Part Six: Hiroshi and Kasumi

I think that that must have been the longest night that I’ve ever had to
endure. And to think that I’m a soldier… I’m acting like a child. But
Kasumi… she’s new and she’s different. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone
like her. And I don’t mean the part of her that is “woman”, or “noble”…

She’s different, and she’s special, and…

I don’t want to have to wait anymore. Koori snorts and blows through my hair.
His eyes are amused and I can’t help but grin. I came out to visit him in the
morning. There’s nothing else that I can do here, actually, so it made sense.

“Do you like her?” I ask, plucking a blade of grass up and twisting it over
and over between my fingers. Koori gazes at me with a smirk on his maw then
looks away. “Oh come on, don’t play like this! It’s important…”

Not that I know why. It just… is.

He snorts again and I can tell that he does indeed like her. “She’s special,
isn’t she? Or am I really just a helpless romantic at heart?” He nods at the
last and I roll my eyes. “Oh well thank you kindly, Koori!”

It’s not even midday yet, I muse as I glance at the sun. “Ne, Koori…” I
murmur. “I’ll see you later. I want to get something to eat before the afternoon
rolls around. Is that all right with you?” I ask with a grin.

He hmphs and I have to bite back a laugh. “Have fun in the sun, Koori. I’ll
be back with Kasumi later this afternoon, all right.”

He makes this noise which I’ve come to associate with “get out of here now”
and I mock bow and then turn on my heel, jogging across the wide field back
towards the palace. There’s something off, this morning…

Something that I can’t quite place.

I must have too much on my mind. I don’t normally worry this much… I’m
lighthearted, as Satoshi’s put it. You know, I need to get to know Kasumi
more… I want to know everything about her. I wonder if she’d share… I know I
would with her.

I do end up getting myself something to eat. I’m not as hungry as I thought I
was…

Oh I need to just unload some of this. I’m stressing over nothing… And
that’s when I realize that I’m nervous about seeing Kasumi again. Seeing her at
dinner the night before was different… there was a room seperating us. So I
don’t know why I’m acting this way…

I shake my head and sigh and rest in the quarters set aside for the
dragonriders. It’s… empty here, so it gives me time to think. I see the Johto
riders once, they’re muttering amidst themselves…

That one… the one with the slit eyes, he’s looking at me and it sends
another shiver down my spine. I just don’t like him…

I leave the room behind. I don’t want to be late to meet Kasumi… I tag the
servant from before. “Um…”

“Yes, Dragonrider Hiroshi?” She asks with a pert smile.

I smile in return and run a hand through my hair. “I wanted to ask a favor of
you…”

“Oh,” She tilts her head to the side. “what is it, Dragonrider Hiroshi?”

“Well…” Why am I so nervous? I’d best not be blushing… She muffles a
giggle. Oh gods… I am, aren’t I? “I’m blushing, aren’t I?” I mumble. She nods.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s all right. I’ll just, uh, go this way…” I get away from her as fast
as I can. Why am I acting like this?! I’m a soldier, I’m not a romantic fool! I
shouldn’t be nervous… I’m just going to take her riding, there’s nothing
serious about that, I…

I sigh and run my hands through my hair again and again. I must be losing it.

I sit on a bench near the balcony where I first truly met Kasumi, and sigh as
I glance toward the open structure. I shake my head and glance at my boots. I
must be losing it, I repeat with another sigh. I must be…
~

Gods, I thought that my duties would never end! How strange is that,
especially since they seem to have ended early this afternoon? I must be more
infatuated than I thought… every moment that I am away from Hiroshi makes me
long all the more to be with him. I cannot help but wonder if he feels the same
about me.

I smile to myself, quickening my pace as I walk through the hallway to my
room. I cannot be dressed in my fancy gown if I’m going riding on Hiroshi’s
dragon, now can I? But I want to be with him so badly… I had actually
considered going right to the training grounds without bothering to change
first. Still, it just wouldn’t do to let things like that slide. I will need a
less formal outfit — loose breeches and a tunic and doublet, probably. I’ve
worn like outfits before, so nobody should be too scadalized to see me in it.

At least, I hope not, because I don’t relish the idea of riding Koori in a
dress.

