*All dragons copyrighted to Poseidon Simons

Chapter 19

Amantha's Downfall

Gareth cried when Hana woke up that morning. He had been so worried she wouldn't survive the night that he had stayed up the entire time holding her hand. At least that's what he told her. Hana was wondering what he had hidden, "That's stupid...Why would he hide anything from me? He hasn't before...has he?" She watched Gareth's face as they walked into the dining car and decided not to press him, "He really does look shook up. I'll trust him and let him tell me when he's ready." They ate in silence. The Deep Rockers showed up after a while and sat down with them. Gareth perked up in order to keep them from worrying, but it wasn't long before they started to notice his dismal behavior.

Player was the first to ask, "What's wrong Gareth? You aren't yourself today. What happened to that guy who loved scaring the heck outta the crowd?!"

Gareth chuckled, "It's nothing Player. I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"What, you mean Bay City? Hey, don't worry. Hop city has a lot less crime. We charge full price there!" Everyone laughed at Player's remark. Hana changed her mind; everyone but Gareth had laughed.

Hana wasn't the only one who'd noticed. Kia seemed to see it too, "Gareth, what's wrong? You don't look like you're enjoying the ride at all!"

Gareth sighed, "Please guys, I don't wanna talk about it. It's personal."

Hana hugged him, "Tell us, Gareth. We'll help in any way we can."

"I took care of it. I won't have to worry about it any more. That is something I can promise." Gareth clenched his hand into a fist, "I'm sure she won't bother me at all anymore."

"Who?" Pik asked.

Gareth flinched, "You heard me? Please don't make me say it, guys. I'm begging you. I don't want to think about it any more."

Ace tried not to smile, but everyone saw him. He shrugged and said, "It sounds like he was offered a one-night stand. That doesn't sound so bad to me..."

He stopped when everyone stared at him.

Gareth sighed, "Unfortunately, he's right. That is what she wanted. It was just what she did that made me...Look, could the rest of you leave? I need to talk to Hana."

Hana tried to comfort him as they left, but he wouldn't let her. When they were gone, she asked, "So what happened?"

Gareth held his head in his hands, "Hana, I'm so sorry. I should've listened to you in the first place. You were right the entire time."

"Gareth," Hana made him look at her, "tell me what's wrong. Don't apologize to me unless I think you should."

"Please don't get angry." She heard him mumble before he took a deep breath and started, "Amy nearly seduced me last night, Hana. She woke me from a nightmare. I didn't tell her what it was about, but she found a way to keep me talking. She was so good at it, Hana! I didn't see it coming until I had her on the floor!!!! I've never felt lust like that before...I've never felt it before that! She knew how to trick me. It was like she was making me think!!! I don't know what I might've done if she hadn't made that mistake..." Gareth told her the entire story about what had happened last night. She could see him cringing, waiting for her to strike at him for his feelings, but she forced herself not to.

"Gareth?.." Hana gently rubbed his back when he'd finished, "That had to have been hard to say. Thank you for being honest with me." She kissed his cheek, "I love you, Gareth. And I always will. Through the good or the bad. Amantha can't do anything to get you now. Be happy she's gone instead of worrying over her like this. What else can she do?"

Gareth shuddered, "That is why I worry, Hana. I don't know what else she's capable of. What if she does seduce me? What if I can't control myself ? How can you possibly put her out of your mind so easily?"

"It's simple. Don't think about her." Hana gave Gareth her best smile and motioned for their friends to return. All but Player came back, "Kia, where'd Player go?"

"Hmm?" Kia looked around, "Oh, he'll be alright. He's tougher than anyone else around here. He does this kind of thing all the time."

Player couldn't get his mind off of her, "So beautiful...where did she come from, anyway?" Up ahead, always staying just barely beyond his sight, was a yellow dragon he hadn't been able to stop following since he'd seen her in the dining car. She smiled at him and disappeared into a bedroom. Player couldn't stop himself from following her in. She was sitting on the lower bed of a bunk bed, waiting for him.

"Hello there..." Even her voice sounded beyond belief!

Player started panting as the animal inside him took over. He was still able to speak, "H--hhh--hhii..." though not very well.

"Aren't you Player from the Deep Rockers?"

Player numbly nodded his head. He approached her bed slowly, almost reverantly.

"NOW!!!!!" suddenly there were four anthros piled on top of him. He could feel them chaining his wrists and legs together. A gag was tied over his mouth, followed by a cloth that they wrapped tightly around his mouth so he couldn't do anything but hum. He saw a blue-scaled hand come down and slam him into unconsciousness.

Pik had glanced up from his meal once to see if Player was coming back, but he didn't see him. Wondering what was keeping his friend, Pik went back to his cereal, "Pik, did you see that?!"

"Shut up, Josh."

"Look again! Just wait till you see her!!!"

"I told you to shut it, Josh. I'm not looking for another girl."

"But Pik!!!!"

"I said shut up!! Honestly, Josh. If I went off after another girl, what would Kia do?"

"Oh..."

"Exactly. We don't want to go through that again! Now shut up and let me eat! I'm hungry..." Pik scowled to himself as Josh took over and made him look up. There, waiting at the door of the train car, was a gorgeous yellow dragon. She noticed him and winked, "Josh, I said no. We will not follow her."

"Kia, could you excuse me? I have to use the restroom." Josh spoke through Pik's mouth.

"JOSHUA!!!!!!!!"

"Cool it, Pik. I wanna go see that girl."

"I said no, Josh! You sit down right now!"

Josh didn't listen. He got out of his seat and walked back to where he'd seen the yellow dragon. He reached the door, then saw her disappear inside a bedroom, "YES!!! Take that, Pik!!"

