5

"You know, you kinda look like her," Kuroo randomly says. As he speaks, his gaze slowly shifts from Nika to Daichi. As he speaks, Oikawa puts what Daichi mentally refers to as 'magical seaweed' on Nika's wounds. To his horror, within seconds of them being placed on Nika wounds, they turn blue. Normally Daichi likes the color blue, but now that he knows that it is the color of dragon blood, he doesn't like it as much. Especially when it is pouring out of his dragon friend. "The witch that save Nika's life." Sensing Daichi's confusion, he explains. "It happened years ago..."

Driven by curiosity, Nika disobeys their mother's orders. Even though their mother had pushed Nika away from the front door of their cottage, Nika drew near. They drew near even though their mothered order them to not come out of hiding, no matter what happened. A ghost was in the village, and Nika's mother was going to exorcise it.

Or so she tried.

It wasn't until she was fighting the supernatural creature that she realized it was old and powerful... And it wanted to posses her. Well, she didn't realize the last part, but her child did. Her child, who snuck after her in the fading, evening light. Her child, who wanted to protect their mother.

Having forgot to bring a weapon, when Nika found their mother they were confronted with two options. To watch their mother die, or to attempt to protect their mother just using their fists. Nika, blinded by childhood bravery and love jumped in front of their mother.

A witch who just managed to catch up with the ghost managed to prevent the ghost from possessing the child or mother. However, the mother was killed and the child got deep and severely damaging scratches.

With the child's body tainted by the ghost's evil energy and losing a large amount of blood, she only had one option. With a paragraph's worth of words that only a witch could understand, and a dragon's bone, she made a new body for the child.

A dragon's body.

"If you're wondering how I knew all of that," Kuroo concludes, "it is because it happened on the seashore. I watched it happen..." Kuroo's voice trails off as he begins to cry. "N-Now they're d-dying again and t-there is no w-witch to save them." Kuroo's voice shakes as he struggles to speak.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Oikawa mutters, all the while putting layer upon layer of magical seaweed on Nika. "Stop bleeding!"

Thinking about all of the crazy things that have happened, Daichi decides to try something. Gently placing his hands on top of the worst of Nika's wounds, he feels. He feels the overwhelming desire for his friend to stop bleeding, to stop feeling pain... To live. Relying on the slim possibility of his mother being the witch that saved Nika's life, he wills something to happen. Surely even a potential half witch such as him must be capable of some magic!

A wave of heat washes over him, and results in a bright white light to be released from his hands.

When he, Kuroo and Oikawa are able to see once again they are surprised by what they see. Nika has stopped bleeding. In fact, all of their wounds have been closed.

Nika's body has been healed. But it has also been changed. Nika is no simple dragon now. Instead, they appear to be a mixture of a human and a dragon... With them having a human body covered in scales, two short horns and wings.

"You look just like your mother," Nika manages to wheeze, as they slowly adjust to being able to talk once again. Hiding their scale covered but otherwise naked body with their wings, they add. "She loves you. I know that because she is a part of me. Kuroo wasn't there to see all of it... You can't just make a new body out of a dragon's bone and magic. You need blood and flesh. Your mother died saving me. She's deep within me now. "

It is a lot for Kuroo, Oikawa and especially Daichi to process.

In the end, they are all at a loss for words. In the end, they all end up crying and hugging each other.

"We love all of you so much," Nika says, with a smile.

"We?" Kuroo asks, genuinely confused.

"Daichi's mother and I. After all, it takes at least two people to keep the three of you out of trouble."

"You're wrong about something," Daichi says suddenly, "my mother didn't die when she saved you. She continued to live. She continued to live a happy life, without a certain ghost bothering her. Nika, I know what ghost tried to posses your mother. He's possessing my father now." WIth his voice growing deep and serious, Daichi adds, "This time he won't get away."