"What did you do to her in the city?" Celine asked shooting Dominique a suspicious glare. 

"Nothing," Dominique replied. 

"It sure doesn't seem like nothing. She hasn't said a word since you came back," Celine said in an accusing voice. She shot Akira, who was sitting close to the fire camp with her knees drawn up to her chin, a worried look. 

Akira hadn't said much on the journey back from the city. Now she was only speaking when she had to, staring into the fire most of the time, looking as though something heavy weighed on her mind and Dominique was sure it had to do with what she had seen in the city. Most of the time her face was a complete mask and only her eyes would give away the fact that she was deep in thought about something. 

She seemed to have forgotten her fear of the dungeon, but Dominique guessed it was due to the fact that her mind was somewhere else altogether. She just wasn't here with her thoughts. He frowned, wondering if taking her see the city had been such a good idea. Yet the damage was done, it was too late to go back. 

"I think the city was just a shock, she'll come around," Dominique assured Celine, though he himself didn't feel all that sure. 

When bed time came Akira had left, going to the abandoned ruin. Even though she seemed to have forgotten her fear of the dungeon she seemed to prefer to still sleep outside. At first when she had disappeared Dominique was scared that he had lost her. Yet when he had found her curled up next to Breeze, leaning against him and already asleep, he understood that fear or no fear, she just wouldn't sleep in the dungeon. 

Seeing as his spot was taken beside Breeze Dominique had ended up finding a spot at the other side of the building and curling up into a similar position than Akira he fell fallen asleep, but not before he wondered if perhaps by tomorrow he would see the happy side of Akira once again.

Almost a week had passed since Dominique had taken Akira to see the city. She talked a bit more, just enough to keep Celine and the other women from fussing over her, yet she knew that Dominique was worried at her sudden change in behavior. But in truth, Akira was just trying to figure things out. At first she had been filled with horror, guilt and pain at thought that she was indirectly responsible for all the suffering the dragons were going through. Deep down she knew that it wasn't exactly her fault and yet she refused to point the blame at someone else. She was trying to figure out why things had turned out like this, wondering what she had done wrong in the past. 

Now she was sitting outside of Haiden's place, on the roof of a small house, one of the few among the ruins that had stayed intact. The question she had been asking herself for the last few days whirled around in her head over and over again. 

She and Redemption had fought against Haiden and won. So why was there no peace like there was supposed to be? Why were dragons now under mans rule as nothing more than slaves? Was defeating Haiden not enough? Akira frowned as she stared out into the ruins. A flock of birds flew past ahead, yet she did not see them as her thoughts raged on. A new one came to mind. 

Maybe there was a purpose for her to be here. Maybe if she set things right she could go back to her own time. The idea made her heart race faster. Now she was finally getting somewhere with her thoughts. Setting things right instead of sitting around and wondering about what she did wrong, it sounded like a plan. Her eyes widened as she realized that she might have just found out the reason she was here. 

Yet she knew that without Redemption she could not accomplish much. To tell the truth, without Redemption she could accomplish nothing. For she and Redemption completed each other. Redemption was stuck in the past.....but then again, she had somehow been brought through time to the future and she was sure that as Dominique had been in the field on the day she had come that he had something to do with it. What if it was possible to bring Redemption to this time as well? 

"You'll never know until you try," her dragon's voice echoed in her head as she remembered the very words he had spoken to her a long time ago. A smile spread across Akira's face. The answer she had been looking for for the last couple of days had come to her in a moment.  

Jumping up she turned and ran, jumping off the low roof and heading towards Haiden's palace at a sprint. She had to find Dominique. She had to let him know what they had to do.

Dominique leaned against the back of the wall, listening to Ray talk with one of the men with no particular interest. He was bored out of his mind, having done nothing for almost an entire week, a personally record, and who was to blame? Akira. Ray having put Dominique in charge of her made Dominique feel responsible for her safety and he was scared that if he ran off to do his own things then she would either end up in some sort of trouble or dish out her crazy story of time travel to Ray and the others. Dominique blew a strand of his blond hair out of his eyes, realizing that for the first time her could understand how his brother must feel being responsible for the entire Resistance. Maybe that was why he thought out plans so carefully before acting against the council in any way, maybe that was the way he made sure that everyone stayed safe. 

"The situation in the city isn't getting any better. In fact, the folks of those being taken by the council have started to search for our members, blaming us. Even the poor folks that used to see us as saviors are now turning against us," the other man was telling Ray. 

"They have every right to hate us," Ray murmured in reply, "It is after us that they are being sent to the quarries unjustly after all." 

"I've heard that Strider hasn't shown his face in a while, seems like even he has decided to bail for the time being as well," the man continued. 

Dominique resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Yeah right, it was more like Strider was too busy babysitting to turn up. He shifted his position slightly, only half listening to the conversation between Ray and the other man. They had been talking about the same topic for the last few days. 

"Any plan?" the man asked Ray. 

"It's in progress, but whatever idea I come up with in which we stay out of the councils reach, could backfire and make things worse," Ray sounded tired and frustrated. "We already offered protection to our contacts and yet only two of them have turned up, the rest just have to look out for themselves. We can't risk everyone else because they decided to stay in the city." 

Just then Dominique heard a door bang and the flurry of footsteps. 

"I've got it!" Akira yelled making Dominique jump. He turned his head to find her rushing towards him, her eyes sparkling. He shot a look over at Ray who had watched in amusement as Akira skidded to a stop in front of Dominique, looking very out of breath and yet at the same time excited, her eyes shining. 

"I think I now know why I'm here," Akira told Dominique between gulps of breath. 