Pik started to weaken a little, "She's gonna kill us if she finds out, Josh..."

"You didn't tell me to stop! I'm going in!" Josh made them step through the doorway and saw her sitting on the bed, "Look at that! She was waiting for us!!!!!"

Pik started to feel a bit heady with the thought of what Josh wanted. She did look beautiful...the door slammed shut behind them, and someone hit them so hard on the head that they blacked out.

Gareth watched as, one by one, the Deep Rockers left. He grew curious when Ace and Alan both offered to go look for Player. Kia was the last of them to leave.

"Kia, could Hana and I walk with you? We left something in our room back there."

Kia stopped and looked at them, confused, "Sure..."

Gareth and Hana followed Kia to the next car. Hana was leaning on Gareth shoulder, "What are you doing?!" She whispered.

"I have my reasons, Hana. C'mon. Here's our room." They walked inside. Gareth stayed by the door to watch Kia as she walked.

"Kia..." both Kia and Gareth jerked when they heard Player's voice. She walked to the room where the voice had come from.

"Player?..Player are you in here?" She opened the door and walked in. The door slammed shut behind her and she screamed.

"I knew it! It was a trap!!!! move it Hana!" Gareth rammed the door as hard as he could, breaking it clear off it's hinges. They broke in just as Kia was being thrown into a trapdoor in the room. Gareth snarled, "Let--them--go..." He recognized Peter and the razor that had watched him when he'd been chained up. Two others were unfamiliar, but the fifth one in there made him feel sick. All but Amy jumped on him, and he threw each of them off, knocking them out as he threw them. The only one left was Amy...

Hana had kept back the entire time, wanting her attack to be swift and completely by surprise. She had to admire Gareth as he dealt with the four on top of him.

"I'm taking them back, Amantha. Don't you dare try to stop me." Gareth calmly walked over to a trapdoor in the room. Hana watched hidden from Amy's view.

Amy sounded like she didn't care, "I don't even want them. They were just so Peter and his men could get what they wanted. You're the one I'm after." Gareth froze where he stood, and started rising off the ground. Hana could easily imagine Amantha's smile as she spoke, "You see, Gareth. I've been paid a very large sum of money to bring you with me. I was hoping to have you come willingly, but you resisted, so now you've forced me to take extremes. Once we reach Hop City you won't be able to escape me or anyone else I work with."

Hana stifled a gasp as Amy walked right in front of her. Amy's back was facing Hana, and Amy appeared to be too absorbed in Gareth to notice. Hana felt her anger rising, "No one threatens Gareth while I'm around!" She crept quietly up behind Amy and put her mechanical hand into a fist. That fist came crashing into Amantha's head so hard that she spun around twice before falling to the ground. Hana, shocked at what she had done, rushed up beside Amy to make sure she would live.

Gareth was there as well, "She'll be fine, Hana. You didn't break anything. Help me get our friends out of here."

*All dragons copyrighted to Poseidon Simons

Chapter 20

Proposal

They arrived in Hop City when night fell again. Fortunately, none of Peter's group woke up the entire time. Amy had to be knocked out twice during the day, but she was never able to cause more problems. Gareth made sure she was in custody along with Peter before he let himself calm down. The next morning was the day of the concert.

Gareth wiped his forehead free of sweat as he and Hana stood guard outside the Deep Rockers hotel room, "This is too much..."

"What's wrong Gareth?" Hana laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm worried, Hana. What does it look like?!! Peter escaped last time we got him to a jail. What'll stop him now?! If he gets out, so does Amy! They'll be out to get both of us!!!!!"

"Calm down, Gareth. They have a better police force here than Yann City ever had. We'll be gone and back on this tour before you know it. I promise." Hana glanced around, "Besides, we still have a job to do. Stop worrying over those two and try to focus."

"FOCUS?!!!!! How am I supposed to focus?!!!!!!"

Hana sighed, "I went through the same kind of fear, remember? Sometimes, no matter how hard it is, you need to ignore the problems around you. I almost got fired from my jobs when I first saw Peter chasing me! Believe me. It's a lot easier to concentrate if you're able to ignore things like this..."

"I'll try to, but I can't get her out of my mind! That night on the train...yesterday morning...she's everywhere in my mind! What do I do to stop thinking about her?"

Hana smiled, "Maybe this'll help." Gareth gasped when she kissed him.

Gareth smiled, "Wow...thanks, Hana. You're right, that did help!" Hana became the focus for his attention after that. When the concert was over they got on a train headed back to Yann City. Gareth felt confused, "Only two cities?!!! Why was it so short?!"

Player smiled and explained, "Well, we were going to travel around the whole island, but Peter and Amy kinda ruined our plans. We'll be stopping in Pash and Larn Ca on our way back. Maybe we'll get a longer tour next time."

Gareth couldn't believe it, "We're going home?..We're going home..." He blinked once and stepped onto the train, "How long will this part of the trip take?"

Ace heard and answered, "Two more days. This is actually a normal train. If we'd taken one like the last train, it'd take about four!"

"Hmm...Hana, could I see you alone for a moment?" When the others had left, he asked her, "Hana, I have to know...Could we sleep together tonight?"

"Gareth!" Hana's entire face reddened.

"Please? I love you...please?" Gareth tried hard to keep his voice under control.

"I--Gareth...this is so sudden...I thought that--Gareth, you know what you're asking, right?"

