Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Majesty ❯ Chapter 09 ( Chapter 9 )

Authoress' Notes: I think I've been reading too many books about Greek/Roman mythology lately, because this fic is starting to pick up definite hints of it. -_-U I'm calling this the "bombshell" chapter - in which the plot just gets more and more complicated…or simplified - depends on how you look at it.

Warnings: See chapter one if you're worried about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or anything to do with it. Only this fic and its OCs (if any).

Pairs: TyKa, ReMa, Hilary/Tala, Lee/Mariah, others to be decided.

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Chapter 09

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When Hilary came around completely once more, she and Kenny went into the kitchen and made plenty of tea for everyone - to calm nerves. It gave them all a chance to absorb the situation and adjust - as much as anyone can adjust when one finds one's self in the presence of not one but two deities.

After the tea had been served, Dragoon and Dranzer exchanged a quick look.

"I suppose we ought to just tell them the whole story." The dragon sighed.

"We owe them an explanation." Dranzer pointed out. She turned to Kai and Tyson, a pleading expression crossing her face. "But you must understand, please, that had we at all believed things would go as far as they have, we would have done something much, much sooner to stop her. When we did realize how badly she sought revenge, it was too late to save a lot of people. For that we hold ourselves accountable."

"Wait… 'she?'" Kai repeated.

Dranzer nodded, her eyes closing and a shadow of pain and distress flitting over her features. "I told you our families have all gone - they've moved on to other endeavours and left us here to take care of this world. All gone - except for Dragoon, Driger, Draciel and I…and my younger sister. She calls herself 'Black Dranzer' to mock me in her anger but her real name is Drisana. (1)

"I think you'd better tell us the whole story, Dragoon." Tyson said, gravely.

The dragon took a sip of tea, gathering his thoughts, then set his teacup aside. "It' all began several hundred years ago…" he began.

"It was very young back then - only a couple of centuries old. I hadn't met my beautiful mate, here, yet." He indicated Dranzer, who smiled, albeit sadly.

"Why am I not surprised?" Kai muttered, blushing. Tyson nodded and hushed him, equally red in the face. Max snickered.

"Ahem. Yes. Well, as a young dragon, I was sent into the world in order to learn more about it. At first I remained in my dragon form and mingled with our mortal kin - other dragons. After about a hundred years of that, I took this human form in order to learn about the humans my kin lived in harmony with from a human's point of view rather than a dragon's." He paused. "This is all before your family was appointed leader of the Clans, Takao."

"Why do I get the feeling something happened?" The Kinomiya groaned, seeing an embarrassed flush come over his family's Guardian.

"Because I did the typical, hormonal male thing and got infatuated with a girl." Dragoon admitted, scratching his head ruefully. "Problem was, I was…well, me and she was human - a mortal. I thought it was love - and I suppose it was in a way, though it certainly isn't the same as I feel for Dranzer. But at the time…"

"Long story short, Takao, the girl got pregnant and the child became the first Kinomiya." Dranzer summed up, giving Dragoon a mildly jealous glare. Tyson squeaked and slouched in his seat.

"Holy…"

"Don't give me that look, Dranzer-love. You were no better than I was." Dragoon folded his arms over his chest and gave her a solid stare.

"What?!" Kai's eyes went very wide and they darted back and forth between the two. "Are you saying…"

"You got it. As a young phoenix, Dranzer got sent out to do the same as I did at one point and she ended up falling for a young nobleman whose son - Dranzer's son - became the first Emperor Hiwatari." Dragoon informed him smugly.

"Oh…my…" Kai had to put his teacup down before he dropped it.

Both were feeling just a little light headed by this point.

And Hilary did the wise thing and simply fainted again.

"I guess that explains why Tyson is a demi-human." Rei stared at the two deities.

"Yes. When my family, the rest of the Dragon Gods, discovered my…uh…indiscretion…" Dragoon sweatdropped. "They arranged to hide the baby's ability to shift until such time as it should ever be needed in an extreme emergency. And my punishment was that I was 'grounded'. Literally. I would remain here for the rest of my life guarding my new family and the lands of our kin. My son became the first Kinomiya and that was that."

