It had been almost a month since she had found him. It took a long time to convince his sisters that he was actually alive; until the time came that they had to go to the cottage to revert back to their dragon form and relieve the stress of being in human form for so long. The reunion was heartwarming, if not short, and the girls were behind Rosette all the way in her efforts to rehabilitate him. He still wasn’t speaking, however, and Rosette was getting worried, because he was starting to recover his magic little by little. He was now able to smile and respond to her calls, and she knew he understood her now, but he still wouldn’t talk to her. Her thoughts were always of him, even now as she lay on a chair next to a pool, in the hot summer sun.
The days became hot so suddenly, not really having much of a spring. Once the snow had gone, the temperature climbed day by day until people started wearing summer clothing. Rosette had just finished final exams and was hoping for a good summer before the next semester started in September, and she hoped that Ryu would be able to be there when she did. Her thoughts were interrupted when a shadow fell over her face and the sun’s warmth faded away. She looked up to see both Rebecca and June standing over her, with the same two girls who always followed June around wherever she went. All were dressed in swimsuits with towels draped over their shoulders.
“Alright, spill it!” June said, “You seem so distant lately! What’s wrong?”
“What are you talking about?” Rosette asked, “I’m fine.”
“Then what happened to your friend, Ryu?” she asked. Rosette sat up.
“He’s around.” She said.
“He was stuck to you like glue before.” She said, “Did you two break up or something?” Rosette turned red.
“We weren’t going out! We were just friends.” She said.
“Or was it because you found someone new?” June asked, a sly smile spread across her face. Rosette realized that she must be acting this way because of her ‘condition’ because Rebecca just sighed and hung her head.
“June, that’s enough.” She said.
“But I want to know!” she exclaimed.
“Stop being so nosy!” Rebecca yelled, “Can’t you see this is upsetting her?” It was true. Rosette did miss having him around, and it looked as if he wasn’t coming back any time soon. She tried to look at the bright side of things, however. At least he was alive. She sat staring up at the blue sky as the sisters argued amongst themselves, until their shouting was drowned out by the sound of a motorcycle.
At first it didn’t bother her. There were bikes all over the place in Toronto
“Wow.” Rebecca said. And it was enough. The guy who had stopped next to the fence turned off his bike and looked around, taking in the view. The public pool was located on a hill and had an excellent view of the city, but he wasn’t looking that way. His red helmet which matched the bike slowly turned as he scanned his surroundings, but his tinted visor hid his eyes, so the girls weren’t really sure what exactly he was looking at. Rosette gasped as he stopped to look straight at her. He flipped up the visor on his helmet and their eyes met, and she could finally see his deep red eyes.
“Who is that?” June swooned, “And why is he staring at us?”
“He’s staring at me, June.” Rebecca said, “He obviously prefers more ‘mature’ women!”
“How can you tell from here?” she exclaimed, “Besides, I’m after ‘maturing’ a lot in the past while.” They both stopped arguing when Rosette stood up and approached him.
“Can I help you?” she asked as the collar of his leather jacket fluttered in a sudden breeze. He simply patted the back of his bike and motioned for her to get on. Without realizing it, she had pulled on a pair of shorts, threw everything in her bag and jumped on the bike behind him. He started the bike and sped off down the road, leaving the four girls speechless in his dust.
The two rode for a while, but for some reason she didn’t feel scared. After all, she did just jump on the back of a strangers bike and he could be taking her to God knows where, but she didn’t feel in the smallest bit of danger, even without a helmet. She hugged into him as they rode, and was surprised to find him cold, which was kind of soothing on this hot day.
They ended up stopping at a small coffee shop downtown, and as he turned off the bike, she let go and hopped off.
“Who are you?” she finally asked. He paused for a moment then reached for the strap of his helmet. She gasped as she saw the flash of red hair and the familiar face she saw in her dreams. Overcome with excitement she rushed forward and began crying on his shoulder. “It’s you! It’s really you!”
