Chapter 1: Speculation and Determination

Careful Planning

(Cole's POV)

"RAAAAWWWWRRRR!"

Nagendra flew over the surface of the ocean at an amazing speed, creating sprays of waves from her wings. I grasp the harness around the shimmering scales of her thick neck tightly as she soars upward into the clouds above. She performs a graceful corkscrew and I shout at the thrill of the ride.

"Come on, Nagendra! Show me what you got!" I holler in challenge and she responds by bellowing loudly. I bring my upper body closer to her neck when she tilts and her head swoops downward. The increase in velocity is astonishing as she dives back down towards the surface. My eyes widen when I realize she isn't going to pull up. I have just enough time to take a single deep breath before her snout along with the rest of her body and me go under into the moving warm water.

I'm amazed that she doesn't decelerate, her form adjusting perfectly to the change of environment. She swims strongly with her wings and claws and I have just enough time to glimpse at a grove of bright red coral reefs before she shoots upwards and breaks through the surface, taking flight once again flawlessly.

I inhale numerous breaths and cough a bit, my hood now plastered to my head. Nagendra chuckles deeply.

"And how was that, earth ninja?" She growls, an edge of pride in her voice.

I peel back my wet hood with a laugh. "Not bad, Nagendra…not bad." I pat her scales as she chortles again; her immense body reverberates to create that snarling laughter that only dragons have. The leather of her wings receives the updraft of warm thermals from the ocean and her flight pattern evens out to a smooth ride. I really did miss this feeling…

"I appreciate you doing this for me," I say. "I know you usually only let Sasha take hold of your reins."

"Hmm, very true. Only my master may control me however, I do not mind…you have Master Sasha's scent all over you."

A smile crosses my face at her remark. I guess for those with superb olfactory sense would be able to tell if two people were romantically involved or not.

"Tell me, why the sudden need for the open air on my back? The Destiny's Bounty is more than capable of flight and for quick travel you are equipped with your Spinjitzu Vehicle. You must have a reason."

Nagendra doesn't see a difference, but I surely do. The feeling of liberty while soaring through the skies on the back of a dragon completely outmatches the stiff maneuvering of a ship any day. And sure, I have my Tread Assault except, the power and speed Rocky had…we were unstoppable! My brothers probably wouldn't see the similarity, but to me we were figuratively the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and a rider without his steed is only at half of their full strength. I remember feeling like a part of my soul had been wrenched away when Rocky flew off with the other dragons into the setting sun. Wherever he is I hope he's okay and happy. I wonder if he would even recognize me if we happened to cross paths again.

"Truthfully, nostalgia is all. I had a dragon once, Rocky was what I named him. He guarded the Scythe of Quakes over at the Caves of Despair and man…I was terrified when I first saw him. That was over a year ago and we became friends shortly after. So many missions and adventures, everyone had their own dragon…" I close my eyes briefly in remembrance. Taking care of Rocky, feeding him his favorite snack, washing his scales, the numerous races we engaged in against the others. "Those times will always be treasured," I finish.

"Your words are respectable, indeed worthy of the Earth Dragon…Rocky, you said? Yes, I suppose at the time he was unable to tell you the birth name his parents gave him since dragons can't speak until they've reached full maturity…" Nagendra flaps her wings and banks left to avoid the approaching shoreline.

"What? Do you know him?" I ask in a rush. "What can you tell me?"

"The Earth Dragon, Tetra is the son of Kodiak and Lycia of Intravalia. He and I were hatchlings brought up in the same rookery, a strong dragon even then. He was always so subdued…calm, refusing to boast about his skills and might like some of the other dragons. I admired him and he and I were friends."

"Were? You mean you're not anymore? What happened?"

I'm surprised when she gives a huff of indignation and growls. "I am a Water Dragon, kin to Lord Leviathan, almighty ruler of the sea and he is an Earth Dragon, kin to Lord Bahamut, the undisputed King of Dragons…It was never meant to be."

"Uh…can you give me a little bit more than that?" I request while scratching the back of my head in confusion. "So what? Are you saying that Leviathan's followers are like the Capulet and Bahamut's are like the Montague?"

"I am not familiar with such dialect. Are you comparing humans to dragons?" Nagendra shakes her head, "Anyway, he was so persistent. He wanted us to try to be more even though our destinies would not allow it. And I refused to commit myself to a relationship that I knew was doomed to failure."

