Drak first noticed something was strange when he returned from the supermarket, where he and Teishi had been grocery shopping, and no one responded to the doorbell. Drak had managed to grab one of the shopping bags himself but only just, as Teishi tried almost successfully to carry all of the bags himself, as he was accustomed to not having any help of any kind. Considering how many people lived in Ella E's house at the moment, the number of bags was considerable.
The fact that no one answered the door was not only irritating because Drak had ice cream that was rapidly melting, but he didn't want Teishi to have to endure the weight of the seven plus bags he was carrying any longer then he had to. While he waited, Drak had tried to wrestle another bag from Teishi without success until he ordered Teishi to give him some, which then Teishi finally, if reluctantly, complied.
Annoyed, Drak thumped on the door several times and waited. Finally, it opened.
Drak readied himself to berate Ella E for making him wait so long when he realized that it was not she who opened the door.
"Hey kid, y'know there's no one else home, right?" Cyrus stared at him. "Where'd they all go?"
"Not now, Cyrus. Could you help us out here?" Drak held out some of the bags he had been carrying towards Cyrus, who lifted them with no effort whatsoever. Drak could easily tell that Cyrus was using his powers to augment his strength, but who was he to complain?
As soon as the empty refridgerator was restocked, Drak, Teishi, and Cyrus sat down at the kitchen table and thought for a moment.
"This's #&$^in' weird, kid." Cyrus looked around at the eerily silent house. "This house 's never empty. I mean &$^#in' NEVER. What th' #^#%'s goin' on?
"This is kind of odd..." Drak was concerned himself. "When I left, everyone was here. Atelli, Ella E, Indigo, Colt and the others...all of them. I told them I was getting groceries...why did they leave all of a sudden?"
"All I know 's that I popped up in here an' no one was around t'#$&$in' say hello." Cyrus seemed to be considering getting one of the beers that Drak had bought at the store (after much conflict and arguing over his age) just for Cyrus' occasional visits. In the end, however, he opted to stay in his chair.
"This is peculiar, Drak-sama." Teishi spoke for once. "I recall Atelli and Ella E telling me they would be here all day. No one else said anything about leaving."
"That's the weird thing...do you think we should look around?
A loud thump from upstairs answered that question.
Within almost no time the three had entered Atelli's room, where the sound had come from.
On the floor was the bound, beaten, and angry form of Ashstar. She made angry muffled noises around the gag stuffed into her mouth.
Drak sighed and removed it. "Again, you always seem to show up at the worst times. What happened?"
Ashstar had to recompose herself before she could speak through her outrage. "You wouldn't believe..."
"Start from the beginning." Drak was trying to untie the knots that tied Ashstar securely. Cyrus was watching with an almost tired look, while Teishi remained totally passive.
"Okay, I came by to tell Ella E hello, you know, just for old time's sake and all that kind of stuff..."
Drak nodded while he continued to work on the knots.
"So I was hanging around in Atelli's room because she told me to get one of those dolls for her." Ashstar gestured towards one of the Zelgadis dolls on the walls. "So I come upstairs-"
"Where was everyone else?" Drak looked at Cyrus in surprise as he had handed him a pocketknife. Nevertheless, he took it slowly. "And where did you get that?"
Cyrus shrugged enigmatically while Ashstar continued.
"Um...hmm...well I think Atelli and Ella E were arguing in the kitchen...Monty was sleeping on one of the couches, last I saw him...Colt and Caleb were arguing while Indigo watched...Mewtwo was waiting for you in the kitchen with his mom...actually, come to think of it, you three weren't there." Ashstar seemed to realize this for the first time. "Where were you?"
"Me and Teishi were getting groceries." Drak sawed at the thick rope with the knife. "Cyrus comes by only infrequently, so it's unlikely he was there when all this happened. Whatever 'all this' was, anyway. What happened?"
"Okay, I was in here getting the doll, right?" Ashstar finally had her hands loose. She took the knife almost offendedly from Drak and began to work on her legs. "I heard this loud crashing noise from downstairs. Then there was lots of shouting and screaming and stuff like that. I was going to go down and check it out, but before I could someone slammed open the door. Before I knew what happened they whacked me over the head with something and here I am."
"That seems to happen a lot." Drak sighed as Ashstar finally stood. "Did you hear what they were planning?"
"Not really..." Ashstar brushed herself off. "I have no idea where they went or who took them or why. Seemed awfully weird to me. And why they didn't take me of all things is the most strange. What, am I not good enough to get kidnapped? Sheesh..."
Drak cut off Ashstar just before she was about to continue into a indignant rant. "So that leaves us with almost no clues...not this whole thing again."
Cyrus, noting the despair on Drak's face, thought quickly. "Hey kid, I think I got an idea as t'where th'#^&$ they might've gone."
"Really?" Drak brightened immediately.
"All of you, grab m'hand. Don't say nothin' an' don't do nothin' 'til I say so, got it?"
Everyone nodded solemnly as they took Cyrus' hand.
It was an incredibly disturbing feeling for those involved that were not used to it. Teishi kept his facade up, showing no emotion on his face. Ashstar, however, looked terrified. Drak knew what Cyrus was doing. He was teleporting them somewhere. He had seen Mewtwo do it several times, but he had never done it himself. He closed his eyes.
Within a few moments they landed safely in a large, bare, metal hallway.
Teishi, realizing where they were, attached himself quickly to Drak's arm. "Drak-sama...we're back..."
"Don't worry." Cyrus seemed ill-at-ease as well, as did Ashstar. Drak tried very hard to keep himself calm. "We ain't goin' t'be in this #^#%hole long. I just need t'ask someone a few questions."

~~~

"Hmm hmm hmm..." Dr. Dowasure hummed happily to himself. He burst into song, overflowing with the simple joy of living. This contrasted sharply to the song he was singing, however. "I'm all busted up, broken bones and nasty cuts! Accidents will happen, but this time I can't get up...she comes to check on me, making sure I'm on my knees...After all, she's the one who put me in this state!"
Dr. Dowasure made tapping motions with his fingers as if drumming. He was totally into what he was singing. "Is she ultra-violent, is she disturbed? I better tell her that I love her...before she does it all over again, oh god she's kiiiilliinnng me! For now lie around-"
"Are you singing that song again?" The harsh voice of Dr. Kagakusha cut him off abruptly. Dr. Dowasure made an "eep" noise and stopped singing.
"No." He lied badly.
"Better not. I hate that song! Stupidest thing I've ever heard..." Dr. Kagakusha seemed to be involved in doing something, as she did not pursue the matter further.
Dr. Dowasure listened carefully for her footsteps leading away. Only when he was sure that was totally alone did he finally relax and continue singing to himself, only softer. "Looking out the window for someone that's passing by...no one knows I'm locked in here...all I do is cry..."
He then switched into a totally different song, instantly back into his cheerful state.
"I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality! I believe that trust is more important then monogamy! I believe-"
The door slid open with a rush of air. Dr. Dowasure, looking up from the work he was doing, had just enough time to see a black, white, and purple blur come towards him before he was lifted bodily into the air. He screamed.
"Shut th' #^&$ up, Doc!" Cyrus shouted angrily at him. "Where'd you take 'em? Y'better tell me right now or 'm goin' to #$^#in'-"
"Cyrus!" Drak sounded appalled as he walked in. "You don't have to scare him to death. Put him down."
Dr. Dowasure managed to find his voice upon seeing Drak again. "Drak? What are you doing here? And you, Teishi?"
Cyrus reluctantly put the frightened Doctor down, where he apparently hadn't noticed there was someone new along with them.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Dowasure." Drak wasn't sure what else to say. "I didn't know he would get here so fast. I just followed him."
