Matsuri was debating with herself whether or not to go lay down. Even 
with her nap this afternoon she still found herself getting heavy eyed 
as she watched Owaru and Elenora play Nintendo. She had just decided 
that she'd just close her eyes and rest here on the sofa for a few 
minutes when Elenora surged to her feet and went pounding up the 
stairs.

	She and Owaru exchanged confused looks, then hurried to follow. They 
saw Elenora run into the bathroom as they made the top of the stairs, 
headed that way. Matsuri pulled up short, backed two steps as her 
brain registered what her quick glance into Tsuzuku's bedroom had 
shown.

	"Jasmine-san?!" She questioned in shock as she stepped into the room, 
headed for the woman who was sitting on the floor.

	Jasmine was leaning against the bed for support, head tipped back and 
eyes squinted tight in pain, her shirt pulled up and bunched in both 
hands, the red stain of blood slowly spreading as she held it to her 
face.

	"Are you all right?" Matsuri asked as she knelt next to her, leaned 
close to try to see where she was bleeding from.

	"What happened?" Owaru asked as he knelt at Jasmine's other side, 
tentatively reached out and put his hand on her leg. He could feel her 
trembling.

	"She did something stupid!" Elenora answered harshly as she skidded 
back into the room, two wet washcloths in one hand, a towel in the 
other. "Here Jasmine."

	Jasmine reached out to take the offered washcloth with one hand, 
pressed it against her nose as she swapped it off with her shirt. 
Elenora took her free hand and scrubbed the blood off it gently with 
the other washcloth, her face a worried scowl.

	"I know where they are. They seemed to be all right and were all 
together but asleep." Jasmine said in a soft shaky voice. Owaru took 
in a sharp breath next to her, but she hurt to much to interpret it. 
She lifted her head, tried to bite back a groan as the movement made 
the pain worse.

	Elenora pressed the washcloth she was using to clean up her sister 
into Matsuri's hands. "I'll be right back. Could you finish getting 
her cleaned up, please?"

	Matsuri nodded, gently supported Jasmine's chin as she lifted a side 
of the washcloth Jasmine had pressed over her nose and peeked under 
with a "let me take a look, Jasmine." as she heard Elenora's steps 
hurry away.

	"Owaru-kun, get one of Tsuzuku's shirts for her to wear." Matsuri 
commanded seeing the distressed and troubled look on her cousin's face 
and trying to give him something to do to feel like he was helping out 
as she lifted the cloth further, thankful now for the advanced first 
aid courses she had taken last summer.

	"It's stopped." She told Jasmine as she wiped the few remaining 
blotches of blood gently off of her face. Her new friend was showing 
all the signs of shock. But what had happened to do this to her? 
"Jasmine-chan, are you hurt anywhere else?"

	"No." Jasmine forced her eyes open a crack and worked on bringing 
Matsuri into focus. "But I almost wish I were. It would give me 
something else to think about other than my head." Jasmine whispered 
at her with a faint hint of a smile. She wouldn't let show how much of 
that light hearted assurance was nothing but bravado. She was hurt bad 
and she knew it. Whoever that bastard had been (that power had a 
definite male touch to it) had tried to kill her. But it was a bravado 
she'd have to maintain to keep them all focused and on track.

	"Owaru, help me get her back onto the bed, O.K?" Matsuri asked as she 
realized he was standing behind her, the shirt in his hand.

	Owaru tossed the shirt onto the bed, leaned down and slid one arm 
under Jasmine's knees, the other behind her shoulders and the side of 
the bed and lifted her smoothly and easily up and sat her on the 
mattress.

	She had just finished getting the clean shirt on Jasmine, the 
bloodied Tee on it's way to the bathroom with Owaru to get rinsed out 
and had pushed Jasmine's fumbling fingers away and was on the last 
button when Elenora came back with a steaming tea cup.

	"Could you possibly stomp any louder?" Jasmine grouched, only half 
teasing as Matsuri cuffed the sleeves a few times.

	"Yes." Elenora answered as she crossed the room to her sister, but 
Matsuri noticed she almost tip-toed. "Here. You need to take these." 
She handed her sister the cup and opened her clenched fist to show two 
large capsules.

	Jasmine looked at the cocktail of painkillers, a combination of herbs 
and man-made chemicals whipped up by the Healer's in the Order to help 
when she had been in so much pain as she healed from Tamanji's attack 
two years ago, in Elenora's hand and frowned. "I can't. They'll put me 
out for hours, Elenora. Who'll drive to the airport?"

