The Village of Fallen Rains

Felix sat down on the rocks, knowing he could do nothing. He was really saddened because he felt this was his fault. When Syndryl spoke in their heads, Felix felt no better. Had he not followed Mekko, Syndryl would have been up and running. Felix shook his head and starred into the water. Sleep when you're dead...that's just stupid. I nearly got Syndryl killed....and we lost Mekko. Felix wiped his face, as he gave silent sniffles. He had accomplished nothing today. I'm a failure. The formally bright and happy kid was now very much depressed.

(Awww....)

Syndryl stayed silent as Serenity healed him, though he both heard and felt Felix's crying. Even feeling energy waves was painful. The large dragon breathed slowly and as calmly as he could as his ward healed him. It took a good few minutes before the dragon sniffed the air a bit. He didn't bother opening his eyes. Would be a waste of time and energy. Energy he honestly did not have. When Syndryl spoke, it was again through telepathy. "We need to leave after this...I cannot carry on protecting the two of you in my state, no matter how well you may heal me. If you would like to come back in-"

"No," Serenity quickly stated. "We're not coming back here," she said, sniffling a bit. "Not...not after this..." The blond haired woman then fell silent. This was her fault. That child had been right, she could protect no one. She'd been the one chasing the treasure in the first place. She'd allowed the kid to get dragged into it, and called upon Syndryl to help when things seemed too rough. She was done with treasure hunting.

(Guilt trips)

Felix rubbed the side of his arm. He hadn't needed to be protected. Syndryl and him didn't have a contract. Felix wanted to blame someone for this, but he knew he could only blame himself. At least he was mature enough to accept that fact. Felix wiped his face again and stopped crying. Looking at the dead Sirens he listened as Serenity said that they were leaving. So they had come all this way just to turn back. Felix didn't even care anymore. He just wanted to go home and tell him mother how much he loved her. That was, if they could make it out of here. In the opposite direction lay the Madness. Felix was very reluctant.

(Eeeyep.)

It was almost ten minutes before Syndryl's body started moving. Yet still he spoke through telepathy. "I'm fine enough to walk now...we should leave, before this place bestows yet another attacker upon us." With that, Syndryl slowly pushed himself to his feet. He didn't want to swim, but his wings were yet too stiff to fly. It had almost seemed as if the so-called poison was gone from his body entirely, though his movements still radiated a bit of pain. Once they were back on the main part of the land, Syndryl turned to his human form and looked to Felix and Serenity. "I am not the dragon you know, understand?" he spoke, finally using his voice rather than telepathy. After a deep breath, Syndryl started walking forwards.

Felix swam across the water slowly. When they made it to the other side, he looked at Syndryl who told them that he was no longer the dragon they knew. Felix simply nodded and followed after the dragon and the blond lady in silence. He didn't know what Syndryl was up to, but he didn't really care anymore. Home was only a few hours away. This is what hell feels like, Felix thought to himself. Knowing everything is your fault and then knowing that you can't change it, or do anything about it. Felix sighed. I don't want to live in this hell anymore, I just want to go home.

Syndryl paused nearly five minutes into their walk. He couldn't see the exit, nor did he really know how close they were, but...there was something he did feel. "Mekko?" He looked around, once more pretending he was not blind. Despite Serenity having healed him, his wounds were still many. "Mekko," he called softly. "I found the silver rabbit," he called. He knew that none of them looked a damn thing like a rabbit, but if he subtly added the color in...well, Mekko was only a little girl. And human children often pretended that animals could talk right? It only seemed logical that one could imagine the silver rabbit as a human boy.

Felix looked curiously at Syndryl. Silver rabbit? Was that dragon talking about him? He was not a rabbit... And why was she calling for Mekko? The little girl had gone missing when they had the battle during the Sirens. With that being realized, Felix saw as the little girl walked out. "Have you...," she trailed off when she saw Syndryl. "Hey mister, have you seen my hat?" She rubbed her hair. "I think it fell off." She shook her head and looked at Felix. "You must be the silver rabbit." She looked at Serenity. "And you must be....I don't know you. I just know you can't save anyone." She smiled and gave a little giggle. "Well, I should go find my hat now."

