Ch:1 A Fiery Reunion

Drum Bunker Dragon Fang Slade Terrestrial XIV looked over his latest form in the reflection of the pool before him. Scenes of his training played upon the levitating orbs floating freely around him. It was here that he had begun searching for his Buddy over a year ago, when he was but a mere whelp in comparison to his current self. His time with Gao Mikado had shaped him into a confidant and proud dragon.

His newest form showed as much; new, sleeker platinum armor framed his body, replacing his original bronze armor. Likewise, his usual Salamander Drill was replaced with two gauntlets on each arm, each equipped with a smaller set of triple drills. His clothing was upgraded as well - lighter blue clothing that allowed for rapid movement, and a belt decorated with the emblem of the Crimson battler, marking him as a member of Dragon World's elite - those rare few chosen by veterans of ancient wars to battle and train in the Ring of Crimson.

"Crimson Battler, Drum Bunker Dragon," he said to himself. "Has a nice ring to it, if I do say so myself."

"Enjoying looking over the fruits of your training?" A voice called behind him. Drum glanced back to see Jackknife Dragon move in beside him. The green armor dragon was looking at him bemusedly, but it did nothing to stop Drum's showboating.

"Of course I am!" replied Drum enthusiastically. "I mean, do you see how cool I look?!" he grinned, and thrust out one of his fists towards Jack, his newly sculpted muscles flexing as he made several punches and kicks. "I bet I could take out a hundred monsters like this!"

"Yes, it seems you've mastered that new form of yours quite well." said Jack, chuckling softly at the other dragon's eagerness.

Drum's smile faltered at the senior dragon's indifference. "Aw, c'mon," he protested. "Ya gotta be a little more impressed than that!"

"I have seen you perfect that new form for a few months now," said Jack, nodding his approval. "You can color me impressed."

"Yeah, I guess you have seen all that I can do first hand, haven't you?" Drum sighed, returning to his examination of his new armor.

"Have a little patience, Drum. Soon, you'll return to the human world for your duties in the Buddy Police, and you'll have all the time you want to put your training into action. There's no shortage of criminals to be found, believe me."

His words didn't seem to affect Drum as much as he had hoped, and he began to wonder if there was something else bothering him. Drum's ponderous look was familiar. Incredibly so, now that he thought about it. Jack smiled as he drew a parallel. It was very much like the look on Tasuku's face whenever he thought of Gao. It seemed that Drum was just as bad at concealing his feelings as Jack's own Buddy

This is going to be fun.

"Or perhaps," continued Jack, teasingly, "there's someone you're hoping to impress?"

To his credit, Drum responded with a careful gaze that was a lot calmer than Tasuku's had been when asked the same question. Jack's charge had flailed about comically, vehemently denying any interest in anyone, and adamantly declaring that his life was dedicated to the Buddy Police and to Jack himself.

Drum on the other hand…

"There was this one dragon…"

"Oh?"

A small smile came to Drum's face as he remembered, looking out into the pool and moving his hands gradually over the interface before him. "A Dragowizard, from Magic World. Qinus Axia." Around them, new images began to appear upon the floating orbs - images of the blue dragon, both in combat and in his "SD" form. Some came courtesy of Paruko Nanana, the intrepid reporter who seemed to delight in chronicling his and Gao's adventures, while others came curtesy of whatever omniscient being hosted the room.

Jack's eyes caught one of the earliest shots; Axia being auctioned off as a prize card on Kyoya Gaen's cruise. He frowned in distaste as he remembered the fallout from that particular incident.

"He was that Special Rare Monster who escaped during the Gaen cruise," mused Jack.

"That's him," confirmed Drum. "He traveled with us for a bit after we saved him," He turned to another image of Sophia nearly burning the effeminate dragon's card, and an over-eager Drum jumping off the boat to save him. "He left a bit before the Gaen cup started. Haven't seen him since."

"I see. So why do you miss this particular dragon?"

The Armordragon's face went through a variety of expressions, between confidant to uncertain, shaking his head rapidly before finally settling on embarrassed, a small blush tinting his cheeks as he looked at one of the orbs that showed the Dragowizard trying to crush him in one of his typically overenthusiastic hugs.

"He liked me… a lot." muttered Drum, glancing away from Jack to hide his flushed face. "He was always hugging me and calling me these really cutesy nicknames." He laughed softly to himself. "Like 'Drum-kins'. He always used that for me."

