Collar

A/N: Here we are with another chapter. See how you like it. I'll meet you at the bottom.


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After that first night, Aphelion kept the collar, wearing it often under his clothes, the high collared shirts he was so fond of coming in handy for once. He'd been sitting in a park on a swing set, idly rubbing the metal collar through the fabric of his shirt when a familiar scent caught his attention. Smoky and deep, with a hint of cinnamon. "Parsec? Impossible."

Parsec, the Fire Dragon, was long dead. Just like the other dragons, save Aphelion. Though, the more Aphelion thought about it, the more possible it seemed that Parsec had been reborn. A burst of adrenaline flooded the silver dragon's body, and he leaped from the swing set, quickly making his way across the bright green grass of the park.

A deep, heavily accented voice made him pause mid-step. "Ah, Aphelion. Where would ye be runnin' off to?" He turned slowly, almost dreading the action, not wanting to see the one whose death he'd been responsible for. Unthinkingly, he touched the metal that circled his throat, finally meeting Parsec's gaze.

"Parsec. You look...different." When he searched his memories, Aphelion found a large man with wild, flame-like dreadlocks, a wide mouth, and fangs. In a word, unattractive. The dragon he saw now was vastly different. Still tall, Parsec was well-built and muscular, but no longer bulky. Instead of dreadlocks, his hair was shaggy and messy, falling to just below the tips of his slightly pointed ears. The fire dragon smiled, and Aphelion noted the lit matchstick at the corner of his mouth. "Still eating matches, I see. "

Parsec laughed, long and loud, then smiled and clapped Aphelion on the back. "Aye, it seems to be a habit I can't get rid of." The fire dragon's eyes danced, shifting from orange to red to yellow and blue as Aphelion watched, the colors mixing and jumping in a dizzying way. "So, how have ye been, Aphelion? Long time no see, o' course."

Stepping away from Parsec, the silver dragon adjusted his clothing, his spine stiff and straight as a metal rod. "I don't understand. One might think you were toying with me, Parsec. You should be angry after all that I've done." Still wearing that damnable smile, Parsec tilted his head and took Aphelion's arm, walking in the direction of the street.

"The truth is, I was. When first I woke, I was furious, and I sought yer blood." When the arm under his hand went tense, Parsec made a soothing noise, shaking his head. "After a while of searching for ye, I cooled down. I see now, I think, what ye were tryin' to do. What ye fought fer. I cannot blame ye fer fighting fer yer beliefs, now can I? When I was doin' the very same?"

Almost in a daze, Aphelion allowed himself to be led to a small house, more of a large shack than anything else. When he finally snapped out of it, he was sitting on a dusty old couch in front of a grime-covered window. "Don't you ever clean?" he muttered in disgust.

Parsec chuckled and sat beside him, blowing a smoke ring into the air. "Not today. I suppose I could tidy up, though. Perhaps a bit later."

The silver dragon discreetly coughed as the smoke touched his nose. It wasn't what he'd expected; thick and sweet smelling, surprisingly pleasant. "Allow me to recap. You are no longer angry at me, though I was responsible for your temporary demise."

Sitting forward, Parsec pulled the matchstick from between his lips, staring at the still burning tip. After a moment, the flame died, and Parsec tossed the match to the floor, pulling a new one from his pocket. He blew over it, and it caught fire. Sliding the new matchstick into his mouth, the fire dragon frowned. "My strength is gone, Aphelion. My powers...a fraction of what they once were. I'm afraid I need yer help. Ye are the only other dragon that's awake, as far as I can tell."

Fighting down the headache that tried to form, Aphelion sighed. It was exhausting being in Parsec's presence, as if the other dragon was slowly sucking the strength from his body. Silver eyes widened in shock, and he glanced at Parsec, who nodded. "So ye figured it out? It's ye, Aphelion, who can restore my strength. Ye, the Silver Eye, who can bring me back to myself. And until that happens, I'll have to stay close to ye. So, where do ye reside?"

A/N: Oh-ho-ho! Soooo, Parsec is alive! And different! And going to live with Aphelion!? o.o Well, fine. Shack up then, you guys. Bahahahaha, I'm crazy. Review!