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

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	The children had collapsed into a subdued, huddled group and many of
the littlest ones had slipped off to sleep 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 clean
spring before he approached Kono with his plan to put the children under
the Order's protection for the moment. 

	Yin had agreed and now he leaned against the side of the plane and
listened to the pilot make arrangements over his radio for food and help
to be flown in while he watched Tsuzuku walk among the children. His
brother was offering comfort and support where he could and he knew he
should be doing the same. Yet the thought of seeing the silent
accusation in their eyes filled him with revulsion. He frowned and
rubbed at the tight, uncomfortable sensation that had appeared in the
center of his forehead. It wasn't quite a headache. At least, not yet.

	Owaru came back with a slightly charred bucket and Hajime still
remained apart from his brothers as they moved through the group
offering water. There wasn't enough, of course. He intercepted Owaru as
his brother started to head back for the spring and took the bucket from
him. This was something he could do, and besides, he needed to get the
manuscripts from the wall for Yin to send to them in the States.

	He wished that the relief plane would hurry up and arrive. He wanted to
get back to Amaru. After seeing what their enemy had done here, the
thought of his youngest brother and Matsuri being under the scant
protection of Jasmine and Elenora and their three human friends was not
in the least bit reassuring.

	He frowned at nothing in particular as the thought of Jasmine and
Matsuri brought forth a stab of resentment. Why was it that Tsuzuku
always had such luck? He shook his head and tried to push that thought
back into the dark spot it had slunk out of as he reached the spring.
The water was almost to the top so he had no problems filling the
bucket. He took it with him to the wall, then removed his T-shirt and
used it to wrap the manuscripts in.

	Thoughts of Matsuri plagued him as he headed back. Being around her was
becoming more and more of a torment and he decided he had been wrong. As
soon as they got back, he would ask Tita to find a safe place for her to
stay until he could figure a way to get her home. He motioned for Owaru
to come and take the bucket and forced himself to smile at the young
faces that turned toward him.

	Tsuzuku came toward him as Owaru left with the bucket and he gave a
cynical smile, somewhat amused at how ill-fitting pants and a white
T-shirt could still look elegant when his brother was wearing them.

	"Are we going to bury them, Elder Brother?" Tsuzuku asked as his gaze
shifted to the carrion birds that were starting to show up in the skies
over the village in huge numbers.

	Hajime shook his head.

	"I'll take care of it, Tsuzuku," he snapped in response to the startled
expression that appeared on his brothers face. "Tell Owaru that we will
be leaving shortly." He couldn't wait to get away from this place!

	"You have decided not to wait for the plane?" Tsuzuku tipped his head
slightly, an unconscious gesture he used when he disagreed with his
oldest brothers plans.

	Normally Hajime would accept this and take the unspoken advisement
under consideration. At the moment it only irritated him. Why did
Tsuzuku have to question every thing he said lately? He took a deep
breath and rubbed at his forehead again. Sometime in the walk back from
the spring the pressure had turned into an ache. Still, it was no excuse
for his surly behavior and taking out his frustration on his brother was
not right.

	"No. We need to get back to Amaru. If the Gyushu find him alone..." he
left that to hang.

	"Jasmine and Elenora are with him, Hajime." Tsuzuku answered
soothingly.

	"This was a whole village full of dragon-blooded people, Brother! And
that fact didn't slow those bastards down one bit! Did you see a single
Gyushu body among the dead?"

	Tsuzuku took a slight step back, away from his brother's vehemence. "I
imagine they took their dead with them, Elder Brother."

	"Perhaps." Hajime bit back. "But I don't want to take any chances with
Amaru's safety. Do you?"

	"Of course not, Hajime!" Tsuzuku took a breath to continue but Hajime
cut him off.

	"Just go and tell Owaru that we are leaving." He told him in a cold,
flat tone as he turned to go speak with Yin.

	Tsuzuku frowned, full of concern, as he followed his brother's back
with his eyes. Hajime's curt and cold behavior had to be a reaction to
the stress and horror that they had just experienced. He was sure that
as soon as they got back to Amaru and Matsuri his bother's mood would
shift. He knew his would once he held Jasmine in his arms and let her
presence help erase the images of the things he had just seen.