That got an amused snort from the other dragon. "You don't seem the type for a nickname like that."

"That's what I thought. I wasn't too crazy about it at first, but after a while it grew on me." He turned back to the monitors, the orbs gradually dimming as they recorded the Dragowizard's abrupt departure. "After he left, things kinda got a little dull, y'know?"

"I would hardly consider any of what happened in the last few months dull," Jack snorted.

"I mean in-between all of that. The times we actually got to relax a little. I missed his energetic outlook more than I thought." Drum gazed into the last of the orbs, his thoughts a million miles and six months away. "And… I got used to him hugging me. Sorta miss it, honestly. Heck, he always gushed about how awesome and strong I was getting, and it was always fun to show off what new tricks I learned to him, knowing he'd be genuinely excited to see them."

There was a question Jack was itching to ask, but he needed one more piece of information first. "Why did he leave then?"

Drum sighed and looked forlornly into the pool as the last of the orbs dimmed. "He said he needed to train himself, so that he could form a bond with a reliable Buddy like I had."

It really is like Tasuku's interest in Gao all over again. Jack held back his knowing grin and kept his voice serious. "A dragon with a desire to train like that… to improve himself to better support his Buddy… Sounds to me like you've found your perfect match."

"Yeah, I found my perfect…" Drum began, still looking out at the dimming image, until his brain caught up with his mouth and he spun to face Jack. "I've found my what!?" he yelled before slipping and falling backwards into the pool.

Jack's serious composure broke, and he began laughing uproariously, slapping his knee at the other dragon's antics. "Oh, that's rich! You took that just as hard as Tasuku did!"

Drum groaned as he pulled himself back on dry land, glaring daggers at Jack the whole time. "I don't blame him if that's how you bring up personal stuff! What the heck was that about?"

Jack calmed his laughter and turned to help Drum up. "Forgive the surprise jab, but I had a feeling you might've been pining for this Axia." He smirked as he saw Drum blush angrily. "Looks like I hit the nail on the head, too."

Drum pouted, an expression that looked quite comical on the muscular dragon. His long hair was plastered to his head and shoulders, which only served to make a wet frame for the disgruntled dragon that got into his eyes and ears. Jack's smirk had yet to lessen one bit. Drum sat back down with a huff, frowning contemplatively at his reflection in the pool.

"Not like it matters," he murmured. "I doubt I could find him now anyway."

That got a curious look from the other dragon. "You underestimate your own skill. After all, you've trained in Magic World before. There should be a connection between you and him."

"You really think so?" Drum looked up at the green dragon, eyes pleading with him to share whatever wisdom he held.

That look brought a certain phrase to his mind, and Jack felt decidedly odd saying it out loud. Still, if there was a better way to phrase what he wanted to say, he didn't know it.

"You never know until you try."

Drum's eyes widened at Jack's words; that phrase was always spoken by either Gao and Tasuku at one point or another. It was a go-to phrase for whenever they were in doubt, and it applied perfectly to him right now. Drum stood up and focused his senses, his body glowing briefly before a spiral of energy wrapped around him as his form changed once more. Gone was the toughened armor of the Crimson Battler. In its place was the magician's garb and staff that he acquired so long ago.

"Been a while since I've used this form," mused Drum. He looked over his body and smiled as he saw the muscles he had gained while training seemed to have transferred over. He gave his uncovered arms a flex, grinning to himself as he could see the pronounced definition in them. Others called the inhabitants of Magic World weak, but he felt as strong as ever.

"Enjoying yourself?" Jack's amused voice broke through the red dragon's self-admiration once more. "Don't forget why you transformed in the first place."

"Right, right, of course," Drum said, closing his eyes. Indeed, as Jack had said, he felt a connection. Several in fact.

The nearest of which was Jack's, which came as no surprise given his proximity - like this, he saw the other dragon as a pulsing green light filled with wisdom and age, and shining from within with the power of his own potential. From there, a glittering golden chain lead to the soft blue light of Tasuku, and from there to the brilliant golden light of his own Buddy, Gao. From the feel of it, the two were out in the fields, and seemed to be sparring; the shining chain between them was vividly red and constantly fluctuating, and the boys themselves were flickering around wildly. The two were sparring as often as not, and Drum smirked to himself as he managed to perceive that Gao was winning, or at least had Tasuku pinned for the count.

