We Are Bulletproof

Sounded like a frightened little kid on the phone but when Kotaro appeared at the park, he found himself facing down an old and familiar face. The one who created creatures or summoned them to this realm in order to cause mayhem. Kotaro raised his brows, not having expected to face him. Hazleton was something of a nexus for supernatural activity in the world but it was one of many--he didn't think this little place warranted the attention of somebody so powerful. He said as much, and he wasn't sure what was going on but the dragon that the kid had called about... his energy was diminishing rather quickly.

Mid-conversation, however, he found himself assaulted by a small, furry animal. The thing dropped down from a tree and grabbed onto Kotaro's face and clung to it and Kotaro struggled to pry the thing off. It made some kind of sound as it clung to him with all its strength and then a moment later there was some human kid coming charging at him.

With an ungainly motion, he threw a hand out and tried to keep the kid at bay while the other hand was still on the furry creature that doggedly would not let go.

Blue

"LEAVE ELKE ALONE!"

Kero ran into the thick of things, finally unable to stand by and do nothing. He wasn't the bravest of the brave--not even mildly brave--but even he couldn't watch Elke struggling against a big guy like that crooked cop.

Kero's adventurous streak came mostly from being a dumb kid and not knowing better, or from his desire to be just like his brother Kinley. When Kinley did dumb things, Kero did dumb things, too. It usually happened like that. For example--Kinley sneaking off to go see the pride parade, and not even taking Kero. He contemplated taking a Greyhound out to Portland, too, but he didn't have enough money to pay for the bus fare. Thus, he was stuck in Hazleton. But good thing he was because he found Dragon! Kinley would be so thankful, he'd HAVE to take Kero along next time!

Flailing his arms like windmills, Kero tried to get the stranger--the bigger of the two evil bad guys--to stop attacking Elke. Never mind the fact that it was Elke who leapt onto the guy first! Elke was just a kid! Who attacked kids?!

"DRAGON RUN! GO HOME!" he yelled, sparing a glance at Dragon who was half-hidden behind some bushes nearby. Dragon looked weak and sad and faded, just like he told Kinley over text. His ink was smudgey; it looked like somebody took an eraser and was trying to erase him. Only the eraser was bad and didn't rub out the marks completely so he looked blurry and indistinct, but still present somehow.

What in the spirits' name was going on here? There was this kid coming at him shouting about leaving Elk-something-or-other alone and he had to surmise that was the name of the dragon. At least, he thought as much up until the part where the kid started shouting at the dragon to run. Finally prying the little fur ball off his face but leaving stinging scratches down his face, Kotaro shook out the animal and gave it a stare. Red panda from the looks of it. A little one, too, half grown.

"You kids have no idea what you're doing," he said, and he had more to say but the panda bit him nice and hard right in the crook of his hand, where the thumb met the palm. Letting out a shout, he finally dropped the panda and it rolled onto the ground amidst dried up leaves and dirt.

He felt the magic as it occurred. Shifting took a bit of magic; it didn't surprise him that the panda was a shifter. Mostly because 1. these animals weren't native to the area and 2. they weren't known for dropping from the sky onto unsuspecting mens' faces.

And it wasn't much of a surprise that it was a kid when it shifted and pointed at himself and the man he'd met. "You two are in... cohorts with each other!"

Cohorts?

"Elke!" Kero shouted as he ran after Elke with both arms held out, like he could stop him from rolling if he reached out hard enough. He goggled when a kid emerged from the form of the red panda—which hadn't been an exaggeration. Then he whipped around to glare at the crooked cop and at the other man, whom he recognized as the owner of the Moonlight Inn (now closed, after the fog happened).

Pointing an accusatory hand at the taller—and therefore eviler—man, Kero nodded to agree with Elke. "You're supposed to be the good guy!"

But wait. Why was Ryan hurting Dragon? Was he the bad guy or was the bad guy already gone? From what Kero knew of Ryan, he seemed nice. Kinda quiet and unassuming, and he never left the Moonlight Inn to come into town—that Kero knew of. The times that Kero saw him, he was out in the woods by the outskirts with his friends, passing by. Ryan usually stood at the door and waved at them when he saw them.

"No one's hurting... ah... Dragon?" Ryan said calmly, stepping forward finally. "We were just looking at him."

