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As he sank into her mind, he felt her falling with him. Kalokin whispered something in a language long thought dead, there was a snap, and then he felt solid ground again. He was surrounded by concrete; Tall, square buildings reached up to claw at the sky, and the ground was hard and without soil. A brief moment of confusion, and he recognized the place as one of the Bipedals' cities, or at least that's what he assumed it to be. The world was dominated by dark metal and grey concrete, but sprinkled throughout the world were spots of color that made him gasp. A series of red, yellow, and green lights strung up at an intersection of roads veritably blazed with color. Simple, chalk drawings on the sidewalk became vibrant masterpieces that left him near speechless. Everywhere he looked, tiny bits of color that usually went overlooked burned with bright wonder. He thought for a moment how a green forest would look through such an effect, before the truth hit him. This was how the world looked through Shou's eyes. Even in a grey wasteland of cement and steel, the small snatches of color all but shouted for her attention. Khaesho was so caught up with observing the world that he missed a very important detail until Kalokin pointed it out to him.

"Khaesho... why is this city empty?"

There was no movement in sight. Inside her mind, Kalokin had a form much like Khaesho's, a Naga shaped and colored as a reflection of his soul. It wasn't real, but it felt real enough to count. Aside from the two Serpents, the city was empty and almost deathly quiet. There was a low rumbling off in the distance, a grinding rasp that chilled them to the bone. Khaesho pointed upwards, and Kalokin craned his neck up, looking past the tall roofs. The sky was dark and overcast; dull grey thunderheads ruled the sky, save for one place. In what looked like the middle of the city, there was a hole in the cloud cover that looked like someone had literally cut a circle sheer through clouds. Within this circle, a massive tornado of sand spun slowly, spiraling up out of the clouds.

"Shelandra said to look for anything out of place. I'd say that counts. Double time it, we need to get there NOW. The clock is ticking."

Immediately, they raced off towards the sandstorm, towards the heart of the city, towards the center of Shou's soul.

---

Shou opened her eyes slowly, and for a moment thought she was still in the caves. She twitched her ears, and attempted to twitch her tail, but her body refused to answer her commands. She blearily tried to figure out where she was, what was happening, trying to get her mind to wake up enough that she could figure out what was going on. Her senses were dulled to the point of non-existence, but as she blearily blinked her eyes, she thought she could see a chink of light through the fleshy coils of a serpent. She tried to move, tried to raise a hand to touch the warm scales, but found that she could not move. She should have been able to, but couldn't. She tried to force herself to move with growing confusion tinted with panic, but as she struggles, her vision starts sharpening, and she can clearly see the diamond pattern of a rattlesnake stamped on the scales around her. She tried to whimper, but the sound failed to leave her throat, so she simply lay there, struggling to breathe as she continued to regain her senses.

The second to return to her was taste, and immediately she wished it hadn't. Her mouth burned with something gritty and bitter, sand, if she guessed right, but mixed with the sand was a flavor that she couldn't quite place. It was familiar to her, and she'd tasted it recently, but she could not name it. Her tongue was swollen as if she had not had water in days, and her throat burned in a similar manner. She could not speak, could barely breath past the suffocating coating of sand in her mouth. She did her best to lick at the roof of her mouth and try to regain some moisture, to no avail. Whatever coated her mouth was bitter, making her gag just slightly as she tried once more to clear some of the taste. Swallowing caused her to whine weakly at the pain in her throat and her mouth.

The third sensation she recovered was scent, and this too punished her. She stank of filth and dried blood, and the air she breathed was a miasma of death and bones. The snake coiled around her reeked of it; he, for she had a feeling it was a he, stank of rot, plague, and death, and if there had been anything in her empty stomach, she would have vomited from the stench. As it was, she gagged, but slowly regained her composure. There was another scent too, underlying the rest that she felt she should have known. She tried to focus on it, but the thick air burned her nose, and she could not concentrate. She tried to breathe through her mouth and gagged again, halfhearted at best; she didn't have the energy for anything more.

