The thick canopy above head didn't allow much sunshine to penetrate the forest.
The deeper I got into the trees, the darker it became; the air continuing to humidify.
It was complete silence everywhere; there were no birds chirping and cawing and there was an absolute absence of movement through the shrubs and leaves.
Everything seemed to be at a standstill and the only noises I could hear were the sounds of my footfalls on the damp ground added to my own heartbeats.
All this made me uneasy and the patches of mist here and there, specially, made my flesh creep.
I used a thin broken branch as walking stick and switched on the lamp I had brought with me in order to move more efficiently; remaining on my guards all the time. I had no real plan and was basing everything on improvisation. And neither did I have an itinerary.
I walked for a whole while, scouring the forest, until nightfall. That's when I decided to camp down, finding a tiny clearing. I made a bonfire to keep myself warm and after having sustained myself with food, I gazed up at the dark moonless sky, shivering, but not from cold.
This place reminded me of my prison cell a lot; it lacked warmth, brightness, and was disturbingly quiet.
I shook my head at that moment, refusing to be distracted by my thoughts.
The night went by uneventful.
The scariest moment was the first few minutes after I had woken up from a sleep attack. Sleeping meant not being alert. But fortunately, nothing bad happened.
I would have believed that I was completely alone in this forest, if not for the constant impression that I had, of being watched; that sense of a lingering presence in the woods.
When light filtered through the chinks of the canopy of trees, I knew that it was dawn again. I packed up and resumed my journey on the search of the dragon prowling those lands.
I was sure that more time was slipping by than I was conscious of.
At some point, I arrived at a spot where the trees ended, the land forming a small cliff that gave off onto a lake, or rather, marshes.
As I drew closer to the edge of the cliff, in all of a sudden, the unstable ground gave off under my feet and I fell head first down the cliff, crashing on the shore of lake.
I held my head with my hand, moaning, seeing stars for a minute. I shook my arms and my legs then. Apart from a big bump on the head and a bleeding bruise at my right knee, I was perfectly fine, luckily.
Suddenly, I heard a swoosh in the water of the lake and my head snapped up instantly.
What greeted my sight was a long, large, wingless, serpentine, four-legged creature with clawed feet that had emerged out of the lake, its scales golden in color.
I stared at the divine creature there, awe-struck.
'Damn human! I've given you a whole night to get lost from my sanctuary but I conclude that you've got a death wish!'
It- It can talk?!
I was completely taken aback.
I just heard the dragon's voice, loud and growling, as if it was male human being who was speaking!
Without any warning, it surged at me in an attack.
I hadn't realized that my Godai Shakujō had activated on itself- in reaction to the fright- until it hit the dragon at the face.
The divine creature staggered backward and I jerked to my feet in shock, apologizing instantly, 'Oh my god! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to attack you!'
I realized that it had only bruised the dragon though and I understood why these creatures were feared and respected.
'Did you just apologize for having attacked me?' it demanded and I could hear surprise in its tone.
'Ye-Yes! Why?' I stammered, taking a step backward, swallowing the lump in my throat.
'If you're not here to attack me, then what are you here for, human?!'
'I need one of your scales.'
'What?! For a long time, humans have tracked us dragons for our scales because of the magical properties that they possess. But instead of taking the required number, they have abused of our generosity and killed several of my brethren, bringing us near extinction. Humans are vile!' it roared.
Everything went very fast.
The dragon surged at me again and my feet left the ground at it hit into me and shoved me against the face of the cliff.
I doubled over, pain shooting through my body. The divine creature moved back almost instantly and I collapsed onto the damp ground helplessly, feeling as if I had been run down by a truck. I was severely bruised in the impact and I could taste some blood in my mouth.
I tried to get up but only managed to get on all my fours on the ground, clutching my painful abdomen with an arm, instinctively.
'I'm sorry to hear what humans have done to those of your race. I didn't know,' I murmured, appalled. 'I guess that I'm no better than those humans. I'm here for the same reason as them.' I paused. 'If I don't recuperate one of your scales, the members of the family I have joined, will never accept my presence amongst them. You may consider my intention selfish, and I recognize that it is, and yet...'
A short silence fell between us, until the dragon, stated, 'When I entered into contact with your body, I've been able to read you like in an open book. I've seen your past. One day, a great misfortune happened to you. You're hiding a big secret, young human!'
I looked up and met the dragon's eyes, my emotions in turmoil.
It drew up to me and in its open palm was one of its scales.
'Here, take it!'
I was confused.
'You need it, don't you? I'm giving it to you out of good-will. Take it!'
