A/N: Well, here we are, chapter numero diez. This and chapter eleven are both longer than average chapters, but not by much. So enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Ten: A Heart-to-Heart

Tiki jumped up in surprise.

"Abel??" she gasped. Everyone else looked at her as if she were possessed. Which, admittedly, she might've been.

"… Tiki, are you okay?" asked a worried Elice. "You've had a rough day, and you might be hallucinating from shock."

Tiki stopped to think. If I say I heard Abe-Abe's voice, they will think I'm hallucinating. But I know I did! I need someone who'll believe me no matter what. "No, I just… thought I saw his finger move." Who, though? The only one besides Abe-Abe I could trust with my innermost feelings was Le-cha. But no one's seen her in a long time… maybe Mar-Mar knows. "Mar-Mar?"

"Yes, Tiki?"

"Do you know where Lena is?"

Marth hesitated. "Before she disappeared, she left me a strange note. Among other things I'd rather not mention right now, it said she left for Macedon. But when I asked Minerva if she'd seen her, she said she hadn't. So no one around here knows for sure."

"Well I really need to talk to her."

"What is so important," said Minerva, "that you can't tell us?"

Tiki shied away slightly, retreating like a turtle would into her shell. "Because you won't believe me, and I'm serious about this."

Minerva could tell that whatever was addling Tiki, she wasn't kidding about. Tiki's distraught expression attested to that. She knelt by Tiki.

"Tiki, you can tell me anything, and I promise I'll treat it with all due seriousness."

Tiki sniffled. "Promise?"

"I never go back on my word. I promise."

Relieved, Tiki gave Minerva a quick hug. "Thank you. The thing I was talking about is that… I… I heard Abel's voice in my heart."

Minerva stared at Tiki, thinking, letting the gravity of her statement sink in.

"I see," she responded. "You hear Abel's voice in your heart, you say… Perhaps he's found a way to contact you from beyond the grave. Try replying to him."

"How?"

"I don't know. Imagine you can see him, look inside your heart, do something."

So Tiki looked inside her heart, and she naturally expanded its emotional range. She said, "Abe-ame?"

"I don't think she can hear you, Abel."

Abel sat on the bed. "I know, but I felt like trying." He lay down on his back. Nagi lay beside him.

"So what compelled you to alter your blood like you did?" asked Nagi, removing her headdress.

"… do you know Tiki personally?"

"Maybe. I have trouble remembering stuff like that. The name sounds familiar from before I met you."

"Well, I'm positive I love her, and I want to be with her. Not only that, but I've learned that dragons seem to have this air of pride and freedom about them, and I wanted to share in her joy."

"Hmm… unfortunate that it worked out this way, isn't it?" Nagi removed the obi-like belt cinching her clothes to her body.

"Yes it is. I just wish—"

Abel stopped. A familiar voice within him spoke: Abe-ame?

"Something wrong, Abel?" asked Nagi.

"I heard Tiki… from wi-within me…"

"… heartspeak. Also known more commonly as a heart-to-heart conversation. Congratulations, Abel. You've stumbled upon an ability rare even among the royal family of the divine dragon clan."

Abel blinked. "Then why do I have it? I'm not royal blooded."

Nagi grinned slyly. "You are now, courtesy of Tiki. You're just as much royalty as she is now."

"I… am?"

"Mm hmm."

Abel stopped to consider the implications of what he'd done. He'd thrust himself into so many unknowns. Unknown politics, unknown powers, unknown family even. Then again, because Tiki was the last surviving divine dragon, it didn't seem to matter as the race was expiring anyway.

It then occurred to Abel that he could have helped Tiki revive the clan. If only he hadn't died, then he could have done so much good! But it was a little late now. Instead, he contented himself with asking Nagi some questions.

"Nagi, could you explain some things to me?" he asked.

"Of course."

He proceeded to ask Nagi about politics, biology, and other topics relative to the divine dragons. As she explained, the current alpha male and female chose the next-in-line just prior to their death, and no one was allowed to dispute their decision. This was to ensure no power play took place to try to steal the positions. In the rare case that both the alpha male and female died suddenly and unexpectedly, then a test was given to all those willing to take the position to determine the next two.

Nagi then explained—as she knew Abel was curious, even if he wouldn't admit it—the intricacies of dragon mating. Abel's face flushed as he listened, as his imagination supplied the visual aids to accompany Nagi's words, using himself and Tiki as the examples. She explained both the human and dragon varieties of the act. The human variety involved a minor mating dance to attract and arouse the mate, and it then proceeded into the actions Abel was familiar with. Abel was surprised to learn that the female generally dominated the human-variety mating of divine dragons, but it was not uncommon for the male to assume that role.

The dragon variety was more for heat-of-passion moments, because, in dragon forms, the hormones coursing through the body were more active and influential. Dragons engaged in mating tended to lose sight of all else until the activity was completed. It tends to last several hours in this form.

After that vivid lesson, to allow Abel's face to cool down, Nagi explained the reproduction itself. The mother lays her eggs in a makeshift nest made of whatever works for the size of the egg(s). Both father and mother shared all responsibility in the growth and care of offspring. Nagi took that moment to stress that, in almost all facets of life, male and female dragons were considered all but equals. Gender had no influence on one's ability to perform a task.

Abel asked a question that had been nagging on him for some time.

"Excuse me. If Tiki and I were the only two divine dragons left alive to breed, doesn't that mean our first generation of children will have to… engage in…"

"Incest? Yes. Though it's not as bad as you think it is. Humans have a fierce taboo against such a thing, but we dragons do not. If brother and sister, if cousin and cousin, if mother and son, if father and daughter, if any two should fall in love, then we allow such a love to bloom. If your human side still is adverse to this, my suggestion is to have lots of children with Nagi so it seems less creepy to you.

"Fortunately for you, though, children born of incest among our clan do not suffer from any kind of birth defect, as incest-born humans tend to."

That revelation alone astounded Abel. It also relieved him. So things might work out if I can escape from here. But how do I do that?

He decided now was a good time to reply to Tiki's earlier message, because he'd gotten sidetracked enough as it was. He extended his heart and said, "Yes, Tiki. I'm sorry that took so long. I am able to speak with you. I think I know how to solve our problem. Tell Elice to…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: I made all that dragon stuff up. I don't want to be too hard on Abel and Tiki.

Abel's got a plan, people! Yay! Tune in next time to see what it is! Same time, same website! Review~