Chapter 2: Rain Dance

She was back on the ship, her arms held behind her back by the guard behind her. The guard shoved her to the ground in front of a pair of boots. She cautiously gazed up to see a huge man in armor with a stone face. He pulled her up roughly by the arm and slapped her across the cheek. She shouted in pain as she hit the floor. The man snapped his fingers as she touched her hand to her cheek. Another guard shoved Miguel in shackles next to the huge man.

"No!" she shouted, reaching for Miguel.

"You have tried to escape for the last time," the man growled. Bars suddenly came crashing down in front of her and she gripped them in panic and horror, reaching through them for Miguel.

"No!" she screamed.

Esperanza gasped and her eyes shot open, only to be blinded by sunlight. She groaned and cringed back as she squinted. She suddenly realized she was high from the ground and sitting up against…Miguel?! She gasped and sat straight up to look at him.

"Good morning," he smiled. "Did you sleep well?"

Esperanza was speechless with relief and confusion until she looked down to realize that she was on Altivo's back. She looked up at Miguel again then to her right to see Tulio and Chel walking together as Miguel watched her in wonder. She looked back at him and he smiled.

"Y-Yes," she sputtered, turning her head to face forward again. "I did."

"Good," Miguel nodded. "I'm glad I didn't wake you, then. Tulio wanted me to, but I convinced him to leave you alone."

"How did you do that?" Esperanza wondered with a small smile. Miguel leaned close to her ear, making her stiffen.

"I reminded him that you were my responsibility," he whispered and nuzzled her ear, unable to keep himself from doing so. She giggled and Miguel straightened with a triumphant smirk. He caught Tulio's eye and winked at him. Tulio rolled his eyes and Chel held up a thumbs-up, knowing what the two were silently saying.

"How long did I over-sleep?" Esperanza wondered, catching Miguel's attention again.

"An hour or so," he shrugged.

"Do we know where we're going?" Chel wondered, pulling a leaf from her hair she had missed when she got up this morning.

"Sure," Tulio assured her, smoothly. "We're going…north, I believe."

"More like west," Esperanza blurted and everyone stopped to look at her as she looked at the sky. Even Altivo looked back at her in wonder. She looked around at them with puzzlement and shrunk back into Miguel a bit.

"What?" she asked. "We're walking away from the sunrise, aren't we? The sun rises in the east, doesn't it?"

"She had a point," Miguel pointed out.

"I knew that," Tulio assured them. "We're headed west, of course. Away from the sun. So which way is the ocean then?"

"I thought you said you weren't taking me back there!" Esperanza panicked, looking back at Miguel in disbelief and horror.

"We're not," he assured her gently. "We're to the beach, not Cortes."

"But he and his fleet are at the beach!" she told him.

"There are ways of getting around them," Tulio assured her.

"And I'm sure there's beaches all around this place," Miguel chimed in.

"Oh," Esperanza breathed then sighed in relief. "Alright. I'm sorry about that. I should've known you wouldn't pull a fast one on me."

"Actually---"

"It's quite alright," Tulio grinned, slapping a hand over Chel's mouth to keep her from going further. "We may be conmen, but we don't con our friends."

"Friend?" was all Esperanza registered and she looked at Miguel for confirmation who nodded with a smile. "I don't remember the last time I had a friend."

"Well now you have three," Chel smiled, stepping to the horse to ride him. Altivo snorted for attention and Chel smiled. "Sorry Altivo, I meant now she has four friends."

The horse nodded in satisfaction as Chel pulled herself onto his back while Esperanza giggled, patting his neck.

"There she is!"

They all jumped and looked toward the unfamiliar voice which was followed by two other guards.

"Who---?"

"Cortes's men!" Esperanza answered before Miguel could ask. "They're looking for me!"

"Tulio! Get on!" Chel called, holding her hand out to help him onto Altivo. The three soldiers came toward them, but Altivo took off in a gallop as Tulio got on.

They suddenly heard hoof beats and looked around to see the three soldiers suddenly on horse back and hot on their tail. Miguel urged Altivo onward, but it was hard to guide him with Esperanza in front of him. Chel held onto Miguel for dear life and Tulio held onto Chel for the same.

"Are they falling back?" Miguel asked and Tulio turned to look behind them.