And there was something in his eyes that made goosebumps rise up all along Kero's arms, when their gazes matched.

"Yeah!" Elke agreed, then looked over at the other kid. Wait, which one was the good guy? Weren't they both bad guys? Elke was so confused now. And where was the cop. If this was the cop then--then yeah! He was supposed to be a good guy! Yeah! Elke stared at him like he could force him into turning into a good guy. All the man did was take off his coat.

"He's changing into his final form!" Elke shouted, moving backward in a defensive stance--just as the jacket was thrown into his face.

"Put something on, kid. Nobody wants to see that."

Indignantly, Elke wrapped the jacket around himself.

"Yeah--well! Nobody asked you, anyway!"

The long haired guy looked at Kero. (Had to be Kero, right? He knew his name and everything and he was here and he called the dragon 'Dragon' and everything.)

"The dragon shouldn't be in this realm," the long haired man said. "That's what's doing this to him."

"NO DON'T!" Kero yelled irrationally, as though the bad guy would listen to him and stop... stripping? What was he doing? Kero backed off a pace, ready to make a run for it,, until the man threw his jacket at Elke. Even though it wasn't a violent motion, he still let out a squeaky, fearful yelp.

Oh. Yeah. Elke was sorta naked.

Why was he naked?! Did he run around without clothes on all the time? Kero could've sworn he saw Elke with clothes on at school but maybe... that was at school only. He wasn't judging though. Lots of kids did weird stuff around Hazleton—now he wondered if they, too, were magical. Or just plain weird. Either way, Elke seemed unharmed and Kero shuffled forward a step again, closer to him.

"Dragon was fine before! He stayed with us for a long time! It's YOU! Doing weird stuff to him!"

Dragon. The kid kept calling the dragon... Dragon, like it was a name. It would have been something he would have laughed merrily at had the mood been lighter. Instead, things were tense, even before the kids burst in. It was cute that they were playing protector and all but... Kotaro eyed Ryan for a brief second. In this new body, he looked so innocent and tame, a normal young man. The kids probably didn't even realize there was anything off. For all intents and purposes... Kotaro likely looked like the villain. He hadn't done anything to the dragon, though. He assumed this was the dragon the boy had called him about.

There were a handful of people like himself here in Hazleton--cops that worked with the supernatural. There was a special code in the emergency number one could call if they were privy to the supernatural world of Hazleton. It could have been anyone that got this call but it was Kotaro. He couldn't help but believe it had been fate. Or something more sinister. He barely looked at Ryan.

He turned his attention to the kid shouting about his dragon friend. Slowly, he reached out to touch the kid's shoulder but his little friend was like a yapping dog and he immediately flapped his arms in his over long jacket, jumping between his hand and the other kid. Then he pushed his hand away and stared at him, a lot like a small yapping dog. Was he sure he was a red panda...?

Slowly, Kotaro lowered his hand.

"Look," he said, "if you were taken from this realm and placed in another one, you would find the new realm... hostile to you. The dragon comes from another realm. He doesn't belong here."

How irritating.

Not only did one of his special reapers escape its realm, but it had made friends here and it was drawing a lot of unnecessary attention. Once the reapers disappeared--and all of the tainted humans returned to their human bodies--Ryan had intended to disappear from Hazleton. He had gotten what he came here for and there was no reason to linger. This was hampering his efforts to collect elsewhere.

As luck would have it, too, he ran into an old... friend here. Behind Ryan's smiling face, there was real annoyance. That accursed dragon--whom the kid was hilariously calling Dragon--would pay once he got it back into its rightful realm. Ryan didn't tolerate insubordination. It was difficult enough tracking the escaped dragon down, and just as he was about to banish it, all of these pests came onto the scene.

Yes, even Kotaro. Even he was a pest now that he chose to rebel against the bonds that tied them.

"We want to take him home," Ryan said softly, sparing a quick glance at Kotaro--who was steadfastly avoiding his gaze. Well, good. He had a lot to account for. "He'll only get worse if you keep him--"

"No!! Dragon can't leave!" The human child burst out suddenly, with a hand protectively curled around the shifter's shoulder. Together they looked foolish, standing up against forces that they couldn't possibly hope to understand or combat. Ryan could have swatted them with a flick of the finger... if not for the man-sized pest standing two feet away from him. "He-he can't! Not till my brother gets here!"