"And I have been wanting to ask you something else for a while. Will you marry me?" He dropped to one knee and held out his hand, "I haven't told anyone this, but I found something out during the concert when you left for the bathroom." His hand started to mold something in its palm. He shuddered a little as he made it seperate, and winced as the pain came, but when he was done, he had a gold ring with a bright diamond on it waiting for her in his hand, "Will you marry me?"

Hana gasped and took the ring. Gareth waited as she kept turning it around in her fingers, trying to see if it was real. After she realized how foolish she looked, she slipped it on, "Gareth..."

"Is that a yes?"

She couldn't stop her laughter from coming, "Of course it is, Gareth! Why else would I put the thing on?!!!"

He got up and smiled, "Well, I had to be sure, didn't I?"

"See? I told you."

"Alright, alright. Once again, you were right Kia. Who knew he could make a ring though?" Pik couldn't stop trying to figure it out, "That was pretty cool, y'know. Maybe he could show me how to do that...OW! Kia..."

She took her foot off of Pik's tail, "C'mon guys. Let's get some lunch and leave these two lovebirds alone."

"DAMN HIM!!!! THAT'S THREE TIMES NOW HE'S STOPPED ME!!!!"

"Oh, calm down, Peter. We'll get out."

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT GETTING OUT!!!!!! I WANT TO KILL HIM!!!!!!!!"

"Peter, if you don't shut up this instant, I won't have the people coming for me free you. Sit and wait! They'll come."

Peter sneered at her through the bars, "Oh really? I thought you said that your boss hated failure. You don't have anyone to blame now except yourself you realize."

"I'm the best he's got. Plus I didn't fail completely."

"Oh yeah? What else was there for you to do?"

"Find you..."

They waved as the train pulled in. Babe panicked when a gust of air blew his jacket open and quickly held it down. Billy and Sarrah were there as well; Billy wanted to check up on Gareth, and Sarrah was there to keep Babe company, "I hope we never have an argument like that again! This new homing device itches!!!" He absently scratched at a small box just under his right ear.

Ace was the first of their group to come off the train. Pik and Kia were next, Alan ran out with Player desperately trying to bite his tail, and then came Gareth. There was such a look of happiness on his face that he twice almost lost control of his dragon form. Hana came out last. Babe focused in on something he hadn't seen on her before...

"Sarrah, look at Hana's finger..." Babe gently poked her so she would listen, "Something happened while they were gone."

"What do you--" Sarrah stopped talking when she noticed the small glare coming off Hana's new ring. She gasped and asked, "Where did Gareth find enough money for that?! Billy, C'mon!" She grabbed Babe's and Bill's hands in her own and ran to their friends. There was a lot of laughter all around when they came closer along with plenty of hugs.

Babe kept up his smile, "I wish I could be that happy. Gareth and Hana have the possiblility of children. I can never have that chance with Sarrah..."

Henry slowly walked to their cell. He was smiling, trying to imagine Peter's face when he would recognize him, "He's gonna flip! This'll be fun..." his mind strayed to Amantha, "But she's got a problem. The boss says she's fired until further notice. How do I break it to her?" At the front gate he straightened his jacket. He was supposed to be here as Amy's lawyer, but he had other business with her as well, "I hope she's thought up a convincing story!"

He approached their cells and smiled, first to Amy, then to Peter. Peter's eyes were wide open with shock. Henry winced and made the guard look away. He smiled and shook their hands, then had the guard 'lead' them to a cell where they could talk without cameras watching them. Amantha grimaced once the door was closed, "So when do I get out?"

Henry sighed and sat down, "Amy--there's a problem..."

"WHAT?!!!! I got him for us, didn't I?!!" She shouted and pointed to Peter. Peter never moved, thanks to Amy who had activated her powers to make him think something else was going on. Henry had taken care of the guard, but it was beginning to hurt.

"Amy, let Peter hear us. I can't keep this up much longer! The pain's starting to get worse!"

Amy snorted and switched her powers to the guard outside their room, "Sometimes I can't help but wonder why you bother to use that thing at all. You can't make others stop listening for long if your life depended on it!"

Peter blinked a few times as he came back to reality, "What? What just happened? Henry, you had better explain this!!!"

Henry motioned for them to sit down, "Listen, Peter, since this involves you too. Amy, you're being fired until we think you can be allowed to rejoin us. I am at liberty to tell you that if you manage to bring Gareth they will consider having you come back. As for you Peter, we want to offer you a position among us."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about being able to do the same things as Amy here. There are only two things you'll need to know if you want this opportunity."

"And they are?.."

"One, you will have to act as a patsy for whatever Amy has planned in her story to get out of prison, and two, there is a side-effect to this chip we offer."

"What's the side-effect?"

"It varies with every anthro we try. For Amy, she can hide her true color from the world without seriously straining her power. That's why she has to wear make-up. For me, I can't make others ignore us for very long unless I plan to lose consciousness."

"And for me?"

"We won't know until you have the chip in you. There is a plus besides this power that I neglected to mention."

"What's that?"

"You're sterile, corrrect?"

"Yeah...what about it?!"

"You won't be once this chip is part of you."

Peter froze, stunned. They watched as a strange smile crept over his face, "Hana...I want the chip."

"Okay. Sylo will take care of the details."

"What the--Sylo is in on this too?!!!!!"

"Yes. We won't be able to give you the chip without him."

Amy smiled, "How does it feel to know that practically everyone you've 'trusted' so far has been part of something completely different?"

"What's his problem?"

Henry cleared his throat, "Old age seemed to creep up on him a lot faster than the rest of us."

"What do you mean?"

"He's only thiry-three, Peter. He has gray hair, and can barely run anymore. We've been able to determine that he won't die until he's somewhere in his eighties, but he's going to look that age for at least fifty more years."

