Chapter Eighteen

Tatsuya sat back down on the bed, and Kaida took a deep breath, staring at him with her cold eyes.
“A plan?” Maddy repeated. “What, are we going to save Darren?”
“I think it might save your friend,” Kaida said. “And it will help with the downfall of our antagonist.”
“You’re talking about Lance, right?” Tatsuya asked, realizing how stupid his question had sounded. “Well, yeah, of course it’s Lance.”
“Wait, who’s Lance?” Maddy asked. “You didn’t explain to me anything about this.”
“Lance is the person who killed my father ten years ago,” Tatsuya said. “He wants to gain control of the dragons so he can rule the world or something like that.”
“He’s trying to steal it,” Kaida said. “He failed when he killed Tatsuya’s father, and now he’s trying to find other ways.”
“What other ways?” Tatsuya asked.
Kaida pointed to the pendant she wore around her neck—the one fourth of a circle with a leaf on it. “Of course you know that whoever has this has the ability to control me. And you know there are three more. If you have those you can control my brothers.”
“So is he trying to get those pendants or something?” Tatsuya asked.
“Exactly.”
“Where are they?”
“In their specific shrines, which are heavily guarded.”
“Well, if they’re heavily guarded then we’ve got nothing to worry about, right?”
“They might be heavily guarded, but it’s still possibly to penetrate.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“I suggest we go get them,” Kaida said plainly. “Also, since I control the power of death, one of my brother controls the power of life. And I think we might be able to use my brother’s pendant to help cure your friend. It can’t bring people back to life, though, Tatsuya, so I’m incredibly sorry about your grandfather, but if we use it before he dies, I think we will be able to save his life.”
“Oh!” Maddy exclaimed, as if she had some deep epiphany discovered. “I get it! So it would help Darren and stop the bad guy all at the same time!”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“We have a little problem, though,” Tatsuya said. “Well, there are quite a few problems with that plan.”
“What could go wrong?” Kaida asked.
“We don’t know where they are, we don’t know how to get there, and I’m stuck in my room,” Tatsuya explained.
“I know where they are,” Kaida said. “And I know how to get there. And as for you being stuck in your room, no one has to know you left.”
“Well, where are they, then?” Tatsuya asked.
“The one we’re currently looking for is in a forest deep in the unexplored parts of Japan,” Kaida explained.
“Japan?” Tatsuya exclaimed. “How the hell are we going to go all the way to Japan?”
“I told you I had a way,” Kaida said. “And I can take you there myself. This is my chance to prove my identity to you, so there you have it.”
“So you’re going to prove to us that you’re…” Maddy started, but was unable to finish her sentence.
“Yes, I’m going to show you my true form as a dragon.”
“Well, let’s get out of here,” Tatsuya said. “If you’re a dragon, that means you can fly and stuff, right?
“That’s right.”
“I’m sorry, I know this is a serious matter and stuff, but that is just so cool,” Maddy said.
“I obviously can’t change into a dragon in here,” Kaida explained. “Even though I’m fairly small for a dragon, I’d still break this entire house down.”
“Whoa,” Maddy said. “That’s incredible. I’m kind of afraid to see what a large dragon would look like. Probably huge, right?”
“Oh, extremely,” Kaida said.
“So what are we going to do?” Tatsuya asked. “How are we going to get out of here? My little sister is guarding my door and my mom is down in the living room. They’re keeping me locked in my room because they think it’s a better option than sending me to a mental asylum.”
Kaida averted her eyes towards the window in Tatsuya’s door. “There is more than one way to exit a room.”
"Oh, no we can't just go out the window," Tatsuya said. He frowned and sighed as he looked down at his socks. "I can't just let down my mom and my sister like that."
"Tatsuya, this is a matter of life and death," Kaida explained. "Not just for your friend Darren, but if this guy finds out why killing your father didn't get him my power, then he'll start to realize that there was someone else, and he'll come after you. He obviously shows no mercy, and will try to kill you."
"I understand that," Tatsuya said. "But it just feels so weird sneaking out. I've never done anything like this before."
"I'm coming with you," Maddy said.
"It might be dangerous for little girls like you," Kaida said.
"Maybe, but that's not going to stop me from coming," she said.
"You might trip in your high heels," Kaida sneered.
"Listen, I know we might not like each other very much, and frankly, I have no idea why, but you don't need to taunt me like that, because I'm not just some flimsy little girl, I'm strong and independent, and I can do whatever the hell I want, so excuse me, miss, for being so like myself, but I'm not about to abandon my friend."
Tatsuya smiled to himself. "Thank you, Madison Anabel Fisher."
"Fine," Kaida sighed. "I guess there's nothing I can do about that. So shall we go?"
"Yeah, let's go," Maddy said.
Tatsuya went over to his window and tugged at it. "It's locked," he said. "From the outside. I didn't know my mom was so cautious about me leaving that she'd go to this extent."
"It was probably already locked," Maddy said. "I doubt your mom climbed up to the second story."
"Yeah," Tatsuya said. "But we're still locked in here."
Kaida approached the window, and placed her hand on the metal lock. "Just wait for a second," she said. She held it with a tight grip, before small waves of heat began to come out of her hand.
"What--whoa!" Maddy exclaimed when she realized what she was doing.
Kaida's hand was probably well over hundreds of degrees as she burned the lock right off of the window with just a simple touch.