Oh, who cares? I feel like skipping through the halls now, but settle for
humming a little tune under my breath. I’m free for the afternoon! And I get to
see Hiroshi again! I can’t wait! The way he makes me feel when he’s around, it’s
just so wonderful… And thinking about him sends shivers down my spine. I’ve
never met anyone like him before… I don’t think I ever could meet anyone
like him; he’s something so special that it makes my heart sing…

I grin happily; when did I get so romantic? Hopeless… But I don’t care,
because I’m so happy to be going to see him. It’s wonderful. I can’t wait to be
riding on that dragon; it’s going to be an unforgettable experience, without a
doubt. If only I could walk faster… I’m practically running.

“Lady Kasumi?”

I stop in my tracks. Oh no, not now… “Your Grace?” I turn and plaster a
phoney smile that doesn’t feel like staying there across my face. Damn him, damn
him, damn him! Why doesn’t that wretched man just leave me alone? Can’t he see
that I have things to do?

Apparently not. “I heard that you were free this afternoon, my Lady?” he
commented, moving forward to smile at me. “Would you care to spend a few hours
with my poor self?” He bowed. “We could talk over tea and cakes…” Was he
trying to tempt me with food?

I would’ve laughed in his face if he weren’t an ambassador. “I’m sorry, your
Grace, but I’ve made other plans.” I’m doubly grateful to Hiroshi now; he’s
saved me from a fate worse than death! “And I must hurry, or I’ll be late. If
you’ll excuse me…” I turn to leave.

“My Lady.” He grabs my hand. “Think it over.” Now I’m feeling slightly
afraid; there’s a warning look in his eyes that I don’t like at all. “You may
be… safer… staying with me.”

“What on earth do you mean, your Grace?” I ask as politely as I can. I pull
my hand from his. The look on his face could send shivers down my spine that
would be very different from the ones that thoughts of Hiroshi sends. It’s
almost… threatening.

“Nothing, Lady Kasumi.” He smiles once more, and the look is gone from his
face. “I’m sorry to have kept you from your appointment. Please, carry on.”

I’ve never been more relieved. “Thank you, your Grace.” I hurry onward,
resisting the urge to shudder. What was that all about? I’m worried now, and
can’t get back into my earlier lighthearted mood. I still want very much to see
Hiroshi, though, so I hurry to my room and change, then rush out, nearly
knocking over a maid in my haste. I murmur an apology and keep going.

The field is fairly crowded when I arrive, but then, the afternoon is a good
time for flying. White dragons litter the air, beautiful but no longer holding
quite the same enchantment for me that they did before I laid eyes on Koori. I
see riders all around me; most of them recognize me and bow — the red hair is
fairly conspicuous, I suppose. A few just smile, as if they think they know me,
but can’t quite recall where from… I don’t mind that at all. I like being
normal, for once in my life.

I see a flash of gold and recognize Koori — as if I could miss him — just
inside the area where trainers can mount. I suppose he’s waiting for Hiroshi,
who is nowhere in sight… Well, I could go over and wait with him, but I’m so
nervous about approaching the gold without Hiroshi around. I’m not sure if Koori
likes me or not, and I wouldn’t want to offend him. My heart is at stake here; I
don’t think Hiroshi would like to spend time with me as much if his dragon hated
me. So I let my eyes drift away from the gold as I wait for him.

Near the inner edge of the training grounds, I notice a black dragon and its
rider, watching the dragons in the air. For some reason, especially after
speaking with the Johto ambassador, seeing him there gives me the creeps. I
don’t know what he’s doing, either; shouldn’t he be training if he’s out here?
There’s a bitter, almost hateful sort of look on his dark-shadowed face, which
chills me right to the core.

“Kasumi!” I turn, then, and face a beaming Hiroshi. He looks as thrilled to
see me as I am to see him. My heart leaps at the sight of his face. Gods, does he know how handsome he is? All thoughts of the ambassador or his dragonrider
fade from my mind.

“Hello, Hiroshi,” I greet him, smiling. “Are you ready to take me flying,
like you promised?”

“Of course, Kasumi.” He takes my hand and leads me off toward that flash of
gold I had spotted before. Koori looks pleased to see us — mostly Hiroshi, I’d
imagine, but I’d like to think that he might like to see me as well. I smile up
at him almost shyly.

“Hello, Koori.” He bends his head at me, and I would swear that he smiled!
Oh, maybe he does like me! I glance at Hiroshi for guidance. “Can I…?”