The fourth to leak back into her mind was feeling. She started to regain feeling in her limbs, and here too, she almost wished she could have just kept sleeping. She was weak, and she trembled as if malnourished. There was a penetrating ache that started in her hips and reached all the way up to her heart; a dull, grinding pain that made her whimper, wincing as even that effort shot barbs of pain through her core. One did not suffer pain of this caliber unless something was horribly wrong. She could not move her legs for the heavy ache, and her arms were weak. Her tongue felt dry and bloated, and her throat was cracked, bleeding from the dryness. She burned... something burned through her veins like fire, and it left her feeling scorched and feverish. Her head ached, her body cataloging each pain as it was made aware to her. A stronger whine escaped her as she felt that she couldn't move her legs at all. Again, the thought of her dancing hit her; would she be able to continue dancing? It was brushed aside as she twisted and attempted to move. Arms shaking and her body quivering, she tried once more to reach against the scales that held her. Her fur was too hot, and she couldn't breathe. Her muzzle parted to allow her to pant, dry air raking through her lungs like hot coals, but every gasping breath brought a little more clarity to her mind.

Somehow though, it all felt familiar, and a thought hit her with the force of a hammer. She reached up with one weak hand, and felt two holes in the side of her neck, exactly the size and spacing of a Rattlesnake's fangs. Without even needed to look, she knew there was a similar bite mark on her right shoulder. Poison, that's what this was. Wasn't it? It certainly seemed that way. It had her feverish and aching, and she wanted to scream and whimper to give her body some outlet for the pain, but her dry lungs managed barely more than a squeak.

The taste of his cum in her mouth... the scent of her own arousal... the body deep ache from being fucked so savagely that he'd had to twist her body to allow it. The warm sand beneath her only confirmed her fear. She was back in the desert, and everything Kalokin had done to her remained. She was twisted, broken, used up and tossed aside like some petty plaything. As she sobbed quietly in the dark, her hearing faded in. She heard the savage hissing of an angry Rattler, the constant, dangerous shake of his rattle, and the dull cries of an angry mob screaming inarticulate and bloodthirsty cries. She could only pray to whatever God would hear her that Khaesho and Kalokin did not find her like this. She could only beg for the mercy that they did not find her twisted, and used, left hurting and painful, broken and useless. Her cheeks colored with shame that she didn't know she could feel. Ashamed not of what she had done, but of the filthy feeling left behind. Abandoned. Worthless.

"A broken toy..." She managed to rasp, weak and quivering, lost in a sob a moment later. Burying her face against the scales that were close to her, she shed tears that were much needed if her dehydration was anything to go by. That's all she was, a toy, a useless plaything... not even worth keeping.

It only reached her after a few moments that she could hear a snake hissing, the rattle of his tail, and the screaming of a mob. People? Why were there people? They had been in the desert... Weakly, she lifted her head, watery eyes narrowed as she tried to see between the coils that held her.

The last of the dizzy, fuzzy feeling left her mind, leaving behind only cold certainty and grinding pain. In the chinks between his coils, she saw only the whirling sands of a massive tornado, yet, with the occasional break in the dancing grains, she saw glimpses of what lay beyond. A mob of angry Wolves stretched as far as she could see, and immediately outside of the tornado, she saw the tall skyscrapers that could have belonged to any city in the world. The tornado claimed maybe a thirty foot radius of sandy desert, but past that, there was nothing but the cold concrete of the city. The tornado screamed and tore at the air, but the throng of their shouting voices rose even higher. She could not make out any single word, but she could feel the raw anger and violence in their shouts.

They were not standing idly by though, no. They were pelting the Rattlesnake above her with rocks, bricks, chunks of concrete; anything heavy enough to pierce the whirling sands was lobbed through the air. He was bleeding, broken, and battered, but still, he kept his coils up to shield her from the barrage. He'd been bleeding a long time; the sand around him was literally soaked. Unless she missed her guess, the smell of rot and death upon his scales was the smell of infection setting into his blood. How long had he endured this? How much longer could he keep the mob away? More importantly, who was it that coiled to defensively around her?

The glimpse of wolves didn't make sense, the cities she knew were far more diverse than that. She was confused, but one well aimed spear of rebarb came hurtling through the air to pierce clean through the Rattlesnake's coils, eliciting a scream of pain and anger from his maw. Shou screamed, hoarsely, begging them to stop, but her voice was swallowed by the twisting sands that held them at bay.

Another well-aimed rock sailed through the sands and struck her protector in the eye, earning a feral scream from him and a roar of approval from the crowd. The tornado faltered, and shrank several feet smaller; was the sandstorm his doing? After taking the hit to the face, the rattlesnake adjusted his coils to hide his head with Shou, while the rest of his body suffered the continuing onslaught. She looked at the bloodstained face and gasped.

"Kalokin?"

