighed and then looked up to see Falcon had come down onto the lowest branch to speak with him. "I suppose so."

"There were many your parents didn't like either, but tolerated because they saw in them the potential to change, the potential to be something more, something better," Falcon told him, a mental picture of two human males his bearer and his bearer's soulmate had known coming to mind.

"You've got a point," Brian spoke.

"Or is it, you don't want to like him? Are you afraid to let him mean something to you?"

The young ninja blinked rapidly, pondering Falcon's words. Did he really want to like Sky but couldn't seem to let himself? "I…I don't know. I never thought of it like that."

"Then you have much to think about. Come, we still have far to go, and time is running out."

--

Brian noticed, for the first time since he'd met up with Falcon, that the sky which had been almost pitch black was now getting a little lighter. "So, um, now that Dad's gone, what exactly happens to you?" Brian asked.

"My existence is tied to you and the Phoenix. So long as you have need of me, I am here, just as my mate, the Crane, is," Falcon explained.

"And if we don't end up needing you anymore?" Brian questioned softly, wondering how long he'd have this link to his parents.

Falcon looked startled, but chose his words carefully. "Then I will return to where I came from."

"Which is where?"

"Part of me will return to the Morphin Grid, the rest will return to the spiritual plane to be with your father."

Brian swallowed hard, wondering what life would be like without the Falcon to guide him. Granted, he knew he had his own spirit guide, but the Falcon was an extension of his father, which meant that with the great white bird, he had a link to his father.

"Do not worry, Young Dragon, your life will go on once I'm gone," Falcon assured him.

"That's what I'm worried about," Brian murmured.

"Just because there will be no physical representation, does not mean I will not always be with you. The same can be said for your father, and your mother," Falcon sounded sincere. "There is more to life, Young Dragon, than the past; you have the future to look forward to, and the present to live. Enjoy this time in your life, hard as it may be, and make plans for that future."

Brian looked contemplative. "I suppose you're right."

"Come, we've a little further to go, and then we'll be to the meeting place."

--

"Falcon."

Brian looked on in quiet shock when the familiar form emerged from the cave they'd stopped in front of. He'd only remembered meeting the spirit who was his representation once, shortly after Ninjor had activated his Ninja powers.

"Dragon."

The young man watched as Falcon flew forward and landed on a branch of the tree next to the cave. He watched in mild surprise as Falcon and the dragon seemed to butt heads ever so slightly, as if in greeting. When they were done, the pair turned to stare at Brian. "Welcome, he who is my bearer."

Brian nodded slightly, swallowing hard as the piercing black eyes of the dragon stared deep into his own chocolate depths. "He's a quiet one, isn't he?" Dragon spoke, his question directed to Falcon.

"Only now. He's been more vocal most of the trip."

The ninja didn't know whether to be insulted or smile at Falcon's comment. When he saw that both the Dragon and Falcon were staring at him, he smirked. "I kept you company, didn't I?" Brian asked.

"Mildly annoying and irritating, just like you," Falcon muttered at Dragon, who let out a roaring laugh.

"Of course, did you expect differently?"

"No."

Dragon seemed to nod, and then move to lay before Brian, so that the young man didn't have to look up at him. "You have kind eyes, just like your mother. Makes me wonder how your disposition got to be so sour."

Brian sputtered in outrage while Falcon rolled his eyes. "Be kind, Dragon. The young one has been limited in his lifetime to what he's been exposed to."

"You haven't to tell me that, I know. But I do not think that Master Warrior of the Temple Of Power forgot to teach him kindness and respect for others," Dragon pointed out, then turned his attention back to Brian. "Falcon has spoken of the verbal and emotional war you wage with the one known as Sky, yes?"

The brown haired young man nodded. He wasn't exactly sure where Dragon was going with this, but it sounded suspiciously like a lecture he desperately wanted to avoid. He was already starting to rethink the hurt he'd caused to his sister because of his stubbornness, as Falcon so graciously pointed out. Not to mention the fact, that deep down, he knew there really wasn't any reason NOT to like Sky, it was just the principle of the entire situation.

"Good, then I do not have to go over that with you. I have to say, I am sorely disappointed in you, young one; kindness to all, one of the pieces of the code that Ninjetti live by, and you have not been exemplifying it."

Brian bowed his head in shame. It was one thing to have Ninjor or Commander Cruger mad at him, another for Falcon to be disappointed, but to have his own animal spirit mad at him was pretty harsh, and understandable given the circumstances.

"What would your parents say?" Dragon and Falcon watched in satisfaction as Brian's head snapped up, his eyes full of unshed tears. He'd never given a thought to what his parents would think of the way he acted around Sky. "You may be young, but you are old enough to know better."

"Yes."

"Not to mention the grief you have caused your sister," Dragon started, eyeing Brian in a fashion that made him uncomfortable. "The Dragon and the Phoenix are forever intertwined; you need not worry about someone else taking your place. But you must also remember, you and your sister have ones who you will share your lives with, you both must respect that."

"I know."

"Then you will work harder to be at peace with Sky?"

Brian nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Falcon?"

The great white bird seemed to nod before he came down from his perch and sat on the ground before Brian. "My time with you ends here; you must follow the Dragon now. Remember what we've spoken of, my bearer's son, for you will need to rely on those lessons later."

"Thank you, he who represented my father," Brian spoke, blinking back tears as Falcon disappeared from sight. "Thank you, Dad, for reaching out to me," he whispered as an after thought.

"Have faith, young one, not all is lost. You're old enough to learn, young enough to adapt. Come, we must take flight if we are to help your friends."

Nodding, Brian moved forward and climbed onto the back of the gentle giant, gasping loudly when Dragon flapped his mighty wings and took to the sky. Wiping away the tears he'd shed, Brian took a deep breath. "Where are we going?"

"To she who will teach you."

--

"BRIAN!" Z chirped when the giant dragon hovered over the clearing where Z, Jack, Dulcea, Tiger, and Pegasus rested.

The second Brian slid of Dragon's back, Z and Jack pulled him into a fierce hug. It shook the young Ninja for a moment, when he realized just how much he'd come to depend on these two in his short time knowing them. Sighing happily, Brian returned their hug with a fierceness that startled them both.

"A friend of yours?" Jack asked, nodding to Dragon who had taken a seat on the ledge of the cliff above the ruins of the temple.

"My spirit guide," Brian grinned, before he let that grin turn to a frown. "Where are we?"

"The ruins of the Ninjetti temple," Dulcea spoke, smiling as Brian stared at her, wide eyed.

Stepping back from Z and Jack, Brian dropped into a respectful bow. "Master Warrior."

"Welcome, son of the Falcon and Crane, bearer of the Dragon." When Brian stood up, he turned to Tiger and Pegasus and bowed to them. Each acknowledged his respect with a nod of their head.

"The others?"

Z shook her head. "They haven't come yet."