AN: AHAHAHA. I don't even know anymore. Chapter six, it's a thing. I hope you like the thing.

"You promised you wouldn't move."

"All I did was get a book."

He'd been gone for several hours and Maka had grown quite bored of constantly napping. She hadn't seen the dragon read, but he had stacks of books scattered throughout the entire cave. Many of them were in other languages that used symbols or different alphabets, some she knew of and could sound out the words she recognized but there were books that were so old and foreign to her that Maka wondered if the languages were even still alive. It had been hard to choose just one book to bring back into the nest with her, but she'd selected what appeared to be a chronicle of legends.

When Soul had lumbered back into his cave and found her propped up with the book in her lap he'd snorted and set the knotted blanket full of food down near the hearth. His pet had stiffened when she's glanced up and seen that he was a dragon, but she still met his eyes without hesitation. Soul grinned as much as he could and shifted down in a swirl of thick white mists that quickly dissipated when he stepped forward as a man once more.

His frown was more humorous that it was serious as he eyed the book she'd chosen. "Taking notes on how to be a proper sacrifice? 'Cause I think it involves a lot more groveling, little one." Her scoff made him grin even more and she carefully marked her page and then hurled the book at him. Soul laughed outright when he caught it which made her pout. "Think you need to read a bit more, damsels in distress aren't supposed to fight back."

"And dragons aren't supposed to play with their food either." She shot back when he turned to unpack the food he'd gathered. "Or help them when they're sick." The accusation was overshadowed by questions she didn't know how to ask. "Dragon?"

"I said you could call me Soul."

"And I told you that my name is Maka." The way she growled her name as if it was supposed to intimidate him was cute enough to make him grin again. He handed her a bowl of steaming broth with thick cut slices of bread.

"Yes and we both know how that conversation ended last time." Soul forced a spoonful of broth into her mouth if only to distract his little pet.

"I can do it just fine, thank you very much!" Maka sputtered after stealing the spoon from him.

"You're very welcome, little one." He teased but quickly moved away when she made to hit him with the spoon. His pet was decidedly dangerous when armed but he rather liked how feisty she was, even while sick. Soul returned to the hearth and finished unpacking the food he'd gathered. The last thing in the bundle was a small box of tea that he'd seen and hadn't been able to resist buying, he wondered if it would be the same blend he remembered from so long ago.

Soul ventured back to the nest to retrieve the mug she'd been using and to see how she was progressing on her meal. Maka made several attempts to whack him with the spoon but she was careful not to spill and broth that was left on the nest for which he was grateful and her range was fairly limited because of her shoulder. Chuckling while she glowered, Soul snatched the mug from her side and his own from atop a stack of books to fill them in the water basin. The spell to redirect one of the underground streams into the basin had been a pain and he'd flooded his cave twice trying to perfect it, but the water was cool and unpolluted. It had been worth the trouble in the end.

He held a mug in each palm and Maka watched him walk back to the hearth while she soaked her last piece of bread in the broth. It had soothed her throat some and she felt better but she was still perplexed by the dragon. Her eyes widened as steam began to curl from the water in the mugs, just how had he done that?

"How? Little one, how do you keep forgetting that I'm a dragon?" Maka hadn't realized that she'd asked the question aloud. She settled on glaring at him while he smirked and made what appeared to be tea. "It's fairly simple magic to heat the water." He walked back to the nest but instead of just handing one of the steaming mugs to her, Soul decided to lounge on some of the pillows at the edge of the nest. "Let it steep for a while, otherwise it won't taste right." He cursed, wishing he'd remembered to find some honey.

She tugged at the small silk bag that the tea was kept in and studied him. "I didn't realize dragons had a sweet tooth."

"It's better with honey." He grumbled after taking a sip. Maka hid her smile by taking her own small sip of the tea.

"My mum used to use this same blend." She blurted out before she could stop herself, "It was always one of my favorites." Maka grew bashful under his heavy scrutiny but mumbled out, "Her mum made it for her too. Said that it was a specialty from the Burned City, well before it burned."

Soul stood abruptly and stalked away to the hearth where he threw the tea he had left in his mug into the fire. It was too bitter without honey anyway.

"That chest has silks in it, find something new to wear." His voice was gruff and Maka wasn't sure what had made him shift in moods so quickly. She nodded slightly even though his back was to her and finished the tea slowly. Maka had kept herself covered with one of the thinner blankets but it would be a relief to be out of the tattered white dress. When she'd left the nest to explore the stacks of books she'd still felt feverish and unsteady on her feet, but now strengthened with food and tea Maka felt better.