"Damn...that could happen to me?"

"It's possible. Are you sure you want the chip?"

That odd smile slid across his face again, "I don't care what the cost is. I want it as soon as I can get it."

Amy leaned forward in her chair, "Now that that's settled, let's get started on getting me out of here."

"What's your plan?" Peter was looking far too eager.

Henry sat back, "The way I see it, Amy, you've already got the perfect aliby."

"Who, Peter?" Henry nodded. Amy chuckled, "That's it exactly." She turned to Peter, "Peter, I'm going to make you my get out of jail free card."

"What's my role?"

"You'll be a crimelord bent on taking over the island. We'll say that I was kidnapped by you in an effort to offer me back only if you were given complete control of at least one city. Henry is going to be my 'father' and Sylo is going to be the man who recieved the call from you."

"Wait, Amy." Peter held up a hand, "That's a bit too easy. They'll be able to see through your story."

"How come?"

"If Sylo recieved the call, why didn't he tell anyone? I mean--I'm supposed to be wanting an entire city for your safe return. Why wouldn't anyone else have been notified? No, if you want your story to work, he either has to be the mayor of a specific city, or I hadn't been able to call yet."

Amy smiled, "Is it any wonder why I like you?" She gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth.

Henry grinned. He'd suspected that, but he hadn't been able to make sure until just then. It helped to explain the test she'd used to make sure she could seduce Gareth.

Peter was grinning as well, "I thought so..."

Once the 'meeting' was over, Peter asked Amy a question, "When this is over and I have my mind-chip, do you want to spend the night?"

Amantha blushed a crimson red, "Well..."

"Just one night, Amy. Before I'm given my sentence in prison. I want that chip to make sure they don't send me to some rehabilitation center. And for my revenge on Hana..."

Amy looked questioningly at him. He shrugged and laid down on his bed to wait out the night.

*All dragons copyrighted to Poseidon Simons

Chapter 21

Lust

Hana sat in her bed that night at her home, staring at the small golden ring she had slipped onto her finger, "Gareth asked me to marry him...I thought he might, but like that?!" She twisted the ring off and looked at it. She thought of something and chuckled, "He didn't have to pay a dime for this. It didn't cost him a thing!" She thought back to when he'd shown her the ring, "Did it? Did he hurt himself just to make this ring for me? It was part of him..." She began to look at the ring with a much different interest, "Maybe it cost more than one at the shop. It was part of him before he gave it to me..." Hana sighed, "Why couldn't he just buy one like everyone else?! It would have made this so much easier!" There was a knock on her door.

"Hana? Hana, are you there?" It was Gareth.

She opened the door for him, "Gareth, about this ring...."

He cringed, "Yes?.."

"How did you do that?! Did it hurt at all?!! I mean--Gareth, I have millions of questions about this thing..."

Gareth sagged with relief, "Thank god that's all. I was worried for a moment that you were--"

Hana interrupted him, "Gareth, don't you dare think that I would be crude enough to say no after everything we've been through. Can you believe we've only known each other for two weeks?!"

"Not really...I feel like I've known you my entire life. You mean so much to me, Hana...Now, with Peter gone and Amy with him, I feel like I can finally get to know you for who you are, but at the same time, it seems as if all of that isn't neccessary any more."

"Gareth, would you like to come in?" She stepped out of the way so he could walk in.

"I just came by to--that is to say I--May I?"

"I asked first. C'mon in, Gareth, before it gets cold."

Gareth smiled and walked inside. He changed the way his clothes looked to match colors with what she wore, except that he made his clothes a shade darker, as if he thought that copying her would offend her. She laughed and told him she didn't care what he wore, so long as he wore something! Gareth smiled back at her and started to make his clothes change color almost constantly. Then, right in front of her, he disappeared completely! Hana felt the empty spot on the couch, "Gareth?.."

"Yes?" He asked as he reappeared right behind her. She jumped and twirled around to face him. He was chickling like he'd just pulled off a funny prank.

"Gareth..."

"What?" He managed to say between his growing bouts of laughter.

"What was that all about?!!!!"

Gareth shook his head and calmed down, "I was just trying something, Hana. I didn't think I'd be able to match the colors so well!!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I didn't vanish, just changed color so that I looked exactly like the things around me. I wasn't sure it would work, but..."

"Gareth, you are going to be an interesting husband."

"Thanks for the compliment!" There was an awkward silence for a moment, then Gareth cleared his throat to speak, "Umm...Hana, about that ring. I hadn't known I could do it until I tried! It just happened...I don't think I can explain much about it to you..."

"I didn't think so..." Hana sighed and sat down.

Gareth averted his gaze right when she sat down, "Not again..." He was beginning to feel the heat rising to his face as more and more of her legs were exposed to his view, "Damn it! Why does this keep happening to me?! Ever since Amy--tried, I've been blushing at every pretty girl I've seen!! How am I supposed to get rid of this?!!" His groin hardened again, for the fifth time that day! He started to let himself think about what she would look like naked...He coughed and lowered his head, "I can't stand this! What's wrong with me?!" Hana stood up from her chair, "Please don't let anything happen...PLEASE don't let anything happen!" Her shirt caught on something and tightened against her breasts. Gareth gasped and shut his eyes tight, but it didn't help, "Not again!!!!!!! RRGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" He started to sweat, all he could think about was Hana slowly removing everything she wore..."STOP IT!!!!!!!!" It was no use. His mind suddenly shifted all of its attention on Hana as she fumbled with her shirt to untangle it. It finally came loose with a jerk, and for the briefest moment Gareth saw her bare breasts exposed to him. It was enough to send him over the edge, "HANA, FORGIVE ME!!!!!!!!!"