Doomed to failure? How could you have been so certain of that if you didn't even try? You shouldn't let limitations stop you, especially in regards to love…

I keep my thoughts to myself however and instead lightly press her to elaborate. "So, what happened between you two?"

We continue out over the open sea with only the sound of the wind and the soft cry of seagulls for a time before she finally answers.

"…Customarily, a dragon must reach full maturity before being chosen for any position of importance. However, my Lord chose me to become the new guardian and adjutant of his mortal advocates whileI was still in the midst of my training. I was ecstatic and deeply honored, my studies and training were giving me my dream early, but…at the same time Tetra had been summoned by his Lord to fulfill his own destiny. And…in a moment of weakness…yes, that was what it was…a moment of weakness…I despaired when he was taken away. I remember him calling out to me, promising me that we would be together again. Like I said…persistent…and for a split second…I caved and believed him. That was centuries ago. I have let go of my foolishness and moved on."

"So you have a mate?" I ask and she snorts belligerently.

"Hardly, I haven't had the time to look properly…m-my duties in all."

The way her voice wavered tells me she put in that last bit as an afterthought and I decide to call her out on it. "Nice excuse, but it sounds to me that you might still have a thing for Rocky. You guys really sound like an off version of Romeo and Juliet, hopefully though your tale won't end in tragedy like theirs did. Maybe you should read it, it's a classic."

"I have no interest in reading sentimental literature by mortals," she huffs. "I have enough knowledge about humans to last me a millennia, thank you."

I laugh at her tone and pat her neck scales once more. "Okay sure, it's not as action-packed and suspenseful as say Macbeth or Hamlet, but there's no such thing as too much knowledge."

She suddenly powers forward in the direction of home. "As much as I'd like to continue our conversation Ninja of Earth, we'd best return to your vessel. My master is surely waiting for our return. The hunt continues I'm afraid."

Oh right, it is about that time. After Jay got back from the hospital, Sasha had insisted we sail around for a while to give the Bounty's engines a rest from flying. Of course no one bought her flimsy excuse and that's when she admitted she just wanted to be near the water again. We didn't see a reason to object to her desire so we decided to travel through the Red Sea. Only since then, it's been a week and every single day Sasha would take off with Nagendra and Zane to go…somewhere. What I found suspicious though is that the two of them were always equipped with harpoons. I could get no info out of Sasha and the only thing Zane told me was that she enlisted his help to search for something. My guess is that they haven't found it yet. It would explain why Sasha always looked so pissed when they returned empty-handed.

Maybe Nagendra can give me a hint at least. Whatever the three of them are searching for can't be that big of a secret.

"Hey, what—"

"And before you ask, I have been sworn to secrecy and I will not break an oath to my master," she interrupts calmly and I sigh.

Never mind.

Well, I guess the silver lining of her distraction is that I can continue planning my surprise for her undeterred. I need to speak to Jay and Ayane today; hopefully they've been able to do their parts.

As soon as the Bounty comes into view, Nagendra descends into the water and paddles up to the starboard side. Sasha is on deck along with Zane, both equipped and ready. I leap off Nagendra and over the railings just as Sasha turns away from my brother of ice and walks up to me. My brow furrows when I see the nervous smile she sends my way.

"Had fun?" She asks and hugs me.

"Uh, yeah Nagendra's great, but…are you okay?"

We pull apart and she peers up at me with a playful lop-sided grin, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I'll see you later, I gotta get going."

She sidesteps out of my arms, but before she can get too far I call to her. "Sasha, listen whatever it is you're looking for don't let it get you down and stressed. The importance of your health greatly outweighs anything else."

I know I said the wrong thing when she whips her head around and glares at me over her shoulder. But then, her anger dissipates and she looks into my eyes.

"Você não entende o quanto é importante para mim fazer isso ... por você." ("You do not understand how important it is for me to do this…for you.")

The only two words I recognized from her native tongue were "entende" and "importante". The rest I couldn't catch. Nagendra greets her master with an affectionate nuzzle and Sasha kisses the top of her snout. A hand lands on my shoulder and Zane passes by me.

"Brother, it is you who need not worry. Everything is fine."

His smile reassures me somewhat and he too boards Nagendra's back after Sasha. The water dragon growls and with one controlled flap of her wings she's airborne. I watch as the trio fly off into the distance wishing I knew their destination.

Maybe I shouldn't worry…perhaps she's just looking for a certain fish to cook a nice meal with. It's possible.

