Draco Tekina: The Guardian of Peace
"There we are..."
Strange, but small yellow eyes blinked in curiosity as a small, unknown animal was placed in a pile of freshly fallen leaves. A silhouette of a man stood up slowly, the shade of the leafy trees shifting every time the small mountain breeze flowed through. It was oddly quiet in that forest, save for the few strange bird calls that echoed throughout. As the man looked down at the animal in front of him, a warm smile came over his face. With a small sniff from the baby and a small stretch of its tiny spiked frill, the man leaned down once more and gently petted the tip of its round snout with a single finger.
"Stay strong, my little one.... And one day... you might just change the world..." the man whispered softly to it, before once again standing and turning to walk away.
The baby grunted as a response to the man's words, before the curious glint in its eyes caused it to tilt its head as it watched him walk away. Knowing this man for only just a few days and having already imprinted on him, he started to follow after. A small huff was heard as the baby tried to stand on its own two legs, but as it stumbled off the pile of leaves and let out a small whimper, the man paused in his tracks just as he was taking out some strange remote control in his hands. He took a glance back to the youngster, before smiling warmly.
"Shh.... Shh.... It'll be okay, little one.... You'll do just fine on your own here... I promise..." He said, pressing a button on the controller. And as a beam of light illuminated the silhouette, it revealed a very young-looking man, with bright blonde hair and a very small streak of white at the front of his cowlick. Black, square-framed glasses rested neatly on the bridge of his nose, and his cheeks sunk in just slightly to accent his sharp cheekbones. But, just as the man was revealed, he was soon starting to fade away from the brightness of that light. As he disappeared, his words echoed gently in the baby's ears.
"Take care of yourself... My Draco."
At that, the light was gone, all evidence of where the man had once been, gone. The tiny baby let out a grunt as he stared in confusion at the spot in where the man once was, and he wandered over to it, his steps still wobbly and the sensation of the dead foliage beneath him still feeling strange. The baby's nostrils flared as he sniffed the small indentation of the man's feet in the soil, before the sound of something loud made him jump in surprise. With a squeak, Draco fell on his side and looked up, strange yellow eyes widening upon seeing a massive creature stand in front of him. The being looked almost reptilian in a sense, but with stranger proportions to it. While it had a massive head and round snout, small and black beady eyes stared down at him, and the massive torso hung high behind it. Huge, three-toed claws gripped the forest ground with a sort of nervous curiosity, and extremely tiny two-clawed hands were attached to the massive creature. Draco stared at the hands for a moment, confused as to how such a gargantuan being could have such miniature appendages. But even with the childish innocence, Draco knew well when he met eyes with a predator. Swiftly standing to his feet, he released a tiny, defensive roar at the giant reptile, taking a few, stumbling steps backwards.
But the dinosaur did not flinch at the roar. Instead, a low and tender grumble was released, and it leaned down to gently nuzzle the tiny baby. Draco huffed in surprise at this gesture, a newfound emotion starting to well in his chest. As he stood and stared at the dinosaur's massive muzzle, it hummed with a softness that only a mother could give. A small "nyawr" was heard from Draco as he balanced himself, before watching as the saurian started to walk away, her heavy footsteps rumbling the earth they walked on. Blinking a bit in curiosity, Draco followed after her with a leap and a bound in his gait, unaware that he looked different; That he WAS different. All he knew now, was that he could belong in this world, even with a few abnormalities here and there.
Millions of years had passed. While Draco had grown and lived the life of a dinosaur for so many centuries, that all ended when they did. While the events that followed had indeed wiped out the dinosaurs, Draco survived alongside his avian cohorts for some time, watching them evolve right before his eyes. The years kept passing day by day, and Draco just remained the same. While dinosaurs had been long gone and forgotten by the newer species that took over, he knew that he could not fit in this world anymore. Walking alone for even more centuries, Draco became an aimless wanderer, having no goal or destiny to his name. However, when the dawn of man appeared, that's when it all started over again for the Chimera.
