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Five months had passed since the day an otter decided to skip school and play video games with a dragon she barely knew. But things had changed, a lot. The dragon, his two friends, and the otter had become quite an outfit. Whenever they had free time, and they all still played Rock Band on Fridays. In fact, the four of them had become quite proficient in destroying the online gaming community with their outrageous prowess. But, the otter and the dragon were in a different situation altogether. They had become inseparable, doing everything they could together. And though neither of them would admit it, both of them had started feeling things for the other that went beyond mere friendship.

One Wednesday afternoon Kirek met Veronica at Capitola after her shift was over as he so often did.

"Hey, Kirek. What's shakin'?" asked veronica as they shared a hearty handshake.

"Oh, you know, same old shit. Wanna take a bus ride down to the boardwalk?" he queried.

"Sure, that sounds awesome. I can't ever get enough of that rollercoaster!" she said with a laugh.

"So, how was work for you today?"

"Oh it wasn't an easy day, it never is at that place. It's such a hotspot. There's never any shortage of people. But I love working there all the same."

"Yeah. I know how you feel. On beautiful days like this, everyone wants to go and play golf." He replied while throwing his hands up with fake enthusiasm. "I don't blame them; I'd do the same thing, but it just means more people to cater to. It also doesn't help when you're alone with them all for five fucking hours before your relief gets there." Kirek lamented.

"Aww, you poor thing. Well I think I know just how to cheer you up." Said Veronica.

"Oh, really? How's that?"

"With about ten rides on that rollercoaster, c'mon!" she exclaimed as she pulled him along to the bus stop.

The two of them only managed to make it to five rides before the lines became too long and it effort ceased to be worth the reward. So they took a trip on the sky ride instead.

"Wow, I don't think I'll ever get enough of this view. It's absolutely gorgeous!" said Veronica.

"You're right, the ocean looks like it's on fire with that sunset being the way it is." offered Kirek.

The otter looked at him with interest for a second before speaking. "You're quite a poet whether you know it or not, Kirek."

While they had been talking, Veronica had been swinging her feet back and forth. It was at this time that one of her sandals slipped off her foot. It fell about thirty feet before landing on the roof of one of the food stands. Veronica gasped and then sighed despondently as her shoe finally landed. "Damn, these sandals were so comfortable. Now I won't be able to wear them anymore." She said with a huff.

She didn't realize that before she was even half done with her speech, Kirek had already vaulted over the side of the gondola, flared his wings to slow his decent, and landed softly on the roof where her shoe lay. She caught site of him just as he landed. He then looked up at her, pointed to his chest, then at her, then pointed his two fingers together, and finally pointed to where the ride ended.

As soon as the ride stopped, Veronica rushed over to meet Kirek, her face a mix of anger and concern.

"Kirek, are you okay!?" she asked hurriedly.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" he replied nonchalantly handing her the sandal he had retrieved.

"What the hell did you do that for? You could've gotten seriously hurt!" she admonished in a slightly angry voice.

"Veronica, I've been flying since I was five years old. It's like walking to me. Besides, you said they were comfortable."

"I hope you didn't think you had to do that to impress me."

Kirek shrugged, the smile never leaving his face. "Nope, just felt the need to help out a good friend." He said calmly, giving her a pat on the back.

Upon hearing his words, Veronica's expression softened immediately. Well, that's very.......sweet of you." She said as she began to blush.

"You're welcome. Glad I could help. Come on, let's peruse the rest of the boardwalk, see what else is going on today." He suggested.

"Sounds like a plan."

The two of them strolled through the park for about thirty minutes before they came to what appeared to be a big crowd surrounding a stage. When they finally got close enough, they saw four people on-stage. There were two male equines and both were playing Rock Band Stratocasters. Then there was a tigress playing the drum set, and finally, a teenage human boy was rocking the microphone. Above them, there was a huge screen that showed the notes as they scrolled down the screen and were hit by their corresponding instrument. And above that, there was a sign that said 'Rock Band Contest Today!' Veronica and Kirek just stared at the spectacle and then at each other, smiling. Both of them rushed up to the booth where things were being run and Kirek asked if it was too late to enter.

"Of course not. We're always looking for more contestants." said the official.

"Sweet!" said Veronica. "Call Derek and Victor and tell them to get their asses over here pronto!" she said to Kirek who already had his cell phone out and was punching in digits.

After a few rings, someone finally picked up on the other end. "Victor? Kirek. I sure hope you're not doing anything right now, because there's a Rock Band contest down at the boardwalk!"

Veronica could hear a lot of noise and shouting from Kirek's phone. "I know! Just grab Derek and get your tail feathers over here!" said the dragon.

"Can they make it?" asked the otter anxiously

"They said they'll be here as soon as soon as they can. In the meantime, let's get registered."

Kirek and Veronica anxiously walked to the judge's booth. "We'd like to register as a four piece band, please." Said Veronica, barely able to stop herself from hopping up and down for how excited she was.

The judge, a panther, looked skeptical. "Where is the rest of your band?" she asked.

"Just give em' time. We just called them, they should be here within the hour." Kirek assured her.

"And what is the name of your group?" asked the panther.