"What's wrong? Why are you here again? Do you know what'll happen if they find you here again? Especially you two." Dr. Dowasure pointed to Teishi and Cyrus. "They said they'd..." He paused, as if struggling with the words he was about to say. When he did speak, it was a frightened whisper. "They said they'd kill you."
Cyrus deigned to speak, instead prowling about behind Drak as if he were some animal stalking his prey. And Dr. Dowasure knew instantly he was the prey, as he began shivering uncontrollably.
"We're looking for our friends. Have you been kidnapping people again?" Drak hoped that he didn't sound as if he were upset, but of course he did, which caused Dr. Dowasure to cringe as if he had been struck.
"No!" His voice was still a frightened whisper. "No, I wouldn't do that, no. It wasn't my idea in the first place, really it wasn't. I had no idea what they were planning, if I had I wouldn't have gone along with it..."
Drak could see that the doctor was working himself into a fit and tried to calm him. "It's okay, we were just wondering whether you knew where they were or not. Thanks anyway."
"He's lyin'!" Cyrus rushed forward. "Y'lyin' ^#^@in' #^#%@%#!"
"Cyrus!" Drak cried, but he was too late. Cyrus raised a hand as if to hit the smaller man.
Of course, this new pressure was too much for Dr. Dowasure, who burst into tears. This was more effective at stopping Cyrus then Drak's cry had been. Cyrus paused in surprise.
"Oh, it's my fault that she died...there was...was so much...all over the floor..." Dr. Dowasure sobbed softly. Drak knew he was speaking of Kotake. He knew the sensitive doctor hated to see things hurt and seeing an actual murder had been deeply tramautizing. Especially one that was indirectly his fault. "I'm so sorry, all of you..."
"Look, it's okay..." Drak pushed Cyrus away from Dr. Dowasure with a glare, in response to which he swore slightly and moved away, and tried to console the sobbing man. "It's not your fault, alright? We're going to leave now, so don't worry about us."
"Wait!" Dr. Dowasure seemed to have a sudden change of heart. "Wait, let me help you!"
"What?!" Cyrus stared at him indisbelief. Dr. Dowasure grabbed Drak's hand.
"Please, let me help you. It's the least I could do for all the wrong I've done to you and your friends. Please, I can help you find them! You need as much help as you can get if they aren't here...they could be anywhere!"
"He has a point." Ashstar finally spoke up.
"#^&$ NO!"
"C'mon, Cyrus." Drak didn't want to have to deal with arguing with Cyrus at the moment, so he pulled something he usually only did as a last resort. "I'm asking you to do this as my friend."
Cyrus seemed to struggle mentally for several minutes, but finally, in extreme bad grace, he held out his hand.
"Grab on, Doc. Don't talk, don't do nothin', got it? We're goin' for a ride."

~~~

Back at Ella E's house, mainly because they had nowhere else to go, the group sat around the table and debated over where their captive friends could be held.
It was Ashstar that finally brought up what seemed the most likely prospect.
"You know, I think there was this place in the mountains somewhere..."
The others, having no other ideas, simply listened.
"It's a society where I bet, if they heard from the news about how Ella E escaped the massacre, they would've wanted to take her. News travels very slowly there...so..." Ashstar thought. "Yes, this might be the time when that might have occured."
"Why would they want her?" Drak was deeply worried, but he tried not to show it.
"Well, they respect strength, endurance, and courage very much there. I suppose they wanted Ella E as some sort of role model."
"Why would they take the others and not you?"
Ashstar narrowed her eyes. "Well, first, I have to make something clear. This society, the Genkaiyo, are completly and only made of woman. They must have thought the males with Ella E were trying to tempt or corrupt her and took them along for punishment. As for me..." Ashstar glared angrily. "I guess they heard about my bad reputation."
"Where is this place?" Drak managed to cut in before the others could ask the many questions they had to pose to Ashstar on this matter. Ashstar looked thoughtful.
"It's pretty far away...I think Cyrus could teleport us most of the way there, but we probably should walk the last part ourselves."
"Where's the farthest location we can go?"
"Um...I think...I think Placent Lake is the probably the closest location near it. It's very isolated."
"Right, let's go." Cyrus could see the hope on Drak's face and wanted to keep it there as long as possible. He didn't notice the confusion and doubt on the other's. He held out his hand. Reluctantly the others took it and in a moment the kitchen was empty.

~~~

The group of rescuers appeared in the center of the town, much to the surprise of those around them, and instantly Cyrus wanted to be off again.
"'kay, which direction is it?"
"Well, first...um..." Ashstar looked incredibly awkward. "Let's get something to eat, first, okay? I think we have to talk about this a little more..."
They soon situated themselves in a nearby restaurant and, after ordering and eating, stared at Ashstar expectedly.
"What do we need to do?" Dr. Dowasure was thrilled at such an adventure and seemed to be glowing with energy. Ashstar looked in several directions before speaking.
"Um...like I said, the society only accepts woman...so...if you want to go in and save Ella E-"
"I'll do anything for her!" Drak thumped his fist on the table. Teishi spoke quietly after him.
"I'll follow Drak-sama, no matter where he goes or what he does."
Cyrus shrugged. "I ain't leavin' th' kid alone, he's too big of a #&#%in' moron t'be left alone. Same with th' Doc."
Dr. Dowasure spoke with excitement. "Oh, I want to be a part of this really badly! It doesn't matter what, I promise I'll do it if I'm included!"
Ashstar stared at them for several minutes, then finally spoke.
"You're going to have to...dress up."
There was a silence for a few moments.
"What do you mean?" Dr. Dowasure was confused.
"What?" Cyrus was a deadly serious and dangerous tone, more of a statement then a question.
Ashstar spoke quickly. "There's no way around this. You said you guys would do anything to find them again, wouldn't you? Well you're going to have to do this in order to find them."
Drak grabbed Cyrus' arm before he began shouting every obscenity he knew at silver-haired girl. "Well, if that's what I have to do, then fine, I'm going to do it."
The others stared at him in confusion, Teishi being the first to speak.
"I will do it too, miss."
Cyrus mumbled incoherently to himself as Dr. Dowasure looked at Ashstar.
"Wait...I don't understand. What do you mean? Dress up in costume or something?"
Cyrus couldn't hide a laugh at that while Ashstar stood. "Well...yes, kind of."

~~~

The others who were shopping at the one clothing store in the city were surprised, confused, and also a little amused. Although none of them were willing to actually form a ring around the area of conflict, due to the frightening and dangerously angry person who was part of it, they would often pause for a few steps, just to watch, then quickly vacate when spotted. Then they would gossip to others what they say. Fairly soon the news had spread all over the store and then to the rest of the city.
That was the least of the worries of the group. Ashstar's dress was no problem. She chose a plain, conserved one, put it aside, then the real problems started.
They decided that they needed someone who would serve as an example to those less reluctant to change by showing it was not the end of the world to wear a dress. This fell to Teishi. Even Drak could not resign himself to something so strange very easily, but Teishi was willing to do it if it meant helping Drak.
Another problem was finding something that was Teishi's size and would fit how he looked. The boy was small and thin, almost unnaturally so, due to his strange treatment during his earlier years, and he still seemed to have an atmosphere of sadness and vulnerability around him. Ashstar wasn't sure what would fit him and all the dresses she found were too long, too big, or just looked too strange.
While Teishi waited with the others, who were trying to prepare themselves for what they had to do, Ashstar wandered into the children's section, hoping to find something there. While walking by one of the racks, she caught sight of a small, blue dress, decorated with pink ribbons. It was a dress for young girls who often played with other children, as the material was durable and sturdy.