"No," he replied. Miguel ducked a low branch which passed easily over Esperanza and Chel but as Tulio looked ahead again, the same branch smacked him in the face. "Ouch! Thanks for the warning, partner!"

"Sorry!" Miguel called and even as they ran for their lives, Esperanza and Chel couldn't help laughing. They suddenly heard shouting behind them and Altivo came to a stop to turn and see what happened. The soldiers had disappeared. They all looked at each other in fear and wonder.

"What do you think that was?" Miguel wondered.

"I don't know," Tulio admitted, "but let's get outta here before it gets us."

Chel and Altivo nodded in agreement but Esperanza was too frightened to respond. Altivo took off in a gallop again as a shadowy figure lurked in the darkness of the brush and watched them.

Later...

Miguel walked on one side of Altivo as Tulio walked on the other side and the girls rode him, Chel guiding the horse as Esperanza wasn't an experienced rider.

"Shouldn't we have come to a river or something by now?" Tulio complained. "On the way to…that place we were there was water everywhere!"

"What place was that?" Esperanza wondered, innocently.

"I'll tell you later," Chel whispered and Tulio glared at her, wagging a scolding finger.

"Look on the bright side, Tulio," Miguel chimed in. "It looks like it's going to rain soon."

"How is that a bright side?" Tulio wondered, sarcastically.

"You'll get your water," Miguel grinned and Esperanza gave a little giggle. Tulio looked up at her in a glare and she immediately ceased giggling.

Nightfall...

Tulio and Chel took shelter under a huge leaf, as did Miguel, Esperanza and Altivo under their own as the rain Miguel had predicted came pouring down. Tulio leaned over to glare at Miguel who only shrugged.

"Don't blame me!" he called.

"I blame you!" Tulio retorted and pulled the leaf tighter over his head as Miguel gave a sigh.

"Of course he blames me," he muttered, his mood starting to match the weather. "He always blames me."

Esperanza frowned at Miguel as he looked down with his look of sorrow. Mush as he cared for and looked up to Tulio at times, it was getting tiresome, being his punching bag.

Esperanza tried to catch his eye but failed. She hadn't seen him upset before, and she found she didn't like it. So, she decided to cheer him up…or try to. She stood up from under the leaf she was hiding under and began running around in the rain and twirling, her head back and her tongue out to catch the rain.

She stopped and saw everyone staring at her but grinned when she noticed a smirk of wonder on Miguel's lips. She ran back to him, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet as he only stared at her.

"Dance with me, Miguel!" she giggled, swinging his arms from side to side. Don't let the rain spoil your mood!"

Miguel's smirk burst into a full grin and he pulled Esperanza into a tango position. She laughed but felt her cheeks burst into flames. Miguel put on a comically serious expression and led her in a dramatic tango, making her laugh harder.

"You two are nuts!" Tulio insulted, staying under his leaf with Chel.

Miguel dipped Esperanza and she let her head fall way back to face him and say, "What fun would it be if we weren't?"

Miguel laughed heartily and pulled her back up to bow low at the waist and she curtsied as he held one of her hands.

"Thank you for this dance, Señorita," he smiled.

"Thank you, Señor," she smiled back.

"Get under your leaf, you crazies!" Tulio commanded as Chel rolled her eyes at his foul mood.

"Boy, he's awfully crabby," Esperanza muttered as Miguel led her back to their leaf where Altivo was still trying to keep dry.

"He's always like that when it rains," Miguel replied as they sat under the leaf. Esperanza began wringing out her hair as Miguel watched. He didn't mind his own hair being wet, and he wondered why she did. It must have been a girl thing.

"Do you need help with that?" he asked, not wanting to just sit and watch her do it.

"No, thank you, Miguel," she smiled. She finished with her hair and decided to lean on Miguel's shoulder. He stiffened when she did, but instantly relaxed. Not wanting her to catch cold he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and couldn't help smiling when she snuggled into his chest.

He couldn't believe how quickly he'd taken a liking to her. In a lot of ways she was like him, but a lot more shy, which he didn't mind at all. He felt like he could protect her, and wanted to. He'd never been mad at Tulio for telling him to watch over her. Now he had someone too, and he was going to protect her. Even if he had to fight Cortes himself, he would.

A/N: i couldn't help the cuteness! hee hee! like i've said before, im corny. so, reviews?