She screamed as he leaped onto her, as he tried frantically to get rid of this wild emotion raging inside him, "Gareth, WHAT ARE YOU--" He suddenly realized how frightened Hana was, and started to cry on her chest. He pulled himself off of her and sobbed on the couch.

"Hana...I am so sorry...I--I couldn't help it...I don't know what was wrong with me..." He pulled his legs up and huddled there on the couch as Hana ran to her room and locked the door. He sighed with relief when he heard the door shut, and let his tears come forth. He didn't know how long he sat there, but it felt good to cry like he was, "Hana, if you never speak to me again I will personally thank you for it. I don't understand what's wrong with me! It seems as if I've become as obsessed as Peter was...I hope you can forgive me..."

Hana tried her hardest not to cry at first, but it was as futile an effort as it would have been to let Peter have his way, "What happened back there?!!!!!! How could Gareth do that?!!!"

She could hear his sobs whenever she took a breath to continue. He sounded upset at least. For at least an hour she sat on her bed to cry away her tears, "It doesn't make any sense!!!! Gareth said he would never do that! Did he lie to me? Is my body all he really wants?!! NO!!!!! HE WOULDN"T DO THAT!!!!!! HE IS NOT LIKE PETER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" And yet..."I need an explanation. That's the only way I'll ever be able to know...but how will I know if he won't lie again?!" She could not decide. She knew what she would have to do to ask, but should she? Suppose Gareth turned out to be exactly like Peter, then what would she do? How would she be able to stop him if he started hounding her? She would have to trust him. What else could she do?..

"Please let him not be like Peter. I love him too much to have him end up the same..."

Hours passed with each of them in these seperate rooms. He could hear Hana sobbing so loudly that he was sure she would throw him out of her house. Another hour passed as her crying lessened, and yet another before she opened her door.

Gareth held back his breath as she walked out to him. This would be it! He shook, waiting for what she would say.

Hana sat down beside him, "Gareth, why did you--"

"Hana, I don't know. Ever since Amy tried to seduce me I haven't been able to stop thinking about women! I can't control myself whenever I see some girl barely dressed...I--I can't help it...If you hate me now, I'll go."

"I don't hate you Gareth, I just want an explenation for what you did back there. You don't seem like the kind of anthro who would do something like that..."

"I know, Damn it! Before Amy, I was never like that. Since she came, I've been wanting countless others in my bed! These damned thoughts won't go away!!!!!!" Gareth clutched his head in his hands.

"What set you off this time, Gareth?"

"I saw inside your shirt when you pulled it free. I'm so sorry I lost it like that! I--I..." His voice trailed off as Hana scooted closer to him, "No, please!!!!!!!" He was starting to think about her body again..."Hana, please, It's starting again. Don't get any closer!!!!" She stood up and sat back down right by his side, "Hana, don't!!! I don't want that to happen again...I can't bear the thought of seeing you scared of me...Please stop, Hana." He could feel her scales against him, was more conscious of her than he had ever been before. She gently brought his face to hers and kissed him...He completely lost himself then. Hana became the only thing he could think about. Before he could stop himself from thinking it he didn't have a thing on, and Hana didn't flinch as he nervously pulled her shirt off of her. She stood up as he pulled her pants down, and motioned to her bedroom. His mind was so clouded by her prescence that he barely understood what she was saying, but he followed her inside. She closed the door and locked it once he came in.

She was so warm...

*All dragons copyrighted to Poseidon Simons

Chapter 22

The Problem

Late that morning Amantha heard the jail doors open. She blinked until she was fully awake and looked down the hall to see who was coming, "It can't be Henry already! We weren't going to have Sylo show up until the trial! Who else--" She smiled mischevously as she remembered, "It's Gareth."

Sure enough, she saw him storming down the hallway straight toward her. He appeared to have already gotten permission to talk to her, for a guard stopped at one of the meeting rooms where they took prisoners when a lawyer showed up, "Amantha, come with me."

Amantha smirked and sat where she was.

"Now, Amantha."

She exchanged a smile with Peter and continued to sit.

"AMY!!!!! GET UP NOW!!!!!!!!!"

She swayed her hips as she approached him, "What is it, Gareth?"

"We have to talk."

She smirked, sure now that she would be able to seduce him, "Certainly, Gareth, but you don't have to say it like that. I'm not one of those girls who are just about to have their first time."

"You know what I mean." He growled.

"I most certainly do..." Amy waited as the guard opened her door, then walked down to a conference room, "But I have a feeling it isn't the same thing as what you're thinking." Gareth closed the door as he entered, sealing the two of them off from everyone else.

"Sit down."

She sat. Gareth sat in another chair that was placed on the other side of the room, "Good. He's already too weak to sit close to me. It won't take long." She cleared her throat and pulled slightly on her shirt, fanning herself as if she felt hot, "It's so warm in here, Gareth. Why did you pick this room?"

Gareth was starting to sweat himself, "Don't play that game anymore, Amy. I want some answers."

"Why, whatever do you mean?" She pulled the neck of her shirt down just a little, "What answers could I possibly give?" She tried not to smirk as she sent him thoughts, "Look at me! If you position yourself just right, you'll see down my shirt!!!"

Gareth's head shot up, then reddened and went back down, "How come I keep having these thoughts?!!!!"

"What are you talking about, Gareth?"

"Damn it, they started when I saw you! I'm sure you have the answeres, now tell me what's wrong with me!!!!!!!!!" He was clenching the arms of his chair, shaking with the effort of holding himself back.