Inside the coffee shop, Rosette wiped her tears as the waitress brought them their orders and Ryu sat staring at her with an odd smile on his face. Rosette had pulled a t-shirt on because the place just happened to be air conditioned.
“You finally made it, Ryu!” she said with a smile, “Welcome back!” Still he remained silent but kept his smile, “You still can’t talk, can you?” He shook his head.
“Well, where did you get the sweet bike?” she asked. He pulled a piece of paper from his jacket and slid it across the table. It was a receipt for the bike, which he bought new from a nearby dealership with his fake ID. The receipt said that it was bought with cash.
“Where did you get the money for all of this?” she asked, again another paper slid across the table. This one was a bank withdraw slip taken from the account of Jessica Porter.
“You used Jessica’s money? How could you?” she gasped. Yet again another piece of paper came to her. This time it was a will stating that the funds in her account be left to Ryu and for him to do whatever he sees fit with it.
“This is a gift?” she asked. Ryu nodded, “Was it for taking care of Flora while she was gone?” Again another nod.
“I can’t believe she is so nice!” she said, “But what will she do for money now?” With a smile, Ryu got up and went to the front, bought a newspaper and returned, setting it down in front of her, where a picture of Jessica holding a lottery cheque adorned the front page.
“She won the lottery?!” Rosette exclaimed, “That’s great!” Ryu nodded again and took a sip of coffee.
“Getting back to this.” Rosette said, “Does this mean you will be coming home?” This time, Ryu turned away and looked out the window. He looked older than before. He didn’t look like a teenager anymore, more around her age, but he still had the same features as before, like the time he went out to the bar with her.
“Please say you’ll come home, Ryu!” she begged, “It’s lonely without you there!” He turned back to her and sighed, finally giving in and nodding. Behind him, a man in a grey trench coat smiled as he covered his badge and sipped his coffee.
“Aren’t you hot wearing that black leather jacket?” Rosette asked, trying to fan herself with the TV guide. Ryu stood in the doorway of the tiny patio that belonged to her apartment. She had every fan in the place on, but it was just too hot. She even stayed in her bikini, not bothering to change and not caring that she was dressed like that even though they were alone. It didn’t seem to her that he took notice to what she was wearing, or lack thereof, and he stood staring out at the heat waves as they rose off the parking lot below.
“I know that was a stupid question, but I’m just trying to make conversation.” She said, “Even if you can’t talk, you can still respond to me. We’ve been apart for so long.” Ryu turned around and stared at the floor.
“You better not be apologizing with that look.” She said. Ryu sat down on the couch, and hung his head in his hands, “None of this is your fault, Ryu. Remember that. What you did for my mother was amazing, and I thank you for it.” He turned to her in surprise, but was met with soft and caring eyes. He couldn’t help but smile. She put an arm on his shoulder and took his hand.
“I’ve missed you so much, Ryu.” She said, “You’ve done so much for me, given up so much, and I don’t know what I can ever do to repay you!” Ryu shook his head. He didn’t want to be repaid. He didn’t do it for anything or anyone but Rosette and her mother, because they had shown him kindness, in spite of what he is. He wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her how he felt but the words couldn’t come. He was screaming the words in his head, but his brain and mouth wouldn’t cooperate, and instead tears of frustration began dripping on the carpet.
The roar of the bike’s engine ripped through the city streets as he sped along, with Rosette clung to his back. As they pulled up to the theatre, she climbed off as he turned the bike off, not seeing the four girls approach her from behind.
“Oh my God, Rosette! You’re still with this guy?” June exclaimed, “You finally got over that other guy, eh?” Rosette turned red as she turned around.
“Um, not really.” She nervously said, “It’s the same guy.”
“What? No way that’s the same kid who’s been following you around school all the time!” Rebecca exclaimed, “He’s too tall!”
“And mature…..” June said. Her face was slightly flushed. Ryu just sat on his bike and stared back and forth between Rosette and the girls from under his tinted visor. They couldn’t see the smile on his face.
“Rosette, what the hell is going on?” Rebecca asked, “This isn’t the same guy. He’s a lot older than that guy before.”
