Synchronicity

Chapter 11

"RIN!" Len shouted at the top of his lungs, forcing back the coughing fits that arose. He spun in tight circles, jerking his head every which way trying to find any sign of the girl. There was nothing anywhere. Just darkness and the mocking breeze that came from an unknown source. He was too late. How could he be too late?

He screamed and fell to his knees, slamming his fists down. The ground shook slightly and Len was too distraught to care. This whole journey had been a waste after all, he thought to himself as he let the tears fall freely. There was no point in containing them now. People had died, villages had been ruined, his comrades and only friends were gone now and so was his sister.

The whole journey had been for nothing. No one was going to save him either, he'd die down in that cave as a broken child. No doubt they would bring a new Diva to take Rin's place. Or maybe not. Maybe the Pythoness without her mask would be useless and they'd leave their deal with the beast.

"The dragon…" Len said to no one when he opened his eyes and lifted his head enough to scan the cave. He hadn't heard from it yet and he was sure this was where it was. He hadn't seen it leave… And he hadn't seen it in here yet either. Unless it was sitting back and laughing at his misfortune, picking it's teeth with Rin's bones. The image disgusted the boy.

He stumbled back to his feet keeping his sword tight in hand as he looked around. The cave walls all seemed solid. There was tiny opening and small caves here and there but nothing a creature that big could slip out of. Then Len wondered if the creature really was a giant like the stories said. Maybe it could change size. Maybe it could sneak in and out through the cracks.

"Come out!" Len beckoned loudly holding his sword in a neutral pose. "I'm not scared of you." He said narrowing his eyes. The cave shook again and Len struggled at first to keep balance. He caught himself then looked around again. A loud grumbling sound erupted from the depth of the cave and Len almost thought of it as a laughing sound.

"I'm not scared of you!" Len repeated more bold now than before.

The entire cave shook again, this time it was more violent. Len fell to one knee making sure his sword was still positioned. Then he saw it. One of the cave walls shifted and turned. It was spinning around like a humongous ball; but this ball had a tail and claws and scales.

Len felt the breath suck right out of him as he stared at it. The dragon from legend was standing there, hidden once by the groove of the cave. Now that it had turned around, Len could see all the details of it. It gave a throaty growl down at the boy, its massive red eyes watched him intensely. The scales were a green so dark it looked black. Teeth sharp enough that Len knew it could bite through steel. The wings were folded but Len could still tell the span was immense.

The dragon growled again then tipped it's head to the side as if mocking him. Len grabbed his sword with both hands, arching back ready to strike and then he noticed the dragon was holding something. The limp form of a blond haired girl.

"Miku and I grew up in the same village," Kaito said quietly still in a daze from the whole 'dying' thing. Gakupo was working on wrapping their wounds, ripping apart any spare clothing they had. Meiko watched, holding her side tight while the lone Pythoness continued to stay off on her own. "She and I were actually close friends," Kaito played with a smile but it was lost when Gakupo pressed too hard on his cut. "When we got older we were both promised to be taught basic magic. Nothing huge but enough in case we ever had to use it."

"A magician's village then hm?" Gakupo said thoughtfully, "I knew they existed but never figured you to be one of them."

Kaito shrugged, "I never really had a knack for magic. That's one of the reasons I moved on to another village."

"What happened then?" Gakupo asked only half interested. Out of their little group, Kaito was the one he knew least about but that didn't mean he wanted a sob story.

"Miku took to magic well," Kaito explained looking over at the girl. "She was gifted with it and that's why they chose her to be the next Pythoness." He frowned and stared down at the ground, memory of the day fresh in his mind. "I remember her crying and screaming and begging them not to put that mask on her. No one listened though. I remember," he clenched a fist at his side, "trying to get them away from her but they pushed me aside and told me it had to be done."

Kaito stopped for a while just quiet as he watched the ground. "When they got the mask on, she wasn't Miku anymore." He said softly barely glancing up at her now. "She was different. Her entire attitude had changed and there wasn't anything I could do to help." He was almost whispering at that point but at least he had Gakupo's attention. "They took her away after that and I never saw her again. Reason number two why I left home."

"You became a clown after that?" Meiko asked clearing listening in.

Kaito snorted, "if you want to call me that. I assumed a more carefree life would make me forget everything that happened."

"It didn't though," Gakupo shook his head as he wrapped Kaito's arm.

