The pixie stood up and walked to Sadori, who was swinging his legs anxiously, scratching the rock and the ground.

"What's going on, dragon?" Hiru put hands on his snout. "Hey, wake up. Do you have a nigh..."

THUMP.

Hiru flew through the cave and slammed his back against the rock wall. He slumped unconscious on it and fell to the ground.

* * *

"Are you okay?" heard Hiru, when he regained his consciousness. He opened his eyes. Sadori bent over him in his human form.

"Yes. And I feel a pleasant warmth" said Hiru, sitting up.

"We thought you were dead" muttered Shokai, who looked like she hadn't slept for a week. "I told you that this dragon is dangerous."

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone..." mumbled Sadori.

"But you did."

"Shokai, stop it" Sasaki smacked her head. "You would also react instinctively if someone suddenly tried to wake you up."

"I got hit in the teeth once, remember?" Naori asked, making Shokai snort.

"If the situation is under control, I suggest you to go back to sleep" Miyaku offered quietly.

"Miyu speaks well, let's go night night!" Sasaki stretched lazily. "Come on, before Shokai says something stupid again."

"I don't say stupid things!"

"Of course."

"Sasaki!"

Friends returned to their sleeping bags. Only Hiru and Sadori were still sitting next to a fading campfire.

"I'm sorry" whispered Sadori. "It was an impulse."

"It's okay, I understand" Hiru chuckled nervously. "But you healed me, right?"

"Yes" Sadori nodded. "I didn't want to hurt you, seriously..."

"I believe you" Hiru patted his head. "Shokai is a coward, don't mind her."

"I'm not a coward!" cried Shokai, sitting up.

"Sleep" Naori laid her down.

Shokai growled and curled again.

Sadori wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his head on his knees.

"I shouldn't fall asleep" he said. "If I'll have a nightmare again, I will do something worse than slam the pixie against the wall."

"Sadori..."

"I should leave" the dragon sighed and stood up. "I'm too dangerous for you. Nice to meet you, Hiru."

"But..." the pixie stood up as well as Sadori turned into a dragon and lunged towards the exit. "But come back, you haven't fully regained your strength yet! Hey!"

Sadori didn't listen to him. He ran out from the cave and took off into the air. A rush of air whipped his face. He closed his eyes, listened to the sound of the wind and...

...realized that something was sticking to his tail.

"What the hell?" Sadori was confused.

He bent his tail, because he wanted to see its end. He saw pale from fear Hiru, who was stuck to his tail like a barnacle.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know. It was a bad idea. I'm dizzy" Hiru shut his eyes. "Please, return to the ground. And don't go. I was reckless putting my hands over your snout. I could predict you wouldn't like it. But you had a nightmare and I felt sorry for you."

"Felt sorry?" Sadori frowned. "For me?"

"I felt sorry for you" said Hiru. "I wanted to stop your agony. You were throwing around this cave as if you had fallen into an anthill."

"You felt sorry for... me?" Sadori blinked.

"Yes, I felt sorry for you!" Hiru yelled. "I truly felt sorry for you! I don't care, if you're a dragon, you could even be the shadow one! When someone gets hurt, I try to help them. That's what my parents taught me, and that's what I will do, period."

The pixie opened his eyes, when he felt someone's hands under his armpits, and then his feet touched the ground. He looked at Sadori, who was crying because of unknown reason.

"Those are the nicest words anyone has ever said to me" said the dragon. "Forgive me for crying. It's so..."

"It's good. Tears are good. Sometimes" Hiru hugged Sadori. "Perhaps you need them right now."

Sadori has been frozen for a while, because no one had ever hugged him, if they weren't his family. He sighed, hugged Hiru back and closed his eyes. He felt calm. As if all of his problems vanished because of this one pixie man.

"Sadori, wake up, you're going to crush me! Oh!"

...maybe except for the fact that, like the rest of the shapeshifters, he couldn't keep his human form while he was sleeping.

But if he could fall asleep in Hiru's arms, does that mean that he should get closer to that pixie than to the rest of the... world?