It had been a while since Dominique had slept under the stars. With two of the three hideouts being underground the chance of sleeping outside didn't come along often. The dragons slept among the ruins, under the vegetation that provided cover, making them invisible to anyone passing over head.

Dominique had informed Breeze that they were joining him and had taken Akira into the heart of the ruins. In the end they had settled down in a broken down house with no roof, where Breeze had already laid down to sleep.

A few other dragons lay sprawled around, spread throughout the different collapsed houses and sleeping peacefully. A few of them snored while others twitched their legs and tails, reacting to dreams they were having.

Akira had found a corner and curled up, falling asleep almost at once, while Dominique lay on his back some distance away, watching the stars. He stayed awake half the night, thinking things over before he had finally decided to scuttle over to Breeze and fell asleep with his head resting on his dragon's stomach.

Morning came all too soon and when he got up her found Akira gone. Panicking he sprang to his feet, whirling around, his eyes scanning every corner of the house. What if she was with the council after all and had run off to tell them where the Resistance was and how to get there?

"Relax, she's just outside," Breeze snorted. He shot a look at Dominique that showed that he was trying to figure his rider's reaction to Akira's disappearance out.

Dominique left to search for her. He found she had made her way through the vegetation and was standing staring at two pillars across from each other; the beginning of an archway was still attached to one of them.

"Hey," Dominique called out to her. Akira didn't turn to look at him. "You want to come get some breakfast?"

"I'm not going down there," Akira replied.

"Come on," Dominique groaned "There's nothing down there but us!"

"I'm not going down there," Akira repeated stubbornly.

Dominique examined her thoughtfully. "Great, I get beaten in a one on one fight by a not only a girl but also a wimp!" He raised his hands in mock disbelief.

Akira turned her head to glare at him and Dominique just grinned back cheekily.

"What? You don't want to admit that you're a wimp?" He teased.

"I know I'm not a wimp," Akira replied.

Dominique smiled. He knew he had her, "Prove it."

Akira's eyes narrowed.

"All you have to do is come down and have some breakfast while meeting the others. That's all," Dominique told her. He saw her hesitate. "Look, there's nothing down there that can hurt you, I promise."

"Breakfast," Akira began softly, not meeting his eyes. "Only breakfast and then I can come back up here?"

"Only breakfast," Dominique assured.

Akira gave a curt nod and turned to walk back the way Dominique had come. He watched her for a moment before he jogged to catch up and fell into step beside her.

"What is it that's got you so scared of the dungeons anyway?" He asked. It must have been the wrong question because in reply Akira punched him on his shoulder. "Hey!" Dominique protested, rubbing it even though it didn't really hurt. Yet he got the point and didn't return to the topic after that.

Breakfast went well, better than Dominique thought it would. Akira seemed to be scared for the first five minutes, yet then she forget her fear as Celine and the other women took her under their care.

They seemed to accept her into their group straight away, not showing any doubts they felt about her, if they felt any. Pulling her into their conversation they gave her some sloppy green breakfast, its name was 'splodge' though why it was called that, Dominique didn't know. Yet when he saw Akira chuckle when she was told its name he had the suspicious feeling that she knew something about it that he didn't.

Everyone seemed to be in better spirits, even Ray smiled a few times as some of the men cracked jokes.

Dominique took his own place around a burning fire and grabbed a plate of 'splodge.' He shoveled it into his mouth without taking the time to really taste it, not that it tasted of anything anyway, and soothed his grumbling stomach. He even gave himself a generous heap of seconds, grinning at Celine's disapproving look.

The mood was a light one, something that didn't happen often, and as Dominique watched he somehow had a feeling that Akira had something to do with it. He didn't know why, but everyone seemed to take an immediate liking to her. To his relief Akira kept the crazy story of time travel and what not to herself. Dominique was great full for it, no wanting to have to deal with everyone else reactions to the crazy story. It wasn't real anyway, so why bring it up?

