Of Dragons and Gems

[Mittens83]

Rin Oshakura yawned, getting ready for the day. It was Monday, which meant the she had school and it was going to be a boring day filled with Math, History, Bio, and French. She rubbed her blue eyes, looking back at herself in the mirror of her bathroom, eyes the array of messy green hair that was donned upon her head. She sighed, oh how she hated Mondays.

She brushed her hair, allowing it to take it's own form; usually a bit wavy and just to her shoulders, before she brushed her teeth and went back to her closet to change into her school uniform. As she was changing she felt as if today was going to be different, like something was waiting for her somewhere, but that was impossible, out of her 17 years, nothing interesting had happened to her so why should it change today? She pulled her brown skirt up, adjusted her black stockings and pulled a tan blazer over her white t-shirt. She didn't bother buttoning up the blazer, it would be a hot day today anyways. She looked herself over in the mirror once more, turning her small frame to take a look at all angles. After she was finished, Rin grabbed her backpack and made her way downstairs for breakfast.

She entered the kitchen, no one else was up as her brother had been on a camping trip and her mother worked nights at the hospital at work, but she didn't mind being alone. Her family was very personal, so she enjoyed whatever moments alone she had to herself. She smiled as she buttered her piece of toast, humming a soft melody of a popular pop song, she couldn't wait to see her friends, it as pretty much the only thing she looked forward to at school, except for her Law and Art classes.

Once she finished her toast, she grabbed her backpack and slipped into her shoes, deciding it was time to head to school. She had a fairly long walk, but she would make it in about 20 minutes, with another 10 to spare. She flipped her hair out of the collar of her blazer before opening the door and locking it once she was outside. The sun shone down on the girl, covering her body in warmth as she began her walk, she loved spring, the sakura blossoms were just starting to bloom and everyone was always in a good mood.

She smiled as she looked around, enjoying the pink and yellow air around her as well as the friendly greetings she received as she walked by her neighbors. Today seemed like it was going to be a good day.​

 

[Iliana]

Where the hell was she?!

"RRREEEEEAAAAAWWRRRHHH!"

Not something he wanted to hear but it was there, in the crisp, clean air of that Monday morning, his most dreaded time of the day. For good reason, too. He hadn't even taken 15 minutes to wake up before a knife drove into his very core. It was a literal knife, but the pain was just as much. It had only meant one thing, this girl was close and the Klaiz was even closer. Kimimako Natsuri muttered a strong swear when the pain shot through his lower abdomen. It was enough to make him jolt out of the tiny 'bed' of blankets had had made for himself atop a hotel roof, snapping up to pant heavily.

He had felt it before, when she would walk to and from school, though he hadn't been able to tell it was her. The feeling was strong enough to make him look below his home atop the roof. Then again, a great bunch of girls walked the same way to school. It could have been anyone of them. Despite that, the feeling that was causing him to print through the streets was even stronger, if that were possible. One part was that this girl was too close for comfort. The other?

There was a giant dragon in the skies looking for her too.

"REEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWARRRR!!!"

Mako had no other choice but to book it, relying solely on the stabbing in his stomach to lead him wherever she may be. The Klaiz were not playing when they said they had wanted this girl. She was the opening, meaning, once they found her, all was lost. Mako had let it happen before. He couldn't let it happen again. Not surprising at all, not one person in the street heard a single sound the dragon had been making, only because the Kaliz revealed themselves to only the most knowing. They did, however, notice a boy sprinting through the streets, green eyes set on nothing but the air in front of him. His mind was not focused on them, but on the girl instead.

The pain was unbearable now. She had to be close. She had to b--

"Ooof!" In the span of a second, Mako felt his body grow weightless as he toppled directly into someone, feeling long green hair, clothes, and books go flying everywhere. Lovely.

 

[Mittens83]

Rin was minding her own business, letting the sun soak her with warmth as she walked her usual route, past the bakery, the pharmacy and a few houses here and there. Her walk to and from school was her favorite time of day, she loved hearing the cars drive by and the people on the streets talking and laughing amongst themselves. It made her happy to hear others enjoying their time, it filled her with an emotion she could barely understand.

Her pale face was decorated with a large smile, looking around her as she walked, even though she felt this way, she couldn't shake the feeling someone or something was watching her....searching for her. She shifted her gaze to the blue sky, wondering why she was feeling this way. Maybe she was just crazy, she didn't have any reason to feel like someone was watching her. She shrugged, returning her gaze to in front of her.

Before she could focus her eyes on anything, she felt a body collide into hers, sending her flying back and landing underneath him. Her back hurt, but she quickly ignored the pain as she groaned.

"What the heck?" she wondered, looking towards the green-eyed boy with her own crystal blue eyes, "Why are you in such a rush?"