For indeed, the Rattlesnake coiled around her almost perfectly matched the Rattlesnake guise he had used the previous day. The rock had hit him right in the eye, and his left lens was cracked, with blood leaking through the fissures. Shou looked deep into his single remaining eye and saw... nothing. A pale, featureless white blanketed his eye, and his black and grey diamonds shook as he struggled to breath. Shou whined in agony, and her heart broke. Crying, softly sobbing she moved. Painstakingly slow, as she sat up and touched his face. His eye was a perfect white sphere, without an Iris of any kind, and he muttered a mindless mantra beneath his breath.

mine... I protect what is mine... I protect what is mine... I protect...

The scent of blood and sickness had her heart hurting as she stroked her hands along his face as gently as she could. There was nothing but emptiness in his eye and she whimpered as she leaned forward to trail her tongue along his face, doing her best to clean the wound with her tongue. It was not nearly enough, but it was both the most and the least she could do.

"Kalokin... Kalokin..." His mantra was met with her own breathless pleas as she stroked and soothed as much as she could. He was hurting! He was bleeding, and being broken, and she didn't understand why it was happening, just that he was being hurt and she couldn't fight against it. Couldn't do anything for it. Useless. So, she licked at his wounds, attempting to ease the pain, and prevent the infection that she could scent now. He would be killed... surely he would be killed if the mob of angry wolves kept up their attack! "I'm here, Kalokin... I'm here..." And whether this part of him was aware or not, she nuzzled him, and quietly offered what strength she could. Even though her body ached, even though her soul was twisted and tattered, she did her best to lend him what comfort she could... even if what he had done would clearly affect the rest of her life. She mourned, not for the state of herself, but for the state of the brave Snake who would willingly be torn to shreds to protect her fragile being. He coiled a little tighter around her as the sandstorm coiled a little tighter around them both; their time was short.

--------------------------------------------------

Khaesho and Kalokin hurried through the empty streets, and they heard the mob long before they saw them. They were on a straight line street that led right to the heart of the storm, and the mile they had left to travel was absolutely filled with Wolves. They screamed and shouted, and the anger their voices carried was loaded with such venom and loathing that the Snakes stopped for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Khaesho pointed to the far storm with one trembling hand.

"It is as I feared, Shelandra told me something of this sort might happen. Her soul is not what it was, and her body rejects it as it would reject a demon. The city represents her body, and the crowd represents her spirit... and If I had to guess, her soul will be in the center of the sandstorm."

"That makes sense, but before we started, she felt fine. How could she not notice this turmoil within her?"

"If something was protecting her, maybe?"

"Who, or what, else could be down here?"

"Kalokin... after your, ah... fun, was over, how did you leave her mind? Did you slide away? Send her back?"

"Ahhh... no... I think I fell asleep hilted in her."

"Now tell me this. In the entire time you've been with me, have you ever fallen asleep, even once?"

"No... so why would I have fallen asleep then?"

"Your mind was still entwined with hers, literally and figuratively. I think when your concentration faded, a piece of you got cut off, and carried into her mind."

"That would explain the spirit's violent reaction."

"You would still be protecting her too..."

As they watched, the tornado faltered and collapsed for a moment. It quickly resumed turning, but it was half the size, and it no longer reached up to the clouds.

"Khaesho, we need to get through this mob."

"Okay, let's just walk up and ask them, I'm sure they'd be real happy to see us. We're outsiders here too, they'd just as soon tear us apart."

"Fine then, you have any bright ideas?"

"Yes. Make a sandstorm like your fragment is. Anyone who doesn't get out of the way gets buried."

"Are you SURE that's a good idea? What if we accidentally kill some of them? What harm would that do?"

"If we don't get through, then her spirit will tear her soul to shreds. Her spirit can heal, eventually, but if they damage her soul we might not be able to save her. We need to get moving."

"Alright... I just want it on record that I don't think this is a good idea!"

The clouds above them slowly started twisting, and dust picked up off the street and spun through the air. A hole appeared in the sky above them, and the spinning winds flew faster until a roaring gale twisted, with the two snakes at its core. Kalokin threw back his head, opened his mouth, and shouted primal fury and anger to the sky. Sand flowed from his mouth in a torrent, and the twisting winds grabbed at every grain until a sandstorm whirled around them. The sands skipped and danced, thrown by the winds against the buildings and streets in a relentless stream that started to grind away at the cement and steel. Sharp edges became weathered curves, and walls groaned as the sand ate away at the supports. The snakes set off in a dash, pulling the storm with them, and they met the outer ranks of the mob in a rush.