Ashstar studied it and found that it could be cinched to help fit the waist and it looked about Teishi's size...
But how was she going to get Teishi into it?
Cyrus was pretending for most of the time that he simply was not going to wear a dress and there was no way in #^@% they could make him. He mumbled to himself and wandered as far away from the group as he dared, not wanting the others to see he was almost afraid to do it.
Drak was incredibly uncomfortable, but he kept trying to make Ella E his motivation. Unfortunately, this wasn't quite enough. He simply could not force himself to go first and he felt terrible for making Teishi have to go before him. He felt like a coward.
Dr. Dowasure was silent. Even after they had explained it to him, he still was kind of confused. The thought of wearing a dress had never, ever crossed his mind and Dr. Dowasure was not sure he would be prepared for when he wore it. Would it be like his comforting labcoat? He wasn't sure. It frightened him badly.
Ashstar walked back among the brooding four, carrying her prize. "Here you go, Teishi. I think this'll fit you."
Cyrus choked back laughter as Teishi tried to keep his face impassive as he stared at the blue and pink dress. "Oh...oh, um...are all those ribbons, uh, necessary, miss?"
"Just change into it. We ARE trying to make you look feminine, after all. Ribbons can only help."
Teishi couldn't ignore an order. He took it in his hands with hesitation and moved towards the dressing room.
Drak volunteered to go next. "It's not fair that Teishi had to go before me. I'm going to show I'm not a coward."
Ashstar shrugged. "Sure. Hmm..." She studied Drak carefully. "I think I saw something that might work for you."
Teishi walked out of the dressing room, blushing terribly. He looked for all the world like an eight-year old girl. His thin, delicate features matched almost perfectly with the dress itself.
Drak stared at him in surprise. "Wow, Teishi, you really do look good in that."
This only made Teishi blush harder. He sat down without a word. However, Ashstar wasn't done. She pulled a spool of ribbon from her pocket.
"Your hair, Teishi. I think we can make it look a little more girlish...stay still."
Teishi blushed, but held still as she asked. Ashstar snipped off a length of ribbon and took out the string that normally held his ponytail, retying it in an elaborate, flourishing bow. She then snipped off two more, then tied two near Teishi's face, where his hair fell down the sides.
"There we go! Very nice. I'm glad you took this so well, Teishi."
Teishi was so deeply embarassed and uncomfortable that he leaned heavily on Drak and buried his face in his shoulder. "Drak-sama..."
"It's okay, Teishi, don't worry." Drak wasn't sure of what to say. "It's only temporary."
"I'm going to find Drak's, okay? Stay here." Ashstar wandered through the store, not sure of what to use for Drak. She had been fibbing somewhat when she told Drak that she knew, but she didn't want to scare him off the idea just when he wanted to do it. Now she had to find something that would fit him and help make him look feminine...
She wasn't sure what to do. She wandered aimlessly.
Until she saw what she was looking for.
It was completly black and the skirt was dangerously high, but she knew it would accentuate Drak's figure perfectly. It had only one strap that lead across the left shoulder, but a length of delicate fabric leading from the right side to the left strap helped it look more refined. It was made of some soft fabric, one that Ashstar could not identify, and came with black gloves.
Drak wasn't sure what to expect for his dress, but he certainly didn't expect what Ashstar showed to him. Cyrus also began laughing, but the others ignored him for now.
"How short is the skirt on that? I'm not a girl, I can't go flashing my legs at people..."
Ashstar was running short of patience, but knew that this must be difficult for them. She tried to keep her voice level. "Look, just try it on and we'll see how short it is, okay? It's intended for a woman, maybe it'll look longer on a man."
"I don't know..." Drak looked back at Teishi, was playing with the end of one of the semi-ponytails near his face. Remembering his resolve to stop being afraid, Drak grabbed the clothes quickly. "But I'll try it anyway."
Ashstar sat down, staring at Cyrus who was pretending he wasn't involved except to laugh at the others. "I think we'll go with you next, Dr. Dowasure."
Dr. Dowasure had a question niggling in the back of his mind and although he knew it was stupid, he had to ask it. "It won't hurt, will it?"
Ashstar laughed for a few minutes, helping relieve some of her tension. "No, no it doesn't hurt at all. Why would you think that it would?"
Dr. Dowasure shrugged, hugging his labcoat tighter to himself. "I don't know, I just...I..I don't know what...what'll happen..."
"Look, don't worry about it. It's fine. They're only clothes, after all."
Drak walked out of the dressing room, trying to look serious but still blushing despite himself.
Ashstar had been a good judge. The dress did look longer on him and it did do Drak justice. It made him look older, thinner, and gave him a sense of authority. Cyrus began blushing, then hid it swiftly by laughing and coughing, covering his face. Teishi only blushed harder. Dr. Dowasure was the only one to comment.
"Wow, Drak, you look ten years older!"
Ashstar waved the dark-haired boy over, almost sensing his distress and embarassment enamanating from his body.
"Really nice, Drak, really nice. Hair needs work though..." Ashstar pulled out a brush. "It's too wild to really be a respectable girl's hair..."
"Then why is Dr. Kagakusha's hair wild?" Dr. Dowasure seemed to be retreating to lower levels of maturity as the fear of this test rose within him. He was surprised that he remembered her name under the stress he was in. Ashstar sighed as she began to brush Drak's hair forcefully downwards. Drak's hair, however, was used to being free and wild, although not to the extent of Dr. Dowasure's, and it took some effort before it finally began to go down.
"I said respectable. There we go, Drak."
His hair now looked shiny and evenly cut around his head, a definite girls style. He sat down next to Teishi and, just as Teishi had, leaned against him. Teishi didn't do anything, only blushing slightly.
Dr. Dowasure began to tremble. "It's my turn, isn't it?"
"I'll go get your dress, okay?" Ashstar tried to comfort Dr. Dowasure, but he was too frightened. "You guys try and calm him down, okay?"
Drak and Teishi nodded in unison, although Cyrus ignored her totally.
Ashstar walked to the section where she had seen the large, voluminous dresses. She sensed by Dr. Dowasure fear and large clothes that he loved to hide within large articles of clothing, so she decided a long-sleeved, loose, and flowing dress might calm him slightly.
She also noted how often he kept his hands within his sleeves, something that made her search somewhat difficult. When she did find a nice dress, the sleeves usually were too short. When she found one with the right kind of sleeves, the skirt was too short. It was incredibly frustrating.
Finally she found a lavendar dress with white trim around the sleeves and neckline. She sensed that it would give Dr. Dowasure the security he desired. She also found a rather pretty ribbon on the back, where the hoop of the tie had been cut two times to give the impression of three ribbons. Deciding this was probably her best option, she headed back.
When she got there, she found Dr. Dowasure had dissolved into tears. Teishi and Drak kept trying to comfort him, but to no avail. Cyrus had detached himself almost completly. Ashstar sighed and walked up to him.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know...he just started crying." Drak sighed, still blushing from embarassment. "He didn't even say anything or give any warning!"
Dr. Dowasure was sobbing quietly to himself. Ashstar stared at him for a few moments, then shook him. "Why are you crying? Will you tell us?"
Dr. Dowasure sniffed several times and managed to gasp out a few words.
"I'm frightened!"
Ashstar could not believe it. "There's nothing to be frightened of. A dress can't hurt you. Look, I got you a nice purple one with big sleeves." Ashstar showed him the dress. Dr. Dowasure stared at it, tears still running down his face. "Try it."
Dr. Dowasure couldn't bring himself to motion. Drak had to pull him up and get him to move on his own power. He took the clothes with the fearful respect one might give a wild animal and timidly entered the dressing room.
