Iason got stares from every direction as he followed Lucious to the plane. He could feel their penetrating stares trying to undress him, wondering how he might be in their arms. He looked like a young geisha and he knew it. It was an old style tradition, one quickly dying in nearly all countries. His hair was up in that tight bun with only two strands to frame that pretty face that flowed to his stomach, and the make-up enhanced all his best features to draw the eyes in. It was a classic statement if ever there was one to the old ways.
The ride itself was thankfully uneventful with him staring at the carpet till Iason fell asleep. It was the dream he had that made him shiver and crave more.
It was her! It had to be! She had come to him that night, Kyr had loved her from the moment he had seen her in that accursed prison. He had tortured the High Priest for hours before devouring his head. The idiot had claimed he did not know who SHE was. As if he would believe that, after all SHE was a red.
The high priest had screamed as Kyr pushed him onto that horrible device they had used on him. He had turned it on and let it fill that horrible body and emptied it. He had thought the young priest, Sejiro, was his mate, but he knew better now. SHE had his heart and he couldn’t take it back.
Kyr had left the place bathed in blood, not caring what any future comers might think. Perhaps since he had decorated what was left of that evil mans body to look like his own no one would know he had been the cause. He was a free man! All thanks to HER, his red guardian.
He trekked now across the fields not afraid of what might become of him. Nothing could end his search. SHE was in his mind, SHE was in his dreams, SHE consumed him completely. He would find HER again. Together they would take back the heritage that was owed their kind. The dignity and pride of the Dragons would be restored. No more priests with their vile chains, no more whips, no more forced direction. Together they would slay them ALL!
Iason felt that strong shake to his shoulder and his long lashes lifted to show those deep emerald eyes, Lucious own soul searing blues widened. He couldn’t understand why his looking up would possibly shock that man after the last four years. Iason was far from dead inside yet. How could Lucious expect him to all of a sudden have no fire left today.
“Did you take your medication, Iason?” Lucious asked him in that cool crisp voice.
“No, I forgot,” Iason sighed heavily; he must have seen something in those eyes to tell him of the fact that again he had seen strange and almost terrifying events in his dreams. The thing Iason didn’t understand was this dream had left him feeling differently about the images, he wanted to be that stranger.
Lucious dug into his pocket and pulled out a smaller bottle of the pills. Iason stared at the orange-ish yellow bottle and it’s worn out Rx label. It was a prescription used for extreme cases of Night Terrors like Iasons own. He hated them, hated taking them, he hated all pills.
The small thing was handed to Iason with a glass of water, he was tempted to crush it and throw it at Lucious, but he didn’t dare. He slid the foul thing into his mouth and drank the water. He was hoping Lucious would not check, but he always checked. His jaw was forced open and Lucious growled when he found the pill under Iasons tongue.
“Now you will swallow it without water,” The blue eyed man growled at him.
“I don’t want to. I didn’t have a bad dream this time, maybe I don’t need them anymore,” Iason answered softly.
“Swallow it!” Lucious hissed, then the blow came that sent him to the floor with his cheek stinging.
The pill skittered out of his mouth and he stared at it from where he lay on the floor, tears falling and black make-up drew their trails over his cheeks and nose to the floor. Iason did not move. Could Lucious force him to take it? He did not doubt the man could, but he wanted to see where the other man was going. The pills removed all dreams, not just the bad ones.
“Pick it up!” He heard Lucious growling at him.
“I… I… No,” Iason replied still studying the carpet, which made him remember the green, red and blue rugs back at the hotel.
Lucious picked him up by the hair and forced his head back and jaw open. Iason felt the pill hit the back of his throat rather than seeing it. He sobbed and choked as Lucious forced his mouth shut and plugged his nose so he could breathe.
“Eat it or I don’t let you breath,” The blond hissed at him.
Iason swallowed with a whimper and was dragged to his feet. As soon as he was up his head drooped and he spat the thing out silently into his shirt. He wanted more of that dream. Lucious checked his mouth and found nothing, even swiped those long fingers along the back of the boys throat, nearly causing him to gag.
“Keep it down,” Lucious growled at the disobedient boy then dragged him from the plane.
Iason studied the smooth cement blocks of the private airport as they walked. The upkeep on anything belonging to Lucious was amazing. The pale tan blocks were cleanly swept and lacked any signs of aging. Then he spotted it. A crack in the blocks! Just at the edge of the walkway next to the awaiting limo. There pushing through it was something he wanted with all his heart.
Lucious let go of his hand long enough to greet Charles and Iason took the opportunity. Why it dragged him in so much was something he could not answer, at least not yet, as the nine year old swept down and plucked the tiny red flower from the crack, hiding it in the sleeve of his dress.
Lucious glanced back at the swift movements. He didn’t see the flower, but he noticed the crack. He smirked and quickly grabbed back the hand that didn’t hold the flower.
“Charles, I knew this boy would help in other areas!” Lucious laughed as Charles gave him a puzzled look, glancing to the tiny asian.
“What is it, Sir?” The man asked as he opened the back seat door to the shiny black car for them.
“A crack in the cement! Have the crews come out in the morning to fix it,” Lucious pushed Iason in first before following him in.
Iason almost regretted the flower hearing those words, no more red in the cracks of armor. Lucious fixed every weakness in his things that he ever discovered. At least he had saved the flower before the crack had been discovered by someone else.
“Yes sir!” Charles then closed the door and moved to the front seat.
The limo driver always left on a smaller passenger plane before he and Lucious left. Lucious had it set like clock work. The blond preferred to have his driver always waiting when they arrived at their destination. Iason still wondered on their relationship, if it somehow went beyond simple business.
