^^ Princess Tiān-Kōng (wedding day) ^^

--- Tama Arashi-Kumo ---

Sora nudged his firstborn to look up from the snow she'd been examining, and to look at the sunrise.

She glanced up disinterestedly, and then her eyes dilated, staring at the sunrise, and the glorious riot of color from the harbor. They'd apparently gotten the news about new dragons being born, because tens of thousands of Dragon-Flags flew on the ships, and lanterns and kites shaped like dragons filled the sky above the harbor.

She shivered, and her scales turned pure gold, rippling with the colors of the sunrise, settling down a bit from her earlier beautiful mess of blues and reds and greens.

"This happens every day?" She asked softly.

"Every day." Sora nodded. "And every different sunrise is even more beautiful than the last. Some places are better than others, to view it from, like mountains of plateaus." He tapped the plateau under his feet gently.

She shivered again, and flexed her wings. "And if I fly into it?"

"You will reach my home, Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun." He grinned.

"We must go there... mother can I go there?!?" She hopped up and nipped her mother's tail.

"Not yet, sweetling. In a few months, we will all be going there." She nodded.

Takara hummed softly, and curled around Ting. "We shall go there, alone, yes?" She whispered conspiratorially.

"It's a two-day ship's crossing. You need a few months of flying to be able to make that flight anyway. There's a good bit of ocean between us." Ting said simply.

Takara nodded. "I see... then in a few months? I would like to fly into the Sun."

"You cannot reach for the sun, Takara. The sun is in heaven, and you can only reach heaven when you're dead." Ting shook her head seriously.

Takara hummed. "Heaven? What's that?"

---

I blinked and spoke in my driest voice, unable to keep the judgement from my voice.

"What... are you doing?"

The princess looked up from her dragon, whom she'd simply named 'Jiāo-Pride'. She was holding out a piece of meat to her. "I'm... trying to feed Jiāo? She won't eat meat or fruit-"

"Imperial Dragons do not eat. They drink energy from sunlight and storms. That is all. She doesn't have a stomach for food to go to." I sighed, rubbing my nose.

She blinked. "Oh. That's cool. Why didn't you say, Jiāo?"

"I like you giving me things." She said, smirking.

The princess laughed. "You're adorable, Jiāo, and Ferocious. You shall be a wonderful companion for an Empress."

Jiāo perked up. "You are an Empress?"

"I will be, when my father dies, but that's a long way from now, hopefully twenty years or more." She nodded.

Jiāo twitched her tail slowly. "I see. So you are a Princess? More worthy than I'd thought... good. Now let us visit my brothers and sister. I wish to see them." She nodded and wrapped around Tiān-Kōng swiftly, then simply laid across her shoulders, all 6ft of her, like an African Boa with legs and fur... and scales.

I smiled. "I actually need to speak to the princess, dear. Run along, please?"

Jiāo huffed, and spiraled away, flicking me with her tail.

"Alright, what do you need?" She asked.

"The wedding, it's in two weeks." I said simply.

She nodded. "It is."

"Are you ready?" I asked. "You'll have to get pregnant, immediately... are you sure you're ready?"

She smiled. "Ahhh, that's what you're asking. Yes, I'm ready. I've always loved children. I want a small army of them, actually, so you'll be working overtime." She smirked and patted my ass.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, you want me to be serious. I don't look forward to us having sex, no, but yes, I really do want lots of children, and if that's the price I pay, I'll pay it a thousand-fold." She said seriously.

I chuckled. "Luckily, you don't have to. I don't have to actually..." I gestured between us.

"Oh?" She blinked, shocked and curious.

I nodded. "Yes. It's Simple medicine, though you'll have to insert a glass phallic-shaped device, which will-"

"Okay. This isn't the place or time to be speaking of that specific detail... yes?" She looked at Ten-Moro.

"Ten-Moro has been my guard for twelve years. If he couldn't keep a secret, I'd've been dead a long time ago." I winked.

She smiled. "I suppose... and would you care if I had a friend insert this device? It sounds awfully like screwing myself with a dildo, but I've never done that to myself, only my... women friends."

"Sure. I'll need to be present, or in the next room, to administer the medicine and my fresh seed, but I have no problems with you having an assistant." I chuckled.

"Good. Anything else?" She asked.

"Yes. Don't spoil your dragon. She needs to learn discipline. Pride is fine, but despite her mental development, emotionally, she's a newborn, and you need to make sure you do not spoil her, or you'll have the most unruly creature in the entire kingdom on your hands." I said sternly.

"Oh... well, okay. I'll try... but she's so adorable!" She grinned guiltily.

"So are babies. Get the practice in." I patted her shoulder, and kissed her cheeks as I walked into the courtyard leading to the plateau.

Sora welcomed me with a tired grunt, and I chuckled, leaning against him. "The newborns tiring you out?"