“No it’s still Ryu.” She said nervously, “Still the same guy.” June stepped forward to look him over and he leaned back, trying to salvage the little personal space he had left.
“Take off your helmet.” She ordered. He looked to Rosette as if asking what to do, but was only given a sigh and a nod. He reached for the strap on his helmet and pulled it off, revealing an older, more mature version of the Ryu they had met before. They have seen him before like this, but never noticed it because of the alcohol. Now they just looked confused, and a little scared.
“How can someone age like that in a month?!” Rebecca gasped, “It’s incredible!”
“Wow.” The two girls behind June spoke in unison, and it was the first words that Rosette had heard them say since they got here. Ryu climbed off his bike and stood towering over then by a good six inches, where before he stood six below. Again they all stared at him like he was some sort of alien, and had no idea how close they were. Right ball park, wrong seat.
“Um, he had a growth spurt.” She stammered, “And stop staring at him like that! He’s not some monster!”
“No monster.” June muttered, “But he can ravage me any day.”
“June!” Rebecca exclaimed. June turned beet red.
“Did I say that out loud?” she said with a sly smile, “Let’s just get our tickets before they get sold out.”
They ended up seeing some fantasy movie about some teenager’s quest to bring peace to the world, trying to stop a war between elves and trolls. There were dragons and maidens in distress, along with heroic knights riding white horses. Ryu barely caught half the movie, and as magic spells were being launched on the screen, he could only think about the person sitting next to him, as Rosette rested her head on his shoulder.
He never had such distractions like this in the past. His life before Rosette had been a trivial existence, living only to exist, but now he felt as if he had meaning. As the credits began to roll, she stood up and his shoulder felt cold.
“So what did you think of the movie, Ryu?” June asked. Ryu shrugged and kept walking with Rosette on his arm. They were heading for the small bar on the corner, near the theater, so he left his bike parked where it was.
“You’ve been awful quiet, Ryu.” Rebecca said, “Did you get a new voice with that growth spurt and are afraid for us to hear it?” Ryu looked at the ground and shook his head.
“He’s not feeling well.” Rosette lied.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, “Laryngitis?”
“No, he’s, well….” She stammered, “He’s not feeling himself.”
“Well, maybe he shouldn’t drink tonight.” June said, “He can be he designated driver.”
“June, he rides a bike.” Rebecca said, “He can’t drive us home anyway. There’s not enough room.”
“I was joking, sis.” She said, “I’ve got the money for a cab. Plus, I am not getting on a bike in this skirt.”
Rosette let the girls walk ahead of them and took his hand, leaning in so only he could hear.
“So how are you feeling? Still can’t talk?” she asked, Ryu shook his head. He pulled back his sleeve and Rosette gasped as the red scales reflected in the streetlight over head.
“We should go home!” she whispered, “You should have told me earlier that you were like this!” Instead, Ryu shook his head and held the door open to the bar so that Rosette could step inside.
The girls all took a seat in a booth next to the door and Ryu pulled up a chair to sit next to Rosette. A scantly clad waitress came along to take their order and Rosette smiled when she saw Ryu take once glance at her to give her his order, and not turn to look as she left, but she heard a few guys nearby whistle and stare at her as she walked by. She even noticed a few guys look Ryu over, clearly annoyed that he didn’t pay the waitress any attention, and Rosette worried that they might think that he wasn’t straight. She considered the image they were portraying. A group of five girls and one guy come in together, sit at the same booth, all order the same drink, and the guy only takes one look at a hot waitress and doesn’t say a word. She watched as the guys in the corner began talking and looking in their direction, clearly becoming agitated with him just simply sitting there.
“I think we have a problem.” Rosette said, gesturing to the two in the corner. The others glanced over and nodded.
“Are they looking at Ryu?” June asked.
“Yes they are.” Rosette said, “I don’t like this. I think we should leave.”