As they pulled away he slid the flower out, curling up in a corner near the door to run his fingers through what seemed like hundreds of yellow fading into red petals. It was soft, beautiful, and supported by green. He smiled thinking of his imaginary dragons once more.
Maybe they were lovers? No, they were much more than that. Their blood ran together as if they weren’t two but one creature working in two separate frames. Yes, they were inseparable. Love did not hold a strong enough meaning for the two giant lizards. He was bringing the flower to his nose when Lucious ripped it from his grasp.
“Ah, so this is what made you point out the crack?” The blond chuckled and breathed in it’s scent before he crushed it in his hand, “Iason is not allowed to have such lovely things. He is not able to care for them properly.”
Iason had let out a cry when Lucious crushed the pretty wild flower in his hand. The cruel hearted creature dropped it onto the floor and he quickly scooped the broken blossom back into his hands. He wished he could fix it, make it better again, but it’s petals were falling out.
“It doesn’t matter, Iason, it is just a flower, it would have died because you touched it anyhow,” Lucious told him coldly before sliding his fingers through one of those loose strands at the side of his face.
Iason could not pull his eyes off of the little thing, even when Lucious all too gently pulled him to sit on the leather seat. He knew it was not compassion, but an attempt to draw his attention from the flower. It’s center refused to budge though, and that made him smile. The outer petals did not matter as much as the smaller ones inside.
Iason loved flowers and he knew the center of this wild flower was where the petals came from. In the wild the outer petals fell off gradually, the center tiny petals reddened and moved to replace the ones that had fallen. This one had not even finished the cycle yet. It still had a great many ‘baby’ petals that would have taken the place of the others. The stem was slightly bent, but not broken. He could heal it with a little care and a glass of water.
Iason turned his eyes from the seemingly destroyed flower to stare out the window. They were closing in on the rougher side of town. The buildings were more worn down, the brick darker than they had been when they were new. The cement had cracks in it that could easily trip a person who did not know them well enough. People here looked to be as worn out as the places they lived in and among.
A small grocery store sat at the corner where the red light held them. The covered plastic brim was decorated with a yellow and red plastic sheet that had seen better days. Small birds nested in the ‘C’ of Grocers and he smiled seeing the tiny hatchlings sticking their long necks and beaks up crying for food.
The sky looked grey, it would be raining soon, or snowing, he wasn’t sure which anymore with all the traveling he had done in the last two months. The light turned green apparently and the car started off again. Iason sighed glancing back to his flower before he felt it. It was a feeling with no reasoning to it, he looked up quickly and out the window.
It was like knowing you were gaining on something you had been running towards for an eternity. Like you knew it was there even if you couldn’t see it yet, that kind of feeling. He felt himself shaking in expectation as if this thing, whatever it was would change his life forever. What could he possibly think would change him from the back seat of Lucious car just by seeing it through the window?
Another red light, an empty bench with cracked paint sat in his vision. His heart beat wildly, the colors of the shop behind it seemed to melt and dance with each other and make this dingy area look brighter, growing newer in his eyes. He had been down these streets before, he knew these places by heart. He had studied each crack and space with the mind of an artist who wanted to get it just right in his painting.
His fingers lifted from the side of his lap farthest from the window to touch the glass as if he could call whatever it was coming faster into his vision. Could he catch it? Was it possible? Or would they merely get close and then pass it by before it came into view?
Iason ran his fingers tracing against the cool glass, little imaginary trails of his newfound dragon allies. That’s when he saw her. Fingers froze against the glass as she came into view on the one steel bench in the whole area.
Vibrant red hair burned into his vision and he pressed against the window forgetting about the flower for a moment as he tried the door handle of the moving car and even turned onto his knees to stare out the back hands hitting the window furiously. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to get to the girl. It was in his blood, that drive and made him unthinking as he screamed at the glass.
“RED!!!” His voice filled the car, not realizing Lucious eyes had been drawn to her when he’d tried the handle.
The blond reached up wondering how Iason had undone his seat belt till he saw the metal piece that latched it closed was broken. Those blue eyes widened but he said nothing as he threw the panting and sobbing Iason to the floor with a hiss. This wasn’t good; Lucious had to regain control of the situation.
“Stay!” He roared at Iason causing the boy who had started to get back up to drop back onto his ass again, “I can’t believe you! Undoing your safety belt and trying to open the door while we are still moving?! What has gotten into you child?!”
Iason looked down to his knees and quieted. He saw the flower where it had fallen in his movements. He felt torn apart inside. His heart was beating so hrd now he felt it might burst. Fingers worked themselves to gently recollect the little frail beauty, it still had the color of her hair in it, but barely. He had to nurse it, he needed that red even if he wasn’t sure why.
“Stupid fucking little brat,” Lucious muttered and sat back again, “I’ll make sure you never see her again. I can’t have you destroying my property over some stranger you don’t even know.”
Iasons eyes lifted, terror written in them, “No! Please! She doesn’t even know we passed! Please! I’ll be good!”
Lucious smirked and it drove a stake through the boys heart, “It will teach you to think before you act if you hear she suffered for your transgressions, wouldn’t it?”
Iason sobbed pulling the flower to his chest as tears came new to his face. He hated the way Lucious blamed him for the actions that would now send her life spiraling into the hell hole his was already in. He sniffled envisioning the girl as that beautiful imaginary red dragon from the rug. Together they spiraled over the deep blue bottomless eyes of the demon, but this time the demon was winning.
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