O.K. Here's the next bit! Fire at will! ^_^


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	It was a pair of boys. One maybe twelve and the other maybe ten.
Tsuzuku sighed softly as Owaru seemed to just appear out of the grass
before them. They gave stifled shrieks and he grabbed them both as they
turned to run.

	He let out a little 'oof' as the eldest one punched him hard in the
solar plexus and he lost his grip against the frantic tugs of the
younger one. He grabbed the older boy's other hand as it headed for his
mid-section again as Owaru flashed by in pursuit of the one he had lost.

	"Wait! I'm not going to hurt you!" He held the struggling boy away from
him and kept his grip firm but not so tight as to be painful as he
waited for the boy to realize that he truly didn't have any intention of
harming him. The boy finally ceased fighting and stood still before him,
panting.

	"I'm here to help. What's your name?" Tsuzuku asked gently.

	The boy shook his head and Tsuzuku felt him tense under his hands,
ready to fight some more.

	"I'm Ryudo Tsuzuku. And I am very pleased to met you." He offered with
a slight bow and a reassuring smile.

	The boy blinked at him a few times and the frantic gleam finally left
his eyes as he gulped out, "Ryudo? Dragon?"

	Tsuzuku nodded and loosened his grip.

	"Dead? Are they all dead?" He could tell the boy knew the answer all
ready.

	He closed his eyes against the hope in the child's eyes and nodded
again. He went down to one knee and offered his arms as the boys tears
started. The boy seemed uncertain for an instant then was against him,
his head against his shoulder and his arms wrapped around his neck as he
cried out his anguish silently. Tsuzuku held him gently, glanced up as
Owaru came back with the other little boy trailing sullenly from a
firmly held wrist. The smaller one took in his companions state and all
the defiance left him at once.

	Owaru startled a bit and let go of his captives wrist as the boy leaned
against his side. He put his arm around the thin shoulders and hugged
him fiercely as the boy wiped at his eyes and sniffled, fighting the
tears his companion had abandoned himself to.

	"Are there others?" Tsuzuku asked the younger of the pair.

	The little one nodded. Tsuzuku looked up at Owaru.

	"Go tell Hajime. I'll go and bring them back here."

	Owaru gave a brusque nod and ruffled the boy's hair, just like he did
to Amaru. He found himself wishing for his youngest brothers presence
and yet at the same time terribly relieved that he wasn't here to see
this. Tsuzuku rose, taking the sobbing boy with him as Owaru turned to
trot back toward the ruins of Dragon Springs. He held out his other hand
to the forlorn younger boy.

	"Will you take me to the others?"

	The little one took his hand and led him toward the mountain that
formed the north wall of the valley.

						*****

	It was a relief to get outside of the wall and away from the accusing
dead. Though the stench that rose from the east spring was almost
overwhelming. Hajime glared at the carcasses and filth that floated in
what should have been pristine water, then held out his hand as he
reached for power. The whole contents of the marble lined pool rose and
he sent the mess soaring for the fields with a flick of his wrist. Clean
water immediately bubbled from the small fissure in the bottom of the
spring and he jumped down into the bottom to start to work on scrubbing
the blood off. He had just about finished when Owaru appeared at the top
of the spring.

	"Oi! Hajime! We found some kids!" His brother called down with a grin.

	The unkind thought of *Wonderful. More unwanted burdens for me to have
to deal with!* that flicked through his mind startled him and he pushed
it firmly aside. It was wonderful that some of the children had
survived! In fact, it was a miracle! He smiled back up at Owaru.

	"Good! Where are they?" He asked as he lifted the small pool of
red-tinged water out with an effort of will and sent it to join the
disaster in the fields.

	"Tsuzuku went to get them and bring them back. What are we going to do
with them, Brother?" Owaru asked with a frown.

	 "I don't know, Owaru. We'll think of something." He answered as he
turned that problem over and over in his mind.

	Owaru sat on the edge of the spring and kicked his feet as he offered a
variety of suggestions while Hajime waited for enough water so he could
rinse once more. Both of their heads snapped up as they heard the soft
hum of an airplane.