Phrasing it nicely--that they wanted to take the dragon home--didn't seem enough for the kids. They were smart kids. Crossing his arms, Kotaro looked the kids over. They were passionate. They wanted to do good by somebody. Their friend, the dragon. It made his cold heart feel a little fuzzy, seeing kids like them. It had been a long, long time since Kotaro was anything like them but it reminded him of why he'd rebelled from his past life. Maybe he could find a way to help them without letting Ryan take his dragon back.

Not that he was really Ryan's, not any more than Kotaro considered himself Ryan's. And the dragon probably didn't have a strange and bumpy lifetime history with him. Ah, he hoped not. Where was the dragon now? He peered around. It might have done as it was bid and tried to run but Ryan's hold on it was strong. If the dragon ran, he wouldn't get very far.

"Your brother?" Kotaro asked with a lift of a brow. "What does your brother have to do with this? What are your names?"

HAH! Like they were going to tell the bad guy their names.

That was a classic mistake in movies, letting the bad guy in. Kero shook his head stubbornly and kept his mouth shut. He leaned down to mutter into Elke's ear, "Don't tell him anything! He's trying to trick us!" But they were smart kids so they could see right through those tricks. Kero wasn't going to let Dragon out of his sight until Kinley got there!

From beside them, the bushes moved. Dragon uncurled slowly, lifting his head with great apparent effort. He seemed confused and made a low noise that Kero couldn't describe. It wasn't a human sound, that was for sure. And it made something in him shake a little because... it sounded like the sound that a dying animal might make. Was Dragon dying? He looked so sad, tangled up in the bushes like that, like he didn't even have enough energy to move.

Kero  grabbed his phone out of his back pocket and checked his messages, urging Kinley to hurry up--before the bad guys made off with Dragon or hurt him some more!

Dragon... He kept imagining him the way that Kero described him and he felt a nasty churning in his stomach. Something awful was happening and he had been dumb enough to go off and have fun. What was he thinking? Why did he ever say yes? He was a third wheel the whole time, anyway. And he spent the entire time on his phone, checking to see if Kero found out anything. And then when he did, Kinley was all the way in bum-fuck-Portland!

His heart raced and he sat on the edge of his seat, encouraging his driver to go faster. When he could see the park approaching, Kinley was practically standing (well, he was leaning forward enough that he'd kill himself by splatting against the windshield if they stopped too quickly.)

"Is this the place?" asked the older man who had been driving them. Kinley quickly paid the man and tipped him for speeding, carelessly giving him some large sum of money without thinking. Then he scrambled out of the car, running at the top of his speed for the park up ahead. He could see the small gathering of people and he recognized a few of them. Of course, Kero. Not his friend, though. And there was Ryan, just like Kero said and some tall, long-haired man. But Dragon? Where was Dragon? With his heartbeat thrumming in his veins, he nearly bum-rushed the villain--the guy Kero warned him about. But even as his fist started to connect with his chest, he saw past them all and saw Dragon.

"Dragon!"

Everything else around him melted away into the background. Everything, the creepy man, the kid he didn't know, Ryan and his supposed weird look, and even Kero. Even Kero disappeared. The only thing Kinley saw was Dragon and he looked... bad. He looked like somebody had tried to remove him from the world but he'd stubbornly left his stain here. Kinley wanted that to remain forever.

"Dragon!" he cried again, barely able to breathe or speak as he sprang into the bushes alongside him. "How did this happen?"

"Kin!" Kero cried out in relief as soon as he saw Kinley dashing up, only to have the relief be replaced by fright as Kinley tried to attack the bad guy cop. "KIN!" he shrieked again, this time in shock. Before Kinley got a punch in, though, he noticed Dragon hiding in the bushes and all the fight seemed to drain out of him.

It was the first time that Kero had really seen his brother acting like this. Like the world might be ending--ending with Dragon's disappearance. It made him feel scared and uncertain; he was used to being the one with all the questions. Kinley was the one with all the answers, but this time it looked like he was all out of solutions. As Kinley leapt into the bushes, Kero shuffled closer, too, and peered inside.

Dragon weakly lifted his head. He half-nudged Kinley's leg but it looked like he barely connected, and then his head fell back against the leafy bushes. There was a half-hearted rustle as his tail twitched and he uttered a weak noise in response to Kinley's question while Kero gulped and tried to say something comforting--but the only thing that came out was a squeak.

