O.K. Let's try this again! Let me know if it's better, worse, what needs
to be fixed...*grumble*...^_-

Windlily


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


	"TREES!!!" Shinkai roared and tried to pull them all toward the left.

	Elenora didn't answer, just kept plowing straight up the narrow strip
between beach and tree line. She didn't have the time or breath to waste
to tell this fool reporter that trees would offer no protection from
Amaru's Change or the Blue Dragon King of the East. In fact, she had no
desire to be anywhere near those trees when Amaru's power hit them. They
would become nothing but sharp, splintered projectiles riding his power
wave.

	Matsuri tried to wrench her wrist out of Shinkai's grasp as both
Elenora and Shinkai tried to drag her different directions. Suddenly one
foot was lower and trapped. She let out a little shriek and both Shinkai
and Elenora's hands came loose as she went sprawling forward onto hands
and knees. Pain stabbed through her ankle as she tried to get her feet
back under her to push off. Tears sprang into her eyes as she gasped and
went back to her knees.

	"Matsu..."

	Her head snapped up as Elenora's concerned yell was cut off. They were
about ten meters past her. Elenora had her arms up and crossed over her
head, Shinkai going from hands and knees flat to the ground as the
blue-white power crackled around the pale lavender of Elenora's ward.
Elenora went to her knees as she watched, the ward continuing to shrink
under Hajime's attack. She could see Elenora trembling with exertion
from here. What was Hajime doing to them?

	Gravity! That was one of the things his Dragon controlled. Was he
trying to squash them? She rolled over onto her rear and swallowed hard
as she scooted backwards a bit in instinctual fear. Hajime's was so
close that he had to turn his head to look at her. She could clearly see
the Shadow that clung to him like black velvet moss. Gods! What was it?
And he was hurt! She stretched out her hand, wanting to touch, to help.

	"Hajime-san? What wrong? Why are you doing this?"

	*Wrong? Why nothing, Matsuri-chan. In fact, everything is going to be
very right in just a few seconds. I'm going to be free of you! No matter
what it takes!"* The roar that accompanied his mental voice left her
ears ringing.

	*Free of me?* Hajime was planning to kill her. She knew it, saw it in
the ruby fury of his glowing eyes.

	A part of her soul wailed. She didn't understand! Tita had said he
loved her, more than life itself! She was to remember that. It had to be
that Shadow thing. She closed her eyes against it.

	*Please, help him!* She prayed that with all her will and might.

	Hajime would never hurt her. That Shadow-thing that surrounded him
could not make him do it. She knew it in the same way her heart knew how
to beat and she knew how to draw breath. She got very hot and dizzy,
like she was going to faint. Her hair came forwards to whip around her
face and she felt the tug at her cloths as the Dragon inhaled. He would
not hurt her. He would not! She believed that with all of her soul.

	
						***

	All it would take was one small breath and the torment would be
extinguished forever. It was such a simple solution. He wondered why he
hadn't thought of it before. He blinked in surprise as translucent
golden wings appeared behind her, beat the air forwards into his face as
the rest of the bird formed, it's head hovering over hers. He hissed his
amusement. It was pathetic. He breathed in, ready to end this.

	The scent that rode the wind was more than a mere aroma. It was taste
and sensation and radiated through every fiber of his being. It was as
subtle as the scent of desert air after rain, as overwhelming as a
cherry orchard in full bloom. He froze in astonishment as he realized
what it was.

	*Matsuri-chan?* It was a stuttered, stunned and confused whisper.

	*A lie! A trick! She does it just to hurt you some more!*

	No! This was real. He took another breath, and the Dragon hummed with
pleasure. This was real! It was Matsuri's scent!

	Mocking laughter rang through his head. *You are such a pathetic
creature! So easily tricked! It is the thing behind her!*

	Hajime became aware of that other voice which had been whispering to
him for the first time since it had entwined itself around his spirit
and started to warp his soul with it's soothing insidious suggestions.
He turned his awareness inwards.

	He stood in a sparking white fog and faced...himself. Yet it was not.
It couldn't be. It was like looking into a blotched and tarnished
mirror.

	*Who are you?* He asked in confusion.