Ashstar then had the biggest challenge on her hands. She called over Drak and Teishi.
"Look, we all know that Cyrus is going to fight this to the very end. Do you have any ideas of how we can get him to do this?"
"I don't think I could even convince him to do this." Drak sighed. "That would be asking far too much."
"Drak-sama, don't you have that string?"
"What string?"
"Remember, C gave it to you." Teishi had never been able to call Cyrus by his name. "He said they used to use it to control him. He can't break it."
"Oh yes..." Drak looked thoughtful. "I always wondered why he gave me that..."
"Hmm..." Ashstar joined Drak in her look. "I think I have an idea."
Digging through her pack, she pulled out a long thread of pearls. Noting the others look of surprise, she shrugged.
"They're fake, don't worry. Here..." She snipped the necklace's string, causing the beads to fall in a pile in Teishi's lap. "Thread these onto that string. I'll try and think of something else we can do."
Working together, the two began to swiftly reassemble the string of pearls. Meanwhile, Dr. Dowasure inched out of the dressing room with frightened and tiny steps. Ashstar could see him, however, and called out for him.
"C'mon out so we can see you!"
The dress did indeed have big sleeves, sleeves that covered Dr. Dowasure's hands completely. It dragged on the ground as well, but from the look on his face Ashstar could tell he didn't mind. Dr. Dowasure looked somewhat feminine anyway, so the dress only accentuated that to a dangerous level. Not only did Dr. Dowasure look like a woman, but he looked like a rather attractive one.
Everyone stared at him. Except Ashstar, who was looking at his hair, trying to find someway to make it even more feminine.
She pulled a length of ribbon out, taking Dr. Dowasure by the sleeve, as she couldn't find his hand, and sitting him down. She untied the band that usually did his ponytail and found that his hair flared instantly around his shoulders. She managed to collect it back together, but found it slightly odd. She tied a huge bow on the back and then looked at his bangs. Taking the brush she had used before, she tried to brush the wild hair downwards, but it only seemed to encourage it. It simply fluffed up more with each stroke. Eventually deciding it was useless, Ashstar stood and sighed.
"See, it doesn't hurt, does it? How do you feel, Dr. Dowasure?"
He was blushing brightly. He put a hand to his face. "I'm...I'm frightened..."
Unlike Teishi and Drak, who had someone to lean on, Dr. Dowasure only curled into a ball, seeming to vanish into his dress.
Cyrus had been staring, laughing, and somewhat blushing as well, but now he walked away to another rack of clothes, pretending to be looking at something. He knew full well he was the only one left. He wasn't sure what to expect.
Ashstar called the remaining three over. "Okay, listen, I've thought of something."
Drak held out the finished string of beads to her. Ashstar nodded approvingly. "That's going to be very important, but here's the first step.We have to get him over here, and then we're going to jump him."
The others paused. "What?"
"There's no way that Cyrus would ever allow us to get him in a dress unless it's by force. There's no other way. We have to tackle him, bring him down, and force him into a dress."
"But..." Drak seemed uncomfortable with this whole idea. Ashstar silenced him.
"Until you think of a better one, that's our plan. Now, I need to find a dress for Cyrus..."
Which was easier said then done.
Cyrus' extreme, abnormal height made all the dresses that Ashstar looked at seem unusually short. She was going to have to find something that would still resemble a dress like Dr. Dowasure's when Cyrus was wearing it and not a dress as short as Drak or Teishi's.
Desperate, she went to the part of the store where they kept the clothes for the tallest of tall people. Even the dresses there were too short. The only one that even remotely came close was a pink dress with a slit down both sides from the bottom of the dress to the hip. Ashstar tried to imagine Cyrus wearing it and could not help herself laughing. Shrugging, she gathered the dress and matching gloves in her arms. She didn't have many other options, and this dress seemed like the only one that would work.
When she came back, the three stared at her as if glad to see her again. Cyrus was wandering further and further away. Putting the dress down, she noticed Cyrus give a glance at the pink dress and say fairly loudly "#^#%!".
"Ashstar, are you serious?" Drak asked her as soon as she came within whispering distance. "You really think we can jump him and force him into a dress? He's Cyrus for god's sake!"
"He won't expect it. And there are four of us to one of him. We have the advantage. Do you have any better ideas?"
In the silence that followed, Ashstar nodded. "I thought not. Drak, call him over. When I say..." Ashstar paused to find a word. "Ribbon, that's the sign for us all to jump him."
"What was the word again?" Dr. Dowasure asked, still shivering from fear or something else, it was impossible to tell.
"Ribbon. Drak'll tell you, okay? Ready? Go ahead, Drak..."
Drak sighed and stood, brushing down his skirt as he did so. "Um...Cyrus?"
Cyrus turned towards him. "What th' @^#% do you want?"
His tone was abnormally dangerous. Drak laughed nervously. "Could you come here for a second?"
"#^&# no!"
Drak paused and smiled as a almost sure-proof way to get Cyrus in a dress appeared within his mind. "Ashstar says you might not have to wear a dress!"
"Really?" Cyrus seemed relieved. "Serious?"
"Come and ask her for yourself, if you don't believe me."
Cyrus, finding that this chance was too tempting to resist, walked over to where the other four waited. Ashstar stood and smiled at him, having caught on to Drak's plan.
"Don't worry, Cyrus, you won't have to wear a dress...with RIBBONS!"
At the key-word, Drak, Teishi, and Ashstar flung themselves at Cyrus, who shouted in surprise. Realizing what was happening, Dr. Dowasure soon joined in.
Cyrus was not one to go down easily. Knowing better then to use his power in a public place, he struggled as hard as he possibly could.
"Y'#^#^in' lied t'me! #^#%@$%s! #^#%@! Let go of me! Don't touch me!"
"C'mon, Cyrus!" Drak barely dodged a kick at his face. "It's temporary!"
"'M NOT WEARIN' A $&#&IN' DRESS! #%@# YOU ALL! LET GO! Rrrrgh!"
But Ashstar was right. There was only one outcome for a conflict of four against one.
Drak and Teishi held down his arms while Dr. Dowasure sat down on his legs, preventing him from moving anywhere. All four of them had sustained several bruises, kicks, and punches, but Cyrus had finally been held down. He panted angrily, swearing as much as possible, as he tried to wrest his arms and legs away from his captives.
"Let th'#^#$^in' #^#% go of my arms! Gah! I ain't wearin' no dress! There's no way in #^#%!"
"Okay...first of all, we have to get those clothes off." Ashstar sounded incredibly awkward.
"LIKE #^#^IN' %@$@ YOU ARE!"
"Are you SERIOUS!?" Drak stared at her in disbelief. Ashstar shrugged.
"How else can we get a dress on him?"
"I HATE YOU ALL! LET ME GO, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!" Cyrus sounded panicked now. "You ain't takin' off my #^#%in' clothes, y'@#%$ perverts!"
Drak knew he was going to hate himself for what he was about to do, but he had no idea of what else he could do. Promising himself and Cyrus a deep and heartfelt apology for what he was going to do, he took a deep breath.
"Cyrus, think about it. You can't move your arms, you're totally helpless, and someone's going to take your clothes off..."
That was all it took to send Cyrus back into a horrifying flashback with Dr. Kagakusha. The sudden change of fury to fear was astonishing. Staring about him in sheer terror, he was silent for a few moments.
"Okay-" Ashstar had assumed it was safe, but she was very wrong. The minute she spoke, Cyrus began crying hysterically.
