They met when Jiro was 19, and Uvelucal was done with humans. They were all greedy, evil, selfish thieves and traitors. She had lost count of the number of times she had been kind to one who entered her home, or saved one from a wild animal or drowning, only to be stabbed in the back by them later, and that had ruined her faith in the species as a whole. And of course, it was always the beautiful ones who were the worst. So when she hears a human's soft, perfectly pitched voice singing some unrecognizable ditty, she immediately goes on the defensive. Growling, she turns to face the entrance to her den with bared teeth. The idiot who dared to try to betray her trust this time would pay with their life.

Jiro hums happily to herself as she climbs into the cave, wearing a simple pair of hiking boots, black shorts, and a tank top. Tossing her pack over the ledge and into the cave, before pulling herself up and spinning around. "Holy crap, they said the view was nice, but nobody ever said it was this great!" she says to herself, before plopping down with her legs crossed and pulling a sandwich out of her bag. Taking a bite from her dinner and a sip of water, she begins singing quietly to herself, seemingly unaware of the massive dragon in the cave with her. Her song has no particular tune, nor does it rhyme, at least not in the language she was singing in. It was, however, very upbeat and cheery.

"Mobi ui vi verthicha, gloma mrith rasvimi ehs shilta vucot!

"Coi ui shivia ini vi darastrix, jaciv ui versel vur juanth!

"Persvek gavir ekess gjahall wer darastrix, ir zklaen qe othokent!

"Si mi ti ghent rasvim, si huven ekess ultrinninan jacioniv kornari!"

The song confuses Uvelucal to no end, mostly the final line. "Ultrinninan sia kornari?" she questions quietly to herself, wondering what exactly the puny woman meant by that. She did not seem armed, and she certainly had no way to pierce the dragon's scales. Still, she was seemingly intent on stealing the greater being's heart, so Uvelucal keeps her defenses up, but stays silent. She was, after all, still kind at heart, and this woman was somewhat... cute. She would allow this one to finish her song.

What Uvelucal did not know, however, was that Jiro was very aware of her presence. She had come to see if the rumors of a dragon that could turn into a beautiful, if somewhat gullible, lady were true. It seemed the dragon part was true, now what about the beautiful lady part? Maybe the great lizard would respond to a bit more song.

"Saurivic yrev lae wer aurix jaciv kivani, oupila shafaer tirnlgi di vutha!

"Muansi, qanescir ternocki eligne jacioniv de lowd!

"Shar sjek jaciv enelic wux, hak vi aesthyr jaciv xkhatic,

"Mrith vi ehaism throdenilt vorel loupon batobot di wer lleisgarir siksta."

The amateur musician smirks as she hears the dragon shifting behind her, still not looking back for fear of ruining her illusion of obliviousness. Reaching over to her pack again, she pulls out a guitar, gently strumming the chords and checking them. Once she's satisfied, she starts to play, the notes from the simple wooden instrument mixing with her voice in a heavenly melody.

"Ir kear, si ornla hefoc ekess tafiaf jacioniv,

"Vur ocuir sjek asta lexri re vis,

"Zyak, nomagqe Uvelucal, wux geou origato ve ocuir

"Wer vor batobot ui wux."

Once again, this human had confused Uvelucal. She had heard the first two verses of the song before, most humans who sought her out intentionally sang it to themselves as they climbed the mountain. Granted, some of the lyrics were different, though she chalked that up to translation errors. The third verse was what caught the horned lizard off guard. It was new, and it seemed almost improvisational. Uvelucal goes back over the words in her head, and realizes that the human knows she is there. Confusion morphs to intrigue. She hadn't been using any magic to hide, and it was entirely possible for anyone with a good eye to have seen her, but most people were unaware of her presence until she made herself known. Interesting, indeed. She makes herself known, shifting to rest her head beside the human before she speaks.

"Algbo authot, munthrek. Riluoh, si mi thric drongilt wer darastrix persvek dout miirik. The last human who saw me betrayed me, just like the hundreds of others before her. I have no proof that you will not do the same. I did enjoy your music, so I will give you one chance. The sun is setting. Stay here for the night, I will provide you with shelter and food until morning. However, if you try anything, I will not hesitate to kill you."

The small woman jumps at the sound of her voice, but quickly bows in thanks, a large smile on her face. They sit in silence for a moment, Uvelucal watching the sunset as Jiro studies her enormous form, before the small human woman speaks up.

"Uvelucal? Would you mind showing me your human form? You're certainly gorgeous in this one, but I must admit I'm curious if the legends do your other form justice."

"You sang the song, did you not? Shar sjek jaciv enelic wux, hak vi aesthyr jaciv xkhatic. I must trust you first, before i show you my human form. Let us see how tonight goes, and maybe in the morning, I will show you."

A few hours pass, the human and the dragon making idle conversation. Uvelucal learns that in the time since she has last seen a human, they seem to have developed abilities that vary from person to person. The old dragon decides to call them 'Arcaniss,' as the abilities remind her of the times of wizards, witches, and warlocks. Eventually, Jiro falls asleep, and Uvelucal follows suit.

A few days later, Jiro returns, singing the same song, with the same question. This pattern continues for two years, and Uvelucal watches the girl she now considers a friend grow, from a teenager to a professional hero. When she finally does decide to show Jiro her human form, a small pink girl, with pink hair and small yellow horns, the reaction she gets is jarring, to say the least.

"Holy shit, you're even prettier than the stories say," the rocker girl whispers, eyes wide and a blush evident on her face. She pauses for a second, considering the words she's about to say, before rushing up to the dragon and grabbing her hands gently. "Come live with me. I've got this nice little house on the beach, nobody ever visits."

The sincerity in Jiro's voice makes her smile, and she nods. She trusted this woman with her life, and she was more than willing to make the trip for her. "No problem, Jiji!" she cheers, pumping a fist in the air. Within a week, they're living together, sharing a home, food, a room even. Uvelucal, now more widely known as Mina Ashido, is well known around the city they live in as the cheerful, helpful woman who always has a smile for you, even if it is a bit sad sometimes.

They stay friends and roommates for four years before Jiro asks her out. Having thankfully spent enough time in human society to understand what Jiro was asking, the shape-shifted dragon had responded by dragging the rocker girl out of their house and shifting back into her dragon form, something she had no need for in the past year. Gently tossing the girl onto her back and warning her to hold on tight, she takes off, and their first date is a flight around the country, from the beach to forests and mountains, until they eventually end up back at "The Meeting Cave," as they affectionately called it. They spend the night, Jiro complains about the rock being too hard, and Mina teases her for it. That same night, they share their first kiss. As far as either of them are concerned, it's a perfect start.

It's almost two years later that they have their first fight. Thinking back on it, neither of them really can recall what it was about, it had been so completely insignificant. But at the time, it had hurt, and they almost broke up before Mina stopped being stubborn and apologized. They have other fights afterward, yes, but never anything as large or as threatening to their relationship as the first. When they do fully make up, however, Mina notices something. Her powers were fluctuating rapidly. Her aging was picking up speed, and it was much more difficult to use her magic. She writes it off as emotional stress, and ignores it.

And where Jiro had done most of the advancing in said relationship, the dragon was the one to propose to the rocker, even going so far as to replicate their first date to a T before popping the question. Of course, Jiro accepts, positively ecstatic that after five years together, they were finally making it permanent. Official. Legal. Neither of them got much sleep that night, for various reasons. But that night is the last night that Mina transforms into a dragon. She's human now, all of her draconic powers having faded from lack of use. But she finds, she doesn't care. They're both thirty now, and entirely happy with their lives.

Three years fly by like nothing at all, and Mina and Jiro, now a happy married couple, find that they might be missing something. This something turns out to be a child, they realize, and a few days later, they find themselves at an adoption clinic. Mina sees one child, a small girl with a single horn poking out of her forehead, and the decision is made. Eri joins their family, moving in with them a few weeks later. The young girl stays with them for seventeen more years, when they practically bully her into living with her boyfriend, don't worry about them, they'll be fine.

Ten years later, Mina and Jiro are sixty and meeting their grandchildren. Jiro has retired from her job as a hero, and the odd couple live comfortably in the same house Mina had moved into now thirty-six years ago.

Jiro has just turned seventy when Mina has to take the woman she loves to a hospital. She leaves with Eri a mere three hours later. The love of her life was no more. Curse humans and their poorly designed bodies. 2 weeks go by, and the funeral is held. Mina sobs as she watches Jiro's casket lower into the grave that will be her home for the rest of eternity. She is the last to leave the site, simply staring blankly as she feels her magic returning. Of course. Now was her time, as well. With a small smile, Mina transforms, and Uvelucal makes her final appearance in the world.

"Si geou ocuir wux persvek vi klewar, sia itov," comes the language, one she hasn't heard for nearly fifty years. Her large, draconic eyes flutter shut quietly, and she huffs a small spurt of magic onto the tombstone, altering it to add her name and dates. Anyone who sees it will remember, incorrectly, that the pair of them died together in their sleep.

With one final glance at the world around her, Uvelucal- no, Mina Ashido, fades away, body turning to dust and leaving a whisper on the winds.

"I Love You."