“Go ahead.” He’s grinning, so it must be all right. Hesitantly, I pat Koori’s
smooth muzzle, and the gold closes his eyes in pleasure. Oh, excellent! I love
this dragon — not as much as I love his rider, of course, but I love him all
the same.

“Well, Kasumi,” Hiroshi interrupts, smiling happily at the both of us. “Shall
we go? Or did you want to stay here and pat Koori all afternoon.”

The dragon raises his head and snorts at him, making Hiroshi laugh. “Oh,
don’t be that way,” he tells the gold affectionately. “You want to fly just as
badly as we do, and there will be plenty of time later for Kasumi to pet you.”
Koori tosses his head, and Hiroshi laughs again.

I am enthralled by this scene. It’s so fascinating, the way they communicate.
I know that the smile on my face must be a mile wide, and I just can’t help
it…

I think I could seriously fall in love with this Hiroshi. Very seriously.
And I just don’t care at all.
~

I’m so glad that I got to her in time… I didn’t want her to have to wait.
“You didn’t wait long, did you?” I ask as I make preparations for flight. She
shakes her head.

“No, not at all…” She’s still smiling, it’s so very beautiful… I pull my
mind back to the task at hand.

“Good, I would have hated to do that to you… all right, you’ll be sitting
in front of me, Kasumi,” I smile at her, “I don’t want you to fall off…”

She grins back at me. For some reason I think she has more faith in me than I
have in myself… “I’m not worrying about that at all, Hiroshi. So…” I flash
another smile and help her up onto Koori’s back, to the saddle. I secure her and
then sit behind her.

“Is everything all right?” I ask softly. She nods. “This is just so… I
can’t even begin to explain it!”

I smile. “All right then… I suppose I should let the real show begin, hmm?”
She laughs softly and nods. “I cannot wait…”

“Good, because here we go… Let’s go, Koori.” He beats his wings a few
times, to gain lift and then he springs and we’re in the air. It’s always
exhilarating the feel of the air, Koori beneath me… I can only imagine what
it’s like for Kasumi.

Maybe… the first time I ever flew with Koori… That could be close.

“Are you all right?” I ask her softly, close to her ear. She nods. “I…”

“You don’t have to say anything,” I murmur, and then I pay actual attention
so I don’t do anything adverse for our flight. This is wonderful… It’s a rare
occasion that I fly with another. And yes, Erika was nice and all, but Kasumi…
she’s Kasumi and she’s beyond any possible words I could ever think of.

Satoshi really will love to hear about this…

I’m not trying to let Koori dazzle her… but he does have a mind of his own,
and he’s enjoying showing off for the good Lady. And I love him for it. The
sea’s sparkling beneath us and she’s tense with excitement. I think I feel…
I’m not sure… but I like her being this close.

I’m glad she’s in front of me, I’m blushing again… I just can’t explain
this. I don’t spend enough time with people, honestly… I wish I knew what I
was missing. Or… no, it couldn’t be. It’s… different. It’s… not possible.

So it’s like I’m showing her the entire world. You can cover a lot of
distance with the span of a dragon’s wings, and that’s what we’re doing. The
mountains toward the center of the island, back to the sea, then emerald flashes
beneath us…

There’s so much and I wish I could show it to her, all of it. I don’t want to
lose her, you know… I don’t want to have to leave her the way I know I will.
I…

What was that?

“Koori, did you see that?” It was a flash of black… and I don’t like the
feeling that I have suddenly. I loosen one hand on the rein to hold tighter with
my right, and I wrap an arm around Kasumi’s waist. I don’t think she knows that
I think something’s wrong…

“Hiroshi?” I hear her over the wind.

“Kasumi…” There it is again. I turn to look back, and I don’t like what I
see. This isn’t good at all, it’s a black dragon. Dammit, what is Johto trying
to pull now?! “Hold on tight!” I tell her and with a nudge direct Koori to swoop
just as a blast of acid sears over us, dashing to the right and skimming close
to the water. Koori’s maneuverable and that’s what we need right now. Speed and
an ability to dodge. I’m not going to let her get hurt, dammit!

“What’s wrong?” She asks, panicked.

