Chapter 25: The Runaway

  It's been a couple days since Kiara got lost and supposedly got attacked by a rabid mountain lion. She seems to be a little bit more cheerful sometimes, so does Sheiba. Although... Yuna still seems pretty down. Even thinking her name makes me angry and sad, maybe a little regretful. I sigh and look outside. It's almost evening. I hear rapid footsteps come down the stairs. "She's gone! Yuna's missing!" Kiara yells bursting into the kitchen. "M-missing...?" I whisper to myself. I stand up and walk outside, leaving Kiara and Sheiba in the living room alone. I recall what I yelled at her. Maybe I shouldn't have said that to her so harshly, but I just don't get why she's toying with me like this. I hear the door creak open and I turn around, Sheiba is standing there. His face is blank, but I can see his eyes are saying that he's mad about something. I think he knows that Yuna's disappearance is my fault, not really surprising coming from the oh-so famous Black Dragon. Not wanting any attention I run into the barn. Then Sheiba appears in front of me standing on a bale of hay. "Don't say anything! I know what your thinking." I tell him as I back up and bump into a wall. He jumps down and looks up at me, now glaring a little. "What am I thinking?" He asks me. His eye's are smoldering. "I didn't do anything to Yuna! She's the one who left and lied to me all those years!" I say loudly.

  I watch as Jerimiah walks out the door then look over at Sheiba. His face is blank as he stares at Jerimiah through the window, then his eyes narrow and he glares a little then goes outside. What could that look have meant? I look outside and they're not there. I go out and I hear a noise in the barn. I run quietly over to it and peek in. "She's the one who left and lied to me all those years!" I hear Jerimiah yell. He's backed up to the wall and Sheiba is standing in front of him, not looking very happy. "Listen, I don't know what happened between you two before, but shouldn't you be happy that she is back?" Sheiba says. Jerimiah looks kinda surprised then looks down at the ground. I wonder why Jerimiah seems threatened by Sheiba, he's much bigger than him. "I think you know where she went, so don't come back without her or I will make sure you never forget about it..." Sheiba says his voice dark. Jerimiah does as he's told and rides down the road on Black Jacks back, at a full gallop nonetheless. Poor Yuna, I hope they can sort everything out and be the way they were before. 

  I sit here at a picnic table emersed in the shade of a huge maple tree. About ten feet away is the dock where Jerimiah and I used to go fishing...together. Back in the other direction the sun is setting. I stare at the orange, yellow, pink, and blue mixture in the sky then back down at my hands. In my hands is a picture of us when we were younger. We looked so happy. He's standing there with his arm around my neck making a funny face. I half laugh then feel warm tears trickle down my cheeks. My body trembles from my sadness. "I-I...I should've known....I shouldn't have come back...I should've known that he wouldn't want to see me again....I should've known better....." I sob to myself in the silence. The wind blows my hair and I suddenly feel something warm cover my right hand. I don't even have to look to know what it is. I feel Jerimiah sit next to me, closer than he has since I've been here. I don't look at him. I can't because then he'll know I'm crying and I don't like crying in front of people, especially him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you Yuna. It's just that....well...I kinda thought we had become strangers again. I thought we didn't know eachother as well as we used to." He says. I'm surpised. He's not good at telling people what he's feeling. He moves closer and pulls me into a hug. Are fingers intwine and he reaches with his other hand and softly wipes away my tears. He never even had to look and he knew I was crying. "You don't have to tell me everything..." He says. Even though he says that I know I must. I reach into my coat and pull out a shiny silver badge that says 'International Secret Agents Association: Special Agent Yuna Raiuke' then slide it onto the table. There is a long silence, but he never lets go of me. 

"They offered me a job a few days before I left and I took it, but since it was a secret organization I had to make an excuse." I start, "I guess I should've made up a better one, but...I panicked and just blurted something out..." "So what was your reason for joining them?" Jerimiah asks. "I wanted to find Sheiba. I figured...If I became a spy, then I could track him, although I didn't have to look past the newspapers to....I mean...uh...It took a long time...um...." I studder. I forgot that Jerimiah would hate The Black Dragon if he knew. "Don't worry...I already know about that. Nikkie and I did some digging on him when he first got here and we pulled up alot of stuff, although I bet now that alot of that stuff are just rumors. There was one thing that said he killed his parents, but I know that's bogus." He says. It doesn't really surprise me that much to know Jerimiah would do something like that. "Sheiba wasn't the one who killed our parents....it wasn't him... someone else." I say then add, "They were murdered, but there was no evidence of it being him. Although he wasn't there when I was investigating the scene. I thought maybe he was dead, hoping that he ran away....I guess he did." "Well....that's kinda confusing... someone else murdering your parents and not finding any evidence." Jerimiah says. I stay quiet. "We better go back now. Sheiba said I couldn't come back home without you....or else." Jerimiah says handing me back my badge. I half laugh. We get on Black Jacks back and ride down the old dirt road towards home. "Feels like de'ja'vu, huh?" Jerimiah says. I look around and smile. "Uh-huh...!" I hold him a little tighter. This is the exct scenery of the same day we met. Riding Black Jack to his house with the ocean and twilight on the right casting it's unique glow. I never wanna leave this moment...