Chapter 23: Finding Parents

Muri

"Hear, hear! Let's keep going. We have to find Ryuu's parents! Ayumu, are you rested yet?" I said firmly.

"Yes, yes!" Ayumu said, putting a battle face on and pumping her fists. "I'm ready! Let's goooo!!!" She set off at a brisk marching pace which soon slowed to a walk, which came to a drag. Just a few yards from our previous resting place.

"Well, I think we all need a little more rest." Sari giggled as Charismi flew onto her shoulder, licking her face. "Besides," she tittered, smiling, "I'm hungry; aren't you?"

"Say, say; right you are!" Ryuu grinned.

"Speak of the pickle!" Hemu gasped, "She's right! My stomach is hungry!"

"The pickle?" I sighed. "I guess so." I picked up Ayumu who was already sleeping soundly, and carried her back to the resting area.

~|*_*|~

Sari

After a long rest and a hearty feast, we continued on, Ayumu sleeping on Ryuu's back. The boys were taking turns carrying her and soon it was going to be Hemu's turn, then Muri's again. I sighed, it was getting dark, and I was too getting sleepy. Soon my feet would no longer hold my weight, and I collapsed, unable to go on.

~|*_*|~

Ryuu

"Oh! You're awake!" I smiled, looking upon Sari as she opened her eyes.

"We took a break?" she asked, sitting up.

"Uh-huh! Oh! Speak of the cucumber! It's afternoon, and we told Muri we'd catch up!" Hemu trailed off, looking up at the sun.

"Cucumber? Muri? Catch...up?" Sari murmured, jumping up. "Oh-no! I'm so sorry, we gotta go!" And she ran off, waking up Ayumu and dragging her along, Charismi at her back, as she left us to clean up everything.

~|*_*|~

Muri

"No," I gasped, it couldn't be. I refused to believe it. Before me was a dragon. But not jusy any dragon. A HUGE one. And on top, were Ryuu's parents, laughing maliciously down at my gaping face. I was confused. Ryuu described his parents as fun and kind. but this was far from that. This was evil and dark. And they were laughing as if I was the world's funniest comedy. Just evilly.

I put on a brave face and puffed out my chest. I was not going to let Ryuu's parents get away. And I was not going to let them just sit there, laughing at me.

"Lol!" The mom said. "The little hero, trying to be brave? What foolishness!"

"It's not foolish!" I shouted. But I was beginning to admit that I could not take on a dragon that size by myself.

"Rotfl!" The dad said. "Tsk tsk tsk. What is it that you are hoping to accomplish all by yourself?"

"My friends are coming! And together, we will defeat you! Then Ryuu will have his parents back!" I shouted, frowning. Now it was their turn to gape.

"Defeat....Ryuu?" The parents whispered, confused.

They don't know? I thought to my self. They must have been brain washed or something.

Chapter 19: Everyone Has A Good Side, You Just Have to Find It

Ryuu

I sat there. Staring into the flames of our fire. The fire we worked sooooooo hard on. Sari, Muri, Hemu, and Ayumu lay in the grass, asleep. Or so I thought. Sari sat up and stared at me quietly. It was only when I looked from the flames to scan around when I noticed her staring. "Gah!" I jumped a little. Ayumu stirred in her sleep. She muttered "mommy" then turned over. Sari followed my gaze and for I second I thought I saw a tear drip down her cheek, but the next time I looked, it was gone. "So," I whispered, clearing my throat, "You guys are sisters?"

"Yeah." She said quietly. She glanced at Ayumu for a split second, then looked back up at me. "Haven't known her for long..."

Well that was a relief. I sighed. I expected her to say something along the lines of: "First of

all, we're not guys. So this was going good."It's okay if you don't want to tell me," I said, grinning.

"No, it's easier to just get it out." Sari returned the smile. "She met me, actually..."

I listened as she told me the whole story. It was quite a bit like mine, in the way she had lost her parents. But she still had her sister, I thought, glancing at Ayumu. I started to get jealous, but I caught a hold of myself. Just a sister. I thought. JUST a sister! As Sari finished her story, I took a deep sigh. "Look's like you've had a harsh time too." I said, trying to get a conversation going.

"Yeah, I guess..." Sari trailed off, looking away sheepishly.

"Y'know, you are kinda beautiful." I whispered. Now where in the world did that come from?

I thought.

Sari looked up at me, incredulous. "What?"

"No, no," I murmmered, "Nothing at all..."

Sari smirked and said, "Su-re."

Chapter 18: Jubilee

Ayumu

They stared each other down like nothing else mattered. Tension rolled off so clearly it was like being hit with waves at the beach, one after the other. No one dared to move. At first it seemed like the world had stopped and wouldn't turn ever again. All that could be heard were the creatures of the night. I took a swift glance around. Hemu looked stunned, Ryuu looked hurt. I was confused by his expression until he spoke. And the world started to rotate again.