I turn around towards the door leading to the interior. Time to find Jay and Ayane; preparations still need to be made. Everything must go according to plan…

(Sasha's POV)

Today's the day. I'm going to impale that stupid grinning fish if it's the last thing I do!

I grip the harpoon in my hand tightly remembering how that stupid fish darted out of harm's way when I threw it and then had the audacity to look behind him and grin before burrowing deep into the sand to make his escape, showing the prize I wished and longed to have.

Those wickedly beautiful fangs!

They would make the perfect necklace, the same necklace that my momma gave to my daddy while they were still dating. She told me the story of how daddy used to always posture in front of his fellow fishermen about how he was the best Poseidonia had to offer, but there was one particular fish that always eluded his capture. The amorilla. How those hideous things became known as the "símbolo dos casaisas" (couples' token) is beyond me. With the face of an angler and the length and width of an enlarged barracuda, it was both formidable and grotesque. So anyway, she decided to knock him off his high horse and took it upon herself to capture the famed fish and present its teeth to him.

Momma is not originally from Poseidonia, so she didn't know of the amorilla's importance or value. She didn't know it was a symbol of everlasting love between two people or that each diamond-encrusted ivory fang was worth five grand. Her only goal was to shut my dad up.

It took her four days out at sea to locate and kill an amorilla. She said it was a stroke of luck. That Lord Leviathan had a hand in her success and maybe even her marriage because when she crafted that necklace and fastened it around daddy's neck; she said she'll never forget the look on his face and the words that followed from his lips.

Momma said daddy was awestruck, dumbfounded and that it took a few minutes for him to sober up, but when he did the seriousness of his expression baffled her at first and that's when he asked, "Do you love me?" and she responded playfully, "Of course." Then daddy followed with, "Do you want to marry me?" Momma said it was surprising to her that her answer came so easily, "Yes."

Of course, Cole's and I circumstance is very different from theirs. For one, Cole had more or less already proposed…which I have yet to give an answer to and he doesn't know much of anything about Poseidonia's customs, so I can't get upset with him for not knowing how much I want to give him an amorilla's fangs. It'll be a rare and memorable gift, something that I hope he will cherish and realize from its significance that my love for him is everlasting and unconditional.

I know I can do this for him. I know it! Crafting the necklace is the easy part. The hard part is catching this stupid-!

A firm hand lands on my shoulder and I turn back to look into Zane's kind pure hazel eyes, "Fishermen are patient, Sasha. We will catch an amorilla, but always remember to exhibit serene temperance. Don't let your mind cloud with pessimistic thoughts."

"I know, Zane." I nod and take a few deep breaths, "I'm just getting a little overanxious. We're running out of time. Cole's birthday is in three days."

"Excuse me, not to be a bother, but…I have an inquiry," Nagendra starts hesitantly and I reach forward to rub the glimmering aqua scales behind her horns.

"Not at all, my friend," I reply with a smile behind my mask. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, this may seem somewhat peculiar coming from me, but…have either one of you read the classic play, Romeo and Juliet? And if so…is it worth my time to read it myself?"

I scoff at the mere mention of that monstrosity of a play. William Shakespeare was a genius, there's no doubt about that, but Romeo and Juliet was the cradle of idiocy. Not to mention, Taming of the Shrew with its blatant degradation of women…psychological lessons or "taming" to make the perfect bride my ass. Bah, it's no wonder that play saw such controversy.

"Yeah, sure," I say sarcastically, "if you want to kill time. That's the only reason I can come up with to read that piece."

"You disapprove then?" She questions and I answer honestly.

"I disapprove of the premise. Romeo and Juliet went down in history as one of the greatest romance tragedies ever written, but to me it was just the opposite. It was a comedy. The nonsensical telling of "love at first sight" was so incredibly well done that it created a world that lacked even the slightest bit of realism."

I had no choice but to study that god-awful play at the Marty Oppenheimer. The real tragedy was Mr. Hishida making us not only read the play which was the two longest weeks of my life, but also to watch the movie and then an actual live performance of it. And what made it so bad was that Jazz and some of the other girls and boys in my class adored it. I remember my best friend sitting next to me with tears in her eyes when the Juliet on stage had decided to stab herself in order to be with her "dead" lover. "Oh, happy dagger…" indeed, I bet that dagger was "happy" to stab her poor delusional ass and put her out of her misery. The only relief I got that night was from Peter seated behind me muttering how unsympathetic he was about the plight the young lovers were in. It was nice to know that my boyfriend at the time shared the same views on the matters of love that I did. Jazz however, argued that I was too stiff and hardcore to be a true romantic.

