Ebony snorted and dozed. He rolled over, blinked his eyes open, and through a haze of memory, looked down on a small unobtrusive marker bathed in sunlight. Made from some sort of green stone, the images of plants and flowers had been carefully and lovingly carved into it. There were only four letters, simply bearing the name "Miko".
The black dragon bent his head down, peering more closely at it. In the millennia since he had made the memorial the moss and ivy had grown over it, but he could not bring himself to clear the plant life away, because he knew that Miko would like it. Stone can be decorated, but it could never be alive. The ivy, the grass, the flowers--all of it somehow accentuated the memorial in a way he knew Miko would appreciate. Their leaves curled protectively over the small stone, providing shade and perhaps even protection from the wind and weather. He could almost suspect her of somehow arranging them.
The stone itself was set in a small grove in the forest near the town of Esperia, where he had spent the beginning of his life. The dragon sighed. It was a deep, heavy sound. Ebony reached out reverently to the stone marker, knowing that he should not touch it for fear of disturbing it. His paw hovered over the small stone; close enough to feel the warmth it absorbed from the midday sun. Miko had been his dearest human friend, but cursed with the short lifespan of her kind. Or perhaps he was the cursed one, cursed with a life that meant he would outlive everyone and everything except the other dragons. Heck, even Althena was gone now. He had barely changed while he watched Miko grow old. He still missed her... the same as he still missed...
A voice snickered. "Ha! I caught you brooding again," it said from behind him.
Ebony turned to see a dragon, a blue dragon, but it wasn't Jia. The dragon before him had a darker blue fur, except under her wings, which were a lighter blue and furred, as opposed to the rainbow colored membranes of Jia's. Her head was overall more catlike, with a short, pert muzzle and lacking any horns at all. Her tail swayed in a playful manner as she gazed at Ebony with an expression he rarely, if ever, saw Jia use. She smirked at him, head tilted in a cocky angle. Ebony smiled upon seeing her.
"Azura," he began, pausing only to once again recall every detail of her figure; the way the soft breeze ruffled her fur, how her eyes sparkled beneath the light of the sun. "It's good to see you, as always."
The blue dragon, Azura, looked back at him haughtily. "Don't try and distract me with compliments. You're brooding." She leaned forward and poked his shoulder with her forepaw for emphasis.
Ebony cast a glance back towards the memorial before turning to look back into Azura's red eyes.
"I was just..."
"Brooding," she finished for him, saying the word for the third time.
Ebony looked down sheepishly. He shrugged his wings. "All right, fine, I was brooding."
Azura grinned at him, basking in her victory at getting Ebony to admit it. Their exchange of insight and pride was like an old game. Ebony watched her a moment before moving against her and slipping a wing over her in a draconic hug. Azura leaned into the hug. She lifted her head and nuzzled him under the chin.
"I was just thinking about you," he said, fixing her with a loving look.
"Duh," she replied, not missing a beat.
Ebony smiled a little as he arched his neck to look at her. "You haven't changed at all."
She shook her head. "I've been dead. What changing am I going to do?" she asked in return.
Ebony turned away, eyes glazed over in memory as he stared into nothing. Around them, the forest faded to darkness. Gone too was the warmth of the sun.
Azura sighed quietly, resigned. "Ebony, please, don't do this to yourself again..."
Her words voiced feelings of sorrow Ebony wanted to chase away, but neither he nor they could stop the memory already forming before them. The inside of a cave solidified, a magnificent structure of light blue stone with a lovely lake. A cool breeze immersed them in the irreality of the intangible scene before them. Only the thin haze of remembrance separated them from the tension of the others in the chamber. A group of humans, eight of them, and two winged cats, one black, one blue, faced off against a floating figure in a blue cloak.
"Ordak," Ebony growled hatefully. His eyes gleamed red as he focused on the blue cloaked man.
Azura remained silently beside him as the scene played out before them. Powerful magic crackled around Ordak as he lifted a hand and gestured at the small black cat. A blue light seeped into his form and a flash of fear came over the young dragon, Ebony's younger self. He barely had time to cry out as Ordak followed his weakening spell by striking the dragon with a bolt of lightning. The small black form fell limply to the ground, smoke drifting up from singed fur.
The scene shouldn't have continued, Ebony couldn't possibly remember things that happened while he was unconscious, but the "view" of the scene seemed to shift, and the battle continued. Ebony turned his head a little to look at Azura, suspecting where these new images came from, but the dragon next to him had her eyes locked on the scene before them. Expressions of tension and pain radiated from her furred face. Her tufted ears pressed flat against the back of her head.