"That was incredible," Maddy said. "Okay, good thing I have an open mind. I didn't believe in all of this ridiculous stuff before. Wow, I can't believe this."
"It's called magic," Kaida said, sliding the window open and ripping the screen with her bare hands. "And strength."
"I thought dragons blew fire out of their mouths," Tatsuya said.
"I can't blow fire out of my mouth when I'm in my human form," Kaida said, stepping out the window and onto the roof. "Let's go." Kaida moved swiftly and quietly, almost like a ninja when she jumped from the roof of the house to a tree before sliding down the trunk and onto the ground.
Tatsuya and Maddy looked at each other and then back out the window where Kaida was calling them from the floor.
"Yeah, we can't really do that," Tatsuya said.
"If you can't even make it out of your house, how do you expect to get that pendant from the shrine?" Kaida asked. "It's not too difficult, just try."
Maddy scoffed. "Yeah, that's easy for you to say."
"You don't have to do much, just jump and go down the branches," Kaida explained.
Tatsuya nodded as he stuck his legs out one at a time and stood up on the roof of his house. He hesitated, but took a deep breath before leaping onto the tree by his house. He held onto the trunk with his life, panicking about falling off, but he was standing on quite a sturdy branch which seemed to support his weight. "Maddy jump onto this branch," Tatsuya said. "It's probably the best one."
Maddy took off her high heel shoes and carefully followed Tatsuya. Her jump had a lot more grace to it than when Tatsuya jumped. She smiled at him and held onto his arm when she got onto the branch. "Wow, that was a lot easier than I thought," she said. "Look, there's a branch down there, too. If we get on that, and then go down, I'm sure we'll be able to get down without any problems.
Tatsuya jumped down to the branch that Maddy indicated, and helped her get down on it two before jumping onto the ground next to Kaida.
"Took you long enough," she said.
"I'm sorry we're not all super fly ninjas like you are," Maddy said. "But let's just go."
"We need to find a place with at least some open space," Kaida said. "And somewhere where there aren't a lot of people so they don't see me change."
"How about that old abandoned park behind the library?" Tatsuya said. "I used to go there all the time. Just to sit and relax and stare at the grass growing. There was never anyone there, and I think it would be the perfect place."
Maddy nodded. "That sounds good."
"Fine," Kaida said. "Show us the way, Tatsuya."
Tatsuya began to walk quickly towards his old "sitting and thinking" spot behind the library where no one went to. He tried to remember when he had been there last. He was about ten years old, and he went there to think about how to make friends. That's where he first came up with the idea for a friend who would not reject him and would always be there for him. He started to form sketches and ideas, and eventually came up with the idea for a computer program which would later become his only friend.
"All right, it's not too far away now," Tatsuya said after his flash back finished. "I'm sure no one will be there."
Tatsuya looked up at the library, which had been closed for three years now. He also remembered when he came to this library and the only other person who was there was the old librarian who was always really nice to him and gave him a lot of candy whenever he came because he was the only visitor to that library. He smiled to himself before guiding the two girls to the back of the library."
There was a large field of grass which would be totally unexpected in a place like behind the library. Tatsuya gazed up at the giant tree which used to be the place he would sit and just think.
"This is a perfect place," Kaida said. "I'm sure I could change into my true form here."
"Okay, then do it," Maddy said, taking a few steps back.
Kaida smiled slyly at Maddy and Tatsuya, and then her transformation began. Her fingers became claws, her hair became a large mane around her face as her nose became a snout and her eyes grew to the size of soccer balls. Her body elongated and her perfectly smooth skin became rough and scaly, though each scale individually looked like a gem sparkling in all directions when the light hit it. Her legs crouched up into her body but from her lower back sprouted a long, firey tail that almost knocked down the tree in the back.
Tatsuya's eyes widened as he saw the mysterious little girl become a fierce lizard-like creature.
"Oh my God," Maddy said, just as shocked as Tatsuya. "I would have never believed this even if it was in my dreams."
The large beast turned her head towards Tatsuya and Maddy, and seemed to give them something that was almost like a smile. She jerked her head towards her long body.
"Can you talk?" Tatsuya asked.
The dragon shook her head.
Tatsuya turned to Maddy. "This could be dangerous," he said. "Are you absolutely positive you want to come?"
Maddy swallowed a lump in her throat as she looked at Kaida, and then she looked back at Tatsuya and nodded. "Yes, I'm absolutely positive I want to come."
Tatsuya sighed. He was so concerned for her safety. He didn't want anything to happen to her, especially considering how prone she was to accidents. "All right," he said. "I don't want you to come because you might get hurt, but I don't think there's anything I can do to stop you."
"No, there's nothing you can do," she said. She looked back at Kaida. "I think she wants us to get on her."
Tatsuya turned back and looked at the great beast that was in front of him. He should have been afraid. He should have been frightened to death. But he wasn't. He approached the great beast with extreme caution, and jumped on and climbed onto her back with the scales as support. He looked at Maddy and extended his hand. "Let's go."
Maddy looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah. Let's go." She reached up and grabbed his hand, and he pulled her up onto Kaida's back. Tatsuya held the scales in front of him with the tightest grip. "Hold onto me," Tatsuya said. "I've never flown on a dragon before, so I'm not sure how this is going to work. But just hold on, okay? I don't want anything happening to you."
Maddy nodded and put her arms around Tatsuya waist, holding onto him for dear life.
Tatsuya sighed. "All right, Kaida," he said. "I think we're ready. Let's go."