The Multiverse Team

Chapter 4

Kajin woke up to find himself draped over someone's shoulder in a rescuer's carry. He couldn't tell who it was, because everything in his field of vision was so blurry, there weren't even dull lines separating shapes. It was all just a swirling mass of dull colors. The only reason he could tell he wasn't still asleep was because all his other senses (besides hearing, that still seemed a little out-of-whack), were still working perfectly.

But what he was really relieved about was that he could hear (not really hear, just, you know, telepathically), his Iri's voice again. Even if said Iri was an extremely annoyed dragon who didn't care how much mental noise he made, throwing a fit about how Kajin had "abandoned" him in that strange white space. Despite being one of the most feared creatures in the galaxy and being bonded with someone who was responsible for the fate of the universe, Ember still acted like he had the mind of a seven-year-old, every time something went wrong, which was a lot.

Again, Kajin wondered if all Iri were like that, or if his was just unique. And his friends didn't exactly work for comparison, because they were all supposed to be as special as he was. Soron and his Iri were exactly the same: quiet, sneaky, and deadly serious, emphasis on deadly. Jace and his Iri were the best of friends and couldn't wait for their next opportunity to fly through the clouds like nothing else mattered, while Ayden had a lot of fun pulling his out on perfectly timed moments to complete some prank he came up with. And Airi and her Iri were polar opposites, though they seemed to get along fine. Then again, Airi got along with everyone. Why should a large, lethal, feline predator be any different? And he had to admit, despite all those unsettling, perfect assassin traits, Soron's mind was probably chaos. He really was unique, being the only person in history to summon two Iri. But with two Iri came double the trouble. Kajin really didn't want to know what a day in that guy's head was like.

His vision finally started to clear, and he saw that the guy carrying him was wearing long, billowy black pants and sandals made out of some kind of straw or dried stem. So I got rescued by a Soul Reaper, he thought drowsily. I bet Ayden could come up with a good joke about that, if he was here. It was exactly the kind of thing the Windbrearer would do.

Kajin blinked rapidly, attempting to clear his vision. Then he tensed as he wondered if his captors had gotten a glimpse at his eyes.

Relax. Ember's grating voice rose from his subconscious, irritatingly calm again. How Ember went from immature to all-knowing just like that was beyond Kajin . The people here aren't aware of their significance.

His muscles relaxed again. He was too used to war. Back in his universe, the red color of his eyes identified him as a part of the Azkiar's Fire Caste, and therefore made him a target for the Illusi, the Azkiar's eternal enemies. He made a point of carrying eye tint with him whenever he left the sanctuary of the alternate dimension that the Azkiar were based in. And besides war, how many people had red eyes, anyway?

"You're finally awake. Can you run, or are you still a bit groggy?"

Kajin craned his head around to look up at the back of Ichigo's head. "So you felt that?"

Ichigo's shrug was miniscule. "I could ask what's got you so worked up, but I get the feeling it doesn't really matter. Anyways, can you run or not? I'd rather not have to carry you if I have to."

Kajin closed his eyes and tried to get an idea what condition his body was in. It all felt all right. His feeling was confirmed by a purr/growl from Ember.

All right, then. "Put me down. I can run."

Ichigo stopped long enough for Kajin to slide gracelessly off his shoulder and helped him up, before taking off running down the long hallway, chasing after Ben, who was carrying Natsu, and Edward. Kajin gave a small shake of his head, wishing he was more alert, and ran after them.