"As for me, it was much the same." Dranzer picked up the tale. "I stayed with the family in my human form long enough to give birth and for my son to be weaned from me." She sighed. "My family, however, did the complete opposite of Dragoon's. They forced me to abandon my child to his father's care and as added punishment they gave me the duty of babysitting my little sister, Drisana, for a couple of centuries. I faked my death in a fire and a flew off in my phoenix form to perform my prescribed duty." She sniffled and Dragoon produced a tissue for her. "I guess I didn't do a very good job. Our family left not long after and…well…"

"That's where the real fun started." Dragoon intoned, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "You see, all the Gods got together one decade to have a 'going away' party before they all left. Driger was an old friend of mine and he didn't really want to leave here so he decided to stay. Draciel refused to leave without Driger so she stayed behind, too."

"It was a grand party, I remember." Dranzer reminisced. "There had been parties and balls before but this one was special. It was there I met Dragoon for the first time."

"Oh! How romantic!" Hilary exclaimed. It made them all jump because they hadn't realized she'd regained consciousness again, being too absorbed by the story.

"Yes. It was." Dranzer smiled, a little dreamily. Dragoon rolled his eyes.

"Oh sure. After we made up for that huge argument we got into."

"Ah…right. Forgot about that."

"It wasn't love at first sight, then?" Hilary sounded disappointed.

"Afraid not." Dranzer gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Okay, okay. So what happened?" Kai demanded, beginning to become impatient.

"It was Drisana's first party with all the Gods together like that. She had only ever attended family festivities previously." Dranzer continued. "And being extremely young - a teenager, I suppose you could call her - she was very excited and could hardly wait to meet everyone. As part of my duty, I had to be her chaperone.

"At the party we danced, we smoozed…" Here Kai sniggered, knowing exactly what she meant. "And eventually we took a break and sat on the sidelines."

"That's when I went over to ask Dranzer for a dance." Dragoon smiled wickedly. "Her dance-card was full all evening. I guess everyone thought she was as beautiful as I did."

"Hmm…you were hardly any better, Dragoon. You asked nearly every free female there to dance."

Dragoon sighed, pacing a little. "Yes. And perhaps if I hadn't danced twice with your sister we wouldn't be in this mess." He ran his hands through his hair and it became even spikier than it had been.

"What do you mean?" Tyson asked, confused.

"Long story short? Drisana developed an instant crush on Dragoon. But he was only being kind to her, friendly - as is his nature. She was too young and she didn't know anything about dragons."

"Hey! I tried to tell her I wasn't interested in her that way. But she thought I was just playing hard to get!"

"It's not your fault, Dragoon."

"But it is! I started courting you instead of her and she got jealous! Look at all she's done to get back at me! She's influenced a human - something we're forbidden to do - and used him to, in essence, destroy the Clans, kill off all but the last two of my own descendants, and harm people who are descendants of you! Her own nephew - a few times removed!"

Dranzer got up and gently shoved him down in the chair. "Sit and relax, my dear, before you explode."

Kai closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling an immense headache coming on. "Let me get this straight. I've been exiled from my home and country, Tyson's lost nearly everything, my grandfather has gone senile…all because one little girl - who just happens to be a Goddess - got jealous of her older sister?"

Both deities looked very ashamed.

"That's putting it simply…but yes." Dranzer whispered.

Kai got up and walked out, unable to sit there any longer he was suddenly so angry. Tyson rose, too, giving them both an icy cold stare that actually made them cringe.

"For beings that are supposed to be wise and above us lowly mortals, it's amazing how alike we truly are. You're supposed to better than us, wiser, guiding and protecting us. Instead, we are forced to suffer because of your problems. They have become ours now and we have to fix it for you because you couldn't do it yourselves. How very ironic." The bluenette ground out in an angry, tired and sad voice before hurrying after Kai.

After a moment of silence, tears streaming down Dranzer's face, both she and Dranzer simply disappeared before any of the others could say anything.

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"You're making me dizzy pacing like that."

"Argh!" Kai vented his fury in a short, guttural screech of frustration. "How can you just sit there?! Aren't you angry? No…furious?!"

"Of course I am. Extremely." Tyson replied, and Kai stopped pacing and dropped down onto the floor next to him when he heard the barely leashed temper in his lover's voice and saw the storm of emotions in his midnight blue eyes.

"How can you be so calm then?"

"With great difficulty, beloved. But really…what can we do about it? No use expending energy over something we have no control over." Despite what he was saying, Kai could see the glinting sharpness in those eyes that had gone nearly pure silver with hardly any blue left at all.

Somehow, seeing Tyson was just as angry as he was made him feel better. "Try saying that again - a little more convincingly this time." The prince drawled, a hint of a laugh in his voice.

Tyson growled at him.