"No no no! No, not again! Stop! Someone, help me! Dear god...'s happenin' again...stop! Someone! Someone stop her! Why...no...noo! Please...someone please..."
This was incredibly disturbing to watch or hear.
Sensing that Cyrus no longer needed to be detained, those restraining him moved. The moment he was free, Cyrus curled into a tight ball and sobbed.
"Drak-sama, what did you DO?" Teishi looked frightened. Drak felt terrible.
"Something I shouldn't have, but it was the only thing I could think of. Everyone be quiet."
The others stared at him as he knelt down near the helpless form of Cyrus, putting his hands on his shoulder.
"Cyrus, it's me. Drak, a friend. Remember? I'm here for you. I know how to make her stop. You have to listen to me."
Cyrus looked at him, crystals still falling from his eyes. He was silent for a few moments. Drak raised him back into a sitting position.
"Cyrus, are you listening? There is a way to make it stop."
"How?" Cyrus' voice was small and frightened. Drak grabbed the dress and put it in Cyrus' hands.
"Put this on."
Normally, Cyrus would have been more skeptical and would have doubted this, but he was feeling incredibly vulnerable. He trusted his friend so completly that he had to be right, no matter how strange it sounded. As long as he made it stop.
Cyrus stood shakily, crystals still falling on the carpeted floors of the store. Drak led him to the dressing room, then returned to the stunned and confused others.
"What DID you do to him?"
"I just reminded him of something that happened..." Drak felt worse then he had in most of his life. He could not believe he had been so desperate to save Ella E that he had forced one of his friends to relive one of their deepest, most traumatizing nightmares. Guilt ravished him. "I don't want to talk about it and probably neither does he."
The others sat silently for a few moments until Ashstar spoke again. "Do you think he'll actually do it?"
"I don't know...I think he will..." Drak watched the entrance of the dressing room, waiting to see whether Cyrus would have responded to him or had come to his senses.
The answer came striding through the door.
Although the others had looked somewhat feminine in their dresses, on Cyrus it didn't seem feminine at all. Apparently Cyrus wasn't too clear on where the neckline of the strapless dress was supposed to be and as a result was about level to his ribcage. The look of fear and terror in his eyes didn't help accentuate this.
Drak stood and guided Cyrus to a seat, allowing him to continue sobbing out the memories that Drak had forced him to relive.
While he did so, Ashstar took out Cyrus' ponytail and replaced it with another large ribbon.

~~~

"Y'#^#%in' @%@$#@$, can't believe y'did that t'me jus' t'get me in this #%@$in' piece of #^#%! I hate you!"
"It's called a dress, Cyrus, and we're all in one." Drak tried to ignore the pangs of guilt he felt at Cyrus' angry voice. He had every right to be angry. He had done something incredibly cruel. But it was the only choice they had. "Try and relax."
"Relax?" Cyrus' voice took on a tone of disbelief. "Relax when 'm dressed like a #^#%in' whore?!"
"You don't look THAT bad, Cyrus." Drak sighed.
"We're getting close..." Ashstar looked ahead. They had been walking through a rather deep forest for quite some time, with only Ashstar's directions to ensure they were going the correct way. For Drak, it was painful. His high heels, which he wasn't used to, constantly made him trip and caused his toes to hurt. He marveled at how Ashstar could walk so confidently and easily in them.
Teishi was wearing small girl's shoes with no heels, and if he was in pain he did not make it audible.
Drak couldn't tell what kind of shoes Dr. Dowasure was wearing, as his long dress covered his feet entirely, but he assumed he was wearing his normal ones, as he didn't seem to have any problems. He was also surprised at the ease at which Dr. Dowasure managed the long hem of the dress, not stepping on it or tripping once. Drak credited it to the fact he was used to long clothes and left it at that.
Cyrus was being totally unco-operative. He refused to wear any shoes, which, as a matter of fact, Drak had never seen him wear, and he refused to even walk in the dress, instead floating a good foot above the ground. The only reason he had come along at all was because of the string of pearls, which, while Cyrus had been crying and unaware of his surroundings, had been tied around his wrists repeatedly.
When he had regained his composure sufficiently to realize what happened, he had swore for several minutes, struggled in vain against the pearls, then began to attack whoever was near, regardless of the fact he couldn't use his hands. This caused some problems, especially among his traveling companions, whom were the ones closest to him.
Eventually they compromised and made a bargain with the irate M-2. They would leave the pearls tied around his wrists and allow him to follow them on his own volition, being moderately well behaved, or they would lead him there using the pearls as some kind of leash.
Cyrus vehemently objected to both, saying they had no right to do this to him, but eventually he gave in and accepted the first terms, claiming he had at least a right to be able to walk, or float, as he had apparently decided, by himself.
Of course, the second part of the bargain, about good behavior, was promptly forgotten. The others, glad they had got him to come along at all, decided just to leave it at that and cover up for him should he do something unlady-like.
Ashstar had spent an hour or so explaining key aspects of female behavior to the reluctant rescuers, most of which Cyrus ignored or laughed at. The others, although totally embarassed, tried to follow the guidelines as closely as possible, fearful of what might happen to them, or their friends, if they were discovered.
"Ah, here we are." Ashstar paused, causing those behind her to stop as well. Staring upwards, she turned to her companions. "The village of Genkaiyo. Let's do some last minute check-ups..."
Remembering the distinct color of her hair, Ashstar knelt down and grabbed some dirt of the ground, rubbing it furiously into her hair. The others stared at her in confusion. She turned to stare at them.
"Does it look less obvious?"
The others watched as the dirt fell off her hair as if it was touching nothing. Apparently the metallic strands did not have enough friction to hold in the dirt. Sensing this, Ashstar looked around, trying to find some other way to hide the silver color of her hair.
"Ah, here we go..."
Finding a puddle of muddy water, she tried to splash it on her hair, but the water stuck to it with as much success as it would have if it had been metal. Which it might have been, for all the others knew. If there was one thing that Ashstar did not let others touch or look at closely, it was her hair. "Darn it, I knew this would happen. How can I hide this if nothing sticks to it?"
"Why don't y'put a #^#% bow in it?" Cyrus spat angrily. Ashstar ignored him, standing and thinking to herself. She finally shrugged.
"Well, it's not my fault I can't do anything with it. Hopefully they won't recognize me..." Ashstar stared at the four critically. "You know, I think I know a way to help us get in undetected-"
"Does it involve not wearin' this?" Cyrus broke in. Ashstar ignored him. Almost all his comments had revolved around taking off the dress. Although it was quite clear that that wouldn't happen, he never failed to ask or state his displeasure and the others had simply learned to ignore it.
Ashstar opened the purse she was carrying, and fished out some small objects.
"Make-up!"
Dr. Dowasure, Teishi, and Drak blanched, while Cyrus nearly screamed in indignation.
"@%@$ NO!"
Ashstar rolled her eyes and sighed. "Trust me, it makes things easier. Look, I bet Teishi won't mind. Teishi...?"
Teishi looked at Drak, looked down, and blushing badly, moved forward. Drak again cursed himself for not going first.
Ashstar sat Teishi on a nearby stump and kneeled near him, applying various aspects of make-up to his pale face. Because of his girlish appearance, she didn't add to much, mainly trying to make his abnormally pale skin look a little more healthy, as if of a child that had spent much time outside. She stared at Teishi's bruised arms and sighed deeply.
"I don't know if I can cover those up...I didn't bring enough for that..."
Teishi self-consciously hugged his arms to himself. "I'm sorry, miss, I wish I could help you..."
"It's okay, Teishi, you did wonderfully." Ashstar smiled at him. "See, you're already done. It's not so bad, is it?"