Dominique cursed under his breath, shooting Ray a look to see that he was still watching. Did Akira really have to bring that topic up in front of his brother? If he found out about Akira's wild story he wasn't sure what he would think. He would probably condemn her right there and then as someone working with the council or dub her as mad. 

"I think I have to..." Akira never got to finish. 

"Not here," Dominique told her so that only she could hear. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room. 

Akira, somewhat bewildered at this sudden action, didn't resist and let Dominique drag her along, out of the dungeons and all the way back to the surface. As soon as they stepped out from the trap door and stood in the room above Akira turned to face Dominique, seeming to have calmed down somewhat. She watched impatiently as Dominique closed the door before he turned and shot her a curious look, wondering what had brought about the change in her mood. 

Akira didn't wait for the go ahead but just started talking, "I was sitting up on the roof...." 

"What roof?" Dominique asked frowning, most of the roofs were unstable, sitting on them wasn't safe. 

"Just a roof," Akira replied waving her hand as though to dismiss the question. "Anyway, as I was saying, I was sitting on the roof when it came to me...." 

"What came to you?" Dominique asked. 

"Let me finish my sentence would you!" Akira yelled, obviously lacking any and all patience at the moment. 

"Yesh," Dominique muttered under his breath. Girls, he would never be able to understand them, they got all moody one moment, happy the next, and then suddenly moody again. Not to mention that when they were in a good mood they seemed to talk nonstop, and once they got started, there was nothing to stop them. Feeling that this might take a while Dominique shifted his weight onto one foot. If he was going to have to listen then he might as well do it comfortably. 

"So, it suddenly came to me," Akira shot Dominique a glare, as though daring him to interrupt. When he didn't she continued, "The possible reason why I was brought into your time..." 

"Oh boy," Dominique muttered. 

Akira ignored him and continued, "Maybe the entire reason I'm here is to set things right again..." 

"Akira," Dominique sighed, "It's not you're..." 

"Even if I want to go back," Akira continued, not letting him finish, "It wouldn't be right. I'm the entire reason for this mess and so I have to set it right. And maybe, when everything is right again, I will go back to my time again!" 

Dominique gave her a skeptic look, wondering if she really believed that. Why wouldn't she just let the idea of her coming from another time and what not, drop? Akira watched him, seeming to be waiting for something. 

Yet when Dominique didn't speak she did, "Um, now is the part where you say something." 

"Oh," Dominique blinked. That hadn't taken as long as he had thought. He scratched his head, wondering what to say on the matter. "Um......Akira, do you ever remember falling and hitting your head? Like pretty hard I mean because..." 

"Dominique!" Akira glared at him. "This is serious!" 

"I am serious," Dominique replied. "Akira, this whole thing is just not...." 

"Dominique," Akira cut him off, something she seemed to be doing a lot lately. Her eyes had light up again, as though another idea had struck her. "Tell me exactly what happened in the field, just before I came." 

"Seriously?" 

"Just tell me!" Akira demanded. 

"Well...." Dominique wondered what the cause of the change of topic was. Why was Akira interested in what he had been doing in that field that day anyway? What was she, a detective all of a sudden? 

"What do you want to know?" he asked her. 

"Everything, anything that took place, EXACTLY how it happened," Akira had told him sternly, stressing the exactly part. 

"Akira..." Dominique began, not seeing a point in this. Yet her glare told him there was no getting out of thin. "Okay," he muttered, giving in. He racked his brain, trying to remember everything just as it had happened. Taking a breath he began, "Um....Breeze dropped me off at the woods and I went to the field. I remembered the sword then, you know, the one that I stole," he added that in just to try and prompt a reaction from Akira, yet she didn't seem bothered by the mention that he had stolen the sword, as she watched him, listening attentively. She waved him on. "Fine," Dominique sighed before he continued, "I hadn't had a good look at it yet so I pulled it out and checked it over. Once minute I was wishing out loud that it would be cool to have..." he trailed off, his eyes narrowing as he remembered saying how they sure could use Akira's help just then. 

"You wished what?" Akira demanded. 

Dominique let out a defeated sigh. "I said it would be cool to have the rider of legend's help. And the next moment you snuck up behind me and stole the sword....hey, did you hear me say that out loud? Is that why you are trying to convince me that you..." suspicion filled him. Was Akira playing a joke on him? Had she heard him wish out loud for the rider of legend's help and so decided to pretend to be her? 

"Dominique, focus," Akira told him sternly, waving her hand in front of his face to get his attention, "Was there anything else that happened, anything else you did?" 

Dominique tried to think back. "Um, other than a freak storm, I don't think so.....that's about all......I think." 

"Okay, so you said that you were in the field with my sword?" Akira asked, as if confirming to see if she had understood him right. 

"Uh, correction, I was in the field with the rider of legend's sword..." 

"Yeah yeah," Akira waved him off. "The point is you had an object from the past, a piece belonging to me, and then you wished for MY help, not to mention that you were standing in a place I had been before. It all makes sense! It's that simple," she said a triumphant look on her face. 

Dominique took a cautious step back. "Uh, Akira, you're scaring me," he told her. 

"Dominique, does the council have any other persevered artifacts?" Akira asked, not seeming to realize that Dominique was looking at her as though she had grown another head. "You know, like something that belonged to, let's say, the dragon of legend?" 

"Uh...." Dominique made a face. "I think they have some of his armor..." 

"Perfect!" Akira's eyes light up. 

"And why would it be?" Dominique asked at total loss. 

"Because," Akira grinned at him like a lunatic, "I think I just found a way to get Redemption's butt over to this time."