"Okay, okay. Sorry." Kai started pulling off his clothes, deciding it would be best if he just got some sleep and cleared his mind. Tyson, already changed into his sleep-pants, peevishly flopped down onto the pile of covers on the floor that had become their shared, make-shift bed. The bluenette yanked one blanket up over himself and heaved a huge sigh. Kai finished changing and crawled in next to him, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling.

He didn't want to admit it, but the room felt empty without Dranzer's presence. Kai felt empty. He guessed that he had gotten very used to having her always with him.

A sniffle from Tyson drew him out of his thoughts. "Kinomiya? What's wrong?"

Tyson rolled over onto his other side so that he faced Kai. "It's nothing. I'm sorry I growled at you, Kai."

"It's okay. We're both worked up after tonight." Kai blew out a breath sharply in annoyance with pretty much everything in general. "It's all like a fairytale gone bad. And I can't see the happy ending." He turned onto his side and snuggled up to Tyson's chest automatically, feeling somewhat better and less alone as he felt his dragon's arms encircle him and pull him close, one leg slipping between Kai's own.

"I guess there's one good thing out of all of this." Tyson murmured quietly.

"Please share that positive thought, Tyson. I could use it."

"We got each other." Tyson whispered. "For whatever time we end up having, we'll know that we at least got to know and to care for someone special in our lives."

Kai thought about that and nodded against the bluenette's shoulder. "You're right about that much, Kinomiya. Still…I'd have preferred to find you under better circumstances."

"Me too."

There was a moment of silence. Then Tyson asked in a small, tentative voice, "Do you feel as…alone as I do right now?"

"Yes. You miss Dragoon's presence, don't you?" Tyson nodded, burying his face in Kai's hair. "I miss Dranzer, already, too." Kai admitted, unconsciously clutching the bluenette tighter.

"After walked off…" Tyson told him. "I sort of gave them a piece of my mind - which probably wasn't wise. But I couldn't help it. I had to say something. I…I hope I didn't drive them away." His voice held a wealth of unshed tears and guilt. "Me and my big mouth. I'm always letting it run away on me. Just look at what I did to Gramps…"

"Shh…" Kai looked up at him and gently rubbed a thumbpad over Tyson's lips. "Don't, Tyson. It wasn't your fault and you couldn't have done anything. As for our…Guardians, whatever you told them was probably the truth and they probably deserved to hear it. We all need some time to just cool down and clear our heads so we can solve this dilemma and put an end to all the suffering." He took his hand away from Tyson's lips and reached around to untie that ponytail so he could run his fingers through the mass of blue hair. "They need us, Kinomiya. If they didn't, they would have done something on their own by now. So let's get some rest, and in the morning when we're refreshed and less highly strung so we can think more clearly, we'll figure everything out, alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right, beloved." Tyson took a deep breath and let it out slowly, relaxing as best he could and cuddled Kai close, burying his face in Kai's dual-shaded hair again and closing his eyes. "Sleep well, Kai."

"You too, Kinomiya."

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The next morning after breakfast, when neither Kai nor Tyson had come back to the house, Kenny declared he would go wake the up, since he knew Kai would sleep forever if given the chance. And he suspected Tyson wouldn't be much different.

Max, sitting with Tabitha in his arms and feeding her a bottle of milk, looked up when Kenny told them and said, "No, Kenny…I will. I'm going to go into town later for supplies and maybe they'll want to go to."

Rei, washing dishes, chuckled quietly because he was fairly sure his mate was trying to keep the younger boy from walking in on…something. Hilary, helping him dry the dishes, gave him an odd look.

"What's so funny?" She whispered.

"Nothing, Hil." Rei handed her a plate and turned around, drying his hands. "Give Tabi to me, Maxie, and go wake those two up. I think they could use a distraction from yesterday."

Max got up and transferred the chibi to her other parent's arms. "Good idea, Rei." He gave both child and mate a quick kiss then headed for the door.

"I still don't see why…oh." Kenny snapped his mouth shut as it occurred to him. "Never mind."

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Max reached the door to the apartment above the stables and knocked loudly, but politely, to give them warning. Then he opened the door and called, without stepping inside, "Hey you two! Wake up! Or if you're already awake, break it up!"

Inside, Kai jerked awake at Max's sudden voice and Tyson simply gave an annoyed grunt and turned over, burrowing back under the covers and into Kai's side. The prince cracked open his eyes and said gruffly, "Come in, Max. You woke us up."

Max poked his head around the doorframe, looking around. "Good morning, Kai. Where…?" He paused, then spotted them on the floor. "Uh…I take it the beds are uncomfortable?"