Syndryl 'looked' at the girl. She didn't seem to remember their encounter earlier. Or did she? He couldn't quite tell. Syndryl slowly knelt down, his gaze still on Mekko. "We can always find you another hat. Don't you want to go home and see mommy? We're going to be late for supper if we go look for your hat now. We've already spent so much time looking for the silver bunny," he told her, his head tilted a little. Perhaps it was a bit cruel to play this game with the child, but it might've been the only way to bring her home. Syndryl wasn't quite sure why he wanted to make sure the child was returned. He only knew that he did. He turned his gaze to Serenity for a moment when the child mentioned her, then back to Mekko. "Oh her? She's just a little birdy that I found along the way," he said with a smile.

Serenity watched silently as Syndryl called out to Mekko. Wasn't that dangerous? That girl had dragged Felix into the Madness to begin with. And now Syndryl was acting like he was related to the child or something. A sudden fear hit her. What if Syndryl had ended up dragged into the Madness as well, but none of them had realized it? She swallowed. That couldn't be right. Serenity nearly froze as the girl repeated her words from earlier. No matter how many times those words were said, the truth of them still hurt.

Felix stood quiet as one could possibly be. He almost looked like a statue as he watched what was happening. Then again, he wanted to ask what was happening? Mekko looked at Serenity. "The little birdy that couldn't save the falling egg. Poor, poor birdy," Mekko taunted. Her tiny childish smile morphing into something impish. She then looked to Syndryl. "No, I want my hat," she stated firmly. "If I can't have my hat, no one gets to leave." Felix stumbled back as the ground below them began to move. Can we just go get her freakin hat!

Syndryl almost sighed when Mekko refused to leave. He should have known it wouldn't be so easy. Straightening up, he offered his hand to the small girl. "Well come on then," he said lightly. "I think it fell into the water," he told her. He then gave her a smile. "But you're going to get me into trouble with your mother. We're going to be late for dinner again," he told her with the slightest of laughs. For some reason, this act was beginning to come naturally to the dragon. Had he really thought about what was going on, he would have realized that he had no idea what he was doing. This goofball father act was not something he'd have been able to pull of without the help of his little human.

Serenity's gaze shot to Syndryl as she caught her balance. What was he doing? Was he going back to the lake? What if more Sirens came out? She didn't know where they could have possibly come from, but still! The dragon was only barely moving as it was!

"Hey mister, you're hurt," Mekko stated as she took Syndryl's hand and started back towards the lake. "Mommy can cook supper tomorrow." She informed him. She looked back at Serenity and Felix. "Little Bird, Silver Rabbit, you'd best come along too. Momma will be glad to see you, but I think we need to get my hat first." She gave a nod and skipped alongside Syndryl.

Felix looked at Serenity. "This is a bad idea. Why doesn't he just pick her up and leave," Felix whispered. "What if those things are back there? What if there are more on that ship?" Felix's gaze followed Mekko and Syndryl. "We were supposed to be leaving."

Syndryl smiled at the small girl next to him, following by her side towards the lake. He hoped he knew what he was doing. He didn't know much of the innocence of children, nor did he know how far the Madness had already taken her. But...he'd become attached to her somehow. Was this a different form of Madness? Syndryl didn't ponder it long. "It's nothing I can't handle," he told her. He wondered if the child still believed him to be her father. After all, she had been calling him mister, and not Papa, like earlier. If he played along well enough, he hoped she'd come to trust him. But if he just picked her up and ran...well, who knew what could happen. Something told him he should get the girl to go willingly.

Serenity felt just as wrong about this as Felix did. She trusted Syndryl, but...this was insane, going back there! Serenity shook her head at the kid's question. "I don't know," she answered quietly. "I don't know what he can be thinking." She stayed a few steps behind Syndryl and the small girl. "I never considered it before, with Syndryl being a dragon and all, but...what if he actually got sucked into this place? What if he's just not thinking straight?"