"Oh Red, love isn't something that's supposed to make sense, ya know? It's not something that can be calculated and solved. It's purely magical, so loosen up and get with the program!"

I started to wonder right then and there if Jazz grew up in a Barbie Dream house instead of the real world. I understood dating and courtship because that was what I was going through at the time. What I had experienced. What I didn't understand was how after only five minutes or so of talking to a person you start makin' out with them and not even twenty-four hours after meeting that person you try to get married to them. That's the definition of fantasy love not true love.

"It is however, something to speculate about. Am I right, Sasha?" Zane voices from behind me and I glance at him over my shoulder. "The phenomenon that is "love at first sight"…it is truly a miracle."

"No it's illogical," I counter. "C'mon Zane. You are a being of science. Don't tell me you believe in such fairy tale logic? Are you saying that as soon as you saw Ayane you were madly in love with her and wanted to marry her?"

"No of course not, although I did feel an intense attraction towards her. My emotional framework sent foreign yet impactful emotions to my CPU and I wanted to know where they would lead me. I wanted to court Ayane."

"Exactly my point, you wanted probable cause for your feelings, right? And the only route to get there is through courtship. Not running off and getting married right away without figuring out if that person is truly compatible for you. Thanks for proving my point, Zane."

I return my attention forward and scan the waters below me. Still no whirlpool…Dammit you stupid fish! Where are you!

Zane's light-hearted chuckle distracts me and he states his reasoning. "Just because it is something you or I have not experienced doesn't mean that it's not a possibility. The brain is only partially receptive to emotions. It is your heart that tells you whether or not you are in love. What melody of beats does your heart make when Cole is nearby, Sasha? How many beats per minute does it thump? And while your mind is trying to find reasons why you feel the way you feel, why you are so aware of that particular person. Your heart has already provided the answer. Love can be categorized on so many different grounds and there's not just one particular route in getting there, but several depending on the individual and I sense that among us there is one who truly believes in "love at first sight"…I wonder who it could be?"

His hand removes itself from my shoulder as I think about what he said. Could my love for Cole be nonsensical as well…? Not a chance! I had a powerful attraction towards him in the beginning when we reunited, but I didn't give my heart away. We wanted to pursue a relationship and learn about one another. There's nothing illogical about that and our love has only grown since then.

I can honestly say without a doubt that I truly do love Cole Belmonte.

So, what is this that Zane senses about one of us who believes in the fabled "love at first sight"? Well, one thing's for certain.

It sure as hell isn't me!

"Humbug…" I grumble with finality and remove the juvenile notion from my head.

"Such compelling arguments the two of you have. Perhaps I should strive to broaden my horizons on the demographic of human literature. I may indeed learn something worthwhile," Nagendra decides and flicks her ears. "Hmm…I feel a disturbance in the water. Stay quiet while I fly low…it may be our prey."

I heed my guardian's advice and try to extend my own senses towards the waves below. Nagendra descends with grace and hovers about ten feet over the surface. I concentrate as hard as I can until I can feel the stirrings of my element react within. The water was ill at ease and something was causing the unrest. The kingdom of aquatic animals below swam in disarray and I could feel little hearts pound in terror.

There was a predator on the hunt and depending on which one would decide if we investigated or not…

"There! Whirlpool!" Nagendra whispers triumphantly and flies a little ways forward until we're positioned right above the swirling vortex.

Okay, time for a plan. The amorilla can't get away this time!

"Alright, we know this sucker makes these whirlpools to round up prey more easily and we've used these vortexes before to get to his general location. He's fast, so we have to be faster. He was startled when he saw you Nagendra, so you'll stay above water this time. Zane and I will have to do this on our own."

My friend and I rise together and look down at the eye of the whirlpool below. I cut my gaze to him. "Let's not charge him at the same time. You ambush him and force him towards my location, but if you see an open shot then take it. If not, let me do the chasing since I'm a faster swimmer…I'll skewer him right through the eye."

Zane nods, his eyes alight in determination which I'm sure match my own. "Understood."