If the sand ground away at the buildings like a hundred years in the desert, it ate away at the Wolves' soft flesh like a thousand tiny jaws. Those on the edges of the mob moved out of the way as quickly as possible. Those who had nowhere to run screamed until the sharp sands had picked all the flesh from their bones. The golden brown dust became red with blood, and the serpents raced forwards, sliding over an endless field of dry bones and death.

---

The Rattlesnake twitched when her hand touched him, flexing as her pads gently rubbed the cracked and torn skin. He had suffered long, but he was dying now. His mantra faltered, and stopped and he closed his eye for the briefest moment, but when he opened it, Shou felt as if he was looking through her. He began to sing then, words barely more than a whisper, but it reverberated through her mind all the same. The twitch broke her heart, and as he sang, she curled her body close to him, nuzzled near to his face and listened to every word. Her tongue traced loving licks along his face, lapping the blood from his scales as she did what she could to make him feel better. This piece of the God had suffered for her, continued to suffer for her, and protected her fiercely. Her mind was whirling, trying to piece together what happened, what was going on, but as she stroked the dying serpent, she realized that there was a very real chance she would die when he did. She would deserve it though... she had put him through such suffering, and for what? She was useless, a broken scrap of flesh that served no purpose. She held his head in her lap and cried softly as his song tore at her soul

((This Song. Go listen to it. Now. It isn't optional.))

I don't like, the steps I took, To get to look, into your deepest feelings. And I don't like the place I'm in, Head space within the hardwood and the ceiling.

'Cause if I'm restless, then why do I? I want nothing but to rest my soul. And I don't get this, and I know why... You see sometimes things are just beyond control,

But I don't mind, But I'm not surprised to find that you do. I'm not surprised to find that you do. I know you do,

And I feel fine, But I know the same does not apply to you. I know the same does not apply to you, So I guess that I'll curl up and die, too.

Clinging to the remnants of perfection, Like most do after they break it. Not knowing which direction's the correct one, Do I discard or remake it?

'Cause if I don't know, then I don't know, But I may know someone who knows me more than I, And if I somehow could rest this soul, Maybe control could find its way back to my life.

Well I don't mind, But I'm not surprised to find that you do. You see I know that I have done all this to you. To you,

And I feel fine, But I know the same does not apply to you. Yeah, I know the same does not apply to you, So I guess that I'll curl up and die, too.

Yeah, I'll curl up with you... until I die... with you. Yeah, I'll curl up with you... until I die with you. Yeah, I'll curl up with you... until I die with you. Yeah, I'll curl up with you, my baby and my darling, until I die with you. Yeah, I'll curl up with you... until I die... with you... you...

Every breath rattled in his lungs, but he pushed forth the words even as the hail of stones increased; they could sense that his death was near. As his voice weakened to the point that his lips moved without even a breath of air to give them sound, the pack outside screamed in anger and pain. There was a shockwave that shook the storm itself, and then the sandstorm tripled in size. The Rattlensake drew one final breath, and gently placed his hand over hers.

"He came back for me... I can rest now... it hurts... so much... I just... need to... rest..."

Soft tears fell from her face to wet his scales and her heart broke for this stranger she had only just met. Tears overflowed from her eyes in a steady stream as he whispered his final words.. "Shh... shh... rest, Kalokin... you did so well..." And she kissed him, her lips pressed to his, a kiss that carried until he was gone. His lips parted somewhat, tongue flickering out to give her the barest hint of cold, dark, stone, before the last of his life left him. His body cracked and tore, disintegrating until she sat in the middle of a shallow pit, surrounded by steep banks of sand that were all that was left of the brave Rattlesnake.

Shou curled up in that pit of sand, and whined crying softly as she shivered alone. Her arms were half buried in sand, and her face was hidden against the cool banks it as she curled up into herself, trying to make herself as small as she could. It was a feat she failed in, her body still ached in agony, and her legs weren't listening. The movements she had made when comforting the piece of Kalokin that protected her was all she could manage and she wailed her sadness and frustration against the blood soaked sand.

She was matted into rough spikes with dried blood and cum mixed with the ever present sand. It clung to her in places, and she felt twisted and pained. That shameful used feeling remained - but not because of Kalokin, but because the state she had been left in. She couldn't persist in thinking she had been tossed aside once all her senses had returned and she had seen Kalokin protecting her, but she still felt like she had been ruined. Whatever beauty had been there was torn to pieces. There was nothing left of her worth saving, and Kalokin had died for nothing.

