Dirty Paws

[Aikawa Kotaro]

"Because, this is just one universe," he said, as if it was obvious. All right, he knew full well that it wasn't obvious to these kids but if they were messing around with the Other Side of Hazleton then they were going to learn about it one way or another. Kotaro wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea that he might have to play babysitter, though. He'd only come here because there was a child in danger but he never intended on doing anything more than protecting the kid from a one-time danger. He hadn't anticipated being tangled up with the being that called himself Ryan now.

"Even if this dragon is gone, there's multiple others." He leaned his head back and eyed the skyline, but he was really tilting his gaze about the area, wondering if Ryan was still nearby. His presence was noticeable if he was but that meant so little when one was dealing with something like Ryan.

"Of course, that means the others don't know or remember you so..."

Kotaro shrugged.

The older kid was staring at him slack-jawed for a moment but there was something in his eyes. He didn't like what he'd heard, eh? Well... how did they put it? Them's the breaks.

"Look, you kids should stop meddling in this. Crossing a guy like... Ryan, that's not going to end well. For any of you."

[Kero Sima]

"THERE ARE OTHER DRAGONS?!" But the SAME Dragon just from different universes?! "WE CAN HAVE A BUNCH OF HIM?!"

Kero wasn't really careful with his voice and a couple of kids riding by on their bikes sent him weird looks. He didn't care (for once) though, about being gawked at. He was gawking plenty hard at the tall guy. Then he gawked at his brother, and finally at his new friend Elke. They could be swimming in Dragons! Or... well that sounded weird even in his head but--there was a chance to get Dragon back! (Or multiple Dragons and maybe one of them could just be HIS friend, instead of his AND Kinley's friend!)

"How do you know Ryan? Is he gonna kill the other Dragons if we bring them here?" It seemed a given now that they were going to bring Dragon--or multiple Dragons!--back.

[Kinley Sima]

While Kero flipped out over the idea of other dragons and lots of the same Dragon, specifically, Kinley remained silent and stony. His heart ached and when he ran his hand over his chest, it quelled nothing. His eyes felt permanently burned and moist and he couldn't stop the feeling of a enormous weight sitting on him. He didn't want any dragon. He wanted his Dragon.

Kinley didn't even hear whatever the old guy had to say to Kero as he abruptly tore himself away from the others and stalked away from the bushes where he'd last seen Dragon. As he did, he swiped an arm across his blurring eyes. He couldn't even force himself to make words with his mouth; he was too devastated.

Who cared about Ryan? Who cared about this old guy or that kid or Kero? No, no, he cared about Kero. That was the thought that made him stumble to a stop and croak out, "Come on, Kero!" through a tight throat. "Let's go!"

[Kero Sima]

Oh... Ryan would definitely target all the other Dragons. Kero was deflated momentarily, crestfallen at the disappointment of losing all those other Dragons. Before he could question the man further, Kinley was stalking away, visibly upset. He seemed to even be crying, which only served to upset Kero further. Kinley wasn't the tearing-up kinda guy--not normally. Then again, there wasn't a lot that happened in their lives to routinely make them cry.

"Kin!" Kero ran up to him and latched onto his hand, pulling back to stop him. "Kin we gotta--we gotta bring Dragon back! Even if it's just one... Ryan wouldn't care if we got just one right?!"

Surely one tiny little dragon wouldn't upset Ryan. Maybe he wouldn't even know they brought one back and if Dragon stayed in his human form, then... he could get away undetected. Kero squeezed his brother's hand, looking up into red-rimmed, teary eyes. Kinley didn't look like he'd just bawled his eyes out but it was pretty obvious that he was upset.

"C'mon Kin... We'll get him back, don't-don't cry..."

[Kinley Sima]

He hated crying. He hated ugly crying. He hated sobbing. He hated bawling in front of other people. Truly, Kinley hated showing that kind of emotion around people, even his little brother. Especially his little brother. Kinley wanted Kero to think he was strong, capable, and invincible--all things that Kinley had always thought his older brother was. But then, look how that turned out.