	"We'll call a cab." She saw her sister get that stubborn shape to her 
mouth that meant an argument forthcoming. She nipped it in the bud. 
"Jasmine, you don't have a choice. We need you healed and whole. You 
know these will help and get it done faster. Don't fight me on this. 
Please. I can get us all to the airport and on the plane in time. 
Trust me. If you don't, I'll have Owaru and Matsuri sit on you and 
force them down your throat, if that's what it takes." She said it in 
a teasing tone, meant it with all her heart.

	Jasmine took the pills, weighed them and the consequences of not 
taking them in her hand and aching mind. She knew her sister was 
right. She put them on her tongue, took a sip of the warm tea to help 
them down. She'd have to hurry, these things took effect fast. "I'd 
better get dressed now. Matsuri, would you bring my pack over? What 
time is it, Elenora? 2:45!? Go call the cab, now. If it's late, 
Matsuri will have to drive."

	"I don't know how, Jasmine-san." Matsuri told her as she brought the 
pack.

	"Piece of cake." Jasmine answered as she unzipped the top of her pack 
enough to pull out the leggings, shirt and socks that where at the 
top. "Elenora can show you how." She put her tongue in the corner of 
her mouth as she struggled to get the right feet into the right legs, 
the pain slowly dissipating into a tolerable throb as she started to 
get light and floaty.

	Elenora sighed, moved to help her sister tug on the leggings, knew 
she'd be all the way out in a few more minutes.

	"I'd let Elenora drive, but she's too short to reach the pedals." 
Jasmine reached out to ruffle her sisters hair and giggled as she fell 
back onto the bed. Wow. Her head didn't hurt at all now.

	"Sit up, Jasmine. You need to put on your shirt." Elenora scolded as 
Matsuri started struggling to get the socks on her.

	Jasmine put her arm across her eyes, smiled as she took a deep 
breath. "Nope. I'll wear this one, thank-you anyway. Give me that 
pillow back, too, would you?"

	Matsuri looked at Elenora with raised eyebrows. She hadn't caught 
very much of that, Jasmine having slipped into English.

	"She wants the pillow." Elenora answered as she put the shirt back in 
the pack and zipped it up.

	Matsuri looked around the room, spied the pillow in the corner and 
went to fetch as Owaru appeared in the doorway.

	"Is she O.K?" He asked, his face and voice full of concern.

	"Oh, I'm just fine, Owaru." Jasmine giggled back in English.

	"Yes." Elenora answered looking at her sister with a fond yet at the 
same time annoyed smile as she picked up Jasmine's legs and got her 
situated with a few pulls and tugs lengthwise on the bed.

	"Here, Jasmine-chan." Matsuri slid the pillow under Jasmine's head.

	"Domo, Matsuri-chan." Jasmine muttered, her words slurring together 
as she rolled to her side and rubbed her check against the pillow.

	"We'll come and get her just before it's time to go." Elenora 
whispered as she herded Matsuri ahead of her towards the door. She had 
just flicked off the light when she heard Jasmine say very distinctly 
and clearly, "I'd better wake up on an airplane or in the New York 
airport, Elenora."

	"Don't worry about it Sis." Elenora answered. "You just rest."


*********************


	"Hajime's coming up." Doc informed them, Travis having sent for the 
entire control room crew as the time neared for these Dragons to wake. 
>From now on, there would be at least one of their three dragons and 
three support personnel on watch at all times.

	Travis nodded, sent his chair down the ramp and positioned it at the 
corner of the south wall. He'd wanted to be out of sight to study 
Hajime Ryudo's reactions as he woke yet be able to get into his sight 
quickly.

	"Rahne, would you be so kind as to ready a tray with a coffee carafe 
and some cups?" He called to the brown haired woman who was guarding 
the elevator. Rahne didn't respond but leaned forwards, bringing the 
front legs of her chair back to the ground, her eyes still glued to 
the romance novel she had come out of the elevator reading as she went 
toward the little kitchen area. "Ayisha, the east wall only. Do it 
now."

	"Yes sir." Rahne's identical twin answered as Travis steepled his 
fingers together in front of him and readied himself. He'd have to 
catch this one now, convince Hajime Ryudo that he held all the cards 
and that resistance would not be tolerated. He had chosen the east 
wall of their room to be the Ryudo's window because it looked out on 
nothing but the smooth rock wall of the Lab. He wanted them guessing 
at how many where watching, where they were and what the exact setup 
of their holding area was. It would keep them uncertain and hesitant 
to act. 