She could hear movement, but didn't look up, didn't look to see her fate as she cried against her arms and left her limp, aching body to lay in the sand.

---

Khaesho and Kalokin couldn't see more than a few yards ahead because of the sandstorm, but when they arrived at the patch of desert, the storm already there swallowed the one they carried with them, tripling in size. They saw the pitiful and battered black Rattlesnake coiled in the exact center, and had just enough time to gasp before he dissolved into sand. Khaesho knew Shou was waiting, in the center of everything, but still, he hesitated. He knew something of what had happened by picking through Kalokin's memory, and he'd seen glimpses whenever he looked into her eyes, but he still had to steel himself to face her head on. If he recoiled from what he saw, it would shatter her utterly, and she would never be able to look at herself without mirroring the revulsion he'd once shown.

Just a small fragment of Kalokin's mind and power had been able to hold up the raging storm for nearly twenty four hours. Now, Kalokin was here in his full strength, and he endeavored to outdo himself. He opened his maw and poured forth more sand making the storm thicker, and thicker still, until the winds were so laden that they barely moved. Then, he brought it all down. The column of sand and air had reached high into the sky, but when he packed it down, it formed a sandstone wall two yards thick and thirty high around the small patch of desert. It was enough to keep the rocks out, but maintaining it in the face of the constant barrage took all of his focus. Khaesho wouldn't need long... half an hour, an hour tops. He could give him that much time in peace, that was certain. Khaesho's mind was braced, for what, he knew not, but his spirit was already aching just from being close to her while she was in such pain. He took a fast start, then threw himself over the barrier of sand.

In mid-air, Khaesho managed to angle his body so that he didn't crush her when he landed, but it was a near thing. In a matter of seconds, he was tightly coiled around her and he pressed his lips against hers. He had felt the pain radiating from her from halfway across the city, but this close, it hit him almost like a physical force. Not just the damage that Kalokin had caused; that pained her, but even that paled in comparison to the emotional turmoil she felt. Every insecurity she ever had ate away at her, and their voices were so loud in her mind that even he could hear them.

Ugly, Ugly, Ugly, maybe a bit pretty once, but you're worthless now. _He died for you. He died BECAUSE of you. Your fault Your fault Your Fault. Just give up and die. You don't deserve to live. You don't deserve such sacrifice. He could never love you, he never did. Better that you die here. Then he can go with Shelandra and live eternally as a god. UGLY UGLY UGLY UGLY Such a slut. Fucking two men the same day? No more worth than a two dollar whore. They cannot heal you. They will die trying! If you die now, they might be able to leave and save themselves YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT You will die here, cold and alone. _

Shou felt it, crushing her, sapping her will, making her want to just curl up there and let the sands sap the rest of her strength and die before they found her, before they saw the wretched, shattered trash she had become. Gods above, what would they think when they saw her? Would they be disgusted? She didn't want them to see, didn't want them to know, but it was too late for that. She was tainted, dirty, something filthy worthy only of revulsion.

_ Dead... dead... a piece of Kalokin died because of me... because of me... all my fault... Khaesho... how can I look at him... how can he look at me? H-he can't... he looked away... h-he flinched... because he knew... knew... I'm disgusting... _

As Khaesho felt her literally wasting away in his arms, he admitted to himself that he didn't know quite what to do. Her pain was so great that he doubted she even knew he was there. Her suffering blinded her, and she was fast fading. Then, he remembered something Shelandra had said in the last few minutes before she fell silent.

Everything you do while holding her soul is symbolic. If you focus hard, you can decide for yourself exactly what your actions mean, but if not, then your subconscious and hers will make their own interpretations.

He had an idea, a crazy one. If Kalokin could turn his venom into an aphrodisiac, then why not... It was a long shot, and it could just as easily kill her, but if he didn't think of something fast, she would soon die anyways. He repeated the mantra to himself. _ None of this is real. Everything is symbolic._ He thought hard about what he was about to do, and focused on exactly what he wanted. Then, he opened his mouth wide, and neatly sank his fangs into the holes in her shoulder Kalokin had left.