Having wandered the vastness of the earth as it moved and changed around him, Draco found himself in the newly formed islands of Japan. The native humans and species that lived there never saw anything like Draco, and with the developing minds of the humans already, they would occasionally follow and even offer food to him, saying that he was their God now. While they had indeed created many other "Gods" in their newfound culture, Draco proved to be the one that they could actually physically see. Since he had the form of a "ryu" (dragon), they started to base their folklore, legends, and many other stories around his presence. Drawings and many other depictions of Draco were drawn in the stone and later, the paper, of these Japanese people, and Draco soon became a highly praised being. The only thing that furthered his worship, was when he had accidentally discovered his human form. Transforming right before the eyes of the humans that worshiped him, the very idea that a God such as him could do such a thing, is what sparked the overall human idea that Gods could take on the form of their species whenever. Not only that, but when Draco had suddenly gotten very angry and revealed his dragon form, that once again inspired the humans.
For further centuries, Draco's existence would influence the world in the belief of deities and dragons, and as dinosaurs were discovered by paleontologists, pieces of his puzzle were starting to form.
It was only when Draco kept to his human form, that the legends of his "dragon" form would no longer be applied to him. Instead, stories of a wandering beast would be created about him, and would be told to future generations; All while Draco kept to his aimless wandering in Japanese lands.
At this time though, Draco lived in the age of the samurai, and was deeply intrigued by their laws and morals that went into their training. Seeking to follow in the footsteps of countless other Grandmasters, Draco was taught the Way of the Samurai. For many long years of training, Draco eventually mastered the technique of the ancient samurai and hoped only to use his techniques to preserve the peace in Japan. Though, while Draco did not know how or why humans would fight or bicker over the smallest of things, if he were to see such a thing, something unknown to him would happen. Every time he had seen some sort of animal fight with another, whether it be a different species altogether, or the same, a strange sensation would well up within the Chimera's chest. He didn't know what it was, but it always hurt. If he did not go to seek out the cause of the fighting, the pain would become overbearing, to the point where he would force himself to find a peace in the situation. Scolded or not during the intermission, Draco would do everything in his own mind and power to stop the fighting at once. While yes, Draco did indeed apologize if creatures were being harmed for food or for the necessary survival of the other, he did not tolerate it when the situation involved something that would benefit merely one organism for some "luxurious" cause. Traveling for so many years, Draco knew when an organism would need to survive, or when it would try to seek out to harm others for its own pleasure. Draco absolutely despised beings like that, who would kill for their own benefit, without giving any regard to the consequences afterwards. He hated how humans could be so conceited, so selfish about so many things, and yet, he was one of them. For a while, he had thought he had belonged in this world once again. And while he did for some time, the acts of war that spread throughout Japan during this time, were enough to have the Chimera doubt his existence and destiny once again. What was he supposed to do with this life given to him? Why was he created to live for so many centuries, to watch all those he knew, disappear from his life forever? What was the purpose of all of his wandering throughout his lifetime, when all he had managed to find, would only rot away with the destruction and angers of war? What was he fighting for? Why did he always have that aching pain in his chest when he could not fix a problem? Then again...
Why did he feel a great joy after seeing the faces of the people he saved? What was the purpose of his smile, a smile that he would always give, no matter how harsh the situation was presented to him? How could he be so patient, when others would yell and berate him right in front of his face? What was the purpose of being created to give love, when he would only so rarely receive it from others? Why did he even give it out so freely, even though he has been hurt so many times?
What was the point?
A small, quaint garden located just a few miles away from Draco's samurai training grounds. There he sat, by the edge of the pond, right in between trees that dipped their roots into the fresh water. There he sat, legs crossed over one another, and his eyes closed lightly in relaxation. His hands were gently placed over his knees, and his back was straight, perfectly poised for a meditator such as himself. Slow but strong breaths entered through his nose, and out of his mouth, the sounds of songbirds quietly ringing in his ears. Even the sound of soft, approaching footsteps weren't acknowledged. They shortly stopped behind him, though the Chimera did not stir. Only when the sound of a sword being unsheathed was heard, did Draco come out from his meditation. When he felt the faint breeze of something stopping just above his left shoulder, near his face, he slowly opened his strange yellow eyes, keeping them forwards and unmoving.
