Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own it.

Seto wasn't entirely sure what was going on. He was slowly waking up, coming out from under the effects of the Dragonsbane flower. He felt warm – he could tell there were blankets tucked around him and then there was the strange and unknown feeling of a smaller body snuggled against him.

Had Mokuba arrived? How long had he been asleep? The last thing he could remember was Ryou waking up and then passing out.

Seto drifted to consciousness, opening sapphire blue eyes to a rather adorable sight.

It was Ryou who was tucked against him, and the young woman was fast asleep. She looked healthier than he remembered – her skin had a bit of color to it and her breathing sounded even and deep. Seto brought a hand up and touched her face and fluffy white hair, remembering doing this before he had succumbed to the flower.

Her skin was soft and warm and he was happy to feel that instead of the dry roughness of wood. She made a soft sound in her sleep and cuddled closer – Seto realizing with a slight start that she was fully recovered and therefore what had been taken by the curse had been restored.

He wondered what her voice sounded like. He suspected it was soft and as gentle as she was, perhaps at an alto pitch.

Seto let out a low rumbling noise of content, his dragon-half feeling quite pleased with the situation. His tail thumped a little on the bed and Seto kept watch over her as she continued to peacefully slumber.

Ryou woke up a little while after Seto. She could hear him making a noise that sounded almost like purring and wondered if that was a way that dragons showed that they were happy and content with the world. She had the feeling it was a sound that he didn't openly let other people hear very often, if at all.

Opening her eyes, Ryou found that she was tucked up against Seto, head nestled under his chin. He had one arm loosely draped over her and she had the feeling of being rather safe and secure.

The young woman shifted a little so she could pull back, sitting up as best she could so she could properly look at Seto's face. His eyes were so pretty – and she was a little surprised to see that his pupils were currently slits; she couldn't remember them being like that before.

"Seto?" she asked softly, wanting to know if the man or the beast was the one in more control right now. She then blinked at the sound of her own voice, having not heard it for a very long time. It was hoarse from not being used and she hoped the curse hadn't damaged it somehow.

To Seto, the sound was probably one of the nicest sounds he had heard – though that could also be obvious bias considering his feelings for her.

"Ryou," he replied softly, the tinge of a growl in his voice. "I'm sorry it took me so long to save you."

Ryou shook her head at this, holding no ill will toward Seto.

"We have both been a little foolish," she answered. "I waited too long to tell you how I felt. I was too scared of rejection and what you would think of someone like me."

At Seto's slightly confused look, she continued with her thoughts.

"I was a teenager who had been alone for years, slowly losing the battle to a curse that would turn me into a doll. I had been abandoned by my Father and I had no ideas of the outside world. I was only minor nobility, certainly no proper match for the Captain of the Royal Guard. I hid my growing feels for you. I planned to take them to the grave with me."

"But then the grave rejected you."

"My family did," Ryou sighed. "I saw all of them – my brothers, my mother, my sister...and my Father. He apologized for everything. I don't think I can forgive him just yet but he truly felt awful for what he had become and what he had done to me. I couldn't stay though, apparently, it's not my time to go for a long time. I suppose I should be happy that they sent me back, but still I..."

"You miss them," Seto finished as Ryou sniffled, nodding in agreement to his statement. "You reunited with them and then were sent away."

"I didn't want to come back, but then when I woke up and saw that you were here and I was freed...I miss them horribly and it hurts that I will have to wait longer, but you are here and I think I can survive a while longer with that."

Seto sat up as well, a bit tired of laying down for three days.

"When we're both properly recovered," he started, reaching out and brushing a few strands of hair away from Ryou's face. "When that happens, I want to court you. I would be a fool to let you go again."

Ryou couldn't help the blush that tinged her cheeks a light pink. She never would have thought that someone would want to formally declare their intent at a relationship by courting her. To court someone was no laughing matter and she pressed her hands to her face, trying to hide the growing red color of her face.

"Is that alright?" Seto asked, a bit unsure what to think of her actions. He was rather socially inept at these sorts of things.

Ryou nodded, not able to find her words – she was too happy that Seto wanted to actually get serious.

Seto gently guided her hands away from her face and leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"I promise, from now on, I'll take care of you."

After being bed-bound for so long, Ryou found that she was eager to be up and walking again, though her weakened body wasn't quite as ready as her mind was to get up and moving around. She found herself relying on Shizuka and surprisingly Lira – the Silver Fang was certainly large enough for Ryou to brace herself on when she needed the extra support while getting exercise. She saw Seto often – he was bouncing back faster than she was and now that she was alright, he was getting back to his usual routine.

Ryou found that she liked to go watch him train the soldiers and Jounouchi seemed to have taken her on as a second younger sister, much to everyone's amusement and Seto's slight annoyance. Ryou liked getting to see all the sides of the dragon-shifter. But the soldiers were some of the best in the world and although Seto's guidance was harsh, there was something to be said for it.

Seto had indeed started to court her as well, as he had promised. When he wasn't busy being the Captain, he was escorting her around the grounds and doing small gestures to show her his feelings – flowers were common as were little trinkets from his hoard (while his dragon had a more protective-hoarding stance, he had still built up quite a stash of treasure over the years and was more than happy to give bits of it to Ryou).

For the first time in many years, Ryou found herself happy and feeling more positive about her future. She was sure that given time, the curse and all its sadness would become a faint memory.

A/N: See you next chapter...