Strange Journey

By Phoenix Hoshika

Part VII

Taiko was the first to awaken the next morning. "This has to look really wrong." Taiko thought as she pushed Ryu's arm from around her waist then sat up. "Ryu, wake up." Taiko said shaking him. Still asleep Ryu made a slight growling sound and continued to sleep. Taiko sweat dropped. "I think I'm just going to leave him alone." She thought slowly backing away from him. As soon as she was a body's length away she sprinted off to find some water.

After taking a bath in a nearby stream Taiko went to find some food for herself and the dragon she had left sleeping on the forest floor. Searching around for nearly an hour Taiko finally came upon a tree that bared fruit. Despite the fact she was certain there were dangerous animals roaming around Taiko had not run into even a small bird. Not questioning her luck she climbed the tree, still afraid to use her wings instead, and began quickly picking the fruit.

"It's weird. This place was covered in snow just last night and now it's like it never happened." Taiko thought as she dropped the fruit to the ground. Hearing snarling coming from her left side the thin feathers of her wings stood on end. On top of the menacing sound Taiko could feel the warm breath of something on her shoulder, slowly turning to see what was beside her Taiko fell out of the tree when she saw the head of a creature that had red eyes, sharp long yellow teeth, and pointed ears. The creature was covered in short black fur and stood as nearly as tall as the tree and looked like what she thought a demon would. Taiko lay on the ground in pain for only a second after the fall. The impact had knocked the wind out of her, but nothing was broken. The creature swiped at Taiko with one of its massive claw covered hands only missing her by a hair as she did a backwards flip onto her feet to get out of the way. Taiko could feel her insides burning as the adrenaline rushed through her veins. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how to out run the giant monster, but all she could hear were two words running repeatedly through her thoughts.

"BIG BOOM!" Taiko shouted and white sparks came flying from her hands, burning the creature in successive electrical explosions each more powerful than the last. The current was enough to charbroil the creature from the inside out, but unfortunately for Taiko the back fire from her own attack sent her flying into the clouds. Taiko screamed as her body was hurled at high speed through the air.

"Am I going to die?" Taiko wondered as she flew through the sky with her face turned up toward the sun. "I have to do something or it might just happen." Taiko thought trying to move her wings which wouldn't budge an inch. "I can't die like this!" Taiko thought as she fell head first toward the ground. Taiko closed her eyes and continued to concentrate on moving her wings. Just before sudden death impact Taiko was able to spread her wings and turn her body right side up lifting herself back into the sky. Looking down Taiko could see she wasn't far from where she had left Ryu and could see him still sleeping.

Ryu slowly awoke feeling a gust of air from Taikos wings as she landed. Opening his eyes he could see her standing with her back to him and sat up.

Taiko's heart was pounding and she couldn't stop shaking. She was too traumatized from her encounter with the monster to be proud of the perfect landing she had made.

"It's so late. Why didn't you wake me up?" Ryu said rubbing his eyes and startling Taiko nearly to death.

"I tried, but you kinda growled at me." Taiko answered shakily.

Ryu's face turned red with embarrassment and before he could apologize Taiko fell to her hands and knees.

"Damnit." Taiko muttered as she landed on her sore wrist. "I'm just thankful it isn't broken." She thought looking at her wobbling arm.

"Taiko!" Ryu said rushing to her aid and dropping down in front of her. "Are you ok?" He said leaning her into an upright position.

"I'm fine." Taiko answered with a small smile and started to laugh. That laugh quickly turned into sobbing. Ryu hugged her not knowing what else to do.

"What happened to you?" He asked as she continued to shake in his arms.

"I got attacked by a monster." Taiko quietly answered.

"You did?" Ryu said sweat dropping in awe that he slept through something like that or did he? Unable come out of dragonized form Ryu was prone to going into hazes for any given amount of time. During those times he could be so out of it he wouldn't remember what he was doing or be only acutely aware of his actions during that time.

"I suppose I should have known better than to wonder around alone in this godforsaken place. I mean where I come from you'd always hear stories about some idiot running around in the woods and getting attacked by a grizzly bear or something and now I'm one of them!" Taiko sobbed.

"Don't beat yourself up over it." Ryu said stroking her hair. He felt relieved that he didn't loose it, but also guilty for not being there to help Taiko who had stood up and walked away a few paces.

"Ryu, I killed it. I don't know how, but I killed it." Taiko answered looking down at her hands then folded her arms around herself. Her wings then flared out startling her. "My own body has become some foreign object to me." Taiko said looking at the ground.

"You haven't always been this way?" Ryu asked shocked by her words.

"No." Taiko answered turning around.

"Taiko, you never answered me when I asked what you were. Are you human?" Ryu asked standing up.

"Yes, no, I-." Taiko stumbled over her words fully realizing the changes her body had undergone. "I don't know anymore. I used to be. I'd like to think I still am. What do you see me as?"