Teishi stood and walked towards Drak, now covering his arms and rubbing at them occasionally. Drak walked forward immediately after.
"I'm going next."
No one contested this.
Drak's make-up was a bit more complicated. He had to look slightly older, so Ashstar had her work cut out for her. She added everything she could, without making him look too much like a vamp, and then shrugged.
"Best as I can do. You look more feminine, anyway."
Drak wanted to rub at his own face, which now itched, but restrained himself. He walked over to Teishi, who was staring fixedly at the floor and blushing.
"How do I look?"
"Like...like a girl, Drak-sama..." Teishi's voice was barely audible.
"Well, then we're even." Drak tried to lighten the situation, but it didn't work on the whole.
"Dr. Dowasure..." Ashstar walked towards him. Not to her surprise, Dr. Dowasure cringed and hid behind a tree. "Listen, this won't hurt any more then the dress did."
"It looks dangerous!" Dr. Dowasure did sound genuinely frightened. "What if you poke me in the eye with that pencil thing?"
"It's eye-liner, and I'll be careful."
"No, it's too dangerous." Dr. Dowasure sounded desperate. "I don't want to."
"C'mon, Dr. Dowasure..." Ashstar was quietly moving towards the tree as she spoke, noting Dr. Dowasure's large purple sleeve poking out from behind it. "It doesn't hurt. I didn't hurt Drak or Teishi, did I?"
"But..."
With a swift movement, Ashstar seized his sleeve and pulled him over to the stump, during which Dr. Dowasure half-heartedly struggled against her.
"I don't think it's necessary, is it? I don't think so, really..."
Ashstar sat Dr. Dowasure down and stared at him, trying to think of what she could accentuate. He already looked fairly feminine, so it was only the work of the moment to make him look extremely so. She tried in vain to hide the constant blush in his cheeks, but he was blushing far too badly and brightly for it to be hidden.
"See, I didn't even use the eye-liner."
Dr. Dowasure tried to raise his hands to his face, but Ashstar stopped him.
"No, no, can't touch it. You'll ruin it."
"I can't even touch my face?" Dr. Dowasure now sounded horrified as well as frightened.
"Sorry." Ashstar shrugged. Drak and Teishi tried to cheer the doctor up.
"You really do look like a woman, Dr. Dowasure! Everyone's going to fall for it!"
Dr. Dowasure blushed harder and hid behind a tree.
Cyrus, as usual, created the problem.
"Oh no, y'got me in a #^#%in' dress, y'ain't puttin' no #^#%in' #^#% on m'face!"
"Everyone else did it, Cyrus. And frankly, you need it."
"Get th' $&#% away from me!"
It took all four of them, but they eventually managed to get control of Cyrus, mainly by tying the strand of pearls to a tree, then pinning him against it.
"#^@$ YOU ALL! STOP DOIN' THIS T'ME! GOD@#^@ IT!"
To compensate for the height difference, Ashstar pushed a large stone nearby, standing on top of it, after it was firmly anchored, in order to reach Cyrus' face. Ashstar tried in vain to apply something to his face, but Cyrus moved out of the way everytime she raised her hand. Finally frustrated, she grabbed Cyrus' chin and roughly shoved his head back into the bark of the tree. Cyrus stared at her in surprise and his own mixture of frustration and hatred, breathing heavily.
"Look, I'm sick and tired of having to deal with you! You said you'd do this for Drak, and you're doing this! Stop fighting and let me do this and this'll be over quickly!"
"#^#% you!"
Ashstar didn't relinquish her grip, only beckoning to Dr. Dowasure, who was the only one free. "Hand me the blush, please."
"@^#%in' go t'@%@$, all of you! Stop it!"
"Is this it?"
"Thank you. Hold still or else this is going to get in your eyes and that stings, trust me."
The threat of something foreign entering his eyes was enough to allow Cyrus to remain mainly motionless while she applied it, but as soon as she was done, he tried to struggle away again. Sighing, Ashstar continued to rap out demands to Dr. Dowasure, who tried to fulfill them to the best of his limited knowledge about make-up, while Cyrus swore a blue streak during the entire ordeal. However, with Ashstar holding him still, he couldn't move very much, and he mainly was only able to fight verbally, which was enough for some of those there.
"There. Done. If you ruin it, we'll do it again, so don't touch it. Thank god that's over with."
The others released Cyrus at the same time and he instantly backed away from all of them, glaring viciously.
With all of Cyrus' unco-operation, Ashstar did a fairly good job. She had managed to make Cyrus look somewhat feminine.
This didn't affect his manner in any way, however.
"Okay, now, are we all ready?" Ashstar put the last items in her purse.
Cyrus remained sullenly quiet while the others nodded.
The village, if that was the correct term, was built into the forest somewhat, or at least it appeared to be. A massive outer barracade constructed of logs formed a impressively high wall. The only entrance, and exit, appeared to be a gate within the middle of the large wall, with no visible way of entry from the outside.
"How will we get in?" Dr. Dowasure was terrified. "What do we do?"
"Remember, we're all girls here. They have no reason to capture us." Ashstar cut off Cyrus before he could speak. "If you tell yourself that, you'll act like it's true. I think you could all pass for woman, if you keep the act up."
"What do we do when we're in there, miss?" Teishi's voice was softer then usual, which somewhat matched his outfit.
"We may have to split up. Either way, just ask if they came across someone or something. Don't be suspicious and don't ask direct questions. We may or may not have to split up, but be prepared anyway. Walk confidently, ladies!"
Ashstar walked to the massive gate.
"Here goes nothing..." Drak tried to keep himself calm as Ashstar knocked on the door loudly.
To everyone's shock, a man answered. He was dressed in what seemed to be somewhat antiquated armor, with scars tracing down across both his eyes, but he was armed and he did have the feeling of being dangerous.
"Who comes to the village of Genkaiyo?"
Ashstar had to compose herself after her shock to be able to speak. She planned her words carefully and added a even more feminine tinge to her voice then normal. While she was doing so, the others tried to get Cyrus to at least look like he was touching the ground. He totally ignored them.
"We've heard a lot about this village and we want to join. The world of men is coarse and rough and we prefer the dignity and refinement of a society of all woman."
The others barely managed to muffle Cyrus' laughter while the male guard looked them over. He spent some time on Ashstar, as if wanting to say something, but he finally decided to speak. Ashstar's heart was beating triple pace.
"I'm Okan and I guard this village against intruders, particularly the male type." His face didn't change expression, although the four he was staring at looked particularly uncomfortable, in Cyrus' case being simply because he was in a dress and in the others the thought of discovery.
"If you don't mind me asking, Okan, why are you here if you're male...?"
Okan shrugged. "I'm the only one, period. Can't leave, either. Been here all my life. Where I'm going to stay for all my life. Frankly, I'm just about as in the dark about it as you."
"May we enter, please?" Ashstar tried to sound as if she had conviction, but it didn't quite pass. Luckily, Okan didn't notice.
"Well, I have to warn you. Usually when you come in these gates, you don't come out."
"Really?" Drak asked despite himself. He coughed a few times, then tried to make the tone of his voice higher. "I mean, really?"
Cyrus started laughing rather hard. It was all the others could do to try and muffle it. Okan looked behind him.
"It's fairly close-knit. Few ever leave after they come here, even if they want to." Okan studied the group again. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Ashstar looked at the others and winked at them, signalling for them to play along. "Are you all prepared to do this?"
Everyone responded positively but Cyrus, who was nudged rather harshly before emitting a sullen "yes" peppered with swear words.
Okan disappeared for a few moments, and then the gates opened. "Fine then...enter the village of Genkaiyo."