Before them, the group of heroes reacted to their companion's defeat with force. Friends, comrades, people Ebony knew by name, fought for him and the sake of the world they loved. He saw Miko, swift and vibrant in her youth, Lou, the young swordsman who had won the title of Dragonmaster, Isis and Eomar, Bulix, Davis, the elven wizard Iceberg. Ordak cast the same spell he used to weaken Ebony against electricity on one of the humans. As before, he followed it with a massive bolt of blue lightning. It should have struck the human soundly, but some strange force reflected the energy off the raven-haired man. For a moment a look of surprise covered the face of the mighty wizard. Recovering quickly, Ordak threw out an arm and several streams of lightning raged across all his foes. Four of the black dragon's companions dropped from the onslaught, but the same man as before still seemed to be protected by that unknown force.
"Thesian..." the Ebony of now said quietly.
As if he could hear the older Ebony, Thesian raised his head with determination. His eyes shone like blue fire with every blast of magic wielded against him.
Ordak once again struck out at the party. Thunder roared to fill the void of the lightning rage. After the attack, only Thesian and the young blue dragon, Azura, remained standing. Ebony stared at the scene, unable to tear his eyes away in fear of loosing a memory he never had.
"My dear friends... I'm so sorry..." Thesian said quietly, looking at all the unconscious bodies around him.
The Azura in the vision lowered her head, speaking quietly.
"Thesian... I enjoyed my short time with you. It was like letting Acwalandar see you all grown up. You've made an old dragon very proud. Take what power I have in me... It's premature, I know... but... there's more at stake here. My body will form an egg for the next generation just as Acwalandar's did. Take this power and let it upset the balance. Strip the Blue Dragon's magic from Ordak..."
The cat moved towards Thesian on shaking limbs. She breathed once heavily and wrapped her paws around herself. Azura lifted her head, eyes moist with tears, and cried out:
"I am the Blue Dragon. Take my power!"
Azura's form dissolved into small sparkling blue globes of light. They circled around Thesian once and struck him full force in the chest, merging their power with his body. The magic filled him... And the scene faded. There was no one left to remember what came next, but Ebony recalled what happened when he woke. A new vision faded into view, accommodating his reluctant recollection.
Ordak was gone, disappeared to fight another day. Thesian stood alone in the light blue cave, holding a sapphire egg in his hands. The battered group of heroes around him was just beginning to stir, including a black-furred flying cat. The younger Ebony groggily propped himself up on his forepaws and glanced around. "Azura? Where's Azura?" he called before turning his aching body towards Thesian. Thesian lowered his head, giving the black dragon his answer.
Even now the older Ebony clenched his jaws, then spoke the same words as his younger self. A thousand years and he had not forgotten them. "I don't think I'm going to forgive you... ever."
The young Ebony turned away from Thesian, his eyes burning crimson. Hatred and anger overcame his features, the loss of Azura threatening his very sanity, but somehow he found the strength to shove it all down. The feelings of anger could attempt to overcome him for all he cared, but he would pay the price to bury them, to bury all other emotions along with them; caring, friendship, and love. When he looked back to his friends, the young dragon lifted cold, grey eyes to gaze at the party, no sign of feeling left at all on his face.
The vision disappeared as the Ebony of the present was smacked across the back of the head by a dark blue paw. He turned to face the irate Azura beside him. Despite the slight baring of her teeth and the flash in her eyes, the unmistakable concern in her voice grabbed him by the horns.
"Why you do you keep reliving that moment, Ebony?" Her stare pierced holes in his fur.
"I should have done something..." he began, but before he had a chance to finish he already knew his answer would carry no weight.
"You were unconscious!" she snapped, pulling her head back like a snake about to strike. "You did everything you could! And if I hadn't given Thesian the power to defeat Ordak, he would have killed us all, you included. Because of my sacrifice, the world, our friends... and most importantly to me, you were able to survive! If you want to remember something, remember the words I used to break you from your shell!"
She clamped a paw around the other side of his head and yanked him sharply to the left to face a new scene, one that they both recalled. Ebony once again saw himself as he was a thousand years ago. The little black cat looked down into the water of a fountain with his cold, grey eyes. If not for the natural warmth of his body he might have been dead. He budged not a muscle. From within the pool, instead of his own reflection a blue winged form looked back up at him with sad red irises turned purple by the power of the water.
"Please..." said the watery image of Azura, "I want you to appreciate the gift that I tried to save for you. It's the least you could do to honor what we shared... By cutting yourself off and ignoring the things that I wish I could still experience, you are filling me with a great sadness that all I did was for nothing..."
Ebony winced, remembering this scene well. It was the first time Azura had come to him in his dreams, to try and break him from the emotionless wall that had consumed him. The younger Ebony in the vision spoke quietly, his words formed from lips and jaws with the precision of a machine. His was a voice unused to heartfelt speech.