"Hardly," Kaito nodded. "I just kept having nightmares about her every time I closed my eyes. That was when I met Len. He said he was looking for his sister, the Dragon Diva. I told him I'd go with him for protection but really…"

"You were coming for her," Meiko finished. Kaito nodded again slowly. "Well, hero, here we are. What are you going to do?"

Kaito looked over at Meiko, hardly amused then with a flinch he stood up. Gakupo frowned at him but didn't stop him as he wobbled to his feet and made his way over to the girl. The ex-Pythoness said nothing as he sat there, back turned looking at the platform she once kept guard on. Her staff was resting further away from her, broken shards of the magical mask still lay on the stair steps. She had been crying and by now her eyes were nothing but red puffy orbs.

She either didn't notice the others or purposely ignored them. The girl hiccupped and rubbed at her eyes then jumped when hands touched her bare shoulders. She spun her head around and saw Kaito kneeling besides her with a weak smile. "Kaito…?" Miku said softly, tears starting once more. "I did a bad thing."

Kaito didn't say anything though. Just leaned close and pulled her against him a small embrace.

"Rin!" Len screamed when he saw his sister. She was the same as in his dreams, he'd know her anywhere. The dragon tipped it's head to the side and made another monstrous laughing sound, it's claws tight around the girl. It was mocking him. Len growled and held tighter to his sword until his knuckles turned white. "Give her to me!" He shouted at it but the dragon didn't seem to want to listen.

It snorted down at him then bared it's teeth. It didn't attack, it didn't move, it just kept staring down at the boy intensely as if it were trying to tell him something. When Len didn't budge, the dragon screeched loudly and shook the walls of the cave until the girl finally begun to stir. "Ow…" She groaned lifting a frail hand up and touching her head.

"Rin!" Len shouted again up at her with desperate eyes.

The girl gasped then slowly begun to wake up as she looked down at him. Was this another dream of hers? The scene seemed all too familiar and yet the pain she felt assured her she was indeed awake. "Len?" She asked confused then struggled and sit up in the dragon's clutches, "Len! Get out of here!"

"Not with you!" He replied right away. "I've come this far, I'm not leaving you now!" He didn't know the way out even if he wanted to. The dragon made another angry snarl down at him then screeched loudly once more.

Rin screamed and covered her ears, "it's angry!" She shouted back down at the boy. "The…The dragon is saying it'll spare your life if you leave now!"

"I'm not leaving," Len said narrowing his eyes at the beast, "I defeated the Pythoness, I'll defeat you too."

That made the dragon even more angry. It's eyes went wide and glowed faintly. It made a low growl in the back of its throat and slowly started to rear up. "L…Len! Get down!" Rin shouted but by then it was too late. The dragon lurked forward with a wide jaw, fire shot out at the boy. Len scrambled and managed to roll away from the flames but it was close, the hem of his cloak catching a blaze. He immediately tore it off and threw it aside. It'd be easier to fight without it anyway.

His shoulder throbbed and screamed at him to not move it but there was no way he couldn't at this point. The dragon screeched again as it reared up once more. This time when he shot forward it stomped out of its little hole, tossing the girl somewhere to the side. Len saw a flash of white from the girls dress then heard a loud slamming sound when she hit one of the walls and fell. "Rin!" He shouted and started running for her but didn't make it far as the dragon shot another wave of fire at him.

The boy jumped back and managed to avoid the hit again but now the ground was hot and anymore might be hard for him to walk on; especially if his boots started to melt. He glared at the beast then looked back at his sister who was struggling to sit up. There was a gash on the side of her head that Len could see now. Staining the right side of her face. Not only that but her dress was ripped in places and her arms and legs didn't look much better. She was pale too, probably from how much blood she lost. If they didn't get out of there soon, they'd both be goners.

Len gripped his sword again and turned to the dragon as it slithered up and stretched its wings as far as it could. This cave seemed so large and yet this beast could hardly even open up in it. Maybe this would be harder than he thought.

"What was that?" Meiko frowned as everyone silenced and tried to hear the sound again. A roaring sound followed by screams and the ground shaking under them. "Is that the dragon?" She asked looking at Miku.

"Yes," the girl said weakly as she stood there, half leaning against Kaito for support. "It sounds like your friend is fighting with it…"

"Is there anyway to tell whose winning?" The red knight asked glaring at the girl, still bitter about the remark she'd given her earlier.

"The dragon is," Miku said right away shaking her head. "There's no way to stop it. I might have been able to control it before but now… My mask is broken. No one can control it."