Hesitantly, I lifted my hand and took the scale. It was as large as the palm of my hand and all shiny.
'Now leave! I don't ever want to see you roaming around here, understand?' it growled, before it prepared itself to plunge back into the lake.
'Wait!' I called, moved. 'Can you tell me your name, please? You have a name, don't you?'
'My name is Ryuhei.'
'Thank you, Ryuhei!'
I didn't really understand all that happened, why Ryuhei did what it did, but I was forever grateful to it.
The golden-scaled dragon plunged back into the lake, disappearing in the marshes.
***
Meanwhile, a certain young man was secretly watching the red-haired girl from atop the cliff.
Well, it seems like you came for nothing, Heihachi Myōjin! She won't need help after all! the latter thought to himself.
The girl was starting to intrigue him to the highest point.
He let out a sigh.
Well, I should probably get going now.
***
Later, at the organization…
'I went to see her at her apartment. She's not there.'
Kagami Gushiken gave Tsunan Hitachiin an anxious look as they entered the front door of the organization's building together.
The girls, Tsurayuki and Shirane were busy talking amongst themselves while Shuda and Ayame sat at another table in a corner. These two weren't talking to the others but they weren't talking to each other either, lost in their own thoughts.
'Does anyone of you know where Shun is?' the master asked the members in the hall.
'If she can't be found, it can only mean that she's buggered off. That's the risk when you recruit prisoners,' Shirane shrugged, his expression smug. 'I'm sure that she's been waiting for this day all along.'
'She's not the type of person to flee,' the master stated and he headed for his office, the doctor at his heels.
When they entered the room, someone was waiting for them there.
***
I thought I'd never make it to the organization.
My vision was quite blurry and my legs felt so heavy. I was severely bruised and the smell of blood was making my stomach twist with nausea.
I staggered my way through the door, walking in the hall of the organization.
Everyone's head snapped around to look into my direction in that instant, before they jerked to their feet, their expressions astounded.
'I've done it,' I croaked out, holding the scale up.
They seemed awe-struck.
Abruptly, I felt myself fall the small distance to the ground and darkness began to fill in my vision.
I had fainted even before I could feel my stomach hit the floor.
***
Later...
When I came back to myself, I was in the infirmary of the organization. I couldn't have been out for more than an hour.
Sitting up in bed, I held my forehead with my hand, feeling a bit dizzy.
My wounds had been looked to; I could feel a bandage around my abdomen and there was a sticking plaster on my forehead.
I looked up instantly when somebody walked in the room at that moment.
'Shirane?'
'You're up?' he muttered. The boy's fists were balled up by his sides, his expression sullen. 'Listen to me carefully, you freak!' he lashed out, glaring at me. 'The others and I will never accept someone like you amongst us, understood?!'
I was stunned.
'But you said that if I accomplish the mission...'
'My! Are you stupid or something? It was just a ploy, you duffer!' he scoffed. His eyes tightened at me again, then. 'No matter what you do, whether you recuperate a hundred scales of dragon or not, it won't change anything! Get that well in your head! The organization is like a second home for every one of us, in other words, it's out of the question that we leave. So, it definitely has to be you. The decision of Master Kagami is irrevocable but be sure that we'll make your life so miserable that you won't have another choice but to leave-'
'That's enough, Shirane!' scolded Doctor Tsunan who arrived, abruptly.
The red-haired boy made a face, before walked away, gruffly.
My heart sank in my chest and tears gathered in my eyes.
What took over me to believe them?
Shirane had received a warning because of me! I should have expected retaliation on the part of the other members and him. And yet, I fell head-first into their ploy.
I had never been delusional about my place in this world as a "mass murderer". It had been an absolute fact to me that the doors of acceptance would forever be closed for me.
It had been perfectly clear in my mind. And yet, Shirane and the others have somehow managed to break this conviction of me. They had instilled doubts in my head and I had started to doubt the absolute.
I'm so pathetic!
I squeezed the dragon scale in my palm tightly.
Suddenly, Master Kagami's angry voice echoed in the corridor and I looked up at the doctor anxiously- the latter having moved up to me- before I threw my legs over the side of the bed and hopped down.
Just as I stood up on my two feet, my head swirled, and I staggered.
Doctor Tsunan caught me and steadied me, watching me with concern.
'Shun-' he began to protest, as I began to stride for the door.
'I'm fine,' I lied, making into the corridor and towards the head of the staircase where the master was standing, confronting the members in the hall downstairs.