Inside, his stomach churned and his throat tightened. He couldn't stop fresh warmth from filling his eyes, no matter how he tried to stave the tears off. Dragon, gone forever. There could be thousands but none of them would be his Dragon. There wouldn't be the admittedly short history between them. The soft words, the broken sentences, the look in his--

That's when he lost it. Kinley dropped down to a crouch, hiding his face in the crook of his arm and refusing to look up as a hiccup escaped.

It wasn't fair. All he could see were those trusting eyes, looking to him for help. And he'd failed. He'd failed him.

[Kero Sima]

"K-Kin?!" Alarmed, Kero fell to his knees beside his brother. He awkwardly slid an arm around Kinley's shoulders and gave him a pleading squeeze. Crying at home was one thing but--but out here in public! It was so embarrassing! No guy wanted to be caught bawling!

"We can get one back!"

Not knowing that his words were having just the opposite effect, he tried to offer what he thought were helpful, comforting words. After all, Dragon was Dragon, no matter which universe he came from, right? All Kinley needed was one Dragon. And Kero... well, he could share that one with his brother, if he absolutely couldn't have his own Dragon friend. (Andy counted though, sorta--but not really. But sorta.)

He threw a desperate look over at the tall guy. "You can bring one back right?! C'mon man, help us out!"

[Aikawa Kotaro]

All these kids were having little mental breakdowns. Kotaro looked away, running a hand through his hair and wishing that he'd never answered the call of that little one. The littlest one was still huddling in his jacket and looking uncomfortable. A little like he was gonna start bawling, actually. And the oldest one was definitely bawling. All right, quietly crying, but he was crying. Kotaro didn't get into this whole business to watch kids cry.

There was nothing here to save them from. He answered these calls when there were hunters present. He answered these calls when there were conflicts between packs or families. He didn't answer them to explain that the presence they just met wasn't human and he could pretty much destroy all of them if he so chose to.

That or make "life" much worse for them.

Hazleton was more his than any of theirs--they were just a bunch of kids and an older man who worked in the shadows.

"No, I can't. That's not within my wheelhouse, kid." He looked back over at the kids, at the middle one, the one staring at him. "It's not like it's dead," he said finally after a long moment. "Dragons like that, they have a different kind of... body makeup. Yeah?"

[Kero Sima]

"WAIT!" Kero threw out a hand, interrupting the bad-guy cop at the last second. He frowned, brows creased so hard together that it made his forehead hurt. He even put a hand up to his temple, concentrating so hard that it was a wonder smoke didn't come out of his ears.

Because he just remembered... and it was kind of a while ago that he had the conversation... that Andy was a dragon. Sorta. Like a dead one that came back to life as people--or rather as a stubborn and sometimes annoying person. But the point was, he came back. And he was a dragon before. Like how Dragon was a dragon now, but was no longer.

"ANDY!" he shouted again, almost right into Kinley's ear. Kero grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "ANDY AND HIS MOM! THEY WERE--like Dragon!" The last words he hissed to Kinley in an exaggerated whisper, looking over his shoulder at the bad-guy cop who was still collaring Elke and holding him hostage. Kero's eyes narrowed. "Kin, Andy and his mom! They were dragons before but now they're people!"

[Kinley Sima]

"What?"

Kinley barely registered the words as Kero hissed them insistently at him. Dragons? Andy and his mom? What did that mean about the rest of the family, then? Were they all...? But... Wait, they died as dragons and came back as people? Was that Kinley was understanding? He struggled to hang onto that because a tendril of hope curled around his heart. It could be true. Lots of stranger things had turned out to be true of this world.

"Really?" The more the thought took hold of him, the more like a person he started to feel again. The weird numbness in his chest was still there but at least his limbs and his body was moving, working to stand up, to move him away from this awful place and toward answers.

"Let's go," he said, completely blocking out the creepy old guy and the kid.

(I'm going to go ahead and close this but whenever you want to continue we can start fresh.)