Slaying Dragons

Chapter 1

Kuon watched in utter horror as it happened once again before his very eyes. Someone that he loved dearly was hit by a heartless monster with their car. Only this time he had a friend at his side to keep him grounded. He rushed to her side and took her hand as Yukihito called Emergency Services, kept the gathering crowd away and calmed the victim's best friend.

She had been so happy that day. It had been her first day of filming her hard won part of Momiji and there were few NGs. She and Kuon had been dating for about a week, he had told her everything as he had promised himself and confessed to her. To his delight, she had completely accepted him and confessed her love and the fact that she had suspected all along. He knew deep down it had to be too good to be true, especially when he saw the black sedan with tinted windows, plow into the woman he loved and watched her fly through the air and land on the pavement in a sickeningly familiar thud.

He wanted to accompany her in the ambulance, but was dissuaded so he, Kanae and Yukihito followed in his car with Yukihito driving. Kuon was in no condition to make rational, calm driving decisions. Kyoko's pulse had been weak and she had blood escaping from her body from her ears, nose, mouth and from the injuries on her lower body. The paramedics needed the room in the vehicle to work on her and keep her stabilized. Had he been in the ambulance on the way, he would have been exposed to her heart stopping and being revived. He would have heard the paramedics list off her injuries: broken ribs, punctured lung, broken hip, broken legs, punctured uterus by bone fragments from her hip, dislocated left shoulder, broken right wrist, possible fractured vertebrae, severe brain trauma, fractured skull and possible neck injury and this didn't include all of the bruised and damaged internal organs that weren't obvious that could be bleeding out internally.

As he sat in the private waiting room of the hospital with his best friend and her best friend, he poured over in his mind everything that had led up to the assault. He refused to call it an accident. He kept asking himself why anyone would want to do something like that to the woman he loved? He closed his eyes to recall every little detail about the car and blocked out the image of the love of his life flying through the air and hitting the parking lot pavement. He blocked out the sounds of her best friend sobbing and being consoled by his best friend and manager. He blocked out the sounds of her uncharacteristically hysterical mother as she entered being consoled by her mother's significant other. He blocked out Maria being calmed by Lory and Chiori by Hikaru Ishibashi. He had even been able to block out the emotional outbursts of her childhood friend Sho Fuwa as he was being calmed by Aki Shoko. The only thing in his mind was that black car, without the license plates and the outline of a petite form behind the dark glass of the windows sitting in the driver's seat. His eyes shot open and he looked up at Yukihito and Kanae.

"Ren?" Yukihito asked with worry. "Are you okay?"

"It was a girl." The words tumbled quietly from his mouth in revelation.

"That bitch!" Kanae shot up from her seat and struggled to free herself from Yukihito. "I will kill that bitch! Hell is too good of a place for her!" She howled attracting the attentions of the others that had been waiting for news on Kyoko's condition.

Lory stood and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "Kotonami-kun... You don't know for certain." He attempted to calm her.

Saena Mogami and her male companion looked up. "Who is she talking about?" Todoh-san asked.

Yukihito opened his mouth to answer but a malice filled female voice answered instead. "Kimiko Morizumi." Chiori ground out. "She pushed Erika Koenji into traffic, but we don't have proof." She added and Kanae silently nodded in agreement.

A look that was familiar to Kuon and all of Kyoko's close friends, flashed in the eyes of Saena Mogami. She quietly stood, straightened her clothing grabbed her purse and left the room with Todoh-san apologizing and running after her.

"Cold hearted bitch." Sho Fuwa spat out after she had left.

Kuon knew as he stood and walked to stand in front of Sho. "Don't talk about things you know nothing about Fuwa." Kuon spat out.

"What do you know, you glorified Ken doll?" Sho retorted in anger. "I know more about her than you do."

"Well then, I suppose you would know that she and her mother reconciled and have been seeing each other for the past couple of months, wouldn't you?" Kuon didn't bother to give him his Gentleman's Smile, he didn't have it in him. He turned to Kanae and Yukihito. "I'm getting some coffee." He told them and left the room.

As he stalked down the hall to the room that held the vending machines that they had passed on the way in, he overheard the voices of Saena Mogami and her male companion speaking to someone on their respective phones. "Yes Katagiri-sensei, that's the correct name. Thank you, I appreciate it." The female said.

"Kimiko Morizumi... Yes... Erika Koenji... Mmhmm... Kyoko Mogami... Yes today... A less than two hours ago... Yes, her daughter the actress Kyouko... Of course... I will let the witnesses know and try to get more information for you. Thank you Tanaka-san. I appreciate you looking into this for us. Kyoko-chan means a lot to a large number of people... I will let Saena know... Bye." Todoh-san hung up his phone and there was silence.

Kuon stalked down to the end of the hall and into the parking lot to his car. He opened the door, sat down, pulled the pack of cigarettes from his glove box and lit one. He pulled in a deep drag and tried to calm himself before deciding to go back in. He needed the alone time to calm down before he said or, did something he would regret.

Deep within the hospital, a respirator whooshed, IV's dripped with saline, blood and medication, x-rays and CT-scans were being studied periodically, bone fragments were being removed, vital organs were being stitched back together, pins, plates and screws were being attached to bones to stabilize them and bones that didn't need surgery were being reset and casted.