She stared at him for a moment, something was off. She couldn't quite place it, but she felt as though something was different about him. She turned away, looking at the mess of textbooks and an assortment of pens and pencils on the ground.

"Oh man...." she groaned, "I'm definitely going to be late for school, would you mind helping me?" she asked, shifting her body to rescue it from his weight as she stood, wiping the dirt and leaves from her legs and looking back to him. ​

 

[Iliana]

Mako's expression had not changed from its easel of shock, awe, and confusion. Every second or two, a little bit of pain would wrinkle on his brows, but predominantly, he was confused. The young girl had taken the hit and recovered just as fast, asking him to help her to school. Him. Mako. A random person on the street. He's brows pulled together in a strong of words that he couldn't form out of his lips. For starters, the pain lit off that she was the girl he was looking for: Rin. The Klaiz wasn't given a strong description of what she looked like: They all sort of just...felt it.

"....What?" He said in a little more annoyance than he expected to. Didn't she hear the dragon zooming closer to them? Didn't she see it, at least? And what kind of person asks a complete stranger to take them to school?! An innocent school girl at that? Mako's green eyes zipped from Rin, to the books on the ground, to the sky, and back to her. She still hadn't did the math yet, so, unfortunately, he was forced to do it for her. Kimimako stood up by simply pushing his entire weight off of the ground with his left hand, vaulting the other half with his lower body, legs buckling beneath him. He shot a hand, not to offer it to her, but to grab her wrist tightly with his own.

Mako snatched Rin up like a torn rag doll, not letting his eyes leave hers, even when he felt the dragon looming closer and closer to their destination.

"Grab onto me." The seriousness behind the forest green eyes hinted that it wasn't a kind statement. It was an order.

 

[Mittens83]

Rin watched him, confused as to why he seemed confused. "I need help grabbing my stu- nevermind, I can get it." she said, leaning down to pick up her books and papers, she was definitely going to be late.

As she was picking her things up, she could feel his eyes dart from her to somewhere else then back to her. She was just about to look at him and ask what his problem was, a bit nervous now, but when she looked to where he had been she could see his body swiftly move from that position to grab her wrist and demand that she grab him.

Rin looked to him, her eyebrows furrowed with annoyance, worry and confusion. Why should she go with him? Who was he? She tried to pull her hand away from him, but his grip on her was tighter than she had expected and this made her panic a bit.

"Let go of me!" she hissed, tugging on her arm once again but only to have him pick her up and hold her, causing panic to surge through her small body. "Hey!" she cried out, using her other hand to hit his chest, wondering why no one had come to her rescue. Her crystal eyes looked past him, seeing something in the sky for the first time. She passed it off as a large bird at first, attempting to go back to attack her kidnapper, but her body froze as her eyes focused more on the object in the sky. It was large, bigger than any bird she had ever seen, and it wasn't a bird. It had...scales...and fleshy wings...what could that have been. Then it donned on her in the back of her mind, her voice quiet as she spoke.

"D-Dragon?"

She didn't know what was going on, but she could see it coming closer and closer to them, she wanted to scream out to the other people, fearing for their safety before hers, but the large red eyes she could now see clearly locked onto her soul, she could almost hear it's heartbeat in her mind. "Go." she whispered, fear rising in the pit of her stomache, "Go!" she cried out, her voice louder as she felt her body tense up against his. They needed to get out of here, everyone did.

"GO!"​

 

[Iliana]

Oh, now she panics!

Mako, believe it or not, obeyed the girl's orders. Sure, it had taken her a while to realize that her life was in some sort of impending danger, but once she got it, the two could go from there. The large dragon over head cast a shadow that loomed over their heads. A black dragon shaped blanket ran over their features while the two watched the beast soar and circles like a vulture after something dead. Mako didn't bother looking to the other people around them. They would have no idea that the dragon was there at all and could easily go on with their merry little lives.

If Rin would stop screaming first.

Mako snapped a cold glare at her with his green eyes before doing what he had wanted to to since the moment he saw the dragon: fly. If seen by anyone else, the spectator may have fallen to the ground in shock and awe at how vivid and close the scene was to them. Mako could only imagine how Rin was going to take it, but orders were orders. Tapping his right foot twice, Mako and Rin's body both became completely weightless as they shot into the air. The speed was incredible, and even more so was the fact that Mako did not even blink an eye. He had his sights set directly on the dragon before him.

A red one...meaning that the Kaliz was calling out all shots. Mako's face scrunched in confusion through his black hair whipping wildly across his face. He tried desperately to ignore Rin's screaming. Oh, the things she had yet to see. Air pressure began dying and dying gradually until Mako and Rin were practically floating in the air. Time slowed up as he looked down to match his green eyes with hers. The two expressions of shock and tranquility matched each other perfectly. Bending down, Mako pressed his lips against the curve of her ear.