"Shit," was all Meiko said as she turned and paced away from them.

"Then we have to get down there and help him," Kaito said pushing the frail girl away from him. She looked at him with pleading eyes. "He's our friend. We told him we'd fight with him and we're just standing here waiting. He has a fighting chance, sure, but without us… He won't get far."

"Especially if he's broken anything like we have," Gakupo said shaking his head from the side. "He's strong but that boy is foolish. If his sister is even still alive, neither of them have any hope of escape."

"Hope is all they have now," Miku muttered brushing some of her bangs back. She hadn't realized how long her hair had gotten. She slowly made her way over to her forgotten staff, finding it hard to lift. The mask apparently had given her more strength than she thought. She held it firmly then turned towards Kaito, "I may not have my mask anymore but I'm not some petty magician. Maybe I can still communicate with the dragon enough to help them out."

"Are you sure?" Kaito asked with a stern look. "You're out of practice aren't you? Without the mask, I mean."

Miku gave a tiny smile, "maybe. I have to try though right?" She said slowly making her way up the steps. Without that mask on the terrifying Pythoness seemed like nothing more than a mere child really. An innocent girl taken away from friends and family and nothing more. It was as though the bitter cruel girl she'd been had been wiped away. Which all of which was true. Still, as she stood on top of the platform, holding out the staff too big for her arms, she looked nothing short of powerful.

"Dragon," Miku called softly as she closed her eyes and tipped the staff so it lay perfectly horizontal in the air. "Hear me now," she said letting go of the it and holding her hands out with open palms. A faint blue light came off her finger tips and onto the staff, leaving it hovered in the air. "You will listen to me!" She didn't sound very convincing though.

Len smashed against the cave wall and cried out before falling over and holding his side. He was losing too much blood now, his vision was blurring and spotted. The dragon kept coming at him harder and faster each time so the boy had no time to recover. At least Rin was safe, he thought looking over where the girl had fallen. She was still awake and still watching but the dragon didn't show any interest in her. The boy frowned though as he looked at her. She seemed to be waving in some direction to the side lines. Len didn't dare look though.

The dragon came at him again, this time it was with claw an fang. Len stumbled to his feet and managed to dodge out of the way but it came at him again. This time it caught the boy, pinning him against the wall. Len flinched and tried to get it to let go but with all his jumping and dodging, he'd dropped his sword somewhere. He heard screaming, probably from his sister, but his hearing was muffled. The boy looked up at the beast with narrowed eyes, daring it to kill him now.

The dragon snarled at him, twitching it's snout as it started to retract another flame before shooting it out at him. It was going to barbeque Len right then and there. The boy welcomed it though. What else could he do now. His only regret was that Rin was watching. All her hopes and dreams of being saved by a hero would be wasted. She'd see her hero go up in flames and then what? What would the dragon do to her? Would she go on having to sing? Would she drop dead from the blood lose when it finally caught up to her? Or would the dragon turn on her and do the same painful death it'd cause him?

Either way Len closed his eyes and waited. His body felt numb and maybe, just maybe, the death would be a fast one. The dragon lurched back enough to give itself enough room but right when it was about to release the flame, it stopped and jerked it head up toward the ceiling. It seemed annoyed if a beast could show it. Len glanced over toward Rin who was holding her head as though something was happening to her. "Rin?" He coughed out barely audible at that point.

The girl kept holding her head then slowly stood up and limped for something. Len turned his gaze to follow her and then he noticed what she'd been flailing at. There was some kind of hole in the wall. A small cave inside the big one. Len weakly smiled when she slipped inside and even that hurt him. He looked back at the dragon that seemed to get more and more angry. The rest happened too fast for Len to really process.

The dragon threw him back down to the floor and leapt up to hit the top of the save ceiling. The entire mountain shook as the dragon did it once more, screeching loudly up at it. What was going on up there? Len wondered as he looked around. He saw his sword laying there and scooped it up right away. Then his feet seemed to move on their own, scampering toward the smaller cave he'd seen Rin vanish into. The dragon wasn't paying attention, it was his only chance.

Len fell back into the tiny cave with a painful groan and was immediately embraced. It took him a second to even realize who it was or what was going on but the second he did, he tossed the sword aside and held her back. "I'm sorry," he said right away.

"Don't be," Rin replied. She sounded like she was crying. Len felt terrible but didn't let go at all. "Your hurt," she said next.