'I demand to know who is the real author of this plan!' he snarled at them. He was definitely talking about the mission I had undertaken. Everyone remained silent, looking away from one another, their expressions upset.
Doctor Tsunan arrived behind me. He seemed ready to catch me if I became dizzy again and was to fall.
'I see. Since you're refusing to answer me, then you leave me no choice but to punish everyone of you all the same way.'
'Master Kagami!' I interjected and the dark-haired man turned to face me. 'It- It was my plan,' I declared. 'I was the one who decided to leave on this mission.'
'It's useless to defend them. I know that it wasn't your plan. And do you know how I know that? Because this mission has never existed in the first place!'
He took out the form that I had signed; it was all crumpled.
Several gasps could be heard in the hall.
'Don't ask me where I have found this!'
I was completely taken aback.
If this mission has never existed, if it had never been approved by Master Kagami, then… I turned to the members in the hall. Their real intention was to get me killed and not just to play a dirty prank on me!
I hung my head.
Ayame Tsuge and Shuda Yagari had been aware of the plan too and they had refused to take part in it. They had remained silent in loyalty to the group.
'It doesn't change anything. I knew that it was as good as suicide but nevertheless, I've accepted to do it,' I stated, and I heard a few more gasps. Surely, they hadn't expected that I had known all along that tracking a dragon was dicey and yet, I still went on with it.
'I take full responsibility of what happened,' I said, before I turned around, and headed back to the infirmary.
I plumped down onto the bed I had awakened in and stared out of the window.
That's enough! I've caused enough tensions like this within the organization. Ever since I've arrived, everyone is on the nerves. I'm pushing them closer to the edge each day.
'It's you who told the master about the mission- that is, I mean, well, you know what I mean- isn't it?' I asked, turning my head around to look at Katsuya Hattori as he crossed the doorway.
'When I discovered their plan, I immediately went to see the master. That'd teach them for not destroying all traces after them.'
'The form, huh?'
He nodded and exhaled, 'And I, who thought that the incident of the swimming pool would have calmed them down a bit!'
'Please, tell me that you did it to protect them in case something bad would have happened to me!' I pleaded.
If I had died in the restricted area and the master had learned about the ploy, the members of the organization would have been in serious trouble.
The ginger-haired boy seemed puzzled.
'If you did it just for my sake, I'd feel so guilty because you had to betray the members of organization because of me,' I murmured.
Doctor Tsunan arrived at that moment.
'I'm glad that you came back alive,' Hattori told me, without answering my question.
Taking a glance at the other male then, he left.
'I'm sorry about what the others did,' Doctor Tsunan said, as he strode his way up to me.
'No, don't apologize. You've got nothing to do in it.'
'Does it hurt somewhere?'
'I'm just... a little tired.'
'I recommend that you take a day off tomorrow for proper rest.'
I nodded.
'Do you realize the risk that you've taken? You're lucky that you returned in one shape!'
His voice had raised an octave as he said that.
'I'm sorry for having worried Master Kagami and you,' I apologized, sincerely.
He sighed.
'What happened there?'
I fixated the scale in my hold.
'The Dragon- gave it to me.'
His eyes widened at me in astonishment.
'It gave you the scale?'
'Yes. I didn't understand much either. At first, it had attacked me.'
I recalled what Ryuhei- the dragon- had said about men tracking dragons for their scales near extinction. It mustn't have been something easy for it to willingly give one of its scales to a human.
And when I think that in the end, I took the scale for nothing…
I decided, 'Even if it was in vain, the fact that the dragon gave me something so precious, is enough for it to have lots of value in my eyes. I'm going to keep it.'
'I see.'
'I'll go home now.'
'Wait! I'll give you some painkillers for the night and tomorrow.'
I had taken quite a blow when the dragon Ryuhei had shoved me against the face of the cliff. I could feel some ache in my back and abdomen.
I looked at Doctor Tsunan as he made his way to the cupboards to fetch the medication and my eyes fell onto the three gift boxes of chocolate lying on his desk.
From the way they had been wrapped up and the choice of cards, I could tell that they were gifts from females.
'I see that you've got admirers!' I said in a teasing tone and the doctor paused down, taken off-guard.
He followed my eyes onto the boxes of chocolate.
Apparently, he hadn't noticed them until this moment.
'Must be the girls!' he said, then asked, 'Do you want a box?'
'No,' I refused, politely. 'Gifts of love must be cherished. It's a wonderful feeling to feel loved.'
The melancholy in my own voice surprised me.
The doctor's eyes widened a fraction and I thought I saw a blush appear on his cheeks, though, I couldn't be sure.
Thank you for reading!