"No... Qiang-Long. She's seen how much she enjoys having a child, and now is extremely enthusiastic about having a hundred more." He nodded at a fresh egg in his coils, that looked almost exactly like the other one, but much smaller, about the size of a normal dragon egg.

"Oh dear... has anyone seen it?" I asked.

"No... it was laid a few hours ago. I have been acting ornery to make people stay away."

"Good... I need to make sure that those eggs are bonded with intelligent soldiers of the Japanese Navy and Army." I sighed.

He nodded. "Yes. I have spoken to him, and said that only a worthy, intelligent person is allowed to be his companion. Perhaps he will listen. Perhaps not."

"The Captain." I said suddenly.

He blinked, and grinned savagely. "A worthy man indeed... brave, intelligent, kind, loyal, has many servants..."

"Employees, but yes... the Captain of the Strider. I'll have him fetched." I nodded.

"No, he is in no way healthy enough to move. I shall place the egg in his safe-keeping, to become acclimated to him." He nodded and placed me on his shoulder, then started flying, clutching the egg in his paws.

I leaned back on his shoulder, moving the wind around me, but letting the egg feel the breeze.

We landed on the deck of the Strider, and the sailors were happy to slowly carry the egg into the captain's room.

His wife raised an eyebrow, until I walked in, with Sora poking his head in to watch. The captain made an effort to sit up, and I waved a hand. "No. Lay down. You are wounded, and in defense of your country and prince. Were there an honor greater than the opportunity to bond with this dragon, I would give it to you."

He blinked, and looked at the Fire-Opal Egg. "I'm... to bond with that dragon?"

"Correct. If he'll have you, of course. If not, then we'll find another, but I have a good feeling about this." I nodded.

"His name is Oceanus. He is Of The Sea. The Captain is worthy." Sora said suddenly, and blinked slowly, just as shocked as us.

The captain was the first to recover. "I am honored that an amazing creature such as an Imperial Dragon considers me Worthy to be his companion."

The egg shivered, and then settled.

"Well then... that was interesting." I hummed.

Sora chuckled. "Indeed."

Lee-Kahn rushed in with Ten-Moro, who was huffing for breath. "Please... Prince... don't run off... like that... without us..." he wheezed.

I chuckled. "Ah well. You caught up, didn't you?"

The smallest dragon, at only 4ft long, (who Lee-Kahn had named 'Yi-Sheng - The Doctor' because of her caring nature, showcased in the last week several times,) slowly slithered out of Lee-Kahn's cloak, where she'd been hiding, and flew to the captain's bed.

"Oh! Hello, little one! You are very pretty." He smiled.

She blinked, then started singing.

The sea under us quaked, and the wood of the ship groaned, but color returned to his face slowly, and I watched as the smallest of his wounds began closing.

I gasped and rushed forward, working quickly to remove his stitches as she healed him magically.

He groaned as his bones started healing together correctly, his ribcage fully rebinding to his sternum and spine, and a sailor poked his head in, saw me operating, and left silently.

I noticed her glowing Hide begin to dim a little, and she stopped singing, ending the magic.

Lee-Kahn picked her up and wrapped her around him for warmth, heading onto the deck for some sunlight.

I sat next to him, shocked, and sewed the last wound's shut, a cut on his chest that should've killed him ten times over.

"You... are just not fated to die for a thousand years. That's my opinion." I grumbled.

He chuckled. "The Sea protects those who love her unconditionally, as I do."

His wife sniffed derisively. "Hmph."

He grinned guiltily. "I think I may be able to move, a little, when I've got more energy... I'm so tir-" he fell asleep mid-word.

Sora snorted. "Proficiently done... she's a natural..." he murmured.

I paused. "You can do that too?"

"Me? No. Mother can, however. She helps the Physicians, sometimes." He shrugged.

"So you didn't know that would happen?"

"No, though once it did, I was the only one who understood... her Chaos Voice must be insanely strong, if she has a Healing Order Voice... I shall speak with her about it." He nodded, and slipped out.

Ten-Moro looked around, confused. "Uhm... can I ask what just happened?"

"Magic." The captain, his wife, and I all said at the same time.

He blinked. "Alright then..."

---

I watched as the massive Ship arrived in the port, the morning of my wedding, just before sunrise.

Father and the Empress, as well as Mother, Ran, Tan, Wong, plus their dragons, and even Lady Sei, had all come to witness the unification of our two nations. (Ameno/Ryuu was patrolling the northern shores for demons.)

I stood just beyond the docks to greet them, decked out in my white chainmail, freshly polished, as well as a white robe, embroidered with Jade Dragons.

Lee-Kahn stood to my left, with his dragon, Yi-Sheng, around his shoulders in all her opalescent beauty. He was also dressed in his best clothes, a golden robe under his gleaming armor.

