Breath of Fire 1. A Nightmare, In Which I Have A Part

"N….no… got to change…. …got to go to Agni…"  
  
The immense black dragon in front of me lined up its next shot- it looked like it was going to go with its breath again- though I wasn't sure….  
  
"C…come on… change…urgh!"  
  
The bright blue light hovered overhead for a while, stopping over six other figures- my companions?- and leaping to a seventh- that was blackened, but still breathing. The light flickered and went out.  
  
The great black dragon in front of us gave a roar of triumph and darted in for the kill. Its great mouth opened and it seemed to take pity on us, for a second. Then, the great tounge of flame issued forth and I could hear my friends screaming as it took more then they had to give. Then the flame focused on me.  
  
I met the dragon, eye-to-eye for a moment. It seemed to be taking glee in what it was doing, but when the flame took on a renewed vigor, I felt everything physical about me vanish, and with a start I saw my own body from above.  
  
The seared, blackened armor-the burning flesh-and most obvious of all-  
  
-my blade, now a runny puddle of metal, representing the hopes and dreams of all the tribes of the world.  
  
  
  
'No. NO! Sara… everyone… forgive me… I tried my best…'  
  
Suddenly, I felt a great shaking, like a quake had hit the spirit world. The images dimmed in front of me and soon I realized someone- or something- was shaking me. Hard.  
  
"Damn it, wake up! Jay, get up!"  
  
"Who? What? How in the-?"  
  
I came to, my mind focusing, my eyes sharpening, until I saw two faces in front of me.  
  
"You were screaming again." My sister visibly relaxed at my resurfacing into the world of consciousness, and my mother handed me a glass of water and a damp cloth.  
  
"Jay, what's going on? You've been having nightmares for the last few weeks. No wonder you're so irritable."  
  
"Like right now?" I growled. My sister backed away a bit, in mock fear.  
  
"Geez, take it easy. You'd think you were gored by a bull, the way you woke up."  
  
"Try getting torched by a dragon and you'd be a lot closer."  
  
My mother seemed to sigh.  
  
"Jay, you're nineteen. You don't get nightmares when you're nineteen. It's those books, or you've been playing games waaaaay too much again."  
  
"Well, it's either that or go out for a job. And as long as my car stays busted, I can't get one. So what else can I do except stay home and play games?"  
  
"Do whatever you think is right. If you want to stay home and kill yourself with junk food and late nights, go ahead. But I won't see you kill yourself. You'll get one tomorrow, even if I have to drive you."  
  
'Oh, boy," I thought. 'Mom's sure making a mountain out of another molehill…'  
  
"Anyway, try and get some sleep. It's three in the morning. Don't stay up. We go shopping today."  
  
Mom walked off, out of my room, and my sister followed her eventually, after making sure I was really all right. I let my head fall back onto the striped pillowcase, and I let my thoughts wander over the dream.  
  
'Maybe Mom's right. Maybe I am playing too many games. But she might be right about the junk food. Today I think I'll start cutting calories off my diet… if I can live without going to McDonalds every other day.'  
  
With that, I closed my eyes again, and I seen fell asleep again. Thankfully, it passed dreamlessly. When I opened my eyes again, the sun was out, it was cold (as always, when it wasn't June, when it was unbearably hot), and according to the amount of racket going on out in the living room, it was time to get up.  
  
"It's about TIME you got up! Hurry up, we're heading to the mall."  
  
I stood there, still waking up, and I got yelled at again.  
  
"GET WITH IT, STUPID!" my sister howled. Apparently, she couldn't tell that waking up was an art form. So I walked back into my room and flipped the light on, and then narrowly avoiding stepping in a hairball left there by a now relieved cat.  
  
I pulled out my favorite pair of jeans- the ones with the chewed out back of the lower legs- and pulled those on as I yanked open the closet door with my other hand. From there, I pulled out a shirt- who cared if it matched anything?- and put it on as fast as I could. Then, I pulled on my pair of socks from the previous day, and then my old, worn-out pair of shoes.  
  
I darted out into the living room, and from there into the bathroom, where I woke up fully and used the facilities. I ran a wet comb through my hair, and then I walked out into the living room and collapsed on the couch, waiting for the rest of my family to get dressed.  
  
"Come on, put on your coat! Hurry up, Mom's starting the car!"  
  
My sister pushed my jacket into my hands, and I slipped it on while we dashed outside, jumped in the car, and started driving to the large mall in the next city over.  
  