	*Who are you?* The distorted image of himself mimicked at the same
time, with the same look of puzzlement on it's face.

	Hajime shook his head. This was not him! *Who are you?!*

	Once again the image asked the same thing with him, though this time he
thought he detected a glint of something sly and malicious in it's eyes.
This was not him. It couldn't be!

	*Oh, but I am. In body and spirit.*

	Hajime startled as the mirror-image answered on it's own. He shook his
head in denial as he began to fight his way through the fine white mist
that hung around him, clung to him, it's touch like cold damp leaves. He
had to get out of it! There was something important beyond this mist he
was supposed to see, to know.

	His mirror-image moved with him. It laughed as it stepped back easily
in response to each of his effort-filled steps forwards as he struggled
on. It was an evil, insane sound.

	*We really don't want to go there, my Other Self. You won't like what
you find. In fact, it will probably destroy us. *

	He ignored it and gained more ground. The mist was thinning. Each step
was becoming easier and now with every step a bit of awareness of what
he'd done swirled towards him. Sokokukyo laughing as he rose on his
mission of destruction, Owaru an unwilling and unconscious participant
because he trusted his brother...Amaru's scream of pain as he doubled
over the invisible blow that had come from his anger...Tsuzuku...Oh,
Gods...no...Tsuzuku!...and finally Matsuri.

	Matsuri staring up at him with terror in her eyes, terror of him, yet
still she reached towards him, blood oozing from the scrapes on her
palm. A part of his soul withered as he realized what he had been ready
to do, would have done without a second thought if it had not been for
her scent. He mentally reeled, screamed in horror, in terror, in despair
and fury as he realized a Gyushu thing was inside him and what it had
made him do.

	The Shadow that was himself grinned and bowed. *Took you long enough to
figure it out! But then the Go have always been too slow and too late!*

	*Get out! Get out of my head!*

	*No. I like it in here. There is so much to play with!* The Shadow
giggled.

	*Get OUT!!* He launched himself at it, the Shadow-Hajime moving like a
mirror-image as they came together.

	He screamed as the pain he inflicted on it was reflected back on
himself. For a moment the pain overcame him and he couldn't breath,
couldn't see, couldn't think...a quiet dark void opened under him and he
felt the pull of it.

	It would be so easy to go there, to escape the pain of spirit and
body...so easy...but that 'thing' would still be in him and it would
hurt Matsuri. And as long as he lived, nothing would hurt Matsuri.
Nothing.

	He steeled himself and struck again. The Shadow began to laugh. It
didn't matter. The pain didn't matter. Nothing mattered but getting this
thing...*Out!*

	The Shadow-Hajime's mirth cut off and it began to howl in disbelief as
he pushed it away. It would be out...Of...HIM!!!

	He was alone. Truly alone. It was a strange feeling. He hung,
exhausted, and aghast with disbelief. No. It wasn't true! It couldn't
be...but it was. Oh Gods, help him, it was. He would never forgive
himself! Never...


					***

	Hajime's bass screams made the ground shiver under her. The agony in
those sounds squeezed her chest and made it hard to breathe. Matsuri
reached out once again as the Dragon's head whipped back and forth. It
was a stupid and futile gesture, she knew it, but she couldn't help
herself as he writhed and thrashed in the air, just like a snake did
when it's head was chopped off. 

	Then the Shadow moved. It pulled in on itself, starting at the tip of
the dragon's tail and clawed toes and moving up until it was
concentrated around his head, hiding the glow of his eyes and muffling
his screams. He froze, began to go limp and for a moment her heart
stopped beating. Then the dragon jerked, clawed at his head, his talons
raking gashes in the blackness and the blue hide beneath it. But it came
off! Slowly, like cooling tar, it stretched out and down to puddle on
the ground.

	He hung in the air above her, this time totally limp. His great head
swayed, pushed by the ocean wind, and the blue of his aura was a sickly
phosphorescent glow that barely rimmed his outline. Her eyes hunted for
any patches of Darkness on him. There was no trace of the Shadow. Her
heart resumed it's frantic beat with a painful lurch as he made a little
sound, almost a whimper. Then there was a flash that hurt her eyes. She
forced herself to squint around the tears and watched Hajime re-form out
of the flickering blue-white sparkles. For an instant he stood tall and
regal, then collapsed with an almost boneless grace.