"Not as bad as you are," Len replied with the faintest chuckle. Everything ached. "What happened back there?" He found himself asking as he reluctantly pulled back.

"The Pythoness," Rin said with a weak smile as she rubbed her eyes. "She's trying to talk to it." Len got a good look at her now. Her beautiful blond hair was mangled and stained with blood much like his must have been. Her eyes were red now from crying but they were the same blue he'd seen in his dreams. Her dress must have been once an amazing loosely worn sundress, now destroyed like everything else. She was there though, and that was all that mattered.

"The Pythoness?" Lena asked suddenly when he'd come to. "How? I destroyed her mask."

"That's probably why it's so mad," Rin said peeking over her shoulder and glancing out where the dragon was. It was still angrily screaming up at the cave top. "It's telling her she can't control it anymore. It's telling her it has no master anymore."

"You can understand it?" Len asked finding himself sitting on some kind of stone plate. He noticed a few small things here and there. Worn down pillow, half a blanket, some rotting food. It must be her bedroom.

"Of course," Rin nodded, going and sitting beside him as she held her arm. "All the Diva's can. It's like… A sound in your head. It speaks to your through your thoughts."

"Sounds annoying," Len muttered as he looked over at her.

"Not really annoying," Rin shook her head looking down at the ground. "It's more painful than anything." Len frowned as he watched her. She was so broken, in more ways than one and he hated seeing her like this. "We're going to die here aren't we?"

"No," Len snapped right away. "We're not. I've come this far and I'm not-"

"You were ready to give up out there," Rin said softly. "I saw it. In your eyes. You were ready to die."

"I-" Len tried but stopped himself. She was right. He'd been ready to give up out there. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I just don't know what to do… I knew this would be impossible but I never thought I'd be this tough. Rin, does it have any weakness?"

"I don't know," she said shaking her head. The dragon seemed to still be oblivious to their planning. In all the years Rin had sang to the beast, didn't she know of any weakness it had? Any at all? The only time it seemed powerless was when it was asleep and that only happened after she- "singing." Rin said softly turning to look over at Len. "We sing to it."

"Singing?" Len asked with a frown. "Rin, I don't think this is the time for-"

"You don't understand," Rin said standing up. Len saw her flinch. "The dragon loves hearing songs. That's it's only weakness. It…It loves to hear songs. Any songs at all. That's why it keeps the diva in the first place."

"I don't think it's in the mood to hear songs though," Len said motioning outward, "do you hear it? It sounds pissed off. It's not going to just forget everything because we sing to it."

"That's all I've got," Rin said with a weak smile. "You…do know how to sing don't you?"

Len was taken back by that. Him know how to sing? Like a bird knows how to fly. He'd sang with her once before hadn't he? Or was that still part of the dream? "Of course I sing," he said frowning as though offended.

"Then we have to try it," Rin said grabbing his hand and gently tugging him out. Len followed, limping all the while. He had a bad feeling but if Rin was right… They had to try it. If anything, they'd at least do it together.

When they ventured out into the main cave, the dragon had calmed enough by now to stop it's attacking. It growled up then snarled down as the twins stepped forward. It still wasn't in a forgiving mood. It spread its wings as far as it could and screeched down at them. Len covered his good ear with his free hand, the other one still holding to his sister tight.

"We want to sing to you!" Rin called up to it. Her voice was hoarse. Len wondered how'd she be able to sing at all. "Please," she said sighing a little. "I know you like it! Let us try and please you!" There was a long pause as the dragon just stared down at her. Len watched confused. Maybe it was talking to her. It must be because she replied, "yes. If we don't please you."

What was that suppose to mean? Len frowned and looked up at the dragon. It didn't look like it was in a forgiving mood at all. Even if they sang to it, what would happen? "All voices encounter light and lead to shadow. As the repeating history…" Rin started.

It was another song Len didn't know but he opened his mouth anyway. "The thumping sound of the infinite world resounds." The words just poured from his mouth at that point. Everything he was fighting for. Everything he had to live for. "To declare the end. All lives end and grow back."

The dragon seemed to be listening though, cocking its head to the side. Len wasn't sure if that meant it was pleased or not. The boy licked his chapped lips and opened his mouth wider to belt out the song he didn't know. Or maybe he did know it. Maybe somehow he'd heard it long ago and just forgotten. Either way, he sang.

And Rin sang too.

"Again in paradise of light and shadow… Let my wish reach there…!"