"Hang on."he whispered before a bright green light enveloped the two of them. This happened too many times for him to count, yet Mako still had no idea how it was possible. He was a teenager too, just as was most of the people in the small city of Larksdale, and yet he was the only one who could transform into a giant winged beast at will. The gren light was more than just that; it was a transformation. Even though Mako continued to hold Rin in his arms, what was left of his human hold turned into a clawed grasp until finally...it was done.

Rin was now hanging from the claws of a giant blue dragon 12,492 feet above the ground.

"RRRRRREEEEEEAAAAHHHHH!" Mako bellowed towards the red dragon who was still circling above them. If the dragon wanted the girl, it'd have to get to Kimimako Natsuri first.

 

[Mittens83]

The young girl was terrified, how could this be happening? How could the people not see the dragon getting closer and closer? Why was this guy not panicking?! She couldn't stop screaming, not understanding why the people around her were giving her looks that made her feel she was the crazy one, they were the ones not afraid to die by the claws of a dragon!

Her blue eyes turned to the boys' feeling a shiver run down her spine as he glared at her, causing her screams to cease for the time being, but her mind was running a mile a minute. She couldn't process what was going on, it was just unfathomable to her and it only seemed to get worse. One moment they were in danger on the ground, and the next thing she knew she could feel wind whip around her body and the safety of the hard ground disappearing fast. It took her a minute to register that whatever this kid had done, it made them shoot up into the air, way above the city and even more in danger. Her eyes widened, her fingers gripping into his shirt and her body tightening into a smaller ball out of fear as her screams reached the surface of her throat again. What the hell was happening?!

She looked to him, going to demand answered, but the look of peace in his eyes caught her off guard and left her wondering what sort of creature this guy was. She could feel the pressure around her dissolve, making her body feel light and almost as if they were floating. She turned her attention back to Mako as he leaned closer to her, causing a blush to appear on her cheeks as he whispered words that made her heart stop. What was he planning now?

The bright green light caused her to squint her eyes, being to close to whatever was happening was almost the same as looking into the sun from the ground. She listened though, gripping his shirt once again, but something was different. She could feel the fabric slipping from her grip, making her feel as though she were going to fall. Panic rose in her, making her open her eyes despite the strange green aura emitting from him. Her uncertainty wasn't lifted as she felt what seemed to be claws beginning to hold her. She looked back at him, but it was too late. She felt her body drop slightly, but the claws held on to her tightly as she dangled from...she looked up and the image almost made her pass out.

He was a dragon too?! Her piercing screams shattered any and all tranquility in the peaceful sky as she wished she had done more with her life. She thought about struggling, but one quick glance to the very far away ground made her re-think that idea, and made her dizzy as well. She jumped as the Dragon-boy roared, looking up at him and noticing he was looking towards the red dragon. This couldn't be good...

Rin, who had spent her life doing the same routine, walking down the same streets, eating pretty much the same foods, was stuck thousands of feet in the air, hanging by the claws of a dragon who apparently wanted to fight another dragon. How could things get worse?

"Why is this happening to me?" she whispered, closing her eyes tightly and waiting for her inevitable death.​

 

[Iliana]

"And the great Kimimako Natsuri makes his grand appearance! You always were the quick one!"

Mako recognized the voice immediately as Braydin, the youngest and most skilled of the Fire Klaiz, the red dragons. If he weren't in his form, Braydin would have looked like your average 14 year old with shaggy blonde hair and freckles spotted over his nose. His eyes were blood red, such is every member of the Fire Kaliz as well. It was a shame that Braydin wasn't in his teen form or Mako may have punched him to bits. However, since Mako guessed that part of the Fire Klaiz felt Rin's presence, they sent Braydin to scope the playing field.

It was suddenly very hard to focus with Rin screaming bloody murder.

Mako shot his green eyes to her and snorted, a large whiff of air buffeting out through each of the long nostrils that ended on his snout. The snort also held a grunt somewhere deep when the elongated dragon's throat, design and patterned with white and light blue scales before finally meeting a royal blue finish at the very top of Mako's body. He was the green-eyed blue dragon that the Klaiz had tried so desperately to keep. To chain. To control. Forced to shake the thought out of his head, Mako flapped his exceedingly large wings once through the air, making a decent sized booming sound.

"Relax. Calm down. Rin, calm down!"he snapped, loosening the grip on her body but not too much. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her into thinking that she may have been dropped. That would have only caused her to scream again which was not what he was going for. Braydin, even though he was a great few yards away from Mako and Rin, laughed deeply from within his red chest. His mouth, like Mako's, never did open when they spoke. The entire conversation was done internally, able to seep through the ears of Mako and even Rin, for what she was. The laughter, however, threw Mako off guard. What was funny? Braydin knew perfectly well that his skills against Mako's were completely unmatched. To attempt to try Mako would be a foolish tactic if what he was really after was Rin.