  
  
The trip passed uneventfully- if you don't count getting bitched out at a gas station for wearing a leather jacket- and soon, we were at the mall. I split off from my family and headed to the only store that carried any kind of anime- the aptly named "Anime Shop".  
  
"Hey, long time, Jay!"  
  
"Hey, Earl. What's new?"  
  
I knew the shop owner- I'd been in almost every week that summer, and we struck up a friendship immediately. Sometimes we'd get into an argument over something- but I felt something different today. Like something was waiting for me….  
  
"Well, that load of videos finally came in, I got that new Odin figure you were waiting for, and something came-"  
  
"Uh, excuse me. Could you help me?"  
  
Some guy in a red jacket stepped up to the counter, and I stepped away.  
  
"I'll go dig though the videos. I'll talk with you again in a second."  
  
Earl nodded and I stepped away. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see something happening, so I turned around.  
  
"Don't move, fat stuff. This is a robbery."  
  
  
  
Well, this is a new bit of fiction from me- I hope you enjoy it!  
  
Jayson_Four@yahoo.com - Mail me with any flames, praise, or comments! I read all mail, and I respond to it (if I'm not too busy).  
  
Jayson 4 


	2. The True Beginning

Earl stood shock still, his hands frozen, his eyes nervous.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for, chunky? Open the register, give me the money, and you don't end up dead. Simple."  
  
I darted back into the racks of videos- and found myself wedged between a "Record of Lodoss War" display and a bargain bin of old Samurai Pizza Cats tapes.  
  
'Gotta do something… throw videos? No- they're too light, plus Earl would make me pay for each one… use a weapon on him? No- they're in the goddamn display case. Then it looks like my only choice is to….'  
  
I worked up my nerve and steeled myself.  
  
'Well, I have to do this. Might as well get it over with.'  
  
  
  
Earl was shaking as he handed over the last stack of twenties in the register. The man in the jacket smiled.  
  
"Oh, and I'll take that glass jar with the shiny dust in it. I'm sure I can find a sucker for it."  
  
"B-b-but –"  
  
"DO IT, chunky, or you'll be able to chew gum through your cheeks!"  
  
Earl almost tripped over his shoelaces grabbing the urn and carrying it to the counter- which is when he saw a flash of red through the gaps in the video racks- and saw Jason launch himself at the felon.  
  
He set the urn of dust down on the counter- and hid his eyes and covered his ears.  
  
There was a short burst of gunfire. Two bodies hit the floor. There was a smear of red over the countertop, and the urn fell, blasted apart by a bullet.  
  
The robber lay under Jason's bulk, unable to move due to the immense weight of maybe two-hundred fifty pounds of otaku. Jason, however, was motionless as the dust settled down onto him.  
  
Some of it entered the gaping wound on his chest and began to bubble slightly.  
  
Police rushed in, having been called as soon as someone had seen the robbery in progress, and hauled the robber away.  
  
"You'll be facing the chair if that kid bites it. End of story."  
  
'If he survives.' The words echoed over and over in Earl's head. He stood back, watching as the paramedics drove right on into the mall, and up to the scene.  
  
Two hysteric women were guided into the ambulance as they loaded up Jason into the back of it.  
  
Then his attention turned back to the urn on his countertop- and the amount of dust still left there.  
  
'In all my travels, searching for the ancient ruins of the people that arrived here from another star- the Dragons- it was foretold to me by the inscription on the chest of where I found the dust.'  
  
'This dust contains the power of the Dragons. Only a native descendant of both worlds can unlock its true potential.'  
  
He collected the glass as best he could, sweeping it and the leftover dust into a large vase that he took to the storeroom. He came back out, and was met by a detective from the local police force.  
  
"I'm afraid you'll have to shut the store down, sir. This is a crime scene now, and I don't want anything getting disturbed."  
  
Earl sighed.  
  
"Well, it's not like I want to keep the shop open when my best customer is a candidate for a pine box."  
  
He stepped out through the back door, lowering the steel curtain so nobody could see or get in.  
  
  
  
"Tonight, on News 41…  
  
"The latest scandals from the Enron bankruptcy. How will the workers recover?"  
  
"Video games- the latest health fad? Are they better for you than most thought?"  
  
"A botched robbery at the Riverside Mall on 45th Avenue leads to a teen getting shot. What could have been done to prevent this tragedy?"  
  
'click'  
  
Sarah collapsed into a chair in the waiting room of the hospital.  
  
"Why are they focusing so much on Jason? People gets shot every day in this town. What's the fascination with it?"  
  