He dives and I follow quickly after him. The warmth of the water awakens my spirit as the vortex takes up deeper and deeper towards the ocean floor. Bright red coral reefs align onto rock formations everywhere, coloring the ocean in a blush of crimson and coincidently, giving the sea it's name.

I have seen this beauty throughout the week so I swim on undistracted, letting the spiraling currents twist my body in rhythm with the amorilla's movements. I see Zane's black and white form break off from the current and I follow his lead in the opposite direction. I scan the clear waters and see multiple schools of fish, but their tightly knit formation is disrupted by the vortex and they scatter in disorientation. That's when I spot him.

His gleaming ivory chops crushes through the fragile skeleton of an unfortunate clownfish; it feasted with relish and fervor. I glare at that maniacal grin as it happily catches another victim and begins to eat. I see Zane from my peripheral and notice him swimming a wide circle around the hungry amorilla to get behind him. I keep downwind of our prey and head into a thick patch of the red coral reefs, knowing that my hair would provide the perfect camouflage.

We each have three harpoons, three shots a piece. One of us has to strike the killing blow and claim those teeth!

I lie in wait patiently amongst the small forest of crimson. Multi-colored fish swim hastily all around me in fear, but I pay them no mind…

A frightened bellow sounds in the distance and from my position I can make out the long thick black body of the amorilla and a silver harpoon stuck in the sand beside it. Its facial fins spread wide as it roared aggressively at its unknown assailant. Another harpoon rockets through the water at a devastating speed towards the amorilla, but the bastard evades the attack almost effortlessly. Zane appears shortly after, propelling his body forward to pursue the now fleeing amorilla. They are still too far away for me to make a move, so I remain where I am to survey their approach. When they're just a few hundred feet away, the aquatic beast makes a split second decision and veers off course, but Zane fires another harpoon to cut him off and keep him coming in my direction.

Just a little closer…you got 'em, Zane…

All of a sudden, the living atrocity spins around and barrels right into his pursuer. Clearly taken by surprise, Zane struggles with the wicked predator and falls back into the sand, scattering the peach powder everywhere.

Shit! Zane!

I erupt from the thicket of reefs and power hurriedly towards them. I prepare a harpoon just as the dust dissipates and I have a clear shot-!

Ugh!

Something large and hard slams into me from behind and my body twists from the impact. Instinctively, I strike out with all three of my harpoons and thrust them as deep as I can into my huge attacker. All I can see is red. I'm swimming in a sea of blood. I continue to hold my breath, but my stomach lurches, threatening to spill its contents. My mind feels clogged and I'm wondering why I can see a black sphere amongst the moving crimson and that's when I realize…I am staring into the cold dead eye of a shark.

Drawn in from the stench of fresh blood, it must've come to feed and if there's one then there could be more. I can sense the emergence of danger before I see it and reach behind me for my Bo staff just as a second shark materializes. It charges with its jaws wide and I place my staff in front of me to defend. My feet touches the ocean floor and I dig my toes in to push back when it chomps down on my platinum weapon. Its jaws keep moving, trying to crunch through my only line of defense, but not even the powerful serrated teeth of a shark can crush a weapon forged by a God.

The precise moment my adversary opens his mouth again, I retract my weapon and jab the head of it fiercely into the shark's nose. I feel and hear the damage done, the abrupt shattering of cartilage sounds and the mammal twitches then falls to the ground unmoving, blood seeping through its nostrils. More blood makes visibility impossible, but I can still sense the danger around me and I can't locate Zane.

NAGENDRA!

A mighty roar pierces from above and the crimson tides grow darker as more blood floods the Red Sea. Something smacks into my side and I reach out to grab it. I barely move my head to avoid the snapping of ivory fangs as the amorilla thrashes about in my grip. Letting go of my staff, I utilize both hands to grasp my despicable game.

You bastard! I got you! I got you!

I feel crazed and demented as I dig my nails into the black scales and use one hand to remove my mask. Without a second thought, I open my mouth wide and bite down on the exposed lower neck under his mandible. The metallic taste of blood seeps into my mouth to mingle with the bloodied sea water, but I don't falter and bite down harder until my teeth penetrate the jugular. My lungs burn from being unexpectedly filled with water and I begin to choke on the river of the amorilla's life essence. My body slumps slowly forward just as my hard-earned prize gives one final spasm before going completely still.

Exhausted and pained, I can keep my eyes open no longer. I'm happy though and as the red world goes black…my thoughts are only on one man.

I did it…for you…Cole…