	"Hajime!" She tried to get her feet under her once more, bit back a
yell as her ankle protested loudly.

	She started to crawl, determined to reach him. She stopped and gulped
when the pool of Shadow ick twitched and pulsed. She froze and stared in
horror as it pulled in on itself once more and rose, molding itself into
something human shaped. Something Hajime shaped. She swallowed hard on
the wave of sickness that threatened.

	"Matsuri-chan!" It called in a whispered croak.

	She shuddered at the ruined sound of Hajime's voice. That broke through
her shock and she crawled backwards as fast as she could, but it wasn't
fast enough. The thing seemed to flow forwards, reaching for her,
whispering her name. There was a sharp, loud bang and the thing flinched
and hissed. Still, it came at her.

	Gunshots! She recognized the sounds as the Shadow jerked again and
again as she continued to back. The Shadow followed but was loosing
substance with each impact. It lunged for her with a scream of fury as
two more bullets went into it. She screamed too, felt something
incredibly cold burn the side of her face as it turned into a fine white
dust right as it reached her. It swirled past her and then dissipated
into the wind.

	She found herself gulping for air and shuddering, her supporting arms
threatening to go out and pitch her forwards onto her face.

	"Toba-san?"

	Mizuchi. The Lieutenant was next to her, alert and scanning the
surroundings for any other threat, the silver glitter of a gun in both
hands.

	"Go check the others!" She started forward, once again focused on
Hajime.

	The Lieutenant scooped her up and carried her to him. He helped her
roll the limp form over and she heard him take a sharp breath as he saw
the blood slowly seeping from the torn flesh of Hajime's chest and his
sallow color. He waited, as tense as she was, as she put her fingers to
the pulse point on Hajime's throat. The beat was slow and faint, but
there.

	"He's alive." She felt light-headed with relief.

	Mizuchi gave her a strained smile, then pulled his shirt over his head,
folded it once and put it over the wound.

	"Keep pressure on it, Matsuri-san. Help's on the way."

	She nodded at him, too exhausted to get words out as she put both of
her hands on the shirt and pressed firmly. He was alive. Alive and free
of the Shadow. The Lieutenant rose and patted her shoulder, then went to
check the others.


						***


	The crushing pressure was gone! It was a miracle to pull air into his
lungs easily and he realized he was starting to hyperventilate. He gave
the unconscious form of the youngest Tanaka sister draped along his
chest a gentle hug even though it hurt every bruised muscle in his body.

	She had saved his life. She had placed herself over him, driven to her
hands and knees but no further. He had tried to whisper encouragement to
her as her whole body had shaken with the strain of keeping enough of
the pressure at bay so it didn't grind them into pulp. When the pressure
had lifted, she had collapsed on top of him. But she was breathing
regularly and her heart was pounding fiercely under his hands.

	"Shinkai?"

	He opened his eyes and focused on Mizuchi's upside down face.

	"You O.K.?"

	"No, I'm not okay." He growled back. "But I'll live. So will she." He
answered Mizuchi's concerned study of the girl that lay on top of him.
"The others?"

	"Amaru's out cold, Nijikawa's pretty banged up but in one piece. Tita's
with him. For once all his extra padding came in handy!" Mizuchi
actually had the gall to wink at him.

	"Hajime and Matsuri?"

	The amusement that had sparkled for a moment in the Lieutenant's eyes
fled.

	"Matsuri's all right. Hajime is in pretty bad shape. But we've seen
them in bad shape before, right? I mean, they're Dragons! They heal
super fast, right?" There was worry in his voice.

	Shinkai didn't know how to answer it. "I assume so, Mizuchi. Have
Jasmine and Tsuzuku shown up yet?"

	Mizuchi shook his head no.

	"Well, go look for them!" *Idiot*

	"O.K! O.K! Jeez! What a grouch! You must be all right to be so
foul-tempered!" He grinned and winked again, then turned and trotted
away for the beach, whistling and calling for his dog.

					***