A few hours later, boredom was quickly replaced by concern, and Ezra paced nervously, twirling a shuriken between her fingers. She felt a sharp sting of pain.

"Damn!" she hissed, glancing down at the cut that was oozing a thin line of blood on her finger. It wasn't like her to be so distracted as to cut herself on her own weapon. She let out a frustrated sigh as she slid the sharp object back up her sleeve.

"Ez!" Yona called. Ezra glanced up to find Yona waving at her. "I'm going to check up on Shinah. Want to come with me?"

"Yes, please," Ezra agreed immediately, and together they made their way to the tent that Yun was using as a makeshift sickroom.

"Yun," Yona said, pulling back the flap. "How's Shinah?"

Ezra entered behind the princess and crouched to fit into the tent. Kija and Zeno were there already, looking after their dragon brother, so it was a tight fit.

"He's okay," Yun told them, turning with a small smile. "I put some of the senjuso on him, so his injury will heal quickly."

Ezra was filled with concern and sadness as her eyes roamed over Shinah's form lying unmoving on the ground, covered by a blanket with Ao at his shoulder. She didn't like seeing him so vulnerable, and she wished he hadn't been so rash when fighting those stupid bandits. What had he been thinking? He'd nearly gotten himself killed.

Suddenly she frowned. Was this how he felt after they'd fought the pirates at Awa? If so, no wonder he'd gone a bit overboard with concern after seeing her covered in bandages for her numerous injuries.

"Thank goodness," Yona breathed.

"Seiryu! Seiryu! Do you know this is Zeno?" Zeno sat on his knees at Shinah's side, shouting as if he could reach Shinah simply by being louder. "Are you alive? Let's play!"

Ezra did her best not to flinch at the volume of his voice. The sound made her concussed head pound mercilessly.

"Don't make a racket, Ouryuu!" Yun snapped in annoyance.

"Why is he still unconscious?" Ezra asked, concern furrowing her brow.

Yun sighed. "Of course, it's partially because of the stab wound, but it's also due to releasing all of the power he'd been suppressing up until this point. Until his strength returns, he needs rest."

"What about the paralysis?" Ezra pressed.

"It sounds like he's used his power in the past, so he should get over it soon," Yun said.

"Should?" Ezra repeated.

Yun gave her a cross look. "Hey, I'm doin' my best here! I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a little out of my depth in this situation."

Ezra closed her eyes, trying to reign in her emotions. "I know, Yun," she sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I know you're worried," Yun told her sympathetically. "We all are."

Kija crouched down by Shinah's head. "Shinah, don't overexert yourself. If you need anything, just tell me. I'll do anything."

"Zeno too! Zeno too!" Zeno chirped.

"It's difficult to control your power if you're not accustomed to using it. If you need advice, you can always come to me," Kija told him.

"Zeno too! Zeno too!"

"All you do is fool around!" Kija exploded loudly, turning on the Ouryuu with a vein popping out of his forehead. Ezra cringed. "You don't even use your power!"

"Zeno's role is to cheer everyone up!" Zeno announced happily.

"That's it! If you're going to cause such a racket, get out of here!" Yun snapped at the two dragons.

Kija and Zeno mumbled apologies under their breath as they were ushered out of the tent.

Ezra suppressed a small smile as she watched the scene unfold. She turned back to Shinah to find Ao on the dragon's chest, trying to push an acorn into his mouth.

"Ao, he can't eat that," she chided the squirrel gently. She sat on her knees by Shinah's head, her fingers playing idly with the blanket wrapped around his body. He was wearing his mask and Ezra longed to take it off, but she refrained. "Get well soon, Shinah," she whispered quietly. "Please."

Yun and Yona watched her with knowing smiles on their faces.

The moment was interrupted by Hak's deep voice. "Princess," he rumbled from outside the tent.

"What is it?" Yona asked.

"They're holding a burial for the kid that was killed earlier today," he said.

Ezra turned her attention away from Shinah to glanced worriedly at Yona. The princess bit her lip as she looked at the ground, her eyes sad.

"Go," Ezra said. "I'll stay with him."

Yona nodded and stood before exiting the tent.

Yun made as if to follow her before turning back to Ezra. "He doesn't need any additional care. You can come with us."

Ezra smiled at him. "It's fine, Yun. Besides, if he wakes up while you're gone, I don't want him to be alone." She didn't want to tell him that the real reason was that she was absolutely exhausted; if she tried to go with them to the burial, she may very well faint on the way there.

Yun's eyes softened in understanding. "We'll be back," he said before going after Yona.

Once they were gone, Ezra turned back to Shinah with a sigh. "Is this how you felt when I passed out in Awa?" she asked her unconscious friend, knowing that she wouldn't receive a response. "Did you feel as scared, as powerless, as I do right now?"

Ao scrambled up her arm to perch beside her ear, and she chuckled as she felt the squirrel's cheek brush against hers.

Ezra's eyes saddened as she fixed Shinah's blanket, fully covering his bare shoulders with it. She knew how much he hated the cold.

She brushed a finger against his cheek, left bare by the mask. She longed to see his features, but it somehow felt wrong for her to remove his mask without his approval. "Sleep well, Shinah," she murmured.

Then she curled up by his side, snuggling Ao close to her face. She reached out an arm towards him, laying her palm flat on his chest. The rhythmic rise and fall of his lungs soothed her, and she quickly fell asleep.

~~~

When Yun and the others returned from the burial, Yun took one look inside the tent and turned towards the group with an annoyed expression. "Great! The two injured patients are sleeping in the tent, and there's no room for me in there so I can look after them."

"Really?" Yona was intrigued. "I want to see!" She peeked her head into the tent to find that Shinah hadn't moved, but Ezra was curled up in a ball beside him with one arm splayed over his chest. Ao was snuggling with strands of her long, dark hair close to her face.

Yona smiled at the adorable picture.

"You can't just squeeze in?" Hak asked, adjusting his grip on the firewood they'd been gathering on their back back to camp.

Yun shook his head. "There's no way." He turned to Yona. "Sorry, Yona, but it looks like you and I are sleeping outside tonight. Shinah and Ezra are still recovering, and they need their rest. I won't move them."

Yona nodded in understanding. "That's fine! I'll sleep with Hak tonight!"

Everyone stared at her in shock, Hak included.

"Yona dear, are you sure that's a good idea?" Jaeha asked, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "The Thunder Beast is a beast!"

Hak snagged a rock off the ground and threw it at Jaeha's head. "Don't group me with you, Droopy Eyes," he snapped.

Kija placed a hand over his heart, his expression stricken.

Yona found herself enveloped in a pair of soft arms from behind. "Miss! Sleep with Zeno for a change!" the Ouryuu chirped in her ear.

"Sorry, Zeno," Yona said, looking at Hak. "Hak's good."

Hak was so shocked that he dropped all the wood he'd been carrying.

"Really? Then Zeno will sleep close to Ryokuryu!" Zeno ran to Jaeha and hugged his arm.

"I'll pass," Jaeha said immediately.

"Yun! I have an emergency! My chest hurts!" Kija gasped.

"Can't fix that," Yun said flatly.

Kija's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "It's an incurable disease?!"

Yun rolled his eyes. "Idiots, the bunch of them."

"Yun! Help me!" Kija wailed.

"Quiet!" he snapped. Immediately everyone fell silent and stared at the boy. "We have two injured people who need their rest! Now hurry up and go to bed!"

Mother's word was final. Everyone scrambled to get to sleep.