"Necros." Veronica blurted out before Kirek could say it. Necros was their band's online name. Anyone who was a part of the Rock band online leader boards knew the name well.

Kirek had his muzzle open, but he closed it and smiled at her. "How do you read me so well?"

"Don't know. I guess we just compliment each other." She replied with a grin.

"Well, we spend so much together I guess that makes sense. Anyway, Victor said they were on their way about ten minutes ago. Don't worry, they wouldn't dare miss this." The dragon assured her.

"I hope you're right, Kirek. Did you see the prize? Fifty dollars apiece!" exclaimed the giddy otter.

"Yeah, I could go on an ITunes binge with that kind of money, Slipknot's new album comes out August 26th(hint, hint). And this'll just give everyone a chance to see how awesome we are!" replied the dragon with equal enthusiasm.

The two friends waited impatiently as several more groups made their attempts. Since it was a contest, all the songs had to be on expert. Upon seeing the other bands, Veronica started to become a little nervous.

"I hope we can compete with these other acts. That kid who took out his phone on one of the long chords was a pretty tough act to follow." She said in a slightly worried tone.

"Oh come on. Just play like we do at my house. We all know that you're the most badass drummer around, Derek is a sick bassist, Victor's got a voice like Bruce Dickenson, and, I don't want to brag, but I doubt there's anyone that's a better guitarist than I am." Said Kirek with pride. "We'll pick a nice heavy song so you can work the hair, the crowd should love that. If we just play like we normally do, we'll crush em'."

Just as he had finished speaking he felt a strong clout on his shoulder. He turned around and stared into the grinning faces of Victor and Derek.

"Alright, now it's a party!" Kirek said in an excited voice.

"Are you kidding? You both know we wouldn't miss something like this." Said the stallion. "Speaking of which, where's our drummer?"

"Right here, Derek." Said the otter as she stepped out from behind Kirek's tall frame.

"Hey Veronica! How ya' doing?" asked Victor.

"A lot better now that you two are here." replied the otter as she flashed him the devil horns. He did the same and the two rotated their wrists a quarter turn and interlocked their fingers in what had become their group handshake.

"Well, now that everyone's here, I'll go tell them we're ready to go." Said Kirek, not making any effort to hide the eagerness in his voice. He disappeared for about a minute before returning.

"Alright, they say we're up after the next two groups. That gives us time to choose what song we want to play. Any suggestions?" inquired the dragon.

"Well, I've always loved to play Run to the Hills, being that I'm such an Iron Maiden fan." Said Veronica.

"I like the sound of that." Agreed Kirek. "And we all know Victor has the perfect voice for that song." He said, looking at the avian.

"I like that idea as well, I've always liked the fast paced bass riffs in that song." Remarked Derek.

"Well why don't we just go ahead and play that then?" said Victor in an excited tone. The other three quickly concurred.

"And let's have a big round of applause for Cemetery Rapist!" said the judge through the P.A. system, getting their attention instantly.

"What the fuck kind of name is 'Cemetery Rapist?" asked Kirek in a disgusted voice.

"They must like Death Metal, because there are some songs with that kind of theme to them; necrophilia and all that nasty shit." Said Veronica matter-of-fact.

"Wow, that's......disturbing. I never touch the stuff myself. I like my music with a little substance and feeling behind it, no just a bunch of growls about someone who fucked a corpse." Replied Kirek.

"I know just how you feel dude." Victor added.

"Well, let's get up there and melt some faces!" said Derek.

"Sounds like a plan." The others said simultaneously.

The four of them took their places on stage and chose their song. When the song was finished loading, Kirek held his hand up with his pinky and index finger extended. Most of the crowd did the same. Veronica then drummed out the staccato rhythm to start the song. Then Kirek and Derek chimed in with the opposite octave guitar and bass riffs. Shortly after that, Victor added his air raid siren voice to complete the mix. Like Kirek had said, the fast beat of the chorus enabled Veronica to start whirling her hair around in circles, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. Victor sang his lungs out in a very believable imitation of Bruce Dickinson as Derek bobbed his head to the beat as well. But Kirek was rocking out the hardest of all. Needless to say by now he had memorized the notes to the song, and was banging his head a little harder than may have been healthy, occasionally thrashing it from side to side as well. He aced the solo without much effort, and just kept on headbanging. They rode out the remainder of the song without much of a problem. When the Big Rock Ending came, they all kicked it up a notch. Derek and Kirek both hammered the lower frets like crazy, Victor let loose a high-pitched wail, and Veronica pounded out a machine gun finish on the drums. All of them hit the final note perfectly and the crowd erupted with applause.

Veronica got up from her sitting position and gave each of her band mates a high five. But as she walked up to Kirek, he pulled her into a warm hug. She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but she reached up with her muzzle and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He pulled back and looked at her with wide eyes. She blushed and looked away when she realized what had happened. Thankfully she was saved from her embarrassing moment as Derek and Victor came up and threw their arms around Veronica and Kirek's shoulders. They all stood together and waved to the crowd as the judges talked among themselves.

"We feel that we've reached a decision." Said the pantheress as she stood up several minutes later. "After much deliberation, we are pleased to announce that the winners are Necros." She said while addressing the crowd.