To my right was Princess Tiān-Kōng, dressed for a wedding, with Jiāo standing next to her, back end perfectly coiled, just like Sora, who she Idolized, and who was behind me, gazing at the ship coming towards us gleefully.

Takara and Ting sat between his front paws, and Qiáng-Lòng stood behind the princess, though she was more interested in her mate than any visitors.

Shun Kobayashi, and his dragon 'Gijsen', stood next to Lee-Kahn, uncomfortable.

The ambassador, who I hadn't seen since my first day here, stood at the end of the dock, waiting nervously to meet the Royal Family.

As the Ship weighed anchor, all of the dragon's on the shore roared into the heavens, parting the clouds, as a salute to the Emperor.

Sei and the other two Elders roared back, rather feebly, then relaxed on the deck once more.

The emperor gazed down at the ambassador, who had kowtowed the moment his feet had touched the dock, and then walked around him easily.

I smiled and bowed, when he got close, and the princess knelt cordially. "The Jade-Cloud Clan greets you, Great Jade Emperor." The adults said in sync.

Father smiled. "I am quite pleased... you have done as I commanded, and the Dragons are well-Companioned, I think... and is this Sora's Child?" He blinked at Takara.

"Indeed. This is Takara, and her Companion Lee-Ting, my Mage Apprentice. Also, there is Jiāo, companion of Princess Tiān-Kòng, and Yi-Sheng, Companion of Lee-Kahn, then there is the honorable Shun Kobayashi, and Gijsen, then the last is with the Emperor, at the palace. This beauty is Qiáng-Lòng, Sora's Mate." I introduced them all.

He nodded. "The Great Jade Emperor humbly greets the newest and last children of Lady Sei of the Japanese Imperial Dragons. Children, greet your mother." He gestured at her.

She stepped forward gracefully, despite her extreme old age, and nodded. "Hello, children. I am Sei. I am your Mother... and your grandmother." She gently nuzzled Takara and the others.

Then she sniffed Qiáng-Lòng. "Hmm... finally, a worthy female for my son to mate. Good. Took him long enough." She huffed, and then laid down slowly, exhausted.

Sora hummed and gently lifted her, carrying her as if by her own power with his magic.

She smiled wanly. "Such a thoughtful child..."

The baby dragon's, all still without companions, swarmed her, and she chuckled softly. "Ahhh, my little nieces and nephews... so cute... let mother rest, dears."

They gently extracted themselves from around her, and climbed on Sora, instead.

Mother appeared and smiled, bowing to the princess. I hugged her as soon as she stood straight. "Hello, mother." I sighed.

"Oh! Hello, my son! Did you miss me? It's been a few months, yes." She nodded.

"I'm just happy you're here, now. It's beautiful here. The women aren't half bad, either." I grinned.

She laughed and swatted my shoulder. "Oh you! You're getting married today! And to this lovely lady." She gently hugged Tiān-Kōng, who was shocked and frozen by the sudden affection.

"Tiān, meet my mother, the Lady Kumo." I explained.

"Hello, Lady Kumo... I'm flattered by your affection, but the maids took two hours in front of a mirror to make my hair like this, and I don't think I'm supposed to touch it." She grinned guiltily.

Mother pulled back. "Oh! And it looks lovely, child."

The Empress nodded. "Very fetching, yes. I shall have my maids learn yours' tricks to get my hair to stay in such a position for any amount of time." She said, and then gently kissed the ladies cheek. "Welcome to our clan, Dear."

Tiān-Kōng smiled. "Thank you very much, Empress, Lady Kumo. It means a lot to me."

I grinned and hugged Tan and Ran, leaving the woman to speak. "How's it feel, being back here?" I asked them.

"Feels great, actually. Sunrise is soon, yes? Do they still do the Harbor flags?" Ran asked.

"They do, yes. In a few minutes, actually." I nodded.

Tan grinned and patted my shoulder. "Getting married before me, huh? Who'd've ever thought?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Me, for one."

His father laughed loudly and hugged me. "Oh I missed you, kid... and you have an apprentice, you said?"

"Yes, a Storm-Born, like me. She's incredibly talented at Strategy and Weather-Magic. Struggling a bit with wards, though." I hummed.

He nodded. "Same with you, remember? Let's meet her, hmm?"

I waved her over. "Lady Lee-Ting, meet Lord's Ran and Tan Tama, my brother and nephew."

She bowed. "I am pleased to meet you, Lord Tama, Lord Tama."

Ran nodded. "And you're Bonded with a Dragon?"

Takara bowed her head slowly. "It is good to meet more of my father's family."

Ran smiled and nodded. "My pleasure. Now-"

I held up a hand to silence him, and the emperor turned around at the sudden silence in the Harbor.