"So, what's the plan for today?" Breeze asked, his voice suddenly breaking into Dominique's thoughts.

"Not sure," Dominique replied watching as Celine said something that made Akira smile. His heart skipped a beat.

"Oh come on," Breeze groaned still in Dominique's mind.

"How about a trip to the city?" Dominique thought ignoring his dragon's comment.

"Dominique," Breeze warned, he had picked what Ray had been talking about the day before from Dominique's mind. "You know how unsafe it's gotten."

"Don't get your tail in a twist," Dominique grinned. "No one knows we're in the Resistance. Besides, we could go disguised. I'm sure we'll find a good color for you this time, something we haven't used before, how about pink?" He chuckled mentally.

"Not funny," Breeze thought grudgingly in reply.

"Oh come on Breeze. Besides, Akira gives me the feeling that she hasn't seen the city before. We could have a relaxing day out there, and in the mean time we might also be able to find out something about who Akira really is," Dominique thought, the idea if a relaxing day more appealing than it had ever been.

"As long as I don't go as pink," Breeze replied.

"Black?" Dominique teased.

"I wouldn't be able to set foot into the city, I'd be killed on sight," Breeze replied, though he knew Dominique was only teasing him.

"Yellow?"

"Yellow it is," Breeze agreed.

"I'll let Akira know," Dominique thought.

"What about Ray?"

"Nope."

"Dominique–"

"He won't let us go," Dominique argued.

"Not if you ask nicely."

"He'll say it's too dangerous."

"You'll find a way to persuade him otherwise," Breeze thought dryly.

"What makes you think that?"

"You always do."

Dominique sighed as he felt his dragon pull from his mind. He shot a look over at Ray. Maybe with the good mood his brother was in today. Oh well, he would never know if he didn't try. Sighing he got up from where he sat and made his way over to his brother.

To Dominique's reply Ray being in a good mood did change a lot. He didn't put up much of a fight of the idea of Dominique going to the city. In fact, it was when Dominique mentioned that Akira had never been to it that Ray reluctantly agreed. For everyone needed to see the city at some stage and know their way about it.

Celine had helped out with getting Akira a change of clothes, lending her some comfortable black trousers and a soft, blue cotton shirt, something that would attract less attention than the white clothes she had had on. At first Akira had been skeptic about changing out of them but she had agreed more readily once Dominique assured her that she would get her own clothes back. He had hidden them, along with the sword, among the ruins, while Akira had watched carefully, as though afraid that Dominique would put them both somewhere where she would not find them again. Once they had that accomplished they were on their way.

Now Dominique was sitting astride Breeze, who was now a radiant yellow, thanks to some strong dye, with Akira in front of him as they flew towards Academy city. Akira seemed to have developed a curiosity over night and was asking Dominique so many questions he was beginning to tire of answering.

"So not everyone in the Resistance has a dragon?"

"No," Dominique rolled his eyes. Akira couldn't see because he was sitting behind, his hands comfortably around her waist. Below them the trees flew past.

"Why? I mean, did just no dragons choose any of them?" She asked with curiosity in her voice.

Dominique sighed, wondering if she really didn't know this or if she was just leading him on. "Sorry to tell you this, but dragons don't have a choice who they chose these days anymore."

"How is that possible?"

Dominique didn't reply. He couldn't, for he didn't know how the council did it. "Dragon's are sold these days, either when they are still an egg, but those tend to be more expensive, or on the second hand market, which is for people who grow tired of their dragon." In front of him Akira grew stiff.

"Sold?" She whispered.

"Yup, that's why the rich are usually the only ones with dragons, though they tend to concentrate more on the racing dragons, those bred especially for speed."

"Bred?" Akira asked with shock in her voice.

Dominique sighed. He could feel Akira shiver and he tightened his grip on her somewhat, as though that would help. Maybe she had known all of this but just chose to forget. For some people it was harder to handle than others.

