The prophecy states that there will be six heroes to either save the world, or bring about its destruction, but just who are these heroes? Some have already crossed paths, but there are still some stories that have yet to unfold. There is another, and he is truly something special. He is the Dragon, and his name is Hakan Takao. He has been mentioned, but this is how his story begins. The day after Jaclyn met Soren and reunited with her long-lost sister, was also the day Hakan and Keno would cross paths once again.

[3]

It was cold out, but that didn't bother Hakan. The cold was simply never a problem, he was naturally warm all the time, and that didn't bother him. He was going out to the 4th Division Barracks to meet up with his betrothed, who just so happened to be Captain Kazumi Hirano. He adjusted the white Haori he wore as he slid his twin Zanpakutō into the sheaths on his back.

Captains and Lieutenants were required to always wear their Zanpakutō, and he personally thought it was a stupid rule. He never really needed it, the Seireitei was as peaceful as could be, and hadn't seen a war in centuries. The Captain-Commander insisted that they had to always carry them, and man was it was such a pain. Hakan laughed for absolutely no reason, which he tended to do a lot. It was only last month that he was promoted to the position of Captain. The previous occupant had died of some fatal disease that he hadn't bothered learning the details of. The 7th Division was all his, could be worse. He had previously been the Lieutenant of the 3rdth Division, but when the position opened for Captain, they forced him into it. He cursed himself for ever learning Bankai.

He combed his blonde curly mess of what he called hair and left the barracks. His bright ruby eyes easily pierced through the falling snowflakes as he navigated to his destination. This route was practically etched into his mind, and he could probably manage it blindfolded. Well, he had walked the way blindfolded before, it was for some bet, and he lost. He rubbed his nose as he remembered the pain of running into that wall, and then he laughed at himself for being stupid enough to accept the bet. He had to wear a pink Shihakusho for a whole week after that.

What Hakan wasn't expecting was some newbie bumping into him, but he didn't lose his cool. He was a pretty relaxed guy, and almost never got angry or frustrated. Some officials thought he was a little too carefree to be a Captain, but it's not like he wanted the position. Anyways this absolute newbie had just bumped into him, the guy was reading some book. Who even reads and walks at the same time? That's like asking to run into something. Hakan brought forth his commanding voice to tell off this newbie, but instead he just burst out laughing. The guy that ran into him was still looking at his book! Hakan just absolutely lost it and couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

The laughing caught the attention of, with no surprise, Keno Sol. He looked up from his book and straight at the Captain that was acting like a birdbrained fool. He was literally laughing so hard that he had started crying, but this put a smile on Keno's face. Only one person he knew laughed like that. "Hakan?"

Hakan seized his laughing instantly and didn't show any signs that he had been cackling like a maniac. His voice suddenly got serious, but you could tell he hardly meant it. "Listen man, it's rude to call Captains by their first name, so that's Captain Takao to you. Wouldn't want the wrong person to overhear" Surprisingly enough he hasn't made a connection to his long-lost friend yet. He wasn't great with memory or common sense for that matter, and it had been quite a few years since they last saw each other.

"Seriously?" Keno was highly disappointed in his friend right now. He was expecting an exceptionally heartwarming hug, but instead he had to deal with Hakan's forever ongoing case of chronic amnesia, so he did what anyone would do in that situation. He punched him in the face. Yep, some new Shinigami recruit just punched a Captain right in the face. Only took six years to finally run into the bastard, and this is what he gets.

Hakan was caught off guard and was sent soaring across the pavement. Keno was a lot stronger than he looked, but he also knew Hakan better than he knew himself. The onlookers passing by stopped to gawk at the 3rd Seat of the 6th Division that just punched the Captain of the 7th Division. Of course, when they retold the story later that day at their Division Barracks, no one believed them. Such is life. Afterall, what were the chances of both a Captain and Lieutenant getting knocked to the curb within the span of two days?

The pressure in the air spiked through the roof as Hakan released his Reiatsu, and those passing by were forced to flee. Hakan was a bit irritated, which didn't happen often. Normally he would just laugh it off and slap the guy on the back, but this fool had messed up his hair, it took hours to make it this perfect! Then he laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more. He couldn't be serious even if he wanted to. The density in the air slowly decreased as Hakan managed to pick himself back up on his feet. When he looked over at Keno, he suddenly remembered everything. It was those bright sapphire eyes that triggered his memories of life back in the World of the Living.

"Well, I'll be damned, It's my old friend all grown up." He smiled, and walked towards Keno to give him a hug, except he received another punch to the face. He just laughed again as he lay sprawled out on the pavement. "Okay… I deserved that one!" His laughing was apparently contagious as well because Keno joined in. It would be a good few minutes before they stopped. Hakan was legendary for his laughing abilities, and soon Keno had to stop for breath.

Keno helped Hakan to his feet and brushed the dust off his friend's uniform. "So, you made it to Captain, impressive. I'm a 3rd Seat myself. This is my second year as a Shinigami actually."

Hakan laughed, but not long this time. "I thought you were some newbie! Man, you don't look like much, but those damn eyes are terrifying. Makes me feel like you should be the one giving the orders."

Keno just rolled his eyes in response, lightly punching his old friend on the shoulder. "You're one to talk with those unnaturally red eyes of yours."

"Yeah, can't really argue with that." Hakan grinned, rubbing the back of his head. He had been born with fiery red eyes, but doctors had waived it off as a genetic mutation of some sort. He had discovered when he was younger that his eyes weren't the only thing special and unique about him, as he was completely impervious to the heat of fire and could not be burned. When he became a Shinigami, it was no surprise when he discovered he had a flame-attributed Zanpakutō, and like Soren, he was able to directly manipulate Reishi, but had more concise control over it. Some Quincies were known to be able to create blue flames, and Hakan had a similar ability to create scarlet flames, despite being a Shinigami.

The two of them walked together for some time, catching up on everything. Keno filled in what he missed in the World of the Living, while Hakan told of his engagement to Kazumi. Eventually they arrived at the 4th Division Barracks, where Kazumi and Jaclyn, who was practically a bounding ball of joy, were waiting. They all introduced themselves, and then walked together to go on a sort of unplanned double date. Jaclyn told Keno about her sister, Katheryn, and he had to stop her a few times just so she could breathe from how excited she was. It would be a long night filled with joy and laughter.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Slowly their paths are joining together, and soon the story will begin to unfold. Will they be able to save the world? Will they be able to stop the Dæmons before they lose everything? Will they all survive to see the end? Only time will tell, but even time runs out eventually. Just as everything begins, everything must end as well. There is one last hero to come into this story, and his story is perhaps the most tragic of all.