"C'mon, Gareth...You need this body of mine. You'll go mad if you don't have it. C'mon!!" She watched as he clenched the arms even tighter. One hand came up to his forehead, as if he had a headache, "What's this? Do you have another power that I didn't know about? Do you have a headache from resisting me so much? Come and take me..."

"It is you..." He whispered to himself. Amy tried to look confused as he kept speaking, "You are the one who's been making me think this!!!"

"What?--Gareth, I don't understand--"

"YES YOU DO!!!!!! YOU'RE THE WHOLE REASON I'M LIKE THIS!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!!!!!!!!!!" Amy tried to scream, but Gareth's hand was on her neck before she could utter a sound beyond a whisper. Gareth asked her again, "What did you do?.."

She started prying Gareth's hands from her neck, but he held tight. She gave up and started talking, "Okay...okay I'll tell!!!!" Gareth slowly let her go. She breathed deeply a few times, then spoke, "You're right. It is me."

"Then make it stop!!!!!!!!!!" Gareth was losing control being so close to her that his clothes vanished for a moment before coming right back, "There has to be a way to reverse this...tell me how!!!!!"

She laughed, "I can tell you right now, Gareth. It's hopeless. There is nothing wrong with you!"

"THEN WHY AM I LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!" His clothes vanished again, staying gone just a little longer before they reapeared.

"I only stimulated your sex organs, Gareth! It happens natuarlly every time you see a pretty girl. All I did was make it react a bit more than it should."

"MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!!!"

"There are only three ways to stop it, Gareth. All three are the same, just done differently. You'll have to have sex."

"What do you mean, 'three different ways'?"

"Either you rape me, an innocent girl who doesn't want you, or Hana."

"How are those different?"

"With the girl, it goes away after the first time. With me, it goes away after the first time but you become mine. With Hana, it will last for years."

"How long?" Gareth was looking ready to tear her clothes off, but he somehow managed to keep himself under control.

"Do you remember when you almost took me on the train? You'll feel it that badly for at least a year. It slowly goes away after that."

"Only a year...I won't be able to control myself for a year..."

Amy had to smile, "It's a bit different than that, Gareth. I meant a year as in that many times. Not waiting that many days."

"I hate you."

"Thank you! maybe there's hope for you after all, Gareth."

Gareth turned around and practically ran out of the room. He jerked to a stop with his hand on the door handle and looked back at her, smiling, "I almost forgot to mention, Amy. Hana sends her thanks to you for doing this to me. She reallly enjoyed me last night."

Gareth walked until he was far away from the prison. Hana was waiting for him at a tree and walked with him, "Well?"

"We were right, Hana. It was her."

"Did she tell you how to reverse it?"

"She told me three different ways, yes. I can only pick one without hurting myself."

"What were they?"

"You don't want to know."

"At least tell me the one you chose."

"Hana, It's so hard not to look at you and want to tear your clothes off right now!"

"Gareth, what are you getting at?"

Gareth sighed, "Amy told me that it would take 365 nights before I'd be able to control myself in the slightest around you."

"So that means you might attack me again like last night?" Hana shuddered as they walked.

Gareth lowered his head, mostly so he didn't have to look at her, "Yes. The only other ways were to have one night with her, or another girl who was afraid of me. Hana, I'd have to commit rape! I can't do that!!!!!!!!"

"And I for one am glad to hear it. If you stooped that low, I don't know if I could stand you anymore, but at the same time, I would long for you...Did you tell her?"

"About how it went with us? Yeah, and she was ready to kill once she heard it! That was one of the best moments of my life!!!!" Gareth stopped and transformed into a larger version of himself. He crouched down to pick Hana up and shot into the sky. Once they were up high enough, he made himself grow into as large a dragon as he could. As a result, it took them only a few minutes to fly back to Yann City. Once they could see the city, Gareth shrank back to the size he'd been when they'd taken off, then shrank back to his usual size after they landed. They walked the rest of the way back to the city, "Hana, did you know that the flight we took would've taken nearly an hour on an airplane in the human world?"

"No, I didn't. What's an airplane?"

"It's like a train except it's one large car that flies through the air. Think of it as a carrier here that can carry almost one hundred people each flight."

"Why would it take an hour?"

"Because of the humans' system in that world. Nothing is made simple there! I can remember one flight I was on that took four hours when it was only supposed to take one-half!"

"You spent four hours on a thirty minute ride?!! Why the hell would you be willing to do that?!!!"

"Because it's the fastest way to get anywhere. Believe me, it doesn't feel fast."

"What else is there that has such an immense problem?"

"Practically everything. Hobbies among the people were probably the only things that didn't take so much time, and even then I can only think of a few."

"Hmmm...Gareth, about your new 'problem'. Are you really that worried about it?"

"Yes. You are the only one I truly want, Hana. With this damn thing inside me, I'll be after every woman on the island! I only want you..."

"Well...at least it isn't a total loss. I had no idea anyone could get so involved like that!!!!"

Gareth blushed, "Hana, we have a problem..."

"What is it?" She asked then looked down. Her entire face reddened, "My home is closer. How about there?"

"Hurry..." Gareth could feel his control slipping again. He started staring at her chest..."Hana, hurry!!!!!!!"

"Player, when can we go on another trip like that?"

Player looked down at Tammy, "I promise to bring you on the very next one. I just hope it doesn't end the same way!"

Tammy sat down in Player's apartment and looked around. Player asked her what she was looking for, but she said it was a surprise. She yelped with delight when she found a blank piece of paper and started folding it in such a way that Player was confused after the third step, "Tammy, what are you making?"