"Stop it." Ryuu said looking straight at Sari and Muri, who turned to look at him. Ryuu's voice was soft, but firm. Sari and Muri forgot their fight instantly. Question marks took the place of the tension and everyone loosened up as Ryuu sighed. "It's just-I-you have everything!" Ryuu spluttered.

"What do you mean?" Hemu jumped in, surprised. "We're poor, we each lost at least one parent..." I winced as Hemu counted off his fingers, looking up at the sky.

"But-you have each other." Ryuu whispered. "I-I had all of that."

"Had?" I repeated quietly.

Ryuu nodded. "It was paradise. My family was rich. My mother and father played with me. Even my sister sometimes."

Silence settled in, and Ryuu stared at us and we stared back, coaxing him to continue on.

Ryuu took a deep breath, then sighed. "Then they broke in." his voice cracked a little as we listened intently. "They took everything. My sister was hiding at the time, but she rushed out when she heard my screams. I was 8 at the time, still growing. Jubilee was my sister's name, and she screamed at the officers, telling them to leave me alone. She begged them to take her instead." Ryuu shook his head. "The officers wouldn't listen to her, they said they wanted me specifically. My parents were already in the captors' truck. Jubilee was holding on to the officer's shirt, pulling him closer to her, away from the truck. She kept saying how she had so much more to offer, that I should be let free. The officer looked her stern in the eye, and she knew that he would never give in. 'At least let me touch him one last time.' Jubilee whispered. The officer swung me over, in front of Jubilee, still holding my wrist tight. Jubilee stroked my cheek, she had tears in her eyes. And for a split second, the officer holding me loosed his grip the slightest bit..." Ryuu wiped his eyes.

"You don't have to tell us, if you don't want to." I whispered.

"No, it's okay," Ryuu quipped, suddenly turning cheerful, "It's better to let it out anyway."

"Well then," I said, "Go on."

Ryuu continued. "Jubilee took her chance to snag me and run. We thought we go away, but they caught up. I heard them. Heard them yelling: 'Kill the girl! Catch the boy, get him alive, y'hear? ALIVE!!!' Jubilee was soon surrounded, and one officer stabbed her in the back with his dagger. Her special blue skirt turned purple as blood flowed down her back. She still held me as she fell to the ground. She look at me, and for the first time, she looked tired and stressed. 'Remember me brother, I love you.' Were her last words as her eyes went blank and her arms, no longer caressing my face, went limp. 'Jubilee?' I remember saying, 'Wake up Jubilee!' I shook her shoulders, but she was gone, dead. The officers carried me away as I shouted like a madman, fighting them weakly. 'STOP! SHE'S MY SISTER! JUBILEE! YOU PROMISED! YOU SAID WE WOULD ALL LIVE TOGETHER FOREVER! JUBILEEEE!!!' I cried out, reaching for my sister's dead body. 'Jubilee' was my last word as I cried myself to sleep." Ryuu had tears flowing down his face, but he was smiling slightly. All of us were stunned. Silence fell like a blanket over us as everybody absorbed Ryuu's past.

It was Sari who broke the silence. "I guess we are lucky..." She trailed off, her eyes glistening with tears.

Ryuu simply nodded, turning away, whispering her name in the wind.

"Jubilee."

Chapter 15: Savior

Ayumu

I screamed. What in the world was she thinking? SACRIFICE? That would just make everyone sadder, not happier.

I reached out to Sari's shoulder, trying to pull her out of harm's way. But the man with the scar stepped between us. I panicked, and kicked him between the legs. He groaned in pain and staggered off, soon collapsing on the ground.

Again, I reached out to Sari, but I was too late. Another masked man came out of nowhere just as my fingers bushed Sari's shoulder. The masked man put his arm around Sari's neck and held his sword up to her chin threateningly. Sari closed her eyes, a tear coming down her cheek. The man back away, still holding my sister. He looked cautiously at the other men that charged us earlier and examined them. The other two had stopped their rampage and now turned to stare at the newcomer in silence. Another man fell from the trees and grabbed my shoulder, pinching hard. I whimpered, and allowed myself to be dragged back into the trees.

Sari

Once we were in the trees, our captors, (mine and Ayumu's,) let us go. We turned around and stared back at them, confused. Then both captors laughed. It wasn't an evil, dark laugh. It was a light, teasing laugh. Ayumu and I exchanged glances, mystified.

Then captor #1 removed his mask. He was a young man, probably around the age of 16. He had stunning golden eyes and dirty blonde hair. Captor #2 went up in a poof of smoke. And when the smoke cleared, there stood Hemu and Muri, grinning.