“Don’t worry, we just have an unwanted guest…” I tell her simply enough.
“I’ll get you back to the palace, Kasumi. I…” The black is now on our tail,
but we’re beyond it’s reach. Thank you, Koori, thank you!

“We’ll be back soon, don’t worry.”

“Hiroshi…” I don’t want to try and think of what she’s thinking. I just
want to get her to safety. Because either this rider is rogue and just trying to
kill us because of Koori… or it was something planned and he’s here for
Kasumi…

I suddenly fear for the palace and I urge Koori to faster speeds. We leave
the black dragon far behind. “Hiroshi!” Kasumi yelps. This can’t be good…

It’s only been… what… by the sun, we’ve been out for an hour or so. Not
long at all… but we missed a lot, that is a definite. I should have thought of
this… but I was thinking so much about Kasumi… the palace is being
attacked, there’s fire, there’s…

There’s enough chaos that we go unseen as I find a place to land. I snag her
hand and help her down. “Come on, I’m getting you to safety!”

“But – …” She’s dazed.

“Kasumi, listen to me, please. I’d hate myself if you got hurt…” And this
is enough my fault as anyone else. I… “Please…”

She just resigns herself to follow after me. “Koori, hide yourself. I’ll be
back!”

He roars in agreement. And the thing is… it blends with the chaos around
us. I expect anything but what I find next… it’s Lady Erika and dragonriders
from the Orange Islands. “Hiroshi!”

“Lady Erika…” I’m still holding Kasumi’s hand.

“You have to get Lady Kasumi away from here, they’re after her!” I feel
pale, and Kasumi looks it. They’re after her… because she’s the heir.

“What?” I ask softly. “I mean… what about the High Cleric?” Erika’s
features are grim. Words don’t have to be expressed.

“Just get her out of here, you hear me! I’ll find safety with this rider,”
She motions to one with light brown hair. “but you must protect Lady Kasumi.”

We haven’t even been here long and now we have to go… “Kasumi…”

She’s in shock, I think. And then she goes limp. Oh, this much look so very
cliché… I catch her before she falls and pick her up. “All right, I’ll get her
to safety…” I murmur.

“Good. GO.” Erika orders and I do so.

This… it’s like a fragmented dream, that’s what it is.

“Hiroshi…” Kasumi says, and I put her down on her own feet. She wobbles for
a moment and grips my shoulders. I don’t like the look in her eyes…

“You can’t, Kasumi, you can’t. As long as you survive, then there’s hope.
Please don’t try and sacrifice yourself, please don’t try and sacrifice
yourself… Kasumi…”

I don’t like to feel like I’m begging, pleading. But I don’t want to let her
get hurt and that’s what would happen. I trust her abilities as a cleric, yes,
but there’s a difference between faith and war.

“Don’t risk yourself, please…”

She’s torn… “Hiroshi.” That, I might add, was not Kasumi. I spin and
stand in front of her protectively. I feel like some sort of knight with his
lady… It’s strange. It’s that one dragonrider again. The one who makes me feel
uneasy…

And you know what? He has a sword, and I don’t have one. Oh why me?
“Kasumi, run!” I tell her, snag her hand, and pull her after me. She follows
willingly and I risk a glance back. He’s just standing there and smiling,
that’s not right…

We just have to get back to Koori. How hard could that be?
~

I’m numb. Seriously, I can’t think right now. I can’t feel. I’m cold inside,
and all I can do is let Hiroshi pull me along with him. I don’t even want to
think about what that Johto dragonrider was smiling for…

The High Cleric… I can only imagine what’s happened. It took one afternoon
for everything to fall apart. What will happen to the Orange Islands now, when I
will have to rule and before I can, I’ll have to be taken away? How can I leave
them, though? They’ll be suffering…

I want to break away from Hiroshi and run back to make sure everyone is away
safely. But that’s such a stupid thought, I’m surprised I even considered it.
The most good I’ll be able to do is out of enemy hands, not in them. I have to
get away with Hiroshi now, but I’ll come back. If I have to crawl through the
sewage area, I will come back. I’ll have an army at my back if that’s what it
will take to get Johto away from my homeland! Anger boils in my veins, and I run
faster, no longer just letting Hiroshi pull me after him. The faster we get to
Koori, the faster we can leave, and the faster I can return to reclaim my lands.