"I challenge you to a duel. If you refuse, I kill you here and now." A lowered, ominous voice demanded. Draco's eyes slightly shifted to the left to view the shimmering blade in the corner of his vision.
"It is disrespectful to aim a sword at a samurai in this fashion." Draco said, rather calmly as he kept to his meditative position.
For a few moments of silence, the two warriors remained frozen in place, waiting for the other to move. However, within those moments of silence, the first move was made. With a swift drawing of his blade, almost too quick for the other one to see, Draco touched his blade against the one near his shoulder, flinging it to the side and having the wielder get thrown off balance from the sudden move. And as he parried the blade, Draco swiftly moved his legs to allow himself to stand up, and without hesitation, he lunged forwards with his own blade, causing the other warrior to leap back. Still holding onto to their parried blade, the warrior quickly pulled their arm back to block Draco's attack, the clashing of metal scraping loudly in the once peaceful garden. Few birds released their calls upon hearing the two clash, and as Draco towered over the hidden warrior, something flashed in his strange yellow eyes. For a moment, he stared in confusion at the warrior, almost as if trying to decipher who this person really was. But the warrior growled lowly at the position they were in and the gaze he gave, shoving Draco back with a rough push of his sword. The latter stumbled backwards slightly, but quickly caught his balance, before dodging one of the sloppy attacks that the warrior threw at him. With a kick of his leg, the warrior tripped over it, falling onto the ground face first. The warrior huffed from the wind being knocked out of him, and before he had a chance to get up, the tip of Draco's blade pointed down on the side of the warrior's covered face, causing the latter to freeze.
"Your moves are sloppy." Draco said as he kept his sword in position.
"Tch! You're one to talk!" The warrior exclaimed, whirling around in the opposite direction of the sword, and swinging their own at Draco's body. But the samurai only took a step back to easily dodge the attack, before he placed his foot on their stomach, pressing down firmly and his sword once again being pointed down at the tip of the warrior's covered nose. Another foot was placed on the warrior's sword hand, causing them to release it shortly after. Draco leaned down slightly to face them, his expression almost ominous in itself with the amount of seriousness behind it.
"And your recklessness is of note. Keep it up, and you'll find yourself killed... Though, I don't expect much from a young Onna-bugeisha." He said, a very faint and calm smile appearing over his lips.
The warrior's eyes widened upon hearing that term, before they let out another growl and started to struggle. "How did you..?!"
"For one, the way you move in itself tells all, ojou-sama." Draco said, starting to step off of the warrior. "Now before you ask what that means, I know full well that men and women are treated very differently in the Samurai Way. The one who taught you wasn't very skilled, and had a feeling that a woman such as yourself wouldn't have a need to learn anyways." As he finally stepped off of the female warrior, he held his hand out to her to help her up.
She stared at it for some time, somewhat confused as to where this suddenly came from. But she didn't take it, only doing a "humph" and standing up by herself, picking up her sword in the process. Draco lowered his hand, though he didn't seem too phased by her sharp attitude.
"How about this... Since you already seem to be passionate about putting your skills to the test, why don't you become my apprentice so we can sharpen those moves of yours? Besides, you seem young and nimble, you have a lot of potential." He said, with his small, warm smile.
The woman looked up at him through the small gaps in her bamboo hat, before releasing a low sigh, her voice no longer deepened for that effect. "I bet you I'm the older one though." She muttered, her voice actually somewhat soft despite the harsh undertone.
Draco chuckled at her little counter, before he turned and sheathed his sword, walking away. "I have my doubts on that statement, but I'll trust you." He said with a tease, making the woman growl and yet, follow him anyways. "By the way... What shall I address you as? I know ojou-sama might not be too fitting since we will be working together from now on."
"....Just call me Ariana." She said, looking to the ground with a stubborn expression as she followed him.
"Hm." Draco lightly chuckled with a smile back to her. "Ariana.... I like it."