"Then why would it be affecting him and not us?" Felix asked. He was trying to be reasonable. Felix walked next to Serenity, his hand at his sides in case they had to fight. Then Felix realized something... "What happened to Zane?" Felix didn't remember the Badger disappearing. Felix frowned lightly. Where had he gone. Looking over his shoulder, Felix searched his bag for the badger's scroll, but it wasn't there. "Oh no...he's gone." Felix was a bit distraught, but Mekko's voice made him forget it for a few moments. "Are you sure? I can make you all better."

Syndryl heard the two talking behind him. Knew they might've started to doubt him. He looked down at Mekko when she offered to make him better. As in pain as he was, he didn't think it was wise to take help from the girl. It may have been a trap, just like he was trying to trap her. "I'm sure. Thank you though. You're so nice," he told her. Then he spoke to Felix silently, through telepathy. "Your friend ran off quite a while ago...soon after we got here, in fact." He looked back down to Mekko as he felt the lake not too far away. Of course he didn't know if it was still dark around them, so he decided to say nothing. After all, he was pretending that he could see.

Serenity looked down as Felix asked why it wasn't affecting them. She wasn't sure. But Syndryl was acting odd. She hadn't spent all that much time around him aside from now, but she was sure he didn't usually act in such a fashion. He almost seemed...warm, caring. As if the girl was his own daughter. It put Serenity's hairs on end.

"Are you saying my badger is a coward?" Felix asked rather angrily. His blue eyes narrowing. Zane was no coward. Maybe he'd just gone to get help, but got lost. This place wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Felix looked at Serenity. "How can we trust that she'll let us go after we get her hat, and how do we know that she'll be able to get out with us?" Felix frowned. "Syndryl's barely alive and if a fight breaks out, we won't be able to win." Felix shook his head. "This is crazy. She's leading us to our deaths." Mekko shrugged. "You're welcome." She let go of Syndryl's hand and ran to the water when they made it to where the battle had occurred between the Sirens and treasure hunters. "I don't see it," she said a little disappointed.

Syndryl turned his head to Felix. "That wasn't what I was saying at all," he communicated rather calmly. "I was only pointing out what I had observed. In fact, I think it was rather intelligent of the creature to run away." Syndryl gave a small shrug. Syndryl turned his head to 'look' after Mekko as she went to the edge of the lake. Something about this was going against his better judgement. Was the human side of him trying to get them killed? He could only wonder, for her found Felix's arguments to be quite logical. "Then stay back from the water," he told Felix nonchalantly as he walked to the water's edge. He couldn't turn into a dragon, else he chanced scaring the child. "I wonder where that dragon went," he stated. "You should stay with the rabbit and the birdie," he told Mekko. "Just in case. I'll find your hat."

Why was he going to such lengths to ensure the girl would come with them? He wasn't sure of the answer, and it made him uneasy. Kneeling down and putting his hand once more on the surface of the lake, Syndryl waited a moment. Either his senses were dulling, or the lake was very still. He didn't want to think that his senses were dulling so soon after returning. Syndryl splashed the water only a bit, just to get things moving in the lake. To his satisfaction, his senses were not dulling. He just had to wait until he senses the hat under water there.

Felix decided that he wouldn't entertain this little conversation any longer, so he fell silent and occasionally glanced at Serenity. When Syndryl told Mekko to stay back with them, Felix went to protest, but Mekko turned and smiled at him and Serenity. "The Silver Rabbit and the Little Birdie are going to play with me again, aren't they," she asked. Her eyes squinted a bit as she gave a toothy smile. She turned and looked at Syndryl. "I don't know where the dragon is, it disappeared when Hide and Go Seek started. Maybe the skeletons got it." She shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. Mekko has all the friends she need right here." She looked back at Serenity and Felix. "Isn't that right."