A black dragon swoop down in front of us, and Hiroshi comes to an abrupt
halt, automatically putting himself between me and the enemy. From the dragon’s
back, the Johto ambassador smiles at us. “Going somewhere, my Lady?” he asks,
voice laced with sarcasm.

I glare at him fiercely, but say nothing. I don’t really know what to say
anyway. Hiroshi stands in front of me, but there is a noise from behind and the
other dragonrider comes up behind us, sword raised, still smiling. He doesn’t
say anything, but then, he really doesn’t need to: his face expresses enough
hatred and dark triumph without words to add to it.

“As you can see, dragonrider,” the ambassador announces, in satisfied
triumph. “There is no way out of here. Surrender now, and we’ll give you a clean
death — refuse, and the Lady watches you suffer.”

My breath catches as I glance up at Hiroshi — but a grin is spreading across
his face, and then… I blink. Is he… laughing?

“Hiroshi…?” My voice is barely a whisper. What on earth could be funny
about this situation? We’re caught in a dead-end, surrounded… How could he
find his own death so amusing?

“Perhaps, your Grace,” he remarks casually, eyes sparkling almost wickedly,
“you should have done more research on the gold dragons we use for border duty.”
At this, he glances back at the dragonrider behind us, and I see a flash of
recognition in his eyes. “You had a fighter, didn’t you?” he murmurs, and then
everything explodes.

The black dragon screams in pain and rage; it didn’t even see Koori’s attack
coming. I glance up at Hiroshi in astonishment; he doesn’t look surprised, only
determined. How did he get Koori to come to him? “You see,” he finishes softly.
“They’re really very good at sneaking up on people.” The dragonrider from behind
us lunges in for an attack…

But it’s too late. Hiroshi pulls himself expertly onto his gold’s back,
yanking me up in front of him one-handed. We don’t have time for fastenings…
“Trust me, Kasumi,” he whispers urgently into my ear, and then Koori takes off
and we’re airborn once more.

“All right…” I’m not sure if he can hear me. The reins are in one hand, and
he’s holding onto the saddle as well. I trust him to handle this; from what I’ve
seen of the bond between him and Koori, I think he can handle this trouble.

The dragonrider who’d been attacking us with a sword is now chasing us on his
own dragon — a black, naturally. Koori dodges its acid breath and keeps going,
through the clouds, trying to lose it. The black appears to have been built for
speed as well, because it keeps with the gold’s flight.

Hiroshi mutters a curse under his breath. “We’re going to have to fight him,
Koori,” he shouts. “Think you can?”

In answer, the gold wheels abruptly and shoots a wall of flame back at the
enemy, who dodges. I feel light-headed; this much adventure, coming so
suddenly… It’s really too much. I’m used to seeing ice blasts, so the fire
shocks me somewhat — and it’s so close…

The black aims another burst of acid in our direction, and Koori dodges with
calculated slowness; a hint of it hits on his right hind leg. He roars, but I
get the feeling he’s in less pain than he’s letting on. The black moves in for
the kill, and that’s when Koori lets loose another fire blast, this time scoring
a direct hit on the black’s left wing. I watch in horrified fascination as the
beast screams and drops back, slowly making its way back in for a painful
landing. It can’t follow us, not any more.

“Good, Koori,” Hiroshi murmurs. How can he be so calm? I never thought I’d be
witnessing a battle, especially not from such a viewpoint… “The other was
taken out of action when you attacked it on the ground, wasn’t it?”

The gold snorts an assent, but there’s pain in the sound as well. “He’s
wounded,” I say softly, unable to fully focuss on the situation yet. I’m
thinking in fragments; it hasn’t been able to completely catch up to me at the
moment.

“I know,” Hiroshi answered grimly. “I don’t have the proper salve for it; I
didn’t think we’d need it for an afternoon flight. All I have with me are the
emergency food supplies…”

I look down at the ground. It’s unfamiliar… “Where are we?” I ask now.
Koori’s injured, we’re lost — what next?

He glances downward as well. “By the border between Johto and the Sekiei
Kougen,” he answers, and then his expression brightens as he seems to recognize
the area. “Satoshi!” he breathes suddenly, as if a solution to our problem can
be summed up in that one name.

Well, maybe it can. I’m honestly in no position to think right now, so I let
Hiroshi take me wherever he will. I can only think of one thing: reclaiming what
was stolen from me.

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