Chapter 1: Loss

Blue eyes stared in shock at what was laid out before him. His friend, his King, the Red Dragon, Hiryuu was dead. His skin pale, even more so than Seiryuu Abi's. His radiant red hair was a dull color of red. Something hot fell down his face. It took the owner of those blue eyes to realize that he, Ouryuu Zeno, was crying. Pressure unlike anything her ever felt before began to press against his chest and the tears began to flow freely. He couldn't stop them either. Falling to his knees next to his blue haired companion, Zeno wailed liked a newborn. His whole body shaking and quivering as his emotions overwhelmed him. This would be the first of many times he would do this, crying so openly for all to see and hear him.

The next time he cried was ten years later when he felt Guen's light vanish. He knew that his oldest brother was fading in life. It was why he never went to see him. Out of everyone, Guen would have been the hardest to see. When the white flame finally vanished from his sight, Zeno felt an emptiness appear inside of himself. He looked at the oncoming enemy army, one man standing against them. He picked up his sword and began killing anything in sight. By the end of the battle, Zeno was crying like a baby. The emotional storm inside of him burst out as he stood in his enemies blood in the middle of a bloodsoaked field.

The third time was when he felt Abi go. He had been on his way towards his blue haired brother's encampment. The moment he felt Abi's light vanish, he felt the strength in his body leave him. He sat where he had fallen for a week. The whole time he cried for the gentle man he had known as a brother and friend. The one person who had taken him asside and taught him how to read and write, just because Abi didn't want him to be cheated when he dealt with merchants.

The fourth time was for Shuten. As mean or as drunken as Shuten could get he was still his dragon brother; something Shuten always denied. He always teased Zeno about being the King's favorite; something Zeno always denied being. He cried longer for the green haired man than he had for either of the other two, he couldn't explain why either.

He wondered the country afterwards. He refused to pick up a sword again. With everyone gone, why bother. Zeno had asked for years what was his power? Other than self healing, what good was he on a battlefield? However, once everyone was gone it became apparent what his power was. In his fiftieth year of life, thirty odd years of that as a dragon warrior, Zeno realized that he hadn't aged since drinking the blood. He was the eternal dragon. The one warrior who would live forever, no matter what. Exhausted he fell against the ground and cried inwardly for himself, as he would never see his brothers ever again.

Then he met Kaya. She saved him. Took care of him and he took care of her. She was the reasoning behind his next tears. As her sickness took her from him for eternity. He cried for her the longest. He held her body until it was nothing but bones.

It was just as he was about to begin trying to kill himself again that he felt them, the lights of his brothers. He went searching, but each time he found them he was chased off. His brother's powers had been passed onto the next generation. As he was thinking about this and it's meaning, Zeno came to realize that this must have meant that Hiryuu would return. Looking up at the sky he saw the King's star and knew it to be true. Decision made, Zeno nodded to himself as he made a promise to find and protect Hiryuu, no matter what.

M-Angel: I hope everyone's Labor Day Weekend is going well. I decided to post this today and see how well it was received. I'll be posting chapters on and off for it as I finish up my other stories.