_ She is _ Beautiful _ , and she is MINE! _

He took everything he knew about her, everything he thought, everything he believed, and he injected it directly into her mind. He remembered the way she'd looked to him, a cute adventurer, boldly walking right into his home with no more preparation than brash courage and the clothes on her back. He remembered the way she looked at him, the way she looked at everything, as if even the smallest flower held unspeakable value. He remembered the way she smiled after crawling through the tunnels, eyes shining even though dust covered her body. He remembered the first time he'd looked into her eyes; blue skies and green fields filled with flowers, with half-finished paintings scattered across an endless hall. The way she'd tasted with that first tentative kiss, cold mint refreshing despite his dislike of the chill. He remembered soft warmth as she fell asleep in his arms.

The memories tickled her, flashing in front of her eyes as if she were watching from someone else's view. Was that... her? She could almost taste everything all over again, the warmth, the kisses. They were there, right on the edge of her mind, tickling her soul with tantalizing breaths of thought. She remembered those things, remembered his sweet sarcasm, and his warm voice. The sight of his scales, the way his body had so enchanted her... the way he continued to enchant her still. Her soul drank from the memories like parched earth drinking cold rain. The dust and blood vanished from her coat, and her fur acquired a glossy sheen. Her mouth became less parched; thirst was quenched by the flood of memories as he reminded her of exactly who she was, one piece at a time.

He remembered how she'd felt as he removed her cloths, how every single fur of her beautiful body tickled him. He remembered her soft breasts and acrobatic legs, her large blue eyes, the weight she had as she pressed against his scales. He remembered her passion. He remembered the way she infused such depth of emotion into what should have felt like simple lust. He remembered slowly falling in love with her, until he could not bear the thought of her leaving his side. He remembered knowing that such love was foolish, but that for her, he would do absolutely anything. For her sake, he would slither to the end of the earth, and then keep going. For her sake, he would bring a goddess to her chin.

His love poured through her and she trembled at the intensity of it. Trembling hands reached up, she felt scales and touched him, touched his cheeks. She was slowly, shyly sliding her arms around him pressing tightly to him, and she revived enough to remember for herself, to share her own memories. Her muscles filled out beneath her coat, and the bone-breaking ache that permeated her body dimmed, then disappeared. The yells of the mob just outside the walls quieted, until all of her mind and soul stood silent in anticipation.

He remembered the way she'd danced. Oh, how she'd danced, with such a fire and beauty that it literally left him speechless. Her fine muscles had rippled beneath shining fur, her body bent and leapt in graceful arcs. She turned and twirled with such a vibrancy of life and spirit that all he'd been able to do was watch. She was beautiful. She was perfect. She was loved. The voices still tried to bite at her, but for every spiteful barb they shot at her, he countered with his love and what he knew to be true.

Ugly! Not even good enough for whoring. Beautiful. You smile shines like a lantern and your laughter banishes even the saddest thoughts. Slut! An easy fuck, going after a snake, because he's all you could manage to catch! Kind, and open hearted. You were the only soul out of hundreds to give me a chance. Worthless! Worse than that, you're a hindrance and a pain to everyone who sees you. Better that you die now and save them the trouble! Perfect. You are perfect and wonderful, and I would not trade an ounce of your love for an entire city of diamonds.

One by one, the voices fell silent, and once all was quiet. He pulled his fangs out and kissed her, heart bursting with his love for her. All that was left was Silence, his mouth against hers, and his warm coils wrapped around her quivering body. She remembered how he had stared at her, watched her as she danced. The voices were quieting, until she couldn't hear anything but what he said, and she responded by kissing him back softly. Into this kiss, she poured her own feelings.

She shared the spark of fire that had lit within her, and the excitement of seeing him. She showed the way her heart danced just by seeing his scales, by watching his soft, mischievous grin. He had ignited a slowly burn of passion in her belly, and the rush of love and affection she'd had when he stood up to one of his idols, for her sake. Bliss coursed through her whenever held her close. She knew that such whirlwind romances were a thing of fairy stories, and magic realms... but then again, he had magic, and maybe... just maybe it could happen.

He kissed her until he was sure that she knew she was loved, and then he kept kissing her because he could. Her breath tasted faintly of cold mint, and it sent a shiver through his body, but he breathed deep, because the bracing chill made him feel alive. He wanted the moment to last forever, so he could keep kissing her forever... actually... no. He wanted the moment to end. He wanted to finish their business in her soul, so they could wake up in reality. THEN_he wanted to kiss her forever._ This close, he didn't have to say anything, she heard him clearly. Despite that, he kissed her for a while longer, just to be safe. Her soul was restored, and her spirit was quiet; she was going to be just fine.