"You saved everyone," he said. "But... when I was with you... even when we argued... It's how I wanted it to be... forever."
The Azura in the fountain gazed at him, her expression filled with more sorrow than before. She turned to look away.
"All I could think about was you, Ebony. My predecessor, Acwalandar, entrusted me with his destiny to protect Thesian and wrest the powers of the Blue Dragon back from Ordak. I could not ignore that charge. Please understand that my choice was the only choice." She looked back him, eyes full of compassion. "Ebony... I am never truly dead as long as you enjoy what this world has to offer. Every time you share a tender moment, or hear a song, or watch a rainbow, I will be there sharing it with you. As the sapphire egg grows behind the waterfall cave... so does my essence return to the world."
Something in the young dragon stirred. It swelled like the river at flood and burst through the cold prison he had formed around his heart. He could hide no longer. The young Ebony reached out with his paw to touch the image in the water.
"I love you, Azura... I'm sorry I never told you."
The water rippled at his touch and the vision faded away.
Ebony bowed his head, downcast by the painful memory. He coiled his tail with Azura's, taking comfort in her presence. She squeezed his in return, giving him a moment to compose himself.
After a while had passed, Azura cleared her throat, bringing him to look at her. She studied him with a canny look as a hint of her old humor shone in her eyes. "Now that we've had this fun little trip down memory lane, that sapphire egg is what I've come to talk to you about. Or rather," --her irises danced crimson-- "who it became."
Ebony cocked his head to one side, needing a minute for her last words to sink in.
"What does Jia have to do with this?" he asked. "You only come when I need you. I thought you were here because of this trouble with the crests."
Azura shook her head, a reproving gesture that told him that he missed the point entirely. "Ebony, Ebony, Ebony," she chided, "yes, this is trouble, and big trouble at that, but it's only a small part of what's causing you enough distress to have me show up. You've faced worse enemies down before and you know that. You underestimate yourself sometimes. You are strong and you don't need me to help you recover the crests. I know you and other dragons can do that on your own."
"Azura, I don't understand," said Ebony, finding himself at a loss.
Azura laughed quietly and poked his nose with a claw.
"You really don't, do you?" She flashed him a knowing grin. "You're falling in love with Jia."
Ebony opened his mouth to tell her how silly that was, to tell her that Jia was a little sister to him, someone he had always taken care of and helped raise. He wanted to tell her how Jia had been an adorable kitten, even though she once sparked lightning on his fur, and that though he cared for her he could never love in that way. He wanted to tell Azura all of this, but he couldn't. He couldn't because as he thought about it he realized that she was right. He hadn't even noticed it. But being confronted with the information, especially by the frankness with which Azura had expressed it, he knew it to be true. He was falling in love with Jia. She was more than a sister, or a niece. She was something else, something he could not readily identify. Not yet. Immediately a wave of guilt overcame him and he could barely look up to meet Azura's eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said meekly.
"For what, Ebony?" She smiled kindly. "For falling in love again? You think I want you to be alone your whole life, brooding over me?"
Azura pushed him gently with a paw.
"I want you to be happy, you idiot."
Ebony tried to return the smile, but shook his head. He pawed the invisible ground in the black void of his unconsciousness.
"But what would Jia think? I've always been more of a father figure to her. She used to call me 'Uncle Ebony'..."
Azura cut him off, rapping him sharply on the shoulder with the edge of her wing. "Stop thinking of problems," she said. "Love comes in its own time. The two of us did not decide on love, now did we. You should talk to her and let her resolve her own feelings, instead of assuming what she will ultimately tell you."
Ebony pondered the words. He didn't know if he could talk to Jia about this. Now was not exactly the best time either; someone stealing their crests, trying to replace the dragon tribe. It was a big mess and all of Lunar could suffer. He realized he must have had one of his slack-jawed looks on his face when he noticed that Azura watched him with another smirk plastered on her muzzle.
"You're making excuses not to talk to her, aren't you?" she accused.
"Well..."
"I'm in your head too, you know. You can't hide stuff from me. Just find a proper time and talk to her. You can't leave things unresolved or you'll never be at peace."
Azura snuggled against him a moment longer, then slipped away and began moving off. Ebony took a few steps after her.
"Wait," he protested, "don't leave so soon..."
She arched her neck back over her shoulder to look at him even as the darkness grew closer. "I'll always be with you, Ebony. You can't get rid of me. And you can bet I'll show up from time to time."
The haze closed around them and Azura melted into it. The world around Ebony became intangible, coming apart.
"I love you, Azura," he called after her, "forever."
"Yeah, I know." Her voice came back, softly now and perhaps just a little bit wistful. "You know I feel the same way, but for now it's time for you to wake up."
And Ebony did.