"Everyone, wish me luck. Pray no one recognizes me, or we're REALLY dead." Ashstar mumbled to the other four as they passed by her. She brought up the rear as they entered the village, Okan shutting the door behind them.
Village seemed to be somewhat of an understatement. The area before them looked like a fullscale city, just hidden behind a large wall. They stared in awe at the various shops, stores, bars, and other things that were found outside. Also somewhat awe-inspiring was the sheer number of females that pervaded the city. None of them had ever been in an all-female environment so pervasive.
All of them were ill-at-ease, particularly the males, as other woman walked by, gossiping and chatting, not paying them the slightest of notice.
"Okay, time to split up." Ashstar didn't want to be in the open longer then possible. "Dr. Dowasure, Cyrus, you go look on that side. Drak, Teishi, take the other."
"What about you?" Drak managed to ask before Cyrus could interject. Ashstar looked around.
"I'm going to lie low and see what I can find. We'll meet at..." Her violet eyes flicked to a nearby bar. "We'll meet there in an hour, okay? Good luck to you all. If you find Ella E or anyone else, see if you can get them free and come back here."
Within moments, Ashstar was gone, walking silently down a nearby alley, sticking to the shadows. The others watched her go. They had lost the one true link they had to females. Could they handle it alone?
"Well, we better go." Drak had to break the awkward silence that hung over them. Cyrus looked around him and shivered.
"Let's get th' #%^@ out've here as soon as possible...this place gives me th'@#$#in' creeps."
Silently, the two groups parted ways. When Okan turned to check on the newcomers, he found them gone. Sighing slightly, he stared in the direction where he had last seen Dr. Dowasure and Cyrus go and then returned to his post.

~~~

"Okay, let's get our story straight." Drak and Teishi rested beneath a nearby awning, a short distance away from where they started. "Let's say you're my younger sister, and we're going somewhere."
"Where, Drak-sama?"
Drak winced and looked around. "Don't call me Drak-sama...call me...uh...Ane-chan. I think that should work..."
Teishi paused, seemed to struggle with something for a moment, then sighed softly. "I...I can't, Drak-sama. I can't call you anything other then what you are."
Drak sighed as well and took Teishi's hand. "Then try not to say my name at all, okay? I think Teishi could double as a girl's name, so there should be no problem there. Try and stay unobtrusive, okay?"
"Yes, Drak-sama..."
The two took deep breaths, then ventured out into the sunlight.
Trying to look as confident as possible, the two walked down the sidewalk, hoping they wouldn't generate attention. After walking this way for some time, they came across a group of woman chattering at one another. Drak couldn't help but hear as he passed by.
"Did you hear? Three of them..."
"Three! Three, can you believe it!"
"How could one like her have such beasts around her..."
Drak knew instantly what they were talking about. Standing nearby, he tried to listen in on more of the conversation, but they began to talk softer as they sensed his presence. Shrugging, he decided he had nothing else to do but to try and join in.
"Excuse me?"
The woman looked at him.
"What are you talking about? We're new here, and we don't know much about this place." Drak struggled to keep the feminine tone to his voice.
The woman stared at him in silence for some time, then one of them spoke. "Who are you?"
"I just came. My name is..." Drak was not prepared for this. A girls name? What girls name could he think of? Only... "My name is Drakia."
The woman stared at him for a few moments. "Drakia?"
Drak wished he hadn't picked such an obvious name. "This is my little sister, Teishi."
Teishi nodded silently.
"Anyway, what were you talking about-"
"Oh my god!" One of the woman rushed to Teishi's side, seizing his arm and staring at it in wonder. Teishi did not make any noise, simply clinging to Drak's side closer. The bracelets on his wrist began flashing wildly, a sign of his rapidly increasing heartbeat. "You poor child, what happened to you?!"
Drak had not expected this and had no idea of what to do.
"Look at this!"
The other woman soon gathered around, making various sympathetic and outraged noises. "Look at all these bruises! You poor child, who did this to you? Why? What happened?"
Teishi remained silent, clinging to Drak's hand with such strength it surprised Drak. Both of them were trembling.
"What happened?" One of the woman demanded of Drak. Drak tried to think of something.
"It was a long time ago-"
"That doesn't matter! This poor child has been abused!"
"Look at how young she is!"
"A true shame, look at her! If you just got some food into her, she could be a healthy young girl! Look at that sad face!" The woman tried to look at Teishi, but Teishi kept his eyes closed. "This is terrible! She can't even look me in the eyes!"
Drak wasn't sure of how to extricate himself from this predicament without making things worse. How could he explain this? "Listen-"
"Come on, dear..." One of the woman took Teishi's hand. "We're going to take you to the proper authorities and get you some proper care."
"You can't just do that!" Drak was frightened at this. He couldn't be seperated from Teishi. He didn't know what Teishi would do without him, since he seemed to depend on him so much, and he was also afraid that Teishi's built-in obediance would cause him to reveal them all. He couldn't risk that. Not to mention he was also worried about Teishi's safety. He knew there was no treatment that seemed to bring Teishi out of his submissiveness unless it was named Drak.
Teishi didn't want to go. He didn't want to leave Drak. Ever. Drak was everything to him. He was everything that he wanted to be. If he was seperated, he knew he would never be able to find his way back, because he would not be able to protest his treatment nor ask for Drak. He was afraid of himself, afraid that he would reveal something important. He couldn't take that chance. He had to stay with Drak.
"Come on, Teishi..."
It was almost a command, which meant instant obediance by Teishi. Frightened, Drak called out to him. "Teishi, stay here with me!"
Drak's command was first and always was the first priority. Teishi swiftly attached himself to Drak's arm, refusing to let go. "Please, misses, don't make me go...I don't want to go..."
"Oh my god, he's been brainwashed! Selana, get the authorities! We have a real problem on our hands now!"

~~~

"I can't believe 'm stuck in this #%@$in' freak town with YOU." Cyrus glared with contempt at the smaller, more feminine man walking beside him. "This's th' #$@# m'nightmares are made of, y'know that?
Dr. Dowasure was blushing terribly, but trying to hide it. "Please, try and look as if you're walking..."
"#^#% that, I ain't doin' nothin' I don't have to." Cyrus remained floating above the ground, which made his abnormal height even more pronounced. They were generating attention, something that they didn't want. "'M doin' whatever th' #^#% I want."
"Do you want us to get caught?" Dr. Dowasure sounded terrified. "We have to act like Ashstar told us or things could get really, really bad!"
Cyrus made a scoffing noise, mumbling under his breath.
"So let's see..." Dr. Dowasure looked at all the woman and girls milling about him, feeling overwhelmed. So did Cyrus, but he wasn't about to admit it. "Who should we ask first?"
"I don't give a #^#%."
"You could try and be more helpful, you know..." Dr. Dowasure's comment was half-hearted. He decided to ask a woman who was passing him by. "Excuse me...miss?"
She didn't respond, only walking by without a word. Dr. Dowasure watched her go sadly. "She mustn't have seen me."
Cyrus took the initiative, grabbing another woman who passed them by roughly by the shoulder. "Hey, @%@$@, what's goin' on?"
The woman pulled away from him angrily, studying them both carefully. Having decided they posed no threat, she tried to regain her dignity. "You must be new here."
"That's right." Dr. Dowasure moved in front of Cyrus before he could speak again. "We just came and we don't know anything about this place. Would you mind telling us?"
At seeing Dr. Dowasure, the woman instantly relaxed, apparently deciding that Dr. Dowasure was no threat. He certainly didn't look like one. "This is Genkaiyo, but I suppose you know that already. We're all gathering for the contest."
"Contest?"