Days passed, and every time, Ariana would stop by the same pond in the same garden where Draco would meditate, and every time, she'd challenge him to a duel with her newfound skills. It always happened around the mid-afternoon, when the sun was still peeking out from behind the mountains, and when the air was at a perfect temperature. Every day, the duo would spar, and Draco would point out the mistakes Ariana would make when she was attacking him. And once sparring was over, the duo would talk about their lives previous to becoming samurai, almost to the point where neither would question how far back each other went into their past. It was almost as if the bond had gotten so strong, that they ignored the flaws in their stories, and merely just listened. Draco would talk about how vast the lands used to be in his original home, and how diverse the animals were before he arrived in Japan. Ariana would speak about how she enjoyed watching the birds and sometimes wished she could be as free as them. These talks would only continue for more years to come, all the while, Ariana was improving in her fighting skills. However, soon came that time when their talks would have to cease.
Ariana paused as she gazed down at the meditating Draco from behind. She kept her hands close to her body, her long, draping kimono sliding across the soft grass as she moved. Draco sat with his eyes closed, facing the lake as normal. But when he heard the unfamiliar sound of another's kimono dragging behind him, his eyes opened and he turned around, for the first time in a long time. What he saw next made his strange yellow eyes widen, and he swiftly stood up, his own kimono's fabric shuffling against the grass.
"A-Ariana?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH98EFBSHic
There Ariana stood, clad in a beautifully decorated blue kimono, with intricate flower designs along the main torso region, and a sparkling sort of coating over the fabric on her sleeves and draping down to the ground. The bright green ribbon that wrapped around the girth of her body was decorated further with even more designs of flowers, and a single cherry blossom was pinned to the front. Multiple other cherry blossoms were tied into her bright blonde hair, and her face even had hints of makeup which accented her pale yellow eyes.
Draco stood for a long moment and stared at her, recognizing that this kimono was meant for a wedding of nobility. Instantly knowing that seeing the bride outside of the wedding and without the groom anywhere nearby, Draco quickly shot his gaze away, shuddering at the amount of disrespect he put into both the look and the fact that she presented herself before him in such a way.
"A-Ariana... W-What is the meaning of this?" He asked with a stuttered tone, now closing his eyes so he couldn't see her out of any corner of his vision. The sound of the kimono dragging closer was soon heard, and a very soft, warm hand was placed gently on the cheek that faced away from her.
"Draco..." She said with a genuine tenderness in her voice, a thing that the Chimera had never heard before in all of his years talking to her. She even addressed him without the formality of "Draco-sama" like she normally did, which threw him off even further.
With a gentle pull to have him look to her, she continued in her soft voice. "... Look at me." The Chimera started to slowly open his eyes and found himself eye to eye with the only woman who had treated him so differently than the rest. It was something that he could not explain, but every time he talked to her, he could see the genuine expression and tone behind her, even if she tried to mask it with her sparky attitude. And even when she hid her emotions so well around others, Draco knew that was not her true self. He could see right through her, and he had a feeling that she knew that too. For once, someone had treated him differently while everyone else was the same. For once, he didn't care if he was the different one in the crowd, because Ariana made him feel special. She made him see that he was not like the others, that he had something else in his heart that was what made him unique. Ariana made him see that being so different wasn't so bad after all, that you didn't have to be treated the same in order to fit in. Maybe it was because they were so apart from the rest of the world, that they had somehow found the differences within each other, and have come to love everything about one another. That in itself caused Draco's heart to well up with a painful emotion that he had only felt in the very beginning of his life. And Ariana finished with the very words that could only describe the said emotion.
"Aishiteru..." (I love you.)
At that phrase, she pressed her small lips against Draco's, causing the latter to slightly flinch, but slowly succumb to the feeling. Never in the millions of years he lived, had his heart beat so fast and with so much emotion, that it felt like it would burst out of his chest. Lightly pressing his own back into hers, Draco slowly wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her ever closer so that the emotions could mingle into one. Everything had felt so perfect in that moment; all negative thoughts and memories seemed to fade away when the two had kissed, and the whole world around them became nothing more than a blank canvas, ready and exposed so that it could be painted over once again with the two's feelings for one another.
