The Missing Ninja {Completed}

Chapter Fifteen

"Lar, where's Jade?" Ash's grey-smoke dragon came to an even pace with the turquoise blue water dragon, "Lar?"

"She's better off with them than she is with us," he said without looking at Ash.

"Y-," Ash took a large pause to recalibrate his senses, "You gave her to the Ninja?! Lar, you'll get killed!"

"As long as I know she's safe," he finally found the courage to look at his friend, and given his current state he'd rather have not: his round yet chiseled face was a tomato-red, from holding back tears and anger, and his dark green eyes were severely glossy, threatening to free the contained tears that had not yet escaped, "Then my life is the price I'll pay for hurting her."

"I knew I shouldn't have left you alone!" Ash wanted to jump over and slap Lar, "What's wrong with you?!"

"I'll explain when we get back, alright? Neuro, if he hasn't weaseled it out of Griffin already, will want to know where she is," Lar 's weight shifted and he almost fell from his ride, "And besides, you should have realized by now that everything is wrong with me."

"Joking won't cover up your internal pain, Matthews," Ash chided lazily, "I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice, don't try to deny it," he cut off Lar's objection, "Just answer me this: How can you be so attached to a girl you've known for a day?"

His mouth opened and closed silently, like a fish. After a moment Lar found his voice, "Jade is different than others. She was raised a Serpentine-"

"So you've got a snake fetish?!" Ash's voice jumped an octave in surprise, "The hell, Lar!?"

"No! Shut up, Ash!" Lar snapped, shooting a stream of water at him, only to have Ash change into smoke and evade it, "Anyway, something about her background intrigues me. Then there's her long soft hair, the way her eyes squeeze shut when her smile is genuine and she's laughing too hard.... Her laugh, too," Ash sensed he was dozing off into his La-La-Land again, so Ash veered his dragon over to hit Lar's. The movement jostled him back to reality, "As I was saying, she's always in my head and I want to learn more about her and just be with her and- Yeah..."

"Whatever. All I know is that you are acting completely different than normal and it's scaring me," Ash hovered his dragon over the Training Yard, and it disappeared, dropping him to the ground. When Lar didn't follow, he turned his stone grey stare on Lar, who was still drifting about in the sky, "Come on, Romeo, it's almost dinner time."

"I could use some food," Lar stated, his dragon disappearing, but his fall was less fluid than Ash's and Lar landed on his stomach (And more or less, his face), "Ooooowwww......"

"Wow, you two are a sight for sore eyes," Griffin walked out to meet the two, Neuro not far behind.

Ash, who'd been busy attempting to pull Lar fro the small indent he'd made in the grass, dropped him back onto the ground and stood up, wiping his hands together, "What?"

"You two can't go anywhere without screwing something up, can you?" Neuro shook his head, crossing his arms.

Lar, who'd finally got himself to his feet, wavered and balanced himself with Ash's shoulder, "We screwed nothing up, Neuro."

"If you screwed nothing up where's Jade?" he challenged.

"I don't know."

"Yes you do!" Griffin burst, "I know when you're lyin', kid, and you are. Plus I was there."

"Stop calling me kid!" Lar barked, lurching forward a small fraction, as if he was restraining from jumping on Griffin, "And fine, Neuro," his voice calmed a considerable amount, "She's with the Ninja."