That made him think. Was he really...after Rin?

Another deep laughter pelted from Braydin when Mako's large green eyes slanted in confusion and thought. The Fire Klaiz must have known exactly what Mako was thinking about.

"I wasn't expecting you to go all dragon form on me so soon."

"I wasn't expecting you to be stupid enough to show yourself knowing that I wasn't far from her."Mako snapped back, literately snapping his large jaws this time while he flapped again to keep himself hovering in the air. The two dragons were only hovering, staring at each other, knowing that one false move could cause Rin her life. Unfortunately, the two could not let that happen.

"We'll get her eventually, Mako."Braydin said smugly before pulling his body out of the offensive stance and more onto the take off one. He was getting ready to prepare his leave. Mako merely bared his teeth at him, a growl catching deep within his throat as he slightly tightened his claw's hold on Rin protectively.

"I'll be sure to sharpen my teeth." Braydin's response was a puff of fire shooting from his nostrils as the dragon snorted in a sarcastic sort of annoyance. Two seconds later and not a second sooner, Braydin let out a loud, arrogant roar that shook even Mako's wings before the red beast zipped off through the sky, gliding and flapping his way towards the only temporarily risen sun. Mako's wings flapped again, pushing the wind beneath them as he glared to where the black dot had disappeared. Back to the Klaiz and back to gather more of his dragon friends. Suddenly, realization hit him as he remembered that Rin was still squirming around his large, scaly claws. The dragon bent his immense head down to match the large green eyes to Rin's terribly miniscule ones. A second passed before the dragon's head tilted ever so slightly to the side.

"No more screaming?"

 

[Mittens83]

Rin watched in horror as the large red dragon loomed closer, fear sinking deeper and deeper within her body as he large blue eyes watched the two beasts. Her green hair whipped around in the wind caused by the dragon's wings, once he had snorted down at her she quietened, but fear was still imminent in her eyes. She couldn't understand what was going on, but she tried to focus on anything other than where she was at that moment.

Her head perked as she heard them speak, their booming voices echoing through her mind as they spoke. What they had said only further confused her as they spoke about finding someone and the red dragon getting her. Was she the 'her'? What was the red dragon after? She looked up to Mako as he asked her to not scream anymore. She nodded, her blue eyes looking up to the massive dragon.

A million thoughts ran through her mind, Rin would do anything to have her mind slow down a little. There was too much to think about at the moment and she was still dangling in the air which was highly uncomfortable for the girl.

"C-Can we go back down?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky as she blinked at him.

She wanted answers, and as soon as this Dragon-boy set her down, she would demand them. Who the heck was he, who the heck was that other dragon, and how could they transform into dragons? She took a deep breath, getting a bit light headed from being up there for so long, she allowed herself to look down a little, seeing the earth so far away. At first it made her nervous, but after a few minutes she thought it looked really beautiful. She still preferred to admire the beauty from the safety of the ground, but seeing it from another perspective was nice as well. She looked back up to Mako, wondering if he would go back down or not. ​

 

[Iliana]

"Yeah. You're late for school."

That was the only thing Mako said before he flapped his powerful, blue wings once, kicking up some momentum to let him zip off through the air. His claws clenched around Rin. Wouldn't want her to just fly out of his grasp and hit something, now would he? Mako ignored her fidgeting and her screams. It was easy, too. His mind was still on Braydin and the other Klaiz. How ironic that they seemed to find Rin around the same time Mako decided it was time enough to watch her more closely. They couldn't read his mind. No, there were certain dragons for that art, and even so, Mako hadn't encountered any but Braydin. The last time he had even seen one of the beasts was months before.

When he was part of the Klaiz himself.

A drop in air pressure brought Mako back to reality. He kept his eyes ahead of him, scanning them this way and that just to make sure that none of the other Klaiz members were following them. Some how he seriously doubted that. Mako may have been alone and by himself, but he was one dragon that shouldn't have been bothered with. Apart from his strength and the knowledge he had on the Klaiz, he was tired, hungry, and ready to get Rin off of his hands. Or claws rather. Having her so close to him was choking him. This had to be the girl they have been searching forever for. He could practically smell the power wafting off of her. He snorted out of his nose and sped towards the tip of the school.

"Try not to tell anyone about this."he said through his mind, making a nose dive directly towards the ground. He folded his wings back to pick up speed. The dragon cut through the wind, plummeting towards the ground. He knew Rin was probably scared out of her knee-high socks at how fast they were looming towards the ground, but Mako didn't quell her fears. Midway there, the same green light enveloped the two, a warm glow surrounding them. A second later and Mako somersaulted in the air, carrying a frenzied Rin in his arms. He touched down on the solid ground of the school's side wall, away from wandering eyes. He knelt by a bush with her still in his arms before he peered down at her through green eyes.

"Stay safe."