"Because if there's blood, people will watch it. Simple."  
  
"Mom, what's going to happen to Jason? Did they say anything?"  
  
Her mother shook her head.  
  
"They won't even let ME in to see him- even though they said he's out of immediate danger…"  
  
Several minutes passed in silence. Then Sarah got up.  
  
"I'm going to check again, Mom. Do you want to come with me?"  
  
"No, I'll be fine here. If you hear anything, come tell me."  
  
Sarah got up, and walked toward the door. She pushed it open, and hit a doctor on his way into the room, knocking the file out of his hand. She knelt down to gather it up, and she saw the name:  
  
"Icasea, J."  
  
The doctor got up and accepted his file back from her. He then walked into the room.  
  
"Uh… Icasea? Is there anyone by that name here?"  
  
"Yes. Is there any news on him?"  
  
"Come with me, please."  
  
Sarah and her mother followed the doctor out of the room, through a checkpoint, and into a partitioned room.  
  
Barely, through the clear curtain of plastic, Sarah could make out a hint of dark brown hair. She pulled it aside and sucked in a gasp.  
  
Her brother lay there- a massive bandage covering him from chest to chin, soaked red.  
  
"Well… we've gotten the bleeding under control. That won't kill him. The only problem is..."  
  
Sarah and Mom looked at him.  
  
"Stop skipping around the crap, doc. Is he going to be Jason again, or is he just going to be a candidate for a suit and box?"  
  
"Well… he hit his head when he fell. The floor was linoleum on solid concrete. It rattled his brain up very badly. He's in a coma- mostly because his brain is trying to get the scrambled signals back into their rightful place."  
  
"How long could that take?"  
  
"It depends, ma'am. If we're lucky, he'll jump up in maybe an hour, and if not, he could be like that for the rest of his natural life."  
  
Sarah stood there, staring at the person she had been cajoling out of bed just close to three hours ago.  
  
'Why did that have to happen? Jason's not the type to get into an attempted robbery and get a hole in his chest where his sternum should be.'  
  
She walked over and took his hand in hers- the warmth she felt meant he was still there, and sat down.  
  
"I'm staying with him. He'll be back with us soon- I know it."  
  
Then she looked back down at her brother's face.  
  
'Jason… what is going on behind those eyes of yours?'  
  
Jason's mind was somewhere else- and currently, it was filled with fear.  
  
'What's going on? Where am I?/  
  
"In another world, if you will."  
  
A green form flickered to life in front of him- and he knew he was dreaming.  
  
'Haven't I seen you somewhere before?'  
  
"If you like. Few realize what effective mental imagery can come from a video game."  
  
'Ah. That.'  
  
"Look. I'll get straight and to the point with you, kid. You're here because this was destined to happen. You really aren't from the world you know."  
  
'Gee, I kinda knew that.'  
  
"You're a Dragonian. From another dimension, if you will."  
  
'I know I'm not normal. Ever since I was thirteen…'  
  
"You're here because you can lift the yoke of evil off a world where it doesn't need to be. Your home world."  
  
'You're kidding. This must be a joke.'  
  
"If this were a joke, you would already be awake. It's not a dream- in fact, it is quite real. You must do this. Because one planet will not fulfill the dreams of the Evil One. If she takes this planet, she will soon come after your planet- its dimensional twin. It would be easy for her."  
  
'Let me get this straight. If I say no, worlds are doomed. I say yes, I put my own tail in danger, and if I die, both worlds are doomed. Why should I care?'  
  
"Oh…. I don't know… maybe for the fact that you're the only one that has a chance in anything of leading a campaign against him. No one else will."  
  
'Anything else?'  
  
The figure sighed. 'Yes, there is a princess. If you do everything right, there is a slight chance she might like you. Satisfied?"  
  
'All right, friend, you got me. I'll go. Let me at them.'  
  
A green flash, and a parting word were all he got in response.  
  
"Thank you. Be careful- and don't forget- it's not your world. You will leave it one day. Remember."  
  
Jason sighed- and then he began to feel things again.  
  
Heat. Intense heat. Like a dry sauna. Then he felt something shaking him.  
  
"Wake up, fool! Get up, before you burn to a crisp!"  
  
  
  
And there you have it. Part 3 should be up soon- and let me know if I know what I'm doing, or if I should use this story to melt the ice on my sidewalk.  
  
Jayson_Four@aol.com  
  
Jayson 4 


End file.

Breath of Fire, Adventure, Romance