Kai groaned - but it lost its effect when he yawned. "What do you want, Max?"

"Kenny wanted to come wake you up but I figured that wouldn't be such a good idea and came up myself."

Tyson stirred next to Kai and threw the covers back long enough to glare at Max owlishly. "Go 'way, Max. Sleeping."

Max just smiled brightly at him. "Rise and shine, buddy! It's time for me to make another trip into town. You guys should come with me."

His best friend muttered something unintelligible and pulled the covers back up over his head while Kai snickered. The blonde rolled his eyes and planted his hands on his hips, making an exasperated noise.

"What do you need us to come with you for, Max?" Kai inquired, folding his hands behind his head and regarding Max curiously, the perfect picture of lazy, comfortable contentment.

"I don't need you for anything, Kai, I just thought perhaps you'd both like a change of scenery, a chance to put your minds off of…things. And maybe in town you'll hear some news from home." Max shrugged. "That's all."

"Ah…why not. Yeah, we'll come. Just give us a chance to get up, dress, and grab something to eat." Kai yawned again and Max smiled happily.

"Sure. Actually, Rei'll make us a basket of food to take with us so you two can eat on the way there, if you like." Max offered.

"Whatever."

"Ten minutes?"

Kai glanced at the lump of his lover under those covers. "Better make it fifteen. Tyson may take some convincing."

Max held up his hands. "I don't even want to know about that. Fifteen it is." With that, he left, closing the door firmly behind himself.

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Kai listened to Max's footfalls on the stairs outside fade away then turned on his side and threw the covers down to their feet. "You're not going back to sleep, Kinomiya, so you might as well get up."

"Don't wanna." Tyson whined, wrapping his arms around Kai's upper body and snuggling, shivering a bit at the sudden loss of warmth from the covers. He nuzzled Kai's chest with his face and sighed. "You're warm. And you smell really good."

"I'm glad you approve." Kai replied, dryly, finger-combing Tyson's hair and brushing it away from his face, making him purr. "Come on, Tyson. I know you'd rather pretend the day hasn't started so you don't have to deal with everything. Truthfully, I feel the same. But we do, so let's at least find a little bit of enjoyment in this day and go with Max. Okay?"

Tyson pouted, looking adorable and totally sexy all sleepy and rumpled at the same time. "I hate it when you're right." He grumbled, sitting up and stretching out the kinks.

They changed, tamed their wild bed-hair, and slowly made their way over to the house where Max was just finishing hooking up the wagon to his two horses.

"Hey, guys! Ready to go?"

"Food, Max old buddy? I'm starved." Tyson rubbed a hand over his grumbling stomach. Max grinned and lifted a basket from the wagon just behind the seat.

"Courtesy of Rei." He declared, laughing when Tyson hurried over and climbed up into the back - with the basket. Max waited until Kai had joined them then clucked at the horses to get them moving.

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A couple of hours later, while Rei was taking a nap with his daughter, Kenny and Hilary were out in the front gardens this time, tending the neglected flowerpots and beds.

"Miss Hilary?" Kenny broke the companionable quietness of the afternoon tentatively.

She looked up at him from the rose bush she was pruning. "You don't have to call me 'miss', Kenny. There's no reason to be so formal when you're among friends."

Kenny smiled faintly. "Sorry…Hilary. I'm just not used to…well, I guess I'm not used to any of this."

"I don't think there's anyone who is, Kenny." Hilary stood up and dusted off her skirts, pulled her gloves off, and sat on a beautifully carved wooden bench. "The circumstances are a little odd, though, despite that."

The brunette male fidgeted with his spade. "Yes. You have a point there. I guess I'm getting used to it, though. I mean…I've never really had any friends, you see, so I'm not sure how to act, or what to say, or…"

Hilary frowned, surprised. "No friends? I find that hard to believe, Chief. What about the other servants? Surely you made friends among them."

Kenny shook his head, settling back onto his patch of lawn and loosely hugging his knees. "No. The only person I'd considered a friend before was His Highness…Kai."

"How did you meet Kai? I mean, how did you end up as his squire and personal servant?"

"He saved my life." Kenny replied simply.

"Really? How?"

"I was only a little kid at the time - so was His Highness actually. My parents weren't wealthy and we lived in a poorer district of Bay City. We were bakers and my father owned a very small bakery that we lived above and my mother did seamstress work for extra money during harder times. We didn't have much but we were happy."