Having tested the waters, Drum focused deeper, drawing forth a mental image of the Dragowizard from his own thoughts. Almost immediately, he saw the almost imperceptible blue tether stretching away from himself into the void between Worlds. Cautiously, Drum threw his senses towards the tether's end, and was immediately bombarded with the energies of dozens of other monsters - the beings of Magic World that were doing the same thing as him, which created a kaleidoscope of interlocking chains and glowing spirits. Quickly, he caught onto Axia's tether and managed to single it out. He smirked as he pinpointed the energy, and a vivid image flashed through his mind - Qinus Axia, surrounded by endless columns of books and scrolls. The Dragowizard looked up for a moment, before returning to his books.

"I think I got him," said Drum excitedly. "Hey, do you think you could tell Gao I'm going to Magic World for me? I don't want him to worry or anything."

Jack nodded, looking at one of the other orbs. "I'll tell him when he's free. Looks like he and Tasuku are a little preoccupied at the moment."

"Oh yeah, you mean out in the field?" said Drum, grinning at Jack's impressed look.

"You saw them with your magic sense, did you?"

"Well, kinda," he said with a shrug. "I'm still a little rusty, but I saw they were doing something that took up a lot of energy. Probably sparring, right?"

Jack chuckled, his body blocking the orb from view. "Sparring," he murmured. "Let's call it that."

Drum ignored the odd response, focusing on the magical tether he still had on Axia and gradually spinning the drills on his staff to open a portal before him. "Anyway, thanks for the talk. Wish Gao luck for me, and tell Tasuku to work on his grapple. I think he was losing. I'll see ya later!" He jabbed his staff forward in a sudden movement, and vanished in a flash of light.

Jack sighed once the other dragon was gone, glancing back at the screen again. Tasuku and Gao were running around the field with a group of younger dragons, apparently playing a game of tag. Or at least, Gao was - Tasuku had been tackled to the ground by what Jack was sure was one of Drum's younger cousins.

"'Work on his grapple', he says," chuckled Jack, shaking his head in amusement as his Buddy flailed beneath the dragon child. "I'll make sure to pass that message along."

The Grand Library.

While there were many libraries in Magic World, all filled with books of arcane knowledge and people eager to learn from them, there was only one that had earned the title of "Grand". The Grand Library loomed over the network of academies and shops around it, a massive monument to both knowledge and the power that came with it.

It was here that the greatest sorcerers of Magic World left their tomes of knowledge with the words of their predecessors; untold thousands of years of knowledge lay within the walls, and the magic dwelling within that knowledge gave the Grand Library an atmosphere like nothing else.

Students, acolytes, and even trained sorcerers often came to peruse the ancient tomes to increase their knowledge, strengthen their arsenal of spells, or even further, to delve into the depths of magical theory itself.

But the Dragowizard near the middle of the Library, levitating several books around him at once, his attention constantly shifting between them as he read and cross-referenced them, was not here for any of those reasons.

Qinus Axia was, unusually for anyone who knew him, silent and focused, reading through books at a ravenous pace, occasionally swiping his arm to bring another book from a nearby shelf to join his floating collection. It was a moment of peace and tranquility, born out of supreme dedication in finding a certain something, and one a certain Armordragon couldn't help but interrupt.

"Looks like someone's been hitting the books!" called a voice from further up the aisle. Startled, Axia spun, the books around him spinning too and almost flying out of control.

"Who's there?" replied Axia, rapidly re-stabilizing the floating books before turning to glare at the source of the noise. "I thought I had asked not to be inter-" He stopped as he saw who it was and his face went from blue to red, while the books, immediately forgotten, fell to the ground in a heap.

"DRUM-KINS!" he yelled, leaping towards his friend. The nickname came back easily to him, as did his instinct to leap on the other dragon in a powerful hug. Drum grunted as he was met with the hug, his larger form keeping him from being bowled over by what could've easily thrown a lesser dragon to the ground. To Axia's surprise, Drum didn't immediately push him away, letting the exuberant dragon enjoy the moment. Axia closed his eyes as he continued to nuzzle the red dragon's neck, but stopped when he heard an awkward chuckle. It was a nice change from the usual reluctant groan, but he silently wondered how long he could continue his affections without being pushed away.

To Drum, it was a surprisingly welcome return to form. He chuckled as he remembered Gao saying that he'd end up missing the affections of the other dragon. The kid knew more than he let on, that was for sure, especially given Drum's reaction to all of Axia's over-enthusiastic hugs in the past.