Before Ryu could answer a black hole like the one that had sent him to the world he was now on opened up behind him.

"What is it?" Taiko asked taking a step back.

"It's a doorway." Ryu answered looking menacingly at the gaping hole. "I know this because I was pushed through one just like it."

"Will it take you home?" Taiko asked coming to stand beside him.

"I'm hoping it will." He said grabbing her hand. "Let's jump through and hope for the best." Taiko nodded and the two leaped in.

On the other side the hole dumped them out. Ryu landed unconscious on his back and Taiko on her chest. "Argh!" Taiko yelled in frustration as she spit a twig out of her mouth. She had stayed fully conscious all the way through, but Ryu for some reason almost immediately became unconscious. Taiko realized this when his grip on her hand suddenly loosened after they jumped in the portal. Taiko held on to him as tight as she could as they were hurled across space in a matter of minutes.

"Ryu!" Taiko called shaking him. He growled at her again, but this time it really peeved Taiko off and she shook him even harder. "WAKE UP!" She yelled partly in anger and relief. After being pushed through billions of miles of space for fifteen minute strait without so much as a peep from the dragon Taiko was worried that after they came out of the void, if they came out, that he would be dead.

Coming to Ryu sat up and calmly looked around. "Are you ok?" Taiko asked franticly. Ryu just looked at her. "Are you ok?" Taiko asked again as she checked his head for any bumps.

"I'm fine." Ryu finally answered.

"That's good and you don't seem to have any injuries." Taiko sighed.

"Taiko?" Ryu said blinking as his eyes wildly looked about.

"Yeah?"

"Never mind," He said realizing he had blanked out.

"What is it?"

"I was just wondering where we were that's all. He said not telling her the full truth.

"Ah, I was wondering that myself. I'll go scout the place out while you rest here.

"But…" Ryu began to protest.

"I'll be fine… I hope. Well, if anything happens promise to bury my bones some place nice." Taiko grinned.

"Taiko.." Ryu said shaking his head.

"Be back in a sec." Taiko said running off.

Ryu watched her as she disappeared into the woods. Looking up at the bright nearly cloudless sky Ryu's mind slipped again. Getting up and walking in the same direction Taiko had gone, he had decided to follow her. Not making a sound Ryu careful crept along keeping an eye on Taiko. For the longest it seemed she would search around observing the plants and animals. She changed directions three times before spreading her wings and taking to the sky. Ryu watched her fly off as he hovered above a stream of water. If he were able to fly into the clouds like Taiko could he probably would have continued in his pursuit, but seeing no way to catch up with her the dragon temporarily gave up. When Ryu came out of his haze he fell straight into the flowing water just below his feet. The stream was very shallow, only six feet deep, but it was enough to complete cover someone that only stood about 5'4". Ryu splashed back up to the surface panting heavily. "Where I am?" He thought looking around. "Taiko!" He called out, but didn't receive an answer. Feeling something move across his knees Ryu quickly went back into a haze and punched at the water with his right fist causing it to spray into the air along with an eel that smacked him in the face with its tale as it dove back into the water. Ryu punched at the water again knocking the fish back into the air. This time when it came back down into the water it sent a small electrical current throw it that would have paralyzed a normal human being. The current didn't even faze Ryu so he knocked the eel back into the air again. He wasn't angry with the electrical fish at all, but sending it flying into the air had become somewhat of a game.

"Um, what are you doing?" Taiko asked as she hovered just above a tree that had fallen across the two sides of the stream. Ryu stopped bothering the eel who quickly swam away and looked up at her. He then quickly came back into his right mind and turned away from her embarrassed, because this time he was aware of what was going on before she showed up.

"I can't seem to control it today." Ryu thought as a slight head ache started to set in.

"You were playing around in the water weren't you? You don't have to be embarrassed about that! I mean people would not have invented water sports if playing in the water was something to be embarrassed about." Taiko said attempting to land on the fallen tree, but somehow ended up diving head first into the water as her wings begin to beat rapidly.

"Taiko!" Ryu yelled as he swam over to where she fell.

A moment later Taiko resurfaced gasping. "Hmmm, now that was embarrassing." Taiko said trying to laugh it off as she made her way out of the stream. Ryu just stared at her with his mouth open, but realized he was gaping and quickly regained his composure. Taiko didn't see the expression on his face since she was too busy wringing out her hair and clothes as best she could without taking them off.

"Well, I came back to find you because I have potentially good news!" Taiko announced excitedly.

"What is it?" Ryu asked staying in the center of the stream.

"I found a road and some ways up ahead is a city."

"That's great! Why do you say it's potentially good news?"

"Well, we don't know what kind of people live in the city nor if they'll freak out when they see us. I mean even if they don't who says we won't end up as barbeque?"

"I don't think we'll have to worry about being bar-b-queued." Ryu said looking down at his hands. "But you're right we need to be cautious."

…To Be Continued…