"The dragon needs to go back to his own realm," Ryan said again, this time less softly than before. There was a weird note in his voice as he, too, stepped closer to the bushes. "Move aside."

"What?" Kinley's brows immediately drew together as he looked at Ryan. If that was the same nice guy who worked at the weird little hotel in the area, he couldn't fathom why he would speak so icily about Dragon. Couldn't he see that there was something else going on here? Kinley might not have some magic mojo and he didn't know all the supernatural mumbo-jumbo that surrounded their little town but he heard enough. There was magic here. If there was any place on Earth or this realm, he was sure this was the place where Dragon could be safe.

"No," he drew an arm protectively over Dragon, half expecting Ryan to kick him aside and pull Dragon up by his throat. Why? There had never been any kind of weirdness about Ryan that he could recall. He'd always just seemed like a nice but quiet guy, a hermit. Not some kind of homicidal maniac. Tensing, Kinley gave Ryan a look over, then the other guy.

"Are you hunters, is that it? You want to take him out because he doesn't 'belong'? Because you're wrong. He does belong here. I know it. Because I can feel it."

Really. It was cute, how the human had become attached to the dragon. Ryan could see the protectiveness shining from the human's eyes, and the way that he flung his arm around the dragon said plenty already. He probably found the dragon exciting and special, and wanted to keep him around--dragons were a one of a kind pet.

Too bad what the human wanted was irrelevant.

Ryan didn't smile; he barely acknowledged the actions of the human. Barely twitching, he stared the human down. Foolish human children were less quick to know fear. Adults were different--adults knew better. They sensed danger more easily than children and knew when to back away from a superior power. Then again, humans weren't all that quick on the uptake to begin with, whether they were children or fully grown.

"I don't have time to play games," he said softly, taking yet another step forward. Exerting the bare minimum of power, he forced the human aside, prying him from the dragon. "Move away before you get hurt."

Strange, how Ryan seemed so soft spoken but there was still an edge to his voice. Strange how he appeared harmless but the way he approached Dragon still spun a cold lump of dread in the pit of Kinley's stomach. He swallowed hard and tried to shield Dragon to the best of his ability. He couldn't imagine the things that might have already happened to Dragon to make him so weak but he knew--he swore--it wasn't this world doing it to him. Dragons could belong here. Here, in Hazleton, where magic was everywhere. A creature like Dragon, he could live here. He could thrive here.

Maybe he was stupid and naive. Maybe. But he refused to believe that.

"No," he said, emphatically. His gaze remained hard on Ryan as he took a step forward. It almost felt like they were playing a dangerous game of chicken. Kinley's mouth went dry and his heart raced but... he refused to move. He absolutely refused to move away from Dragon. Whatever Dragon's intended fate was, he was going down with him.

At least, that was what his stubborn mind said. His body, however, was pushed aside not of his accord. Kinley fought back against the push and tried to regain his spot protecting Dragon.

"I don't either!" he gasped. "Why does he matter to you? You obviously don't care about him so why not leave him with people who do???"

It wasn't as if a human could resist his power, no matter how determined he appeared or how loyal he thought he was to the dragon. Ryan watched his struggles without a change in expression, hardly moved by what he believed to be a foolish display. One corner of his mouth did turn up at the boy's last question, however.

Leave the dragon with people who cared about him?

As if that was enough to change his mind. It made him pause but not exactly in a good way. Did this boy think that he cared about the dragon--or that the dragon cared about him? The curl of his lip evolved into a derisive smile. "Care?" Ryan spoke the word like a bad taste in his mouth. He didn't turn his head to look but his gaze slid to the side and toward Kotaro.

Maybe at one point in time, he cared--when he thought that he had someone dedicated to his cause. Someone he could trust in and rely on to carry out his instructions. Maybe he cared too much then, and lured himself into a false sense of security. Look where caring had gotten him now. Ryan thrust the human child aside, more roughly than before, flinging him off of the dragon.

"Why should I care about a servant?"