Upon hearing this, Victor, Derek, Veronica, and Kirek all pumped their fists in the air victoriously. The pantheress then walked on stage and handed each of them an envelope. "Congratulations to all of you. I think the question we're all dying to have answered is how do you all play with such gusto without even looking at the screen?" she asked them while holding a microphone to them.

"Oh that's easy. We play together at my house every Friday after school," said Kirek proudly.

"And we all have a passion for heavy metal. So I guess our zest for that type of music just made it easy." Added Veronica.

"Well regardless, you each get fifty dollars burning a hole in your wallets!"

"Thanks a lot." Said Derek and Victor at the same time.

When the fans had dissipated and the four of them had some space, Victor and Derek decided to go back to their homes.

"Do you guys really have to go so soon?" asked Veronica.

"Yeah, unfortunately we have a midterm to study for and we're have to help each other out." Said Victor.

"Well, okay. If you really have to go, see you guys later. Good luck on your midterm." Said Kirek.

"Will do. Thanks again for telling us about the contest, it was a blast!" said Derek. They all exchanged high fives before the two of them left, leaving Veronica and Kirek by themselves. They both felt a little awkward after their little 'moment' on the stage, but Kirek was the first to break the painful silence.

"Well, do you want to head home, or would you rather stay a little longer?" he asked her.

"After that, I don't think we could find anything else to do that could possibly be more fun." She answered. "Let's go home."

The dragon and otter walked through the crowd, getting cheers of admiration and congratulatory pats on the back from people who had been watching the contest. When they finally reached the parking lot, Kirek pushed a button on his key ring, and his station wagon immediately flashed its lights as the doors unlocked. Even though her insurance company had long since paid for a replacement car, she still carpooled with Kirek to save money on gas, and because they enjoyed each other's company so much. In the time they spent riding together they had each introduced the other to bands they didn't know about before. Veronica had turned Kirek on to the amazing dual-guitar prowess of Dragonforce, and Kirek had alerted her to the awesomeness of Bullet for my Valentine.

"Kirek, can we listen to 'Her Voice Resides', please?" she asked.

"Only if we can listen to 'Through the Fire and the Flames afterwards." He replied with a smile.

Their ride back to her house was a lot quieter than normal. Veronica just couldn't understand what had caused her to kiss him. She just chalked it up to the excitement of the moment. But deep down she knew that there was no denying the fact that she was falling for him. Kirek's thoughts also hovered around that same subject. He was as perplexed by her actions as she was. He thought it was just because she was so happy about winning the contest. But, though he was loath to admit it, he wished that it could have been for real. He had let his feelings for her grow a little more than he had intended to let them.

Finally, after a long and somewhat uncomfortable drive, they arrived at Veronica's house. Kirek saw another car in the driveway and asked who's it was.

"Oh, Sheela and I have some studying to do as well. Besides, her parents are out of town and she said she'd like some company. So I invited her over here."

"I didn't know you and Sheela were in the same class." Remarked the dragon with a slightly curious expression.

"Oh, sure we are. We both love the ocean. Even though she's a wallaby, living on a big island like Australia must include at least some time at the sea."

"Oh, okay. I think I'll go and see if Victor and Derek need any help studying. See you later." He said as he turned his devil horn gesture a quarter turn to the side. She did the same and they interlocked their hands and said goodbye.

"So, what was the boardwalk like today? Was it crowded? What'd you do there? Was it hot? How many rides did you go on?" asked the wallaby. As long as she and Veronica had been friends, she had always been a little jittery, and had insatiable curiosity.

"Good. No. We played in a Rock Band contest. A little. About seven." Replied the otter nonchalantly. She had since given up on trying to curb her friend's frantic questioning and had settled for just answering them all at once. But no matter how quirky Sheela was, her and Veronica had always gotten along just fine.

"Okay. Just checking. Let's get started. We were on chapter seventeen weren't we?" inquired Sheela.

"Yes, I believe we were." Answered Veronica.

The two of them studied intensely for hours into the evening, quizzing each other on various bullet points of the chapters they read. It wasn't until the sun was just starting to set that Sheela decided to ask what she had been burning to ask for months now.

"So, when are you going to make a move?" she asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" queried the otter, clearly at a loss.

"I mean that sexy dragon you hang around with. You two spend so much together, you like all the same stuff, you can make each other laugh; you're perfect for each other! And yet, you still don't want to take the next step." Answered the wallaby.

"What? That's absurd! Kirek and I are just friends." Said Veronica defensively.

"I know you're friends. But did you ever think that you could be something more?"

"You don't know what you're talking about." She countered. But in her heart she knew her friend was right. Kirek and her just went so well together. They complimented one another perfectly. They could sit and talk about nothing for hours. And he wasn't exactly hard on the eyes.

"Well fine. But if you don't make a move, maybe someone else will." said Sheela with a hint of mischief in her voice as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"NO! YOU STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" she yelled before clapping her paws over her muzzle, totally shocked at her own outburst. Several tense seconds passed before she decided to speak again. "I'm sorry, I need some time to think. I'm going