Hilary nodded, listening with great interest, not just about getting to know Kenny better as a new friend but also because she hoped to gain more insight into Kai. She was worried about Tyson, though she would admit to herself it was nothing to be worrying over. "Go on."

"I don't really remember much about what happened. All I know is that there was a fire - a huge fire that destroyed my district and a large part of the Palace itself when the flames spread out of control." Kenny paused, taking a deep breath and staring off into space, lost in his memories. "My parents both died."

"Oh! I'm sorry, Kenny."

"No…it's okay." He sighed and gave her a sad smile. "These things do happen on occasion. Unfortunately, it happened to me - and to Kai. He lost his parents in that same fire."

"I see. That's horrible, Chief." Hilary said softly, feeling a wealth of pity and sympathy for both teens.

"There were many casualties." Kenny ran a hand through his hair. "I was lucky. When the fire broke out, I was in another part of the city making a delivery for my parents." He smiled. "I was young, but I liked to help them out. So they would let me make deliveries for them."

Hilary smiled back. "You're a good person, Kenny. I've met few people with a temperament like yours. I'm sure your parents were very proud of you."

"Thanks, Hilary." Kenny gave her a brilliant smile. "I appreciate that. Where was I? Oh…there were guards and armies from the city garrisons all around the area, keeping people away from everything while they put out the fire. I sat on a sidewalk, outside the burnt shell of the building that had once been my home for several days after.

"I got hungry, thirsty, and I was so tired by then. I felt weak and ill from that and crying so much. I had no other family to go to and no one in the neighbourhood could afford to take me in - especially since nearly everyone around us had lost all their homes, businesses, and belongings, too. One day it just got to hard to even sit up anymore and I lay there waiting to die. And then a miracle happened." He looked up at Hilary. "It was a miracle to me, anyway. See, that day the Emperor and an entourage of his advisors came riding through, surveying the damage, I guess. And he brought his grandson along.

"I do remember my first impression of Kai - and I'll admit he scared me more than a little. I didn't know about his parents yet, but even when I did, he still seemed so cold and emotionless like he'd been when I saw him. Anyway, I managed to sit up as the Emperor, Kai, and the rest rode slowly past. Of course, the Emperor and his people didn't notice me - or if they did, they ignored my presence. But Kai saw me. He stopped his horse, jumped down and came over to me. He asked me if I was hurt or ill. I was so scared! I didn't know what to say or how to say it. And here was the Prince asking if I was okay. All I could do was shake or nod my head in answer to his questions. But I was so weak by then that even that little bit of exertion was enough to make me pass out. I got very dizzy then, and I lost consciousness.

"Everything was a little hazy for a while. The next clear memory I have is waking up in Kai's chambers in the Palace. He told me that his grandfather had agreed - after a lot of discussion - to allow me to become the Prince's personal servant and later his squire. I would have shelter and food in the Palace with the rest of the staff and servants, and I would be provided with clothing as I grew that I was expected to take care of myself. Kai told me if I did my duties well, then I might even receive small gifts from him or his grandfather from time to time - little things like new clothes, tokens or badges, even small sums of money. And because I would be a personal servant to a member of the Imperial family, I had a distinction among the other servants that gave me a certain authority over them and allowed me freedoms that they did not enjoy."

Hilary listened, amazed and a little surprised. And yet at the same time she wasn't. Kai's actions seemed to be in contradiction to his attitude and all, but it also struck her deeply how…human the Imperial Prince was turning out to be. But… she supposed. I shouldn't be surprised. After all, look at all he's done for my cousin and I. If he and Takao really do become as close as they appear to be becoming, perhaps he isn't as bad for Takao as I thought he might be. Maybe…just maybe…there's hope for everything yet.

"That's quite a tale, Kenny. I guess I understand why you believe in Kai and trust him so much now. But I still don't understand why you say you didn't make friends with the others servants."

Kenny gave her a look. "Because I was a nobody from the streets, taken in like a lost puppy, and given a position - without any prior experience or reference or qualification - that many of them believed should have been theirs." Kenny heaved a sigh and said wryly. "Not to mention that the position allowed me to technically be able to boss them around as if I was a member of the Imperial family. That alone was enough for resentment, jealousy, or outright hatred."

Hilary winced. "I see your point."