"Ugh!" Kinley's shoulder hit the ground with a sickening crunch this time. Slowly, he rolled onto his other side, then sat up, holding his awkward arm. Why-- what was this guy's problem? Seeing the way Ryan briefly flicked his gaze at the other guy, Kinley rose to his feet and tried to appeal to him, instead. Obviously, Ryan and this guy were friends. Or allies or partners or something. The guy seemed to agree with Ryan, at least.

"Please," he said, "don't you--"

He cut himself off, Ryan's harsh words sinking in.

"Servant? What's that supposed to mean?" Who was the servant here? Dragon? Dragon was this guy's servant?

"If he's just a servant to you then why... why do you... why can't you just leave him alone?" Surely a man with a servant could afford a new one? Kinley's eyes lit up and he took a stumbling, hopeful step forward.

"I can just repay you, then, right? Damages? Replacement? That shouldn't be a problem to you if you don't care about him."

"Oh, boy," the long haired man said with a shake of his head. "That's about the stupidest thing you could have said."

"Kin!"

Kero rushed over to his brother's side, helping him up from the ground after something... some kind of invisible hand swatted him aside like an annoying fly. His hand shook as he grasped onto Kinley's arm, only to have his fingertips brush it instead as his brother took an unsteady step forward. The other arm looked bad, dangling by his side. Maybe dislocated or... or broken, though Kero didn't want to think about that.

"Kin, don't..." He said fearfully. Why was Kinley arguing with Ryan? Dragon looked bad but... but what if he was just sick because he was far away from home? Kero didn't want everybody to keep fighting. Ryan seemed to know what he was doing. They could just let Ryan handle it and go home and forget this whole episode! It wasn't fun anymore; now it was scary and they were in way too deep for Kero's liking.

He watched the smirk on Ryan's face, the unpleasant light in his strange eyes. Kero couldn't describe those eyes. Just that they weren't human-like. "If you want the dragon that badly," Ryan said, as the smirk grew, "then you'll have to give me another servant to replace him." His hand shot out but it wasn't Kinley that he pointed to. It was Kero. "Him. I'll take him and leave the dragon."

"M-M-ME?!" Kero pointed to himself, mouth open. "What?!"

"NO!"

Kinley stared, all the air in his lungs flagging. How--how could somebody be so cruel? How could he ask Kinley to make such a choice? His little brother over Dragon? That was... no. He couldn't give up Kero. They had been together all of Kero's whole life. Kinley remembered his little red monkey face when he was first born. He was the one who helped him learn how to walk and dragged him around in his little red wagon. They still talked in the middle of the night about stuff--serious stuff, dumb stuff, just stuff. Brother stuff. No. No way he could give up Kero.

"Not him. Take me. Take anybody else. Not Kero."

ME?!

Kero was in shock. Ryan wanted him?! Was he--was he some kinda pedophile?! Eyes bugging out of his skull, Kero clung to the back of Kinley's shirt, like he used to do when they were little--or when he was little--and he was afraid that he'd be left behind. Only this time it wasn't a trip to the creek or into the woods. It was some kind of weird ultimatum for Kinley to choose between his little brother and... a dragon.

"You have one minute to decide." Ryan sounded completely calm but he turned his head as if distracted. His eyes flickered away from them, not even towards the bad guy cop. It looked like he had heard something that none of them could hear, or like somebody just called his name.

ONE MINUTE to decide?! How cruel could he be? Didn't he hear all those suggestions that Kinley threw out there? ANYBODY. ANYBODY else! Well, not ANYBODY else. He had another brother he'd rather keep, too. And he had his friends, of course. Why couldn't Ryan just take somebody random that wouldn't haunt Kinley's dreams for the rest of his life? Because that was how it felt in that moment, with panic bearing down on him and those two possibilities before him. Life without Kero or life without Dragon. It felt like such a no brainer and he opened his mouth.

But... but he... Dragon... Dragon had nobody. But Kero had him. Him. Kinley. Dragon did, too. Didn't he?

"Aggggggggh! A minute isn't enough time!" Kinley cried. And then he immediately felt guilty because... it really should have been a no-brainer. He quickly turned to Kero and held onto him, half afraid if he didn't, that what he just said was enough to make him dissolve into ink or something like it seemed like Dragon was. Kero was blood. Blood was thicker than water.

He held on tightly to Kero.

"I... I..." He felt such resolve. Save Kero. But then he looked over at Dragon and his heart skipped one powerful heartbeat.