"Are you telling the truth?" She asked him, sounding like she didn't believe what he was telling her.

"You'll see for yourself soon enough," Dominique replied.

For a moment there was silence, which Dominique briefly enjoyed, before Akira spoke up again.

"So, how did you get Breeze?" She asked.

Dominique groaned, wanting to bang his head on something, yet unfortunately the only thing before him was Akira's back. What had happened to the good old days where he and Breeze flew in silence?

"You were the one who wanted to take her along, now just answer the question," Breeze thought.

"Let's just say now and then I manage to steal a couple of eggs," Dominique said.

"So what, you stole the egg and then just like that he became your dragon?" Akira asked not sounding pleased by the thought.

"He chose me," Dominique defended himself. "Eggs that we...free, and occasionally dragons, we let them go their own way, what they do with their life is their choice. Grown dragons often disappear into the wild. After what's been done to them they usually don't want to have much to do with humans."

"Oh," Akira replied softly.

Up ahead the mountains were approaching. Dominique's last sentence seemed to have given her something to think about and she didn't talk again. They flew the rest of the way in silence. Past the mountains, over the forests and lush green lands. Dominique thought that maybe once he had caught sight of a rider less dragon, yet before he could look properly it was gone.

"He doesn't want to be seen," Breeze's comment let Dominique know that he had indeed just spotted a wild dragon, something rarely seen these days.

When the grass began to thin out and trees began to grow dry Dominique felt Akira shift uncomfortably. And then the vegetation disappeared altogether to reveal the dry, broken land beneath. He heard Akira take in a sharp breath, she did not speak, her eyes glued to the dusty land below. Up ahead the ground dropped, forming gaping canyons.

Dominique braced himself for what he knew would come next. Sure enough, although they were a good distance away the wind carried the screams from dragons in agony and the painful shouts from humans, across.

"What is that?" Akira asked her eyes growing wide. "Where are we?"

"The quarries," Dominique replied grimly, his eyes darting to the right where the quarries lay. He wondered if maybe, just maybe, his father was still alive. Was he one of those shouting in agony as he was forced to work under the blistering sun?

"What are they?" Akira asked, following his gaze. She saw nothing but a big cloud of dust continually rising from the ground.

"It's the place where dragons and humans that somehow went against the law or the council, are forced to work. It's pretty much a death sentence as they work there until they die," Dominique told her softly, his eyes glued on the dust cloud. Was his father working as he spoke?

Akira gasped, seeming horrified, "But...why?"

"Because the council said so," Dominique thought, but he didn't say it out loud. Instead he kept his mouth shut.

Breeze turned to the left, making sure to keep his distance from the quarries. He abruptly began to ascend, going up farther as to avoid any patrol groups nearby. Dominique turned his eyes back to where they were heading. The thought of the quarries momentarily shoved to the back of his mind as he braced himself for the view he knew was about to come. Excitement ran through him as he waited.

Out of nowhere, in the middle of the bare, dry land, a city suddenly appeared. At first it looked like a mirage, but the closer they got the clearer the image became, until there was no denying that this, was indeed nothing of the imagination.

Tall buildings towered above the ground, looming over the smaller buildings and the shacks at the very edge. Adverts flashed through electronic billboards, dragons flew in neat rows among some of the buildings. Roads adorned the ground, weaving in and out of various buildings, dragons and humans alike walking on them. Bridges and roads, which were built off the ground, twisted among the tall buildings. Patches of green grass were visible from well watered lawns. Fountains and small back garden lakes sparkled in the sun, yet none as brilliantly as the tall buildings all around. And at the very back of it all, was a cliff on which stood one building that was taller than everything else. Majestically it towered above everything, going up into the clouds until the top was no longer visible. It was the oldest building there, one could easily see that, and yet that made it seem almost all the more majestic, adding a sense of nobility.

"Welcome to Academy City," Dominique said, a grin on his face at the familiar view.