“But we just got here!” Rebecca exclaimed, “Besides, we’re not doing anything wrong!” With that, the two in the corner stood up and staggered towards the bar, paid, and headed for the door. Rosette gave a sigh of relief when she heard the door open behind her, but turned around when she didn’t hear it close. She found the two guys glaring at Ryu, who didn’t even notice.
“Hey! Kid! What are you doing in here?” One yelled, “You’re bar is down the street! We don’t want your kind in here!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Rosette yelled, “He’s not…..” she was cut off when Ryu laid his glass on the table and stood up. He then put his jacket on and stepped outside, where the other two followed. Throwing a ten on the table, she ran out after him, and the other girls followed.
Outside, she found the two drunken men yelling at him as he leaned against the wall without saying a word, which made them even angrier when he wouldn’t respond. Rosette only heard the last sentence when she came closer.
“You give all men a bad name! Go to hell and take your gay ideas with you!” one yelled, then threw a punch. Rosette made a yelp as she closed her eyes, heard a smash, and then slowly dared to look.
Ryu was still standing in the same place, or at least it looked like it anyway. The drunkard’s fist was embedded in the wooden paneling on the wall of the bar and the other drunk was very pissed.
“What the hell did you do?” he yelled, running towards him. The rest of the girls caught up and watched in horror as the two teamed up to attack. She wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, but it seemed like she blinked and they were both on the ground with Ryu calmly standing over then with his hands in his pockets.
“W-what just happened?” June stammered. The four girls standing behind Rosette closed their hanging mouths and ran to him full of smiles.
“Ryu, that was amazing!” Rebecca exclaimed, “Where did you learn that?” Ryu wasn’t embarrassed from the praise, and was still staring at one of the drunks on the ground. The girls jumped as he moaned and rolled onto his back, pulling a gun from his jacket.
“All of you, hands in the air!” he yelled, “Back into the alley, nice and slow.” The girls began to shake in fear as light from the streetlight reflected off the gun in his hands. They backed into the alleyway, as instructed, and held their hands in the air.
“Alright, hand over the purses and wallet.” He demanded, waving the gun. The girls held out their purses, but Ryu stepped forward, pushing Rosette behind him.
“Oh, so we have ourselves a hero here, do we?” he said, leveling the gun to his head. Ryu didn’t flinch.
“Ryu, no! Don’t do it! You could get killed!” Rosette pleaded, “Just give him the money!” Still Ryu didn’t move. His hands were still raised, however, and the girls gasped when the sleeve of his jacked slid down his arm, revealing red, shiny scales. The hammer on the pistol was pulled back and the drunk’s arm locked as his finger slowly pulled on the trigger. Ryu closed his eyes and Rosette began to cry as they waited for the gunshot, but at the last minute she heard a soft voice.
“I’m sorry.”
Ryu’s eyes snapped open as she pushed Rosette out of the way, and in a flash, the barrel of the gun flew up into the air, leaving what was left of the pistol smoking and fused together, as if cut in half by a hot torch. The drunk gave a yelp and jumped backwards, letting the smoldering metal hit the ground. He pulled a knife from his back pocket and turned to swipe at him, but was not expecting what he found. Instead of a twenty year old kid, in his place stood an eight foot tall dragon standing on two legs. It wasn’t the same form as he usually had, but this modified version of his dragon form was more convenient for the confined space. He still had an over all humanoid form, except he towered over all of them, had wings on his back and stood on a dragon’s hind legs. The drunk stumbled over the charred gun on the ground and ran, with Ryu sending a small blast of fire behind him as a form of motivation. With the danger gone, he relaxed, letting his tail lay on the ground behind him. He heard a whimper from behind him and his head snapped around to see the four girls huddled in the corner, shaking from fear. They watched in confusion and horror as Rosette alone approached the beast standing before them and took one of its claws.
“Ryu, you didn’t have to do that.” She said, “There had to be another way.”
“No Rosette, I couldn’t let anything happen to you.” He said. His voice held a low rasp that frightened the girls even more.
“R-Rosette….”Rebecca stammered, “What the hell is that thing?”
“This is Ryu.” She said, then turned to him, “I think we should tell them now.”
“Might as well.” He muttered.