"Gareth showed me how on the train! He called it origami...look, I made a bird!"

Player held the paper in his hand, "She actually likes this?! What's so fun about it?" He started to pinch the bird in his fingers, then stopped when he thought he might break it, "Tammy probably wouldn't like it if I crumpled it up..." He set it back down on the table, which was filling up fast with more of those birds, "Tammy, seriously. What are you doing?!!"

"I don't know how to make anything else...Gareth promised that if I practiced, he would show me how to make something else. I'm trying to make a bird that is perfect!" Kia walked in right then.

"Player, could you--" she stared at the growing pile of birds, "What?"

"Gareth showed her how." Player explained what he'd been told, then shrugged and left. It felt better to walk around than to sit like that. As he walked, he felt something flutter around in his throat and opened his mouth to let Nino out, "Good to see you finally woke up, Nino."

"Nest, where are we going?" Nino asked as he snapped at a fly in the air.

"Will you please stop calling me nest?!!!!!!"

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know. I just needed to get out, is all."

"Nest, you look tired. You ready to sit?"

"No, Nino. Now stop calling me that!!"

"No." Nino chirped a laugh and flew into a tree, "You're my nest. I'll call you nest."

"And I don't want you to call me nest! Now get back down here!"

"I'm hungry. I'll come down soon."

Player sighed and sat under the tree. A moment later he felt something large hit his head. An apple rolled down by his feet. He scowled up at Nino, who was smiling, "NINO!!!!!!!!"

"Yes, nest?"

"Nino, get back down here!!! Stop calling me nest!!!!!!!!!!"

"This is fun!!! I like this game!"

Player barely dodged the next apple, "Stop it!!!!" He winced as a third apple fell and bounced off of his head, "Rrrrgggghhhhh..."

*All dragons copyrighted to Poseidon Simons

Chapter 23

Small Saviors

Amantha stomped back into her cell, "He knew!!!!! How did he find out?!!!! Where did he discover that I could do that?! Did it have something to do with his headache? But--but then--Damn it, where did he learn?!!!!!!!!" She sat down and sulked without caring if anyone saw, but, out of habit she made the guard at her cell think she was merely bored and sitting while staring out the window.

Peter smirked, "So what happened? Did he completely humiliate you too?"

"How would you know? This type of thing can't happen to you."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong, Amy. You forget about Hana. He stole her away from me. Took what was mine! I should have killed him when we first met. It would've been so easy!! Now, because of my damned actions, he has me nehind bars for who knows how long!!!!"

"You call that the same?!! You don't have a clue what I'm talking about!!!!!! He discovered one of my secrets!!!! No one can do that! He has found out what I can do, but did it without my knowledge. It has been years since someone has even been able to try to figure me out!!!!"

"Then you know how I feel. I had him completely helpless, yet in my triumph, since I was so happy that I'd caught him, I overlooked one detail that allowed them all to escape! I still don't know what they did! I hate him!!!!!!!!" Amantha gazed at Peter, who was staring out the cell window while he spoke, "That human has found a way to defeat me every time! I want to see his head crushed beneath my foot. He has bothered me too long!" He started to reach for something, then realized where he was and stopped, "Damn it. I need a phone. I already have a new idea I want to try, but of course, I'm helpless now!"

Amy cleared her throat as loudly as she could and held something in her hand, "Completely helpless? Aren't you forgeting something?" She dialed a new number on her phone, and smiled when she heard Sylo's voice, "Sylo, I'm going to hand you to Peter. He has something he wants to talk to you about." She slid the phone across the floor and told Peter to pick it up. He smiled and instantly started talking. Amy sighed and left him alone with his plans, "I wonder if I should--nah...He already said he wants me anyway. Henry had better hurry...I'm actually looking forward to this!" Peter kept talking on her phone, looked up at her, then stopped. She saw an odd smile cross his face similar to the one she'd seen him use when he'd found out about the chip.

"Sylo, forget all of it except for that last part. I have a better idea. I'll call you in a bit." He slid the phone back to Amy and asked, "Amy, do you think that, when the whole trial thing is over, you could persuade the court to give me a bail fee?"

"Why would you want that? I could make the court free you after a month!"

"Yeah, I know. I want Hana and Gareth to think they're safe from me. Once I get that chip, I have a few plans I'm going to try out in this prison."

"Such as?"

"I want those two to think they don't have to worry, but at the same time, I want to be at my base in Bay City."

"How would you propose to get there?"

"I'll have a 'friend' come over once a week to tell me what's happening there. I'll be able to give out orders, know what's going on, and they won't have a clue. Plus I want you to be there and moniter them for me. You'll come by the day after my 'friend' and tell me what's really going on."

"Just what are you thinking about?"

"It'll take me longer, but I'll be able to build up my strength right under their noses! Think about it! How often does someone plot in jail?"

"All the time."

"Exactly! I will be the perfect convict. I won't break a single rule here; I'll make them all think that I'm through!!!! That way, when I get out, I can get them by surprise!"

"But won't Gareth or Hana expect something like that?"

"Not if they see me for themselves. I plan to make a visit to them once this prison bit is over, y'know, so they'll think I really changed! It'll be perfect!" A guard was walkign toward them, so Peter stopped talking and made his expression as angered as possible.

Amy smiled inwardly, but kept a frown on her face as well, "I am most definately looking forward to his bed tonight!"

Henry was right then signing a temporary release form for both Peter and Amy. They would have two days to themselves while under 'supervision' and then would be brought back to the prison until trials began. Between tomorrow and the next day, they would have to get Peter his chip and bring him back. After that, Peter would be on his own until his sentence was over.

