Wildfire Chaos

Chapter One

AN: Hello again! I did promise this would be up soon, didn't I? As always, give a round of applause to KTGBB and Chidsengan, from fanfiction.net. Seriously, look her up.

DISCLAIMER: Kaida is my idea, as is Chaos and Wildfire Chaos. Everything else.... is not.

***Chapter One - Little Dragon***

"Ugh..." I groan as I flip myself into my back and stare up at a darkened sky. Pushing myself to my feet, I stare in shock at the world around me. Buildings are cracked and falling, the ground is shaking, and ash is falling from the sky. "Where am I?" I whisper, on the look out for threats. I glimpse red metal from the corner of my eye, and race to it, scooping up my Guardian L-Drago.

"Help!" comes a weak voice from my left, and I hurry to the origin of the sound. A young woman with messed up brown hair and gray eyes is trapped beneath a slab of concrete.

"Hold on, I can get you out," I grunt, pushing the stone off of her. As soon as it is removed, I realize with horror that her lungs are crushed.

"It's alright, I know," she coughs weakly, and I crouch down next to her head. "Please, my daughter...." she coughs again, and moves slightly so that I can see a young girl, probably only two years old, with golden blonde hair and cerulean eyes staring up at me.

"She's beautiful," I whisper encouragingly, picking her up gently. "What's her name?" I question, and the woman's eyes water with relief.

"Kaida.... my... little dragon...." she breathes before her gaze goes blank and her body limp.

"It's a beautiful name," I whisper to the dead woman's form, gently closing her sightless eyes. I turn to the girl, who is staring at her mother in horror. She turns to me, her eyes asking an unspoken question that I doubt she even realizes. I shake my head, and tears fall from her eyes, and she rests a hand against her mother's. Strange... is she mute? No matter, I realize. I made an unspoken promise to a woman who's death was my fault. If I hadn't broken the Wall of Four Seasons, none of this would have happened.

Sighing, I gently pick up the toddler in about the same way one would carry a football. "Ready to run?" I whisper to this strange girl with eyes that speak of untold wisdom. Giving me a watery grin, she nods and wraps her arms around my torso as tightly as she can. I start running as far as I can, never looking back. As we run, I notice license plates stating "Texas," and I recognize some of the buildings as attractions in Dallas. At least now I know where I am.

I run the whole day, little Kaida falling asleep in my arms as I run. Eventually, I stop in a small, abandoned gas station around 125 miles away. Hey, I'm Ryuga, I can run fast! How else could I survive? Shaking my head ruefully, I place the now awake girl on the counter and flip through some brochures left in a stack. "Where should we go, little one?" I ask, spreading them out around her.

Grinning, she picks up one and weakly throws it at me. Chuckling, I survey the cover and my eyes widen as I realize it is actually a good possible home. "Luray Caverns," I read as I flip through the brochure. "Located near Shenandoah Park's Skyline Drive in the Smoky Mountains of Virginia," alright, I've been in those mountains before. Plenty of fresh water and food sources. "The largest caverns in the East Coast, eh?" I smirk. Shelter, space to train, food, perfect.

"Good choice," I agree, smiling down at the little girl. What is it about small children that brings out the very best of me?! I suppose her name helps, too.... "We'll rest for a couple hours, then get moving again," I say, sinking to the floor. I swear the little girl stares straight at me and nods before curling into a ball and going straight back to sleep. Huh.

Picking myself off the floor, I scavenge a small backpack and fill it with food, Gatorade, and water bottles. I also grab a waterproof emerald jacket and shrug it on. Not my lab coat, but it'll have to do for now. After a minute of thought, I also grab a black cap with a red flame design and shove it on my head before grabbing a pair of black sunglasses and placing them on as well. Good luck recognizing me now, Doji.