And yet, despite the impact, this hug seemed tamer than what he remembered. Or maybe he really had grown used to the dragowizard's hugs. Either way, Drum let the hug continue for a moment before trying to get Axia's attention.

"It's good to see you too, Axia." Drum said, patting the teal dragon on the back and silently hoping he'd get the hint. To his grateful surprise, Axia released the hug, and took a small step back. He did keep his claws on Drum's shoulders, but Drum found it didn't bother him all that much.

"Drum!" Axia said finally, smiling brightly. "I can't believe it, it's been so long! Word's gotten back to Magic World about the portal to Darkness Dragon World. I can't believe you and Gao-wow managed to stop that thing!"

"Yeah, it was pretty tough, but we managed alright!" Drum boasted proudly. Having Axia fawning over him again was a very welcome feeling, but he felt bad taking the compliment like that and not complimenting his friend in return. A glance at the piles of books littering the floor around them was more than enough to give him an idea for a return compliment. "And it looks like you've been doing some intense studying too."

Axia blinked, letting go of Drum's shoulders, and winced as he turned to the pile of books he had been working on.

"Maybe a little," he said sheepishly. It was a sudden turn from his previous energy, and Drum frowned at seeing his usually optimistic friend troubled.

"Is everything alright?"

"It's… complicated," Axia mumbled.

"That's a loaded phrase," joked Drum. "But, if there's anything I've learned from my time with Gao, is that even lending an ear can help."

"Thanks, Drum-kins, but that's just it. My attempts at getting a Buddy of my own haven't led up to much," Axia sighed, looking at the books scattered across the floor and stacked haphazardly on the shelves. "I came here, hoping that there was some information on finding a Buddy like Gao, but… I haven't really found much."

"You're going about it all wrong!" Drum said firmly. He put a hand on the Dragowizard's shoulder, making Axia jump slightly. "You gotta let your true Buddy come to you. It isn't something that can be forced. You'll just feel it when it happens."

Axia looked at Drum, a small smile on his snout. During all their time together, Drum had never reciprocated any of the physical affection thrown his way. It was a nice change to see him initiating that kind of contact for once, and though Axia had an impulse to hug the other dragon again, he was content to let the moment pass.

"Is there anything else that's bugging you?" Drum asked when Axia stayed quiet. "I may be rusty to the whole 'studying' business, but I figure there's another reason for all these books."

"Truth be told," Axia said after a moment, looking down self consciously. "I'm actually looking up ways to change form, like you and Asmodai do." He sighed wistfully. "You've even managed to be proficient enough in magic in such a short time that if you practiced hard enough, you'd be a top rate magician!"

"I don't know about that. Trust me, I'd be stuck in a rut too if I didn't have anybody help show me what to do," Drum admitted. "I mean, my dad started me off on Dungeon World. I kinda just charge into stuff without thinking, most of the time."

At that Axia frowned. "I've tried that, Drum-kins, but I'm not a strong monster like you are," He momentarily thought back to his final fight against Kiri, where, even powered up with a Spell, he had to be returned to the hand to avoid destruction. "Training in other Worlds isn't something I can just 'charge' into."

"So go find a training partner," Drum pressed. He tried to keep his tone encouraging, but he couldn't help but try to nudge the other dragon into action. "You're a pretty strong dragowizard. It shouldn't be that hard to find someone to help you."

"That hasn't ended too well either," sighed Axia. "It's only been once or twice, but… the monsters who are willing to help me train aren't really the best sort. There aren't many monsters who'd stick their neck out for someone like me, like you did when that girl almost burned my card, out of the goodness of their heart."

"You've obviously been with some rough crowds." Drum snorted. "Any self respecting monster wouldn't let someone almost torch another monster like that and not do anything about it."

Seeing Drum still ready to act the hero made Axia smile again, if only for a moment, but it soon fell back into a worried frown.

"I wish more monsters thought like that," he sighed. "Even if you did forget your drill, you still did more for me than a lot of monsters would have." He looked down towards the pile of books again. "And then you mastered so many other worlds, even my own. It made me so happy that you trained in Magic World and built a strategy with me as such an important part of it. Even though I couldn't help you in any of your other decks…"

He trailed off, beginning to pick up the scattered books and stacking them on another shelf. Drum felt a bit like a heel. He'd never seen Axia look so down. Or down in general, really. But what surprised him more was how familiar those thoughts sounded.

"I know what it feels like to think you aren't doing anything useful," he said at last, and Axia looked towards him, confused. "Before we met, there was a tournament Gao and I participated in, the ABC Cup. It was supposed to be where we proved how close we had gotten as Buddies, but I barely did anything. Heck, during that final fight, Gao didn't even really need me to be me. He just needed a Buddy."

He shook his head, unable to meet the Dragowizard in the eye. "I know that feeling of not being able to help someone that you care about. It's why I went away to train, so I could learn how to protect Gao." He looked up and smiled weakly at Axia. "Thanks for looking after him while I was gone, by the way."

Axia perked up slightly, nodding his head numbly. In truth, he hadn't expected this from Drum. It only further served to fuel his respect towards him, to know that he had managed to overcome those obstacles with his determination. Axia opened his mouth to speak, but Drum interrupted him.

"And hey," continued Drum, more cheerfully, "if you want to train in different Worlds, I'm sure I could help with that too. I've pretty much finished my training with Gao so-"

This time, Drum very nearly was bowled over as the enthusiastic Dragowizard leapt at him and latched onto his side. Drum was about to yell at Axia to let go, but when he didn't feel any of the dragon's usual clinginess, he stopped. This wasn't a hug of simple affection; Axia was expressing his gratitude through the embrace.

It'd be nice if all his hugs were this tame. But I guess it wouldn't be an Axia hug if it didn't knock me down.

"Thanks Drum," Axia said after a moment, disentangling himself from the red dragon. "I… I really needed that."

Drum shrugged and grinned in response, simply glad to see Axia in better spirits.

"So, Drum-kins, why did you decide to visit?" Axia wondered after the two had broken contact. "After all, I don't think you're here to hear me ramble about my problems."

"Ehh, it's fine," replied Drum. "Anything for a friend, y'know! But you are right, there's definitely another reason I came to visit. I wanted to show you the results of my training." He looked around at all the books as the pair moved out of the thin aisles to a wider area. "This place is fire-proof right?" he asked carefully.

"It's all enchanted," replied Axia, nodding firmly, eager to see what had the Armordragon so excited.

Now with a guarantee that he wouldn't reduce Magic World's largest collection of knowledge to a pile of ash, Drum spun around, a pillar of fire wrapping around him and flickering across his body. With a flash, he broke out of the flames, and, once again clad in his Crimson Battler armor, struck a heroic pose. "Crimson Battler, Drum Bunker Dragon is in the house!" He roared.

Axia's magic sense was almost overwhelmed by the energy coming off of Drum's new form, but he barely noticed; he was more focused on how physically powerful Drum had obviously gotten.

In all his previous forms, Drum always had a chest plate to shield his torso and obscure his chest, a fact that was, though he'd never admit it aloud, much to Axia's chagrin. But now that armor was gone, replaced by shining platinum armor that quite literally framed his chiseled abs. Axia could clearly see the definition on Drum's newly exposed muscles, and had to swallow to compose himself enough to tear his gaze away from Drum's torso, not that it helped much. Drum's heroic pose had his arms and legs flexed, doing all that he could to show off his new form, and everywhere Axia looked there was something else to stare at.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Drum chuckled, relaxing his pose. "Tell me what'cha think!"

Axia swallowed again, trying to find his voice. He wants to know what I think? The Dragowizard almost bit his tongue. If he said what he actually thought, he was fairly certain the buff dragon would never take him seriously again.

"What's the matter Axia?" Drum teased, when Axia remained silent. "Dragon got your tongue?"

I wish, thought Axia, still trying to take all of Drum's new form in, while restraining himself from latching onto him. He found himself wanting to be held by Drum's gorgeously strong arms, but he contented himself with that image as he finally got his mouth to work.

"You're… very impressive." He said at last, swallowing to wet his throat.

"You think?" Drum laughed, amused at the sight of Axia acting so bashful. "Well, with my help, you'll unlock a new form as well. That's a promise!"

He flashed Axia a cocky grin, and it reminded the Dragowizard of memories of similar declarations. How many other monsters had promised him their help, only to flake out on him after the going got tough? He'd never let it get to him, or take away from his optimism, but he still had that lingering doubt when asked.

But the way Drum said it, it sounded like a certainty rather than just a possibility; that he would get stronger, and that Drum would help him through it. Axia had trusted him during the fight at Sengoku, and the two of them had brought Gao through to victory. He'd used that same tone then, and Axia felt like he could trust Drum, now more than ever.

His excitement barely containable, he jumped onto Drum, wrapping his arms around his neck, like he would in his SD form. There was a moment of peace, until Drum's leg slipped, and the pair dropped to the floor.

The momentum and position were just right, and Axia's lips fell onto Drum's. Axia shivered at the intimate contact, arms tightening and pressing him closer to the Armordragon. With Drum not pushing him away, Axia revealed in the pleasant sensation, closing his eyes and letting the warmth of the kiss fill him.

Drum, on the other hand, was shocked - both from being pushed over so easily, and because of the surprising feeling that came with the action. Truthfully, at least half his brain was working out how much his pride would be hurt that he could be knocked down so easily, but the warm Dragowizard on top of him took precedence over the other half.

He'd never been one for physical affection; most physical contact he'd had in his youth was mostly from fighting other members of the Drum clan. Life was rough training under his father, and Axia's overt affection had always put him on edge, the instinct to fight back never more than a moment away.

Now, though, he felt another, different instinct awaken inside him; one that enjoyed Axia's weight on top of him, the feel of the Dragowizard's lips against his own. An odd sense of calm washed over him, until he too let his eyes close, content to let the contact last a moment longer.

Finally, the pair separated their snouts from one another, both blushing faintly as they realized what had just happened. Though they were in no hurry to separate, neither knew what to say now.

"Sorry…" Axia began, breaking the silence and picking himself up. "About… pushing you over. Guess I don't know my own strength." He laughed weakly, internally worried that he'd made things as awkward as he feared.

The words snapped Drum out of his trance, and he gave another cocky grin as he sat up. "Are you kidding? With that sort of strength, you're already farther along than I thought. Training'll be a breeze!"

While Axia was besides himself with giddiness, Drum licked his lips as the warmth slowly faded. Strangely enough, he found that he actually missed it. He vaguely wondered why that was, considering how much the Dragowizard's hugs usually got to him. Still, that was different from a hug, much different…

"Are you alright, Drum-kins?" asked Axia, concerned at the thoughtful look on the Armordragon's face and snapping him back to attention. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Of course not!" Drum replied easily, though he was groaning inwardly. I did ask to be knocked over… just didn't think he'd do it that quickly. His mental musings were interrupted when his nose caught a curious scent coming from Axia, one he wouldn't think would come from being cooped up in a library for so long. "So, hey, you said you've spent several day here, right?" Axia nodded. "So, how come you smell so nice?"

Axia blushed, startled at the compliment. "W-well, a lot of good showers helps…"

Drum looked around at the columns of books dubiously. "This place has a shower? I mean, it's a library."

"Oh, Drum-kins," the dragowizard answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "some wizards that come in here can study for days at a time." He pointed vaguely down one of the rows of shelves that lead deeper into the massive structure. "There's a bunch of them around here. One of them even has a bathtub!"

"Only in Magic World," said Drum with a roll of his eyes. "But I guess it's a good thing. It'll make cleaning up from training a lot easier." He flashed another confident smile. "Better get ready, because we're gonna begin training first thing tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" gulped Axia, suddenly uncertain.

"Yeah, tomorrow. Why, something wrong?"

Axia wrung his hands nervously. "I… actually did had something planned. Someone asked me to do them a bit of a favor, and I'm heading off to Legend World tomorrow…"

"So, you'll already be gone by tomorrow?" asked Drum. Axia nodded, worried about disappointing Drum, but Drum's determination wouldn't be stopped that easily. "Well, nothing says I can't come along, right?"

Axia perked up, his eyes lit up with hope. "Would you really do that for me?"

"Of course!" said Drum firmly. "I'm a dragon of my word! If I said I'd help you train to tomorrow, then we'll train tomorrow. We'll just have to do it during your down time."

"Thanks, Drum-kins," Axia said, gratefully.

"It's what I do," replied Drum with a good natured shrug. "So, what are you going to Legend World for, anyway?"

Axia paused for a moment before answering. "I'll… tell you when we head out," he replied carefully. Before Drum could question the odd response, Axia pointed to the pile of books lying long-forgotten on the floor around them. "For now, could you help me with some of these books? I've been reading up about Legend World, but there's a lot of stuff to cover."

"You're going to Legend World, and doing all this research," said Drum, picking up several of the heavier looking books, "and you're still worried that you wouldn't get any better?" He scoffed playfully. "You worry too much."

Once again, Axia blushed at the praise before setting to work.

The two worked like a well oiled machine, going over all the intermingled myths and histories that made up Legend World, and working well into the night. Drum found himself fascinated by how energetically Axia talked about his research. Their time together had been short, and mostly focused on fighting; because of that, Drum had never quite realized how deep the Dragowizard desire to improve himself was.

"I think you're gonna be a little lonely now that Axia's gone!" echoed Gao's words, but Drum found he wasn't bothered by it at all. The kid was right, of course. I should've known, Gao's always been a lot smarter than everyone thinks.

For now, he put those thoughts behind him, and focused on helping Axia dig through the growing towers of books around them. They worked as the sun set over the horizon, and as the sky darkened and filled with stars, the lights of the Library shone brightly, a thousand glittering stars all their own illuminating the two dragons, content in their own company…

Axia groaned softly as he woke up, dimly was aware that he was laying on something warm. He sighed to himself as he realized that he must have fallen asleep after another all nighter and someone - probably one of the librarians - had given him something to keep warm. He'd been working his tail off for weeks, so it was no wonder he was so tired. Still, the dream he had was a very welcome departure from the usual; he'd spent so long in here that he'd had a dream about history books the night before.

The teal dragon stretched out to grab the edge of the blanket and pull it over himself further, but stopped short as he unexpectedly came into contact with something solid and warm. Axia gulped, his ear fins twitching as they began working well enough for him to hear the soft breathing of another monster. He wracked his brain to remember his dream, wondering now if it had been a dream at all. Realizing there was only one way he'd find out, he opened his eyes.

There, illuminated in the morning's light, was Drum, propped up against a bookcase and surrounded by piles of books. With a start, the Dragowizard soon realized that he was lying against the bigger dragon, apparently having fallen asleep on him.

Axia swallowed, and tentatively snuggled closer to Drum. He was definitely real. Actually, really, real. His began blushing again as he realized that meant their kiss had been real too, and almost panicked as he wondered how Drum would feel about it with a new day. For now, though, he relaxed, wanting to preserve this moment as long as he could.

Soon though, the Armordragon began to wake, and Axia pulled away before Drum could realize he was there. He still wondered if he'd receive the same sort of careful enthusiasm today. Most of what they had done was spontaneous, done in the moment, and he was unsure if Drum would still feel the same way as him.

Drum yawned loudly, stretching his arms up until they audibly cracked. To Axia's delight, when he brought them back down, he wrapped his left arm around the smaller dragon. He turned his head to Axia, opened his eyes drowsily… and smiled.

"G'morning," he mumbled sleepily.

"Morning," replied Axia quietly.

Silence built up between them as their minds slowly woke, until Drum finally broke it.

"So…" he started, "whatever happened to all that snuggling you were doing earlier? I was enjoying that."

"You… you didn't mind it?" Axia couldn't help but ask. Though they had gotten along last night surprisingly well, Drum himself said that he wasn't much for physical contact.

"Yeah, well…" Drum's voice trailed off, and he looked slightly embarrassed as he seemed to work out what he wanted to say. "It… wasn't so bad this time. I kinda missed it, ya know?"

As if to emphasize the point, Drum squeezed Axia in his arm, bringing him closer to his chest. Axia grinned brightly and wrapped an arm over the Armordragon's shoulders, humming in delight at the feeling of being able to be as affectionate as he wanted. To Drum's credit, he barely felt the blush that tinted his cheeks, making the red dragon even redder.

"Drum…?" Axia started after a moment or two.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you…. for coming here, and helping me, and for letting me… for…" his voice trailed off as he tired to express how grateful he was.

"Don't mention it," replied Drum casually, slowly rising. "C'mon, you said you had a job to do today. Let's get ready to do it!"

Axia watched, entranced, as Drum stretched again. While he deeply valued Drum's attitude, he had to admit that the Amordragon's physical appeal was a definite bonus. He almost wondered if he was still dreaming, until Drum's voice broke through his reverie.

"You coming or what?" Drum called playfully, already at the end of the aisle and looking back at him. Axia still hadn't found his voice, but nodded eagerly anyway, quickly getting up to follow the red dragon. He couldn't keep his Buddy waiting, after all.