Felix balled up his fist as Mekko spoke. The little girl was crazy, consumed by Madness! Felix had honestly wanted to bring her back, but there didn't seem to be much hope for anymore. And that was coming from the child who put his life on the line to save strangers. "Ma'am, I think he's lost it," Felix finally said. "And she's lost forever in the grips of Madness." He looked up at Serenity. "I think it's time for us to go home. We've already lost too much, let's not lose everything."

(Oh man. They really are abandoning Syndryl.)

Syndryl felt a shiver run down the back of his spine. A cold wave seemed to have washed over him as Felix spoke. But it wasn't out of fear. Oh no, it was not fear. The dragon slowly stood up and turned to look at Felix and Serenity, his face a blank stare. "What happened to the little boy that had wanted to save this child in the beginning? That little kid that had gotten us into this mess in the first place?" The longer he spoke, the angrier Syndryl sounded, though his voice never got louder than when he'd started speaking. He gave a light huff of irritation. "You two leave if you want. I can handle this myself." While now it was Syndryl's pride as a dragon showing, he couldn't believe that these two would consider leaving him here. His companions, whose lives he'd saved on more than one occasion. He only shook his head.

Serenity looked to Felix, who was stating that Syndryl and Mekko were too lost to be saved. She looked very clearly torn. She didn't want to leave her protector. It wasn't just that he was her protector though, she'd come to think of him as a friend. She didn't want to lose him too. "Syndryl...come on, it's- it's not worth it. Just leave with us, okay?" she said as she took a slow step forward, at which point Syndryl loosed a small growl, even though he was in human form. "I said leave!" His once calm blind eyes now seemed to be ablaze with anger. It made Serenity take a couple steps back. She'd never seen him like this. And that statement sounded more like a command to her. Who was he to start getting all prideful now...?

Serenity stepped back again and shook her head, looking to Felix. She was not about to argue with a dragon. "Let's go," she said quietly as she turned and started away.

Felix stayed put when Serenity finally decided that they should leave. "I got us into this mess?" Felix asked. "She," he pointed at Serenity, "Wanted to come here for some stupid treasure! I told you all what lay beyond the pass, but no, you just had to keep mushing forward! None of this would have happened if you all had just stayed away!" Felix was not going to sit back and let some dying dragon talk down to him. "I wanted to save Mekko and bring her back because I thought there was a chance, but clearly not. And now you want to bargain with her? Are you crazy? If you don't leave, this place will be your grave. "And for the record, this is your fault! You're supposed to protect her, and yet you let her come in here anyway!" The blue eyed child was never one to argue, but something had just snapped. Who did Syndryl think he was blaming this on him, Felix couldn't believe the nerve of some people, or things.

(Oh. Damn.)

Syndryl kept his cold gaze on the boy when he decided to snap. "Oh? But no one told you that you had to come with us. No one told you that you had to even tell her what these places were. You had no obligation to us." Syndryl paused, and the momentary silence was rather ominous. "In fact. I've no obligation to you." He took a step forward, not minding that Serenity had stopped walking to look at the two. "It's funny, you know. I'm starting to feel rather hungry." He stopped dead in his tracks when he was reminded of his promise to Serenity. "Does she look dead to you? I've protected her to the best of my ability. At least, the best of it while I'm also protecting a little bite like you. Or have you forgotten about that?" His blind stare was cold and calm. "I'm not bargaining with the child, I'm helping her. If she does not leave this place in the same condition she entered in, this world may collapse upon us. Do you not understand?" Syndryl looked to the side. Had the girl not been afraid of his dragon form, perhaps he would've already eaten the silver haired boy. How lucky was he.

Actually...now that he thought about it...Syndryl was starting to feel rather tired. He'd never been one to run out of energy quickly, but then again, after all that had happened, it was no surprise. "Now unless you're going to help me, then you can leave." He turned. "The longer you spend in here, the more chance of something ominous coming about. And I'm sure you don't want that."