“W-What’s going on?” June asked, “How can that be Ryu?”
“This is Ryu.” Rosette said, “Well, this is what he is.”
“I’m sorry.” He said.
“What the hell do you have to be sorry about?” Rosette yelled, “You can’t help what you are!”
“Well what exactly is he?” Rebecca asked, coming out of the corner.
“I’m a dragon.” Ryu said. A look of utter shock came across the faces of the girls. He heard a click of metal on metal behind him and spun around, pushing Rosette behind him.
“Yes, you are a dragon.” A mysterious man said, “And if you don’t want these girls to get hurt, you’ll come with me.”
“Who the hell are you?” Ryu growled.
“Your next employer.” He said. The man stepped out of the shadows and smiled. He was wearing a clean white business suit, with his long white hair tied in a braid behind him. He carried a cane in his right hand which had a handle shaped like a dragon and he clicked it on the pavement as he took a step forward.
“And why should I come with you?” he growled. The man snapped his fingers and the small alley lit up. Above, a helicopter shone a spotlight into the small alley and several dozen armed men lined up on the roof above, with several more falling in behind the man in white.
“Let’s go, Ryu.” The man said. “You don’t want to fight here. They will get hurt if you do. I promise you that.”
“What do you want me to do?” he said with a sigh.
“No, Ryu! You can’t!” Rosette pleaded, but he brushed her aside, walking forward and dragging his tail on the ground. As he neared the man in white the men beside him raised their guns higher.
“Just follow that helicopter back to the base.” He said, “Do that and we will leave and these girls are free to go. Oh and once you’re there, you’ll have to cooperate.”
“Fine.” He said.
“Ryu, no!” Rosette pleaded, “You can’t go!”
“I’m sorry Rosette. I have to.” He said. The girls watched as he flapped his wings and rose into the air, and followed the helicopter as it flew off into the night. All of the armed men disappeared and the man in white stepped into a limo. The car drove off leaving the girls to themselves.
The sun was just rising over the cityscape and Tom was almost out of smokes. Pulling the last one from his package, he tossed the empty pack in the trash, and then pulled a lighter from his pocket. Taking a long drag on the cigarette he leaned back against the bus stop bench and closed his eyes, enjoying the taste of his favorite brand. He exhaled and sat forward, then received a start when he noticed someone sitting next to him. His sharply pressed suit and white hair made him look sterile.
“Man you have to stop doing that.” Tom said.
“I’m interested in your work, Tom.” He said, then handed him another wad of cash, “For your services.”
“This was the last time I’m feeding you information about him.” Tom said, “I told you he was back and that’s all you’re getting from me.”
“That’s alright, Tom. We have him now. I put a bonus in there since our mission was a success. We could have never done it without you.”
“You captured a dragon?” he gasped, “How in the hell did you do that?”
“My powers of persuasion are very powerful, Tom.” He said, “Speaking of which, ever consider working for me?”
“Why would I want to work for you?” he asked, “I’m not corporate material.”
“You would be an asset to the company, Tom.” He said, “You’re work is impressive.”
“There’s nothing impressive about it.” He said, “I gather information in a discreet manor. It’s no big deal.”
“You’re not giving yourself very much credit, Tom.” He said, “It really was an impressive piece of work.”
“My answer is still no.” he said.
“If that is your decision, Tom.” He said, “But you would be making three times as much money of you worked for me, you know?”
“Don’t care.” He said, “I like my job.”
“Being a cop is that enjoyable?” the man in white asked as he stepped into his limo. Tom dropped his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. “I find it hard to believe you would even do this job for me if you love your job as much as you say your do, Tom.”
“I needed cash. That’s all.” He said.
“Alright. I won’t question your motives, Tom. I will let you know now, however, that this will be the last time I will call on you.”
“Yeah, I know.” He muttered, turning around.
“Thank you for your services, Mr. Gantz.” He said.
“Yeah, Whatever.” He mumbled and walked away towards the setting sun. He looked up into the crimson sky before getting into his car and sped off.
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