Amy and Peter were both in a very bad mood when he saw them. Peter was staring everything down, as if he were ready to kill, and Amantha looked ready to explode! He changed his mind, "Amy looks angry like she's being wrongly accused. She's already playing her part!" He greeted them and took them to a car he had rented. Two policemen climbed in after them, but he knew it wouldn't be hard to fool them. They stopped at a park, where Henry explained to the guards that he wanted to talk to Amy about her trial. They grudgingly let her go, ordering them to stay in sight. Henry sat down at a picnic table and folded his hands together. Amy sat down on the other side, "Well Amy, any ideas?"

"About how to get Peter to the building without the guards seeing it?"

"Yeah."

"I can always make them think something else."

"Not this time, Amy. There will be nearly a hundred other micro chips at work there. We have to think of something different."

"Give them thoughts of fatigue, then. Make them drowsy, then hit them with a tranquilizer. We can make them dream they're still watching us."

"I thought about that too. It's the best solution I can come up with. But where do we start making them sleepy? At what point would we shoot them? Why not just kill them and pretend to have them still watch you? I have a good enough chip to make the entire scene happen where they get killed in a car accident."

"We do that, after Peter has his chip. You can't hold a scene like that for long, Henry. and I can't cast an illusion that strong at all."

"What about Sylo?"

"He doesn't have the physical strength to keep it up. We can only hope on Peter."

"Why not some other anthro?"

"Because I want as few people to know about my affection for him as I can. I like the idea of killing them far better though."

"As did I. I still think that merely making them sleep would be safer for us."

"I know. It would be harder though, wouldn't it?"

"Quite a lot."

"Then we have to kill the guards. There isn't another choice."

Billy scratched his head, "This is where Gareth lives. I've checked here every hour so far...Where is he?" Bill walked back outside and headed toward the park. He smiled at a few people he recognized, and sat down by a small pond, wondering where Gareth had gone. It was five p.m. before he left the pond and started the walk back to his lab. He stumbled backwards in surprised when a little fairy dragon shot past his face. Player was chasing the little dragon.

"Get back here, Nino!!!" There was a moments silence, then Player spoke again, "I told you to STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!!!!!!!! Just wait till I get my hands on you..."

Bill laughed a bit at the scene, "For once a dragon smaller than Player got the upper hand...I wonder what Nino did to make him so angry?" Bill let his mind wander on the subject, happy for something to think about. It kept his mind busy up until he was walking through the small forest path that led to his home away from home...

"Hello?..If there's anyone out there, please help." Bill started at Player's voice. He walked a little faster to where he'd heard it. Player heard his footsteps, "Is someone out there?! Help me!!!!!"

"It's me, Player. What happened?"

"I--" Player's voice was cut off, giving Bill even more to worry about. Bill searched for Player, but there was nothing that could give him a clue.

"Player, I need you to keep talking. I can't find you otherwise."

The sounds of a scuffle followed, then Player's voice, shouting, "BILL, RUN!!!!!!! GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE THEY--" Player's voice was muffled by something before he could finish his sentence.

Bill turned and ran back to Yann City. He heard a shot being fired, and ran even faster. Something shaped like a ball zoomed past him and sprung open like a net. Bill accidentally ran full tilt into it and got tangled up. He started to reach for a small pocket knife he carried, but his hand was stuck to his side. He looked down at his hand and found it covered with a black ooze that would soon harden by the looks of things. It took all of his effort, but he managed to pull his arm free of the stuff. The black ooze felt like jello now, getting thicker and thicker the longer he was on the ground When he tried open his mouth and breath fire, the black stuff kept his mouth tightly shut. He saw Nino flying above the trees just before the face of a Razor dragon smiled and knocked him out.

Nino flew through the air as fast as his wings allowed, "Wish I was big! Where is black one? He can help!" Below him he saw another giant trapped like his nest had been, and silently promised him that he would find and bring back the black one. He flew for hours on end, growing more tired by the second. He reached Vitara's house and fell down in her home.

Vitara barked in greeting, "Nino!!!! Where you been?"

Nino gasped in lungfulls of air, "Need to find black one! Nest and giant are in trouble!"

"Who is black one?"

"Friend of family. Giant like nest is." Nino tried to fly off again, but his wings felt so tired...

"Nino, you're tired. I'll go."

"You've not seen black one! I need to come too!" Vitara crouched down and waited as Nino hopped on, "Black one lives with funny no-scales."

"Black one lives with Shane? Why there?"

"Don't know. Just does. Far?"

"Very far. Will take us all night to get there!"

"Need to get there anyway. Hurry, nest is in trouble!!!"

"Okay, I'll take us to Razor Jr. He can move faster!"

They started running through the city, oblivious to what was following them.

He checked his binoculars one more time, "That can't be right. Maybe Peter really knew what he was talking about." The Razor shook his head, disbelieving, as he followed the two animals through the city. He scratched his head, trying to understand why the two animals were heading for Ace Jackson's house. He jerked in surprise when a small wild razor took off into the sky with the animals on its back! He brought out his cell phone and called Sylo, "Sir? I've followed the creature I told you about. It has appeared to asked for help from two other animals."

"Peter really did know what he was talking about! Who knew that there pets would be able to do so much...Listen. Capture the creatures and bring them back as well. If they are headed toward any place that might actually offer help, we'll be exposed."

"Sir? You want me to chase down some animals?!!"

"Did I stutter? Start moving!" Sylo hung his end of the call up.

The Razor shook his head again and flew into the sky after the animals.