Felix pulled a kunai out as the dragon approached him, claiming that he was getting kind of hungry. "I dare you," Felix said through clenched teeth. His kunai in front of him, he was prepared to fight the dragon. Felix was a ninja, and had taken note that the dragon had stayed in human form from the time they'd left up until now because he was trying to keep Mekko from freaking out. Felix could probably take Syndryl in human form, but not while he was an actual dragon, then again, he was still injured. The young shinobi wasn't cocky and dumb like most genin though. He knew his limit. As Syndryl finished speaking, Felix stated his answer simply. "Then leave her." And as far as Felix was concerned, they had been attacked the moment they'd arrived in the path, and if he wasn't mistaken, he had saved them from being crushed to death by boulders. Funny how that had seemed to slip the dragon's mind. Mekko on the other hand was playing in the dirt, drawing circles in the sand with her fingers. When she saw Syndryl step forward, she looked at him over her shoulder. "Did you find my hat?"

"I said the longer you spend in here." Syndryl looked down at Mekko, shaking his head a bit. I think it might have floated over there," he said, pointing to the ship. He turned his head a bit, but didn't look back at the two humans. "I've no fear of this place any longer. The girl trusts me, and the Madness is within her. If I've no one to turn against, I'm safe. You two, on the other hand...are not." Syndryl looked to Mekko. "Would you like to go to the boat with me?"

Serenity watched in silence as Felix and Syndryl started going at it. She didn't know what was going on anymore. "We can't just leave you," she told Syndryl. But he ignored her, and instead spoke to Mekko. Her shoulders seemed to drop. What was wrong with him? He was prideful, sure, but what could have possibly been going through his head? This place wasn't safe, not even for him!

"I can," Felix mumbled when Serenity claimed that they couldn't just leave him. Turning on his heel, he walked away without another word. Who cares if he wants to stay here for all eternity. You can't win again Madness. We shouldn't have come here to begin with. Felix kicked a rock. He wished he'd have just stayed away from the water and he'd have never met Serenity. Apparently she didn't need him anyway. She had a dragon. Felix placed his hands in his short pockets. This was a dumb idea to begin with. And now they want to go to that boat. Why does she even try and talk him out of it. He's clearly blinded by Madness. And just how does he plan to get Mekko out of here anyway? Felix started back into the darkness of the pass. "Kokuboro's Pass, the home of Madness," Felix whispered. "What a stupid name." Meeko looked at the Silver Rabbit as he left. "Are you going to stay Little Birdie?" She looked at Syndryl. "To the Pirate's Ship with the Pirate's Treasure," she chirped.

The fact that Syndryl was no longer even looking at her made Serenity a bit uneasy. Well, she knew he couldn't see her, but still...it was like she was no longer even there. He was only waiting for the little girl. Serenity took a step back and shook her head. "It's not worth it...Syndryl, come on, there's no reason for us to stay here." When she received no reply, she looked down. It was no use. It really was too bad. Serenity gave a sigh, then turned to leave, following after Felix.

Syndryl stayed silent when he felt Serenity walk away. That was good. If all of them left, then the little girl would only start her taunting again. If there was someone to keep her occupied, however, Serenity and Felix would be safe on their way back. Syndryl looked at Mekko with a kind smile. "It's okay Mekko. They just miss their mommies too," he told her. "I'm sure we'll see them again." He knelt down to pick her up. "Now then. Let's go find your hat," he said. He didn't know just how he was going to get over there without flying. But he was starting to have an idea.

Mekko watched them go in silence. When Syndryl said that it was time for them to go to the ship, she took his hand in her small palm and smiled. "Okay Papa." Felix walked slowly, his blue eyes focused on the ground. He just wanted to go home, but something inside of him was telling him he wasn't done here. Felix promptly ignored it. Death looks for new wards, Madness seeks a new vessel. Fear will be the downfall of man. In the end only one will stand. Darkness will shroud the land. And then it will begin again. Felix shook his head. He had no reason to fear the dark. He feared nothing but being away from the water, which he was being drawn to once again. Felix looked at Serenity, "She said your treasure is on that ship," Felix told her. "You never told me what you were looking for, but...I think it may be there." He didn't know why he was bringing it, but he figured she should know.