Kenny shrugged. "You can't please everyone. There were a few…incidents at first, but Kai put his foot down and declared that if anyone hassled me even in the slightest or tried to get me into trouble, he would personally throw them out of the Palace on their ear and be stripped of their station and honour - or worse, depending on what was attempted." Kenny grinned a little. "No one dared bother me after that, although it didn't mean they stopped hating me. Not long after Kai began his training as a warrior under Boris, I began sleeping in his chambers on the floor in front of the fireplace. I was away from the resentment and jealousy there, and I could always be on hand if Kai needed me for anything. He wouldn't have to go looking for me or call. It felt good to be out of the servants' quarters - it felt safe. And Dranzer and I got along well, so that's an added bonus."

Hilary laughed. "Yes. I suppose it would be. And Kenny, I hope you know, now, that you do have friends - no matter the difference in our status. Remember that."

Kenny smiled, his heart just a little bit lighter at her words. "I do, Hilary, and I promise I won't forget."

"Good." She said firmly, standing and picking up her gloves once more, preparing to put them on. "So...what else needs doing in this gar…oh!" Her sentence ended on a gasp.

"What?" Kenny stood up quickly and looked in the direction she was staring. "What is it? Oh no…"

They saw the figures of what appeared to be a man and a large dog, jogging toward the house from the main road. Hilary didn't recognize the man until he got closer, but Kenny did.

"Tala! And Wolborg!" The shorter teen, unsure and despite being a little afraid, bravely stepped in front of Hilary and said in a shaky voice, "Go inside, Hilary. You and Rei can sneak out the back with Tabitha. I'll hold Tala off long enough for you to…"

"Chief, wait! Look at him…"

Tala staggered right up to them, his faithful canine companion at his side. But as he got closer, both could see he had been beaten badly, bruises all over his face, and bloodstains on his clothes - some of which appeared to be still wet meaning he was still bleeding in places. He also appeared to be on the verge of collapse with exhaustion.

He stopped in front of them and managed to gasp out, "I found you…thank Gods. Kai?"

"He's not there, my Lord." Kenny informed him. "What are you doing here? And…what happened to you?"

Tala turned dull, exhausted ice-blue eyes on him and wavered on his feet. "…not here to…harm anyone. Had…to find you. Kai…" He said just before his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the ground like a sack full of rocks.

Hilary hurried to his side in an instant before Kenny could even warn her to beware of Wolborg, who surprised him by allowing the brunette female to not only approach his fallen Master but to touch him as she checked Tala's injuries and condition.

"He's badly hurt, Kenny. Seriously. I don't think he's here to harm us. If I don't treat him, he could die." She looked up at him and he closed his eyes (which she couldn't really see under his hair) before he nodded.

"Alright. I'll go get Rei and we'll get him inside. Hopefully Kai, Tyson, and Max will be back soon." He said, turning to dash into the house.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Dragoon and Dranzer in their human forms beside the garden gate.

"I know we don't inspire much faith from anyone right now," Dragoon said softly. "But please believe we will allow no harm to come to any of you should Tala prove to be a threat."

"You're right. You don't." Hilary spoke up. "But if you give us your word, it is enough. The Gods can not go back on their word once it is given."

"You have it." Dranzer responded. "Go on, Kenny. Dragoon, Hilary, and I will bring Tala inside."

"They can. I think you should go find the others and tell them to come home now, as fast as they can." Kenny replied. "Hurry, Dranzer."

"As you wish." She closed her eyes and in a bright flash of bright red light she became a phoenix once again, flying away on a burst of wind that Kenny suspected came from Dragoon, to help speed her along.

Kenny and Dragoon gently lifted Tala between them and Hilary led them into the house. Dragoon also told Wolborg that it would be best if he remained outdoors - for now, anyway, and promised they would take good care of his Master for him. The wolf seemed to understand and accepted that, taking up a watchful, guarding position just outside the front door.

Inside, Hilary and Kenny worked in tandem to strip Tala down and begin tending him. Kenny, when he saw Tala's back, had to leave before he passed out, feeling dizzy and sick at the sight of the lash wounds. They reminded him of the scars that he had on his own body that would not fade away and the pain he had suffered - all of it was just too recent in his memories.

Rei kept Tabitha with himself and remained downstairs, brewing tea and starting on the evening meal, while Kenny made Hilary's special teas and medicines at her request for Tala, when he came around long enough to drink them.

Dragoon stayed in the kitchen, having been booted out by Hilary and deciding he'd better just stay out of the way.

Eventually, Hilary came down to get the tea from Kenny and then it became a waiting game for the others to return and for Tala to wake up so they could find out what he was doing there.

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Authoress' Notes: Whew! That was a long chapter to type up! ^_^ So…how many people got gob-smacked? Please R/R!