	He told Owaru that they were leaving and gave him a quiet warning about
their Eldest Brother's mood. Owaru came with him as he went to Koji and
Hotori, the two boys that they had first come across. Neither of them
were happy when he told them they had to go, but they seemed reassured
when he promised them that the people who were coming were good people
and would keep them all together. They both gave solemn promises to
behave and keep the others in line for Yin and the people who were
coming to help them. He felt a twinge of guilt at having to leave them
in the hands of strangers, but they had no other choice. Yin bade them
good luck with a bow and an added reassurance that he would personally
make sure the children were well taken care of.

	Hajime was glad that both of his brothers were silent as they followed
him past the far side of the ruined village and back into the trees. He
found a clearing at a far enough distance that they shouldn't be easily
seen when he took them up to Change.

	"Don't bother." He said when Owaru started to take off his T-shirt.

	The questioning glance Owaru traded with Tsuzuku grated. Hajime gave
himself a mental shake and told himself to stop this nonsense as Tsuzuku
responded with a minuscule shrug. They were all on edge and the sooner
he could get himself and them away from here, the better.

	"Ready?"

	Both his brother's nodded.

	He lifted them all into the sky and frowned as he felt Tsuzuku's
tension. Why did his second brother resist this so much? The dragon was
a part of himself that he could not deny, like his heart and soul.

	"Tsuzuku, stop fighting it!" He growled.

	"Hai, Elder Brother!" Tsuzuku answered back as he forced his clenched
jaw muscles to relax.

	When Tsuzuku was ready, he willed their Change. He told Owaru and
Tsuzuku to stay behind him as he went to circle around the village. The
children all went into a formal reverence as he soared over them, which
pleased him. He stopped to hover before the village and with a single
breath finished what the Gyushu had started. When he was done nothing
remained but a smooth, empty area that glittered like a polished marble
floor with four clear springs at each corner. He didn't look back as he
soared straight up, longing for escape from this place and the memories
he knew he would never be free of.

	Tsuzuku started to follow, then paused to wait as Owaru hovered over
the astounded children and the unbelieving upturned face of Kono Yin and
hummed a pure, happy note.

	*Owaru, come on!* Tsuzuku called for his brother with a chiming roar.
Hajime was not waiting for them.

	Owaru winked one great silver eye then both of the dragons were gone
with a flash like lightning. 

						*****

	Mizuchi knocked back the last swallow of the weak American beer and
dropped the butt of his cigarette into the empty can. He stretched as he
did a quick check on the scattered group around him. He was on guard
duty, after all. Even if it was self-appointed. It seemed the only way
to get out of the spontaneous English lesson that had sprung up between
Shinkai and Jasmine. He shook his head in mock disgust as he looked at
the two of them sitting on the big blanket under the shade of the trees,
still going at it after three hours.

	Matsunaga's happy barks brought his attention back to the group on the
thin strip of beach below him. They had gotten bored with beachcombing
and now Nijikawa was playing catch with Amaru and Elenora, Matsunaga
racing back and forth between them with dumb doggy delight as he chased
the airborne ball. Tita-san and Matsuri had sat on a nearby rock to
watch and Mizuchi had noticed that Matsuri's head turned more and more
often toward the open expanse of the ocean. 

	He expected that Hajime wouldn't come in until after it was dark and
sunset was still hours away. He crossed his arms across his chest as he
leaned back into the shade of the outcropping of rock he had chosen for
his look-out spot. The .45 Magnum that Tita had handed him out of the
sight of the others dug into the small of his back and he shifted
slightly and wished for a proper holster. She had grinned at his
surprise when he had unloaded the clip in his quick inspection of the
weapon. She then informed him that quite a few of the 'unusual'
creatures of the world had violent reactions to silver. A week ago he
would have laughed at her and said, "a bullet's a bullet." Now he wasn't
so sure.

	The heat joined with the droning buzz of cicada's and the hypnotic rush
of the surf and he wasn't sure when he drifted off.


	A light touch to his shoulder startled him out of sleep and one hand
reached instinctively for the gun. He modified the gesture into a one
armed stretch as soon as Matsuri's beautiful features registered in the
strange, rust-edged light that was leftover from the just set sun.

	"Mizuchi-san, they are coming!" She smiled at him, full of relieved
expectation.

	"Great! I'll be with you in a minute, Matsuri-san," he answered around
a yawn as he realized he must have been more tired than he thought. He
waited until she was half-way back down the small rise before he ducked
around the boulders to answer natures call.

				
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