The Others

Reiko brushed some hair from his face and entered the police station.

"Hey, Officer," he said wearily, hanging his coat on the hanger.

Officer Rendon looked up, and her eyes widened. "What in the world happened to you?"

"I was captured by some Herskon," he said bitterly. "When I excaped back home, one broke into my house and knocked me out."

Rendon was still slightly suspicious. "All for no good reason?" she asked.

"Well...sort of," Reiko admitted. "I went somewhere they decided I shouldn't be."

Rendon slapped her forehead. "An all-Herskon bar?!"

"No!" Reiko snapped. then, after considering for a moment, he said, "Not entirely. In one of the Herskon bars, there's a--" He stopped abruptly.

safe haven so you wouldn't harm us...

"There's a what?" Rendon said seriously.

Rieko sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Just....there's something wrong with that bar. They're hiding something from us, and I don't know what or..." he took a deep breath. "Or where." It was the first time he had lied to a cop. He had twisted stories slightly, but never lied directly.

Rendon was suddenly cynical again. "Reiko, we can't just act on a kid's hunch."

"It's not a...I mean, there's something...." Reiko wanted to say something, but he couldn't get his tongue to work properly. Finally he gave up with a sigh. "Never mind. Forget it."

Rendon cocked her head, regarding him uncertainly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

Rendon nodded, but she didn't look convinced. "Here, take the night off kid," she said sympathetically. "Cheif will understand."

"Alright." He started towards the door. vaguely, he remembered that he needed to ask for a new small gun, but for some reason he decided not to ask.

Somewhere behind him he heard Rendon yell, "You forgot your coat!" but he didn't want to go back.

"It was nothing," Sano said.

"But just because you rescued my sister doesn't mean I'll trust you," I said in a serious tone.

"I don't really expect you to."

"Brother, can you please trust him," Geomana said, "he rescued me, isn't that enough for him to earn your trust."

"I don't hate and I don't distrust him Geomana, I'm just being catious."

Geomana never understood her brother much, but she couldn't blame him now. But she doubted weither or not he'd ever let her near the surface again.

"Sano," Geomana offered, "I'd feel a lot better if you stayed at our house tonight."

"Hey wait a-" Kresko began but Geomana cut him off.

"Please, we can finish our plans for today tomorrow. Picking them up where we left off." For their benifits she added, "Go to the bar, have dinner, all the things we were supposed to do after lunch. No going back to the surface."

"Okay Geomana, I'll come. Kresko, don't worry about a bed, the couch will do."

Kresko and Sano helped Geomana up and brought her outside. Sano changed into dragon form and Kresko put her on his back. "Be carful with her okay."

"Don't worry big brother. We'll see you at the house."

With that Sano took off into the sky back towards the city carfull to stay level so Geo mana wouldn't fall.

Geomana kept her eyes shur tight the whole time, the sensation of flying was cool. But the seeing the ground a hundered feet below and the sensation was horrible. Just thinking about it made Geomana feel neausous.

When they shuddered to a stop Geomana's stomach lurched into her throat. Sano turned back into his human form and hugged Geomana lightly while her body calmed down.

"I hate flying," she muttered.

Sano smiled and carried her up the steps the the room and laid her on the couch. A moment later Kresko came in out of breath. "You run as fast as you could?"

Kresko smiled as he brought a chair over next to his sister. "You need anything sis?"

"Something to eat would be nice."

"I got it," said Sano moving into the kitchen. "What would you like?"

"Something that isn't to heavy."

Searching around Sano found what he needed to make a dinner for the three of them, "Ever had pasta lozul?"

"No, what is it?"

"Something you'll like."

Sano began chopping some basil when Kresko walked up, "You can cook?"

"A little."

Tossing that in a pot of simmering water he added a little brothe, chopped tomatoes and some sausage. Letting that thickening he boiled the pasta. It was all done in about 30 minutes.

He brought Geomana a bowl and gave her a kiss on the cheak. Kresko just stood there ready to say something, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

Geomana sat with Sano on the couch and watched tv. She enjoyed the pasta and didn't doubt that Kresko did too.

"How'd you make this?" Geomana asked.

"Old family secret, but I'll teach you some time."

When Kresko left the room for a moment, Geomana turned to Sano, "remember what I tole you the other day? About the plan to end all the raceisium?"

Sano nodded, "I remember you mentioning it."

"Well...I'm not entirely sure what we have to do but it'd be best if we left Kresko behind. I think he'd understand."

Sano had a confused look on his face. "Leave your brother behind? Do you want to do that?"

She knodded and laid her head on his sholder.

Sano sighed while putting his arm around her, "What do we do?"

Geomana took a deep breath and said, "first, we need to get on the surface again."

Sano started, "What?"

"The people I know of still live on the surface. But in India I think."

Sano chuckled, "We'd have to fly to get there you know."

"We could always take a boat. But anyways, theres a temple or something, that has more information about ending all of the segregation."

"I think if we left without your brother he'd never trust me again."

"As long as we come back in one piece, I'll get him to trust you again."

Geomana started to shiver and snuggled closer to Sano.

"....it'd be best if we left Kresko behind. I think he'd understand," Geomana said.

I stood there, shocked that my own sister would leave me behind. "Are you sure it's best," Sano said, "I think if we left without telling him, he'd blame me and I'd never earn his trust."

I came back into the room just after Sano finished his sentence and acted like I heard nothing. "Here's a blanket, Sano," I said tossing him a blanket. "We should all get some sleep."

Sano nodded and let Geomana go to her room. Kresko took a chair across from him and just sat there.

"Why do i have a bad feeling?"

"Because I'm not deaf."

"I heard what you two were talking about," I said. "I do not approve of my sister going with."

"I'll stop her if it will let me gain..." Sano began.

"I'm letting her go with you."

"What?"

"Take her with you, she seems to trust you so I will, but I will still be catious of you. But remember if anything happens to her, it's your head I'll want."

"Don't worry, I won't let anyone touch her."

"Don't tell Geomana this." I stood up and walked into the kitchen. Opening a drawer and drew out two cellphones. "Keep in touch with me." I tossed Sano the phone. "Just don't let her know it me."

Rieko didn't go home. He knew his sister would be home by now, and he'd have to explain why he was taking the night off, and that would be too complicated. Most of his friends would freak to have a cop at their front door at this time of night, whether it was Reiko or not. He had no money to waste at a bar, not that he wanted to deal with teh noises and smells, anyway.

So he left town, wondering up the trails of the mountain.

Reiko thought vaguely of the Underground, despite the random murmerings of a war he had heard in the prison. It was impossible to go there again, because the only entrance he knew was guarded by a bartender who knew his face. It probably wouldn't have been very smart in the first place. But he did wish there was a place like that around...

He stopped at a waterfall, just behind a cliff edge that overlooked the city. The water wasn't too noisy, in fact, it was rather relaxing. Sitting on on edge, he watched the lights turn off and on in the city. It was hard to tell how long he was there, but it seemed hours later bfore he started back down the mountain, with promises to return very soon.

Sano put the phone in his poket and nodded. "Thank you."

Kresko walked off to bed and Sano laid there on the couch starring at the ceilling till he finally fell asleep.

(Not to much at this point.)

Geomana took a few moments before she fell asleep to write a letter to Kresko.

Kresko,

I'm sorry. Sano and I went to end the segregation between everyone.

I left the take-out menues on the coffee table, you'll need them for a few months.

Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, Sano won't let anything hurt me, and I won't let anyone hurt him either.

Once again, sorry.

As soon as she put a book over the letter she fell onto the matress, and slept, harder than she'd ever slept before.