A quick and cool breeze flowed throughout the garden, causing the duo's kimonos to gently sway and their hair intertwine with one anothers'. Draco's hair, as black as night itself, and Ariana's hair, as bright as the farthest star, were now one in that flurry of wind. And without giving acknowledgement to it, the duo ignored the cherry blossom petals that started to gently place themselves on their heads and kimonos, the sounds of echoing song birds and the soft ripple of water from the pond mixing in with the still-blowing winds.
Eventually though, the duo slowly leaned their faces away from one another, Draco gently putting his forehead against Ariana's as they smiled happily to one another. Draco still had his arms wrapped around his love's waist, and as they stared longingly into each other's eyes, Ariana made a small smirk, an expression she mostly did when she was ready to tease him.
"So.. you gonna reply to my phrase?" She asked with that teasing tone.
Draco let out a low chuckle and smiled further at her, before gently placing a kiss on her nose.
"Aishiteruyo..." (I love you too.) He whispered to her, pulling her into a warm embrace.
And then, for the first time in his life, Draco felt like he truly had a purpose: To protect the ones he loves.
Once again, I am alone in the world. The last thing that I had lived for is gone now. I only have one objective now: To act as the guardian for the ones I swore to defend. I will get rid of this menace, even if my life will end with them. I am sorry. I will watch over you all from my place in the Underworld, and I hope that you will all live with peace in your hearts and minds. Please do not worry about me for when I am gone. This was of my own doing and of my own consequence.
For now, please remember me.
A low grumble resonated deep within the chambers of the Man of Sparks, his flame-orange eyes ablaze and dark smoke oozing out from between the gaps in his teeth. On the other side of the opponent, stood Draco, strange yellow eyes sunken in with the malice to defend, and frill splayed all the way out, the red hues emanating the warrior's last and dying spirit.
"You are foolish for trying to defend something that will only bring more ruin to this world." The beast growled, raising his head higher as he tilted it to the side.
A narrow frown appeared over Draco's mouth, as he raised himself higher as well, his frill twitching lightly at his words. "You may choose to believe that, but I'm afraid our morals are very different. If I can prove myself to my family and permanently keep you away from them, I will not pass up the opportunity. Kaji Moeko, I will not let you harm anyone that I love, anymore."
At that, Kaji's lips curled up into a maleficent smirk, and he grit his teeth together, sparks starting to fly to the ground through the dark smoke. "Then I will gladly watch you burn while you pathetically try to kill me."
A sudden snap of his jaws ignited the flames deep within the beast's girth, and they quickly rose up through his throat, finally exiting out in a long beam of heat towards the water-bending Chimera. And from that moment, the battle for life began. The duo exchanged blows left and right, scratching and biting in the hopes that skin would break and the other would weaken quick. And even as Draco was knocked down, he would only get back up. The will to protect all that he had lived for, all that he questioned, and all that he loved, was strong in his chest. All that guilt for not being able to help, and yet, all of that pleasure whenever he would be able to see a smiling face after his actions, was something that he would never want to live down. All those years where he had failed and yet found ways to succeed afterwards; Those would be the driving factor behind the will to fight. He would not give up this fight, even if it was his last.
But finally, when that last blow was dealt, with limbs splayed everywhere from both himself and his enemy, Draco knew that this would be the end. He had finally accomplished his lifelong goal. Now his family would be safe from the likes of Kaji, and would no longer have to stress about him. Even if his lingering effects did take a hold of the ones he loved, there would be time for them to recover fully from his reign. With a faint sigh and smile, Draco looked up to the sky with the last of his breath, the sun blurring his vision. Or were those his tears?
As he closed his eyes and faded to the darkness of the Underworld, he swore he saw Ariana. The one that had loved him since the beginning, and had treated him as someone who mattered. Even if he didn't mean something to the world as a whole, he knew that for sure, he mattered to Ariana's world. And with that, Draco's last breath escaped him, and he descended to a new life.