Gabriel was calling him and it sounded--felt, rather--quite urgent. Ryan already felt the tendrils of forbidden, dark magic through the air but he hadn't concerned himself with it just yet, as it had no bearing on him. But now it seemed that Gabriel had gone to investigate and felt it worthwhile to call him.

And here in the park, he was preoccupied with a stupid human and his very human attachment to nothing more than shadows and ink. The dragon wasn't even moving anymore; what was left was a mere imprint of his physical self, like a faded tattoo stretched across the bushes. There was more shadow than substance and Ryan could see his form deteriorating.

As the human stuttered, Ryan turned his head back. He was completely serious about the one minute deadline and as the seconds ticked by and no firm decision was made, Ryan's patience wore thin. He had no real need for the little boy, although that one seemed easy to manipulate. Perhaps an agent here in Hazleton, to keep an eye on the supernatural population for him?

Everyone had their use, even a seemingly innocent little boy.

"Your time is up." Ryan lifted a hand, palm up. His fingers curled inward as a bright flame formed in the center of his palm. As the flame brightened, the form of the dragon darkened and began to sink down into the bushes.

"NO!" Kinley immediately tried to grasp onto the wisps of Dragon that were left behind. "No! No!" His shouts were wild, more frantic with every word. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, right before his eyes. His eyes, which stung and his heart, which felt too tight and throbbed with an aching pain he never wanted to experience again. There was nothing, or very little, left of Dragon.

"Bring him back! What did you do to him?!"

His gaze burned as he turned toward Ryan. Pure hatred rolled off him in droves as he stared at him, fists balled up. With anger and despair coursing through his veins, Kinley made a run for Ryan, determined to pummel him down or strangle him until he took back whatever he did to Dragon.

"Bring him back!"

He thought he almost landed a solid one on Ryan but even as he went for him, somebody grabbed him by the forearm and pulled him backward.

"Not so fast, kid."

That stupid man that was working with him!

"Let go of me, you bastard!" Kinley twisted his way out of the hold, aiming a hard and solid kick at the man's knee. It worked. The man went down, his knee cracking. And Kinley came at Ryan again.

"Bring him back! Now!"

Even had the blow landed, Ryan wouldn't have felt it. The human was only that--a pitiful, weak human. There was spirit in him, sure, and fire and determination and hatred (for the time being) but Ryan wasn't affected by emotion any more than rocks were capable of shedding tears or blood. He stared dispassionately as Kotaro pulled the human back, mostly for his own good. Ryan didn't think that it mattered much to Kotaro, whether he was punched or not.

It didn't make a dent in his feelings when the child kicked Kotaro and wiggled free. Ryan watched the human charge again, but there was a magical barrier around him, protecting him against such puny attempts. He crushed the ball of light in his fist, right in front of the human, as the bushes gave one final weak rustle and the ink and shadows vanished.

When Ryan opened his fist, he turned it over. Something crumpled fell from it--the dragon card that once held the key to the portal, from which his servants entered this world. He let it drop carelessly at his foot, the picture on the card now still. Ignoring the humans completely, he turned his stare onto Kotaro. "I'll deal with you another time." Then he turned and stepped through towards Gabriel, who was still frantically trying to summon him to his side. Behind him, he heard the small human shouting something about a card and the shuffle and scrape of shoes against the dry grass.

"No! Wait!"

Kinley couldn't believe it. Just like that. Nothing. His heartbeat thumped so hard that he could only hear his own blood, pounding and erratic. When he took in a breath, he felt like he couldn't take in enough air. Gasping, he scrambled toward the card, the empty, crumpled card.

"Dragon?"

Even he could barely hear his voice or maybe it was still the rush of blood to his head. He felt like everything around him had slowed and muted, the colors had vanished and there was nothing left in the world except his own helpless despair and the card in his hand. If he had given up Kero... But he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head violently, as if to push the thought far from his mind. He couldn't. He wouldn't. Ever. Would he?

Now he didn't even know. Swallowing hard, he held the card closer and tried to push back the other feelings that threatened to overwhelm him. When he looked up, Ryan was gone. No more time for deals left. He was just gone, like that. And so was his deal. His hand trembled and he tried not to crush the card further. Instead, he attempted to smooth it out, tried to recall Dragon as he was when he first found the card. Funny how a world could be brought to a standstill in wonder and shock by the same thing.