	"I'll go see." Owaru told him.

	Hajime hurried to finish his rinse and kept an eye on his brother as
Owaru took a rather precarious route to the top of one of the less
ruined buildings for a better look as the sound grew louder. He had just
jumped to the top of the spring when the small prop plane came in low to
circle the village then angled off for the fields looking for a place to
land.

	Hajime put the precious books in a small protected nook in the wall
while Owaru came down to join him.

	"Looked like only the pilot." Owaru informed him.

	Hajime nodded and turned to run the perimeter of the walls toward the
plane, Owaru at his side. If this was who he hoped it was, then the
problem of who to leave with the children would hopefully be solved. The
pilot was just hopping down from the plane when they got to it. He was a
stocky, late middle-aged man with more gray in his hair than black. He
gave them a deep bow as Hajime brought them to a halt making sure a safe
and neutral distance separated them.

	"You must be the Ryudo brothers. I'm Kono Yin. The Order sent me to
help out in whatever way I can. Oh," he turned and stood on his tiptoes
to retrieve something out of the plane, "here, you might want these." He
held out a small plastic bag. Owaru moved in to take it, smiled as he
opened it.

	"Thanks, Kono-san!" He bowed to the man as Hajime came up to join them.
"Here, Brother!" Owaru held out a pair of black draw-sting pants then
pulled out another pair and turned his back, suddenly modest, to step
into them.

	"Thank-you." Hajime hurried to put his own pair on.

	"What a mess! Any survivors?" Yin grumbled as the brothers pulled on
T-shirts.

	"Yes. Some children. They should be arriving soon." Hajime told him as
he tugged at the snug fit of the shirt. 
	
	"Good!" He shook his head at the ruins of the village. "Such a shame.
Have you already gone through it?"

	Both Hajime and Owaru nodded with tense expressions.

	"Anything salvageable?"

	"No." Hajime all but snarled. "I'm sorry, Kono-san," he apologized for
the harsh and abrupt statement, "I didn't mean to snap. No. There was
nothing left to save."

	"No apologies necessary, Ryudo-san." The pilot flashed him an
understanding look. "It must have been a...chore. So, how many children
are we expecting?"

	"I don't know. My other brother went to bring them back." He nodded as
Owaru cocked his head and turned slightly. "They are just about here."

	They both followed Owaru as he headed for the cobbled road that led up
to the North Gate. They heard them before they saw them. Infants crying.
It was a sound that struck at his heart. Finally he saw the gleam of his
brother's dark auburn hair and a few seconds later the group formed out
of the haze and distance. Tsuzuku had a toddler in each arm and two
little ones holding on to each side of the scarf that was wrapped around
his hips. There were two older boys a bit younger than Amaru flanking
him, each carrying a younger child and a few older girls who carried the
crying infants they had heard. The rest were six and younger, the older
ones carrying the one and two year olds. The next generation. Hajime did
a quick head count as he, Owaru and Yin hurried toward them. Fifty
eight. Gods! What was he going to do with fifty-eight children?

	"Go help the little ones." Tsuzuku told them as they reached him.

	Hajime took two of the older babies from a pair of straggling little
girls and wished he could carry them also. The dull expression of
exhausted shock in their eyes would stay with him forever. He left Owaru
and Yin to chaperone the back of the group as he went forwards to led
Tsuzuku toward the plane.

	They all had collapsed in a huddled group by the plane, many of the
littlest ones slipping off to nap as they leaned against older ones.
Hajime sent Owaru back into the village with the instructions to find
something that would hold water and bring some back from the east spring
then had approached Kono with his plan to put the children under the
Orders protection for the moment.  He leaned against the side of the
plane listening to the pilot make arrangements over his radio for food
to be flown in now and a bus as soon as possible as he watched Tsuzuku
walk among the children, offering comfort and support where he could. He
knew he should be doing the same thing, but the thought of doing it, of
seeing the silent accusation in their eyes filled him with revulsion and
he wasn't sure if he could hold onto his temper.


(If you think Hajime is acting a bit...strange...you might be right!
^_-)