"Oh yes, it's held almost every week. It's to help decide-"
Cyrus managed to break in despite Dr. Dowasure's best efforts. "A beauty contest?"
The woman stared at them again for a few moments. Cyrus' eyes were enough to give someone a feeling of misgiving. The trust she had had for Dr. Dowasure a few moments ago disappeared quickly. "What are your names?"
From her suspicious tone, Dr. Dowasure surmised she guessed they were something they were not. He thought quickly. Was his name feminine?
"Name's Cy-"
Dr. Dowasure broke him off, laughing nervously. "Cylina. Her name's Cylina. I'm..."
Angry at being given such a name, Cyrus broke Dr. Dowasure off as well. "Dana."
The two stared at eachother momentarily as the woman stared at them both. "Cylina and Dana."
Her tone showed she didn't believe them. Nervous, Dr. Dowasure didn't know what to do. His memory was quickly vanishing as his stress increased. What was she talking about before? Some kind of contest? Maybe if they entered, it would allay some suspicion.
"We'll join your contest! It sounds fascinating!" Dr. Dowasure smiled brightly and the woman returned it readily.
"I'm sure you'll win, Dana." She then glared at Cyrus. "...and I'm sure...Cylina...will find some way to amuse herself."
"#^#% you." Cyrus spat at her. She continued glaring until Dr. Dowasure spoke again, breaking the tension.
"Well, where is it? Could you help us out?"
She smiled at him, his presence visibily relaxing her. "Sure, I'll show where it is. This way."
"Wait a minute..." Cyrus whispered to him as they followed the woman. "Why th' #%#$ we doin' this?"
"It might help us find them...if there are lots of people, we can hear things from them and stuff like that. I'm sure we'll find some clues if we enter."
"No way in #^#% am I goin' t'some @#%#in' beauty pagent!" Cyrus' voice made it clear the dislike he had for such an idea. Dr. Dowasure sighed.
"Well, what else do you suggest? What else can we do?"
Cyrus turned and found Okan waving to him from across the crowd. "Why don't we ask th' guard guy? He must've heard somethin', right?"
Dr. Dowasure looked between Cyrus, Okan, and the woman who continued walking as if oblivious to the fact they were there at all. "Why don't you get him to come with us? Then we can do two things at once."
Cyrus called to Okan. "Over here!"
Okan ran over quickly, not out of breath in the least. Noting this with some worry, Cyrus noted the odd look on his face, but tried not to let his discomfort show. "Yeah, um, I was jus' wonderin'..."
"Yes?"
"Has anyone..." Cyrus wondered how to phrase his question. "Anyone new come in here recently? Other then me an' my frien's, I mean."
Okan continued staring at him, apparently not disturbed in the least by Cyrus' eyes, accent, or rough voice. "Actually, yes. A group came through her recently. Unwillingly, if I remember correctly. They were tied up rather tightly...anyway, I didn't see where they went. I think I heard someone mention a name though...Ella E. Why do you ask?"
"Jus' curious about this place." Cyrus tried to sound nonchalant.
"I never caught your name. What is it?"
Cyrus noted the look from Dr. Dowasure. "Name's...name's Cy...Cylina..." He mumbled it so softly that it was hard to hear, but not for Okan, who was paying close attention.
"Your friend?"
"Dana." Cyrus loved the reaction the name got from Dr. Dowasure, which was almost a cringe and a deepening blush.
Okan looked somewhat awkward. "Well, you know my name, so I guess I shouldn't introduce myself..."
Cyrus stared at him strangely, then sighed to himself. He asked himself again why in the world he was here in this situation. He'd rather be anywhere else in the world then here, dressed as he was, talking to who he was...
"Well, I don't know...really, I'm...well, you'd think after all the time I spent around woman, I'd know what to say around them." Okan laughed hollowly, causing Cyrus to give him another odd look. "I don't know, I guess there's something about you that's different, I don't know."
Dr. Dowasure was slowing, apparently listening in with interest. Cyrus resisted the urge to kick him. "What th' @#%@ you talkin' 'bout?"
"Um..." Okan looked off to one side. He rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know myself really...I shouldn't be saying anything, but..."
When he turned, he took hold of Cyrus' hands, apparently not noticing how they were tied together with the pearls. Cyrus instantly recoiled somewhat his touch, as he did with everyone's. However, Okan was strong, he could tell instantly by the strength that exuded from his very hands. Cyrus suddenly felt very small, although he was taller then the man. Very small and his hands felt very fragile.
"Cylina, I..."
Fear was quickly replaced with anger, as it normally was in Cyrus, at being touched. How dare someone touch him! Especially when he looked like this! No one should be touching him!
"I just want to say that...there's something special about you that...that I...that I like...and maybe...maybe something more then that..."
Oh.
My.
God.
Cyrus instantly freaked out. Within moments, Okan had been knocked to the floor with Cyrus' full punch to the face. Bright red from anger and embarassment, Cyrus began stringing random swear words together and shouting them angrily at the fallen guard. Dr. Dowasure turned, stifling his laughter, and found that Cyrus was beginning to glow, a VERY bad sign. Grabbing his arms, he struggled to get Cyrus under control.
"Stop! Stop!" Cyrus showed no sign of hearing him. "Think of where you are!"
Reluctantly and slowly the glow faded and Cyrus was left panting with anger, shivering with fury. Turning quickly, he strode after the woman who had been leading them, not saying a single word. Dr. Dowasure turned to the crowd that had stopped after Cyrus' furious outburst. "I'm sorry, my friend has a terrible temper."
He held out his sleeves, hoping that his appearance would help calm the crowd. In the end, it did. He watched them calm as he played his appearance as well as he could. "I hope you'll forgive us. It won't happen again, I promise!"
Not sure of what else to do, he waved and ran after his irate companion. The crowd, placated, dispersed, leaving Okan on the ground holding his bruised face and smiling.
"What a woman!"

~~~

Drak followed after the woman, who were fairly dragging Teishi away, trying not to generate attention. Teishi didn't help much, as he was crying hysterically and reaching out for Drak.
"Listen, that's my...my sister you're taking away without any reason!" Drak tried to reason with the irate woman. "You can't DO that!"
"If a child is being abused, we have to do something about it!" The head woman said. "We can't allow abuse to go without punishment!"
Teishi, who was being carried by two of the woman, gave a soft sob. "Please, don't take me away, I don't want to go away. I want to stay! Please..."
This was having an affect on the two carrying him, although they were trying not to show it. "It's for your own good, Teishi, try and understand..."
"No, no!" For once, Teishi protested. "This is wrong...it's not Drak-sama's fault-"
"Drak-sama?"
"Teishi!" Drak hissed urgently. Teishi blinked for a few moments, clearing his green eyes of remaining tears, then he spoke evenly.
"That's the nickname I use sometimes, misses. Please, try and understand-"
"Don't worry, Teishi." The group, which had been collecting a number of people who found this kind of public display very interesting, finally stopped in front of a large building. "We'll get you help soon."
Teishi remained silent, only looking at Drak pleadingly with tears beginning to fall again.
"You can't do this!"
"Hello? Winn? Are you there?" The head woman called. Another woman appeared from within the building, dressed mainly in blue.
"What is it?"
"Take a look at this!" At her word, the two holding Teishi held him forward, showing the scars and bruises that marred his arms. "This child has suffered abuse!"
"Take her inside." With her voice completely serious, Winn walked back into the house. Drak tried desperatly to follow the woman as they disappeared, but the door slammed shut a few seconds to early for him. Frustrated, he kicked at the door, losing a shoe in the process. Even more angry, he replaced the shoe and walked around the building, looking for some other way of entry.