	
	Hajime was nearing the end of a terrible memory that had come back to 
haunt him as a dream. The red dragon that was Tsuzuku towered above 
him, bellowing out his anger. Tsuzuku had just warned him off the 
Mulligan Foundation woman with a scorching blast of power that he had 
barely managed to avoid, then carved a circle out of the roof with a 
stream of molten power and sent her crashing with an almost endless 
scream into the fire and ruins below. He had to get him to stop. All 
ready dozens of innocents had been injured and maybe killed. But he 
didn't know how! The fire that filled the government building 
responded to his brother's fury and blew holes in the roof around him, 
trapping him in a ring of flames.

	"Enough!" He growled as he tapped into his own power, extinguished 
them with a gesture. *Grandfather! What am I to do!? These fools are 
forcing us to awaken before The Time. Before we're ready! I can't keep 
them safe. I'm trying, but I keep failing!*

	The Fire Dragon screamed, whipped his head from side to side. Hajime 
knew suddenly that Tsuzuku was loosing his battle to stay conscious. 
If he went under, downtown could be nothing but a blazing inferno in a 
matter of minutes. He had to be stopped. Now!

	He didn't think, just reacted. The incandescent sphere of blue/white 
power formed between his palms.

	"Tsuzuku, stop it!" He bellowed as he cast it.

	The Fire Dragon flinched back as it sped for his head. Then it hit 
the side of his muzzle and exploded. Hajime covered his face with his 
crossed forearms as the expanding light  burned away the night and 
shadows, leaned into the force of his power as it whipped around him 
extinguishing all of the fires that danced on the roof as his brother 
screamed on and on in an unending note of primal agony. He forced 
himself to squint into the light and wind, wanted to join Tsuzuku in 
that sound but nothing would come out of his throat as he watched his 
power leech all the color out of the Fire Dragon until it was nothing 
more than a gray wraith. Then it started to crumble. *NO! Oh, gods! 
I've destroyed him! Please...* 

	He jerked up, breathing hard and slick with sweat as he blinked in 
confusion at the unfamiliar surroundings, wished a half-second later 
that he hadn't moved quite so fast as he swallowed hard against a wave 
nausea and dizziness. He thrust out both hands, gripped the sides of 
the little cot he was sitting on and squeezed his eyes shut as his 
senses reeled, trying to steady and center himself as the world spun. 
What had happened? The three little aches between his shoulder blades 
worked themselves into his awareness and jogged his muddled memory. 
*Captured. He was taken. The others?* He thought with panic.

	He forced opened his eyes, thankful that everything had stopped 
spinning. Now if he could just get his stomach to settle down. Tsuzuku 
was across from him on another little cot against that wall, still 
unconscious, Amaru to his left laying with his back to him. *Owaru. 
Where was Owaru? And Matsuri! She'd been shot!* He prayed that their 
attackers had missed Owaru and he was home safe and taking care of 
Matsuri. *Please, Matsuri-chan, be all right!*

	He took in the room as he slowly swung his feet over the edge of the 
cot. It was barren except for the toilet and small sink with a stack 
of white towels laying under it in the corner between Amaru and 
Tsuzuku's cots. The wall to his right held two sets of doors. One set 
in the white outer wall, the second set four feet in from that in a 
wall made of some transparent material. It was the same stuff that 
created the clear wall beside him that looked out onto a flat stone 
floor with a stone wall backdrop.

	*We're underground?* He wondered as he took stock of himself next. He 
seemed undamaged except for the sore spots on his back and the weird 
numb feeling in his head. *Gods, what had they used to take them down? 
A nerve toxin like the gas they'd used on Tsuzuku?* It was like his 
mind had been slowed down. Like he had to pull every thought through 
something thick like honey. He focused on the cuff around his left 
wrist held in place by two velcro straps, frowned at the lights. He 
finally realized it was a monitor of some sort. The green light on the 
top must indicate that he was O.K. *a fact that he'd argue*. The first 
white one was blinking in time to his heartbeat, the one under that 
keeping rhythm with his breathing. His tie was too tight. He reached 
up to loosen it.

	*What the hell?* He brought both hands up to explore the hard smooth 
material of the cold collar that was snugged tight around his neck. He 
couldn't even get a finger under it. He glanced at his brothers, could 
see the blue black sheen of something similar around their necks also. 
He pushed himself up, swayed over to Amaru, fighting for balance all 
the way, sank down next to him on the cot with a sigh of relief mixed 
with a growing anger.

	He rolled Amaru towards him, took in a breath of shock as he saw his 
youngest brothers pale face, the skin around his closed eyes so dark 
they looked like bruises. Hajime had never seen any of his brothers 
look like this. Amaru looked...sick. It sank in that Amaru was dressed 
in gray sweats and a matching tank-T as he picked up his brothers 
hand, turned it so he could see the wrist monitor. It's light was 
green and he counted the heartbeats, matching them to his own. They 
were slow but steady. That reassured him somewhat as he looked his 
brother over for signs of injury.

	There was a small band aid at the base of his throat. Hajime peeled 
one end carefully up, looked at the small swollen puncture wound and 
frowned. Why wasn't this healed yet? It should be. Then he saw the 
flesh colored fabric bandage that was wound from the middle of Amaru's 
right forearm to the middle of his bicep and the stain of blood on it 
at the underside of his elbow. *Bastards!* His fingers trembled as he 
touched the stain gently. It was dry and darkened. *What had they done 
to his little brother?* He looked at the collar. He didn't care what 
it was, it was coming off now. He gripped the slender edges with the 
tips of his fingers intending to pull it apart.

	"Ryudo-sama, please don't. Let me explain your situation before you 
do something hasty." A soft cultured voice stopped him.

	Hajime snapped his head up, hands still on the collar to see a 
slender brown haired man in a wheelchair facing him on the other side 
of the clear glass wall.

	"If you do that, we'll be forced to flood the chamber with gas to 
knock you out again. You don't want that. I don't want that. Your 
little brother has a very bad reaction to the drugs we'll have to 
use."

	Hajime moved his hands off the collar. "What is it?" He was surprised 
when the man answered.

	"A neural scrambler. It's why you are feeling rather foggy upstairs. 
I apologize, but it's use was deemed necessary." He gave a little 
smile and a shrug.

	"Who are you?" Hajime demanded. 

	"Travis."

	"Where are we?"

	"In America."

	Hajime frowned at that. "Are we captives of The Four Sisters, or 
someone else?"

	The man who named himself Travis smiled coldly. "Not too foggy, I 
see. Yes and no. My organization was hired to catch you. Which we 
have. Now we get to baby-sit you until The Big Four get their acts 
together and come and collect you. Now, the rules are simple. You 
cooperate, you stay together. If you choose not to, you will be 
separated. If you try to escape, together or separately, we'll have to 
drug all of you again, and you will stay that way until we deliver 
you. Do you understand?"

	Hajime glared at him, anger glittering in his dark eyes, but nodded.

	"What happened to Amaru?" He bit out.

	"He had an allergic reaction to the drugs and went into anaphylactic 
shock. We needed to get an IV in him. It proved a tad bit difficult 
and the combination of drugs and the scrambler has done something 
strange to your regeneration abilities. Please keep that in mind, 
Ryudo-sama. But he is all right now and recovering well."

	Hajime didn't like the possessive gleam he detected in this man's 
strangely colored eyes as he looked at his little brother. He'd seen 
eye's like that before...where? It seemed to take an eternity for him 
to come up with the answer. no Gozen. The Old Man of Kumaura had had 
eyes just like this. Gods! Another drinker of Dragon blood?

	Travis turned his head, nodded to someone Hajime couldn't see.

	"Now, the first test of our truce. Please remain were you are."

	Hajime knew he was in no shape right now to try anything anyway so he 
obeyed. The outer doors separated to show a young woman with brown 
hair carrying a tray. She stepped through, waited as the outer door 
slide shut and the inner ones to open. She gave him a friendly smile 
as she took the few steps forewords to bring her to the frame of the 
inner doors, squatted and put the tray down, pushed it clear of the 
doors then stood up and backed out.

	It showed Hajime that the doors were worked remotely and that there 
were at least two other people in here with Travis.

	"It's the Jamaican blend you and your brother are so fond of." Travis 
told him cordially. "Don't worry, it's not doctored." He smiled at 
Hajime's suspicious glare at the carafe. "If you all behave, I'll make 
your stay with us as comfortable as possible." He locked his eyes on 
Hajime's, the unsaid part of that statement clear to both of them. "Do 
we understand each other, Ryudo-sama?"

	"Hai." Hajime muttered back. This person had trapped him well and 
knew it. He would cooperate to keep his brothers with him and together 
and safe. Until he figured a way out. And he would get them out. He 
swore that to all of the Dragons who had come before him.

	"Is there anything else you require right now?" Travis asked.

	Hajime shook his head.

	"Tsuzuku will probably be waking up in the next twenty minutes or so. 
I'll leave you to your own devices, then. If you need anything, just 
call. Someone will always be in earshot." He turned his chair and sent 
it along the wall then stopped it, turned back to Hajime, frowned and 
gave him a troubled look.

	"Hajime-san, don't despair. There is always a way out. The Four 
Sisters don't understand what they're dealing with and don't have 
access to the drugs that we used. Be patient." He told him in a 
furtive whisper, then turned his chair and left, Hajime not being able 
to see the calculating smile that Travis allowed himself as he cleared 
the wall. *Gotcha!*