He had to still be out there somewhere. Dragon. He... he had to be. He just had to be.

It all happened so quickly.

One moment, Ryan was giving Kinley a weird choice and then he was gone. And Dragon was gone, melted into the bushes like ice under a flame. Kero gaped for a long second at the spot where Ryan used to be, before running over to his brother's side.

"Kin!" He looked at the card in Kinley's hands. The beautiful inky drawing was still, no longer shifting and sliding across the face of the card. It was just a card now, like any trading card. Except it used to be magic. It used to be alive--Dragon used to be alive. Kero swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat, remembering the way that Dragon used to be, the innocence and child-like wonder that made him so fascinating. A visitor from another world, dragged suddenly back into that other universe.

"Kin..." Kero didn't know what to say. It was him or Dragon... and Kinley chose him. He couldn't even be happy about it, though. That was the sad part. He couldn't be happy because in saving him, Kinley had to give up Dragon. A real live Dragon...

Elke watched the brothers from a distance. Deep down, he felt like he was watching something that was not meant for his eyes. It was a private affair, like watching people be sad together wasn't something to stare at. So he tore his gaze away from them and looked up at the suspicious man who was supposed to come to the rescue. Upset that he'd called somebody who ended up making things worse, Elke boldly moved forward and struck the man hard on the side.

"Hey!" The man immediately narrowed his eyes and whipped his hand out, grasping Elke by the arm to stop him from attacking him again. That didn't stop Elke, though. He thrashed about and struck him again in the leg. He could hear the man having problems with him, if the muttering of curse words under his breath was any indication.

"You're supposed to help us! You're supposed to help and all you did was stand there!"

"There's nothing I could have done."

"You could have stopped him!"

"Doubtful." The older man lifted Elke up and tucked him under his arm so he couldn't attack or do much more than wriggle uncomfortably for a few seconds before losing energy and drooping. To the brothers, the man said, "I am sorry, kids. But there's really not much you can do against somebody like... him."

"Who IS he? What's his problem?!" Kero cried out in outrage, feeling some kind of righteous anger sweeping over him. It just--it wasn't right! It wasn't right and it wasn't fair that somebody could steal their dragon from them! Besides, Dragon wanted to be here with them! It was pretty obvious to Kero that he wanted to stay (cause he kept making out with Kinley).

He whirled to look at the tall bad-cop stranger, shaking a fist in his anger. "He can't just take Dragon!! We gotta get Dragon back!"

Kero wanted to learn magic from Dragon, and maybe how to become a dragon (eventually). Dragon even knew how to turn invisible! The one time Kero came across real, actual magic and somebody like Ryan had to come along and steal him away!

He couldn't stop staring at the card, willing it to move, for the ink to show its lively self again. When he first came across that card, it had been a magical force that changed everything in his life. All that he thought he knew had been turned on its head. Kinley did things he never would have done before, like defying his parents. Something inside him compelled him to protect Dragon. There was something vulnerable in his eyes and now, now... Kinley's eyes stared blankly and blearily down at the card and he could feel his shoulder start to shake. He could see his hand shaking.

Somewhere beyond him, there was a scuffle or an argument but Kinley was so transfixed by what he'd lost that he had a hard time pulling himself away.

And then he heard the man talking. Everything he said was a blur of words until he said, "Anyway, it's not as if the dragon is dead."

Before the man could speak another word, Kinley turned on him and he pounced forward, grabbing him by the front of his jacket and staring him head on. He card was curled up carefully in one hand, pressed against the older man's chest.

"If he's not dead, then how do we get to him?!"

"Can we really go there?!"

Excitement built again as Kero bounded forward, though he didn't latch onto the crooked cop. He grabbed onto Kinley to make sure that he didn't sock it to the guy--no point starting fights with the only guy who could give them some answers! Staring at him with wide eyes, Kero tried to will him to give them an answer that was useful. If they could get to Dragon's world...!!

"How do you know he's not dead?" The dragon on the card wasn't moving anymore, which seemed like a pretty obvious indication that Dragon was... not around anymore. Then again, what did Kero know about stuff like that? He only met Dragon a couple of weeks ago! And before that, he didn't even know dragons were a thing!

"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."

"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.

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!"

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..."

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.

"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!"

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?"

"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!"

"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.)