He'd busied himself with contemplating throwing the tea into the fire or leaving it; Soul was rather dismayed at just how hard it was for him to throw it away. His predicament was interrupted by a pained gasp and a sharp hiss. "Just what have you managed to do now?" He groaned but stopped when there was a soft hiccup of pain from her.

"Stay over there! I don't need your help, Dragon!" Maka almost wished that he'd just eaten her in the first place and saved her the embarrassment of her current situation. In trying to get her dress over her head, she had not only twisted her shoulder the wrong way but the bandage had become tangled or snagged, she wasn't sure which, on the dress and was pulling on the tender skin. "I'm fine. I don't need help." She tried to keep her voice steady through the jolts of pain and figure out how to get out of the dress.

She felt him before she heard him, the solid heat that the dragon seemed to radiate warmed her back and he steadied her with his hands on her waist when Maka jumped. "I don't understand how something so small can cause me so much trouble." It was somewhere between a growl and an exasperated sigh, Maka could practically feel him roll his eyes at her when he turned her to face him.

"Someone. I am not a something." She bit her lip when he started to untangle the dress from the bandage, "And you could always let me go, I wouldn't cause you trouble then." He scoffed and removed the dress from her head as gently as he could leaving Maka to cover her chest with her good arm and shift uncomfortably in her small cloth.

"You know I'm not letting you go. Don't really know why though, you're more of a toothpick than you are a maiden." He smirked and eyed her small chest. She sputtered indignantly,mortified and humiliated by his leer. Soul was too busy watching the flush of rage color the tops of her shoulders to see her elbow coming. She managed a quick jab and then switched arms so she had full use of her good arm to try and beat the grin right of his smug face.

"Vile, crude, terrible lizard! How dare you!" Maka spat while the dragon started to dance out of her reach.

"You're beginning to repeat yourself pet! Going to have to think up new insults!"

"Oh just give me time." She snarled but doubled over coughing violently. She sank down the rugs, tears streaming down her face as deep, lung rattling coughs shook her small frame. Soul caught her before she made it all the way to the floor and wrapped his cloak around her.

The dragon murmured gently in her ear while she continued to cough, "Little one, breathe, you're alright." Maka tried to glare at him through her watering eyes but he didn't let her go until she was done coughing. "Better?" He asked without any trace of of a smirk.

Maka managed to rasp, "I hate you," before he was settling her down to go get her more water. She knew how to deal with his smugness and even his threats but his concern had her on edge. Once again a mug full of fresh water was gently pushed into her hands. The cloak was rough on her skin but it covered her easily while he through rummaged to find something for her to wear. Maka had just finished the water when he started to throw things at her.

"What? Would you! Quit it, Dragon!" She squeaked when something gray hit her squarely in the head and covered her eyes. There was a rumble of laughter when she pulled the silky fabric off her face and Maka scowled.

His eyes were soft when he approached her and took the cloth from her hands. He shook it out and Maka finally noted that it was an incredibly large silk shirt, "That isn't decent."

"You're short enough it will be fine." The dragon shot back and started to laugh again when she looked for something to throw at him. "Here," He was holding the shirt out so she could easily slip into it, "Do not fight me on this, little one."

"Close your eyes." Maka kept her voice stern and she didn't look away as he snorted, narrowed his eyes and eventually closed them. "If you peek,"

"What will you do, little one? Throw more of my own books at me?" His voice was still playful and Maka debated if smacking him over the head while his eyes were closed would unfair. Instead she huffed and tried to arrange the shirt over herself without bothering her shoulder. "Are you done? Can I help you yet?"

"I don't need your," Maka yelped when something tweaked the wrong way, "help." She finished lamely. "I'm covered."

The shirt was enormous on her and the collar was so wide it hung to the side and off her unbandaged shoulder, she hadn't managed to get her arm through the other sleeve though. Soul didn't say anything when he took her hand and the shirt and began to adjust the fabric so she could put her arm through. He nodded when he was done, but she didn't pull her hand from his immediately. She was studying the way his fingers had curled over hers and the contrast between their skin, Soul held his breath when her thumb ghosted across the heel of his hand as he waited to see what she would do. He could feel the magic sparking along his skin and Soul wondered if she could feel it too.

Another strand of magic caught his attention and back went rigid. The same strand had also warned him while he'd been out flying that someone was approaching his cave, and he'd found his little sacrifice brandishing a sword. The wards in place around the entrance were warning that someone else had found his home and was looking to enter. Maka had frozen as well, worried that she had overstepped and that the dragon really was about to eat her. She was quite surprised when instead he scooped her and deposited her back in his nest.

"Stay there, little one." His movement were hurried and he was halfway shifted before charging out of the cave. Maka blinked before a roar shook her very bones.