"Mikage!" Teito called out, "Mikage where are you? Get back here!" Teito ran outside to the fountain. "Mikage!"

"Pya!" The pink dragon flew up and landed on Teito's head. He scowled.

"You know, you are such a pain sometimes." He reached up and poked Mikage's sides. The dragon snorted in what was his way of laughter. He poked him again and again until he snorted a bunch of smoke. Teito laughed and coughed as smoke filled his nostrils. Mildly offended, Mikage hopped off and sat on the edge of the fountain. "Aw its ok little buddy." Teito sat down next to the little dragon and patted his head.

The two sat together silently for some time. Teito checked occasionally to see if Mikage had fallen asleep. He was usually so energetic he probably exhausted himself. He was just about to poke him again when the little dragon jumped to his feet and squealed happily.

"Nice to see you too, Mikage." It was Hakuren. The little dragon flew and landed in Hakuren's arms. He chuckled and scratched Mikage's ears. Teito grumbled to himself. He was Mikage's best friend, yet, he had never been greeted like that before. "How are you?" Mikage made a series of grunts and snorts as a response. Hakuren laughed again.

Teito put his hands in his pockets and stood leaning against the fountain. He watched as Hakuren and Mikage giggled and chattered. After a few more minutes of this, Hakuren turned to address Teito, but found him gone. He and Mikage shared a questioning look.

Huffing and out of breath, Teito entered the library. He needed to think, to have time to control his rampant emotions. Lately, it seems the little things bothered him. It had only been an hour or so since his odd encounter with Frau, but it felt like it had been longer. He brushed his fingers across his lips again. At the rush of the memory, Teito felt his face grow hot. He couldn't help wishing to relive the moment over and over again. But he knew it was impossible. He didn't have to be told to know that Frau was merely playing around with his emotions, already raw from the losses he'd recently endured. Teito felt his heart grow heavy in sadness. Mikage was gone, or at least, no longer the human boy he once knew. It was hard to seek his advice when he couldn't speak. What was worse was he longed to see Mikage smile, but dragons don't smile like he had as a person.

Teito sank to the floor, hidden among the shelves of books. Hugging his knees to his chest, he let the tears flow silently. He had lost so much! And now he was in love. How could he live a normal life fearing for the well being of another? The tears streamed faster, exhausting him physically and emotionally. Soon he was fast asleep on the floor. And as he slept, he dreamed.

The sky was clear and blue. Plump white clouds were scattered across the sky. He was small, maybe five or so, and he was laughing. Father was leaning against a very old, yet very beautiful tree, watching little Teito as he pointed out different and familiar shapes of the clouds. Teito glanced at Father and smiled a big toothy grin, minus one of his front teeth. Father smiled back, a genuine, loving smile. Then, the vision changed. Instead of the happy scenery with white clouds and clear skies, the world darkened. The once lush and beautiful land was filled with burnt trees and charred remains. Father was still there, but he was starting to fade rather quickly. Teito ran to Father, arms reaching, tears streaming down his cheeks. And then, Father disappeared, shifting away into the misty gloom. The vision changed again and Teito was back to his current age. He could still see the land as nothing but cinder and soot. But there was something different this time. Fires continued to burn brightly, as if they had just been lit and only begun flaring with life.

Something shimmered in the corner of his eye. He turned and stared, horrified. Standing no more than a few feet away was Hakuren, coated in someone else's blood. Teito watched, frozen as Hakuren licked the blood off of his fingers as if he were some sort of vampire. But that wasn't what had disturbed him. Lying at his feet was the mangled and bloodied body of Zehel. Teito fell to his knees, tears once more streaming down his cheeks. The shimmering that he had seen before, he noticed, was the reflection of flames dancing on the surface of the ghost's scythe. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't want to believe, didn't want to know, but he couldn't look away. Hakuren turned to meet Teito's horrified stare. Smiling, he held out a blood soaked hand, as if offering him a taste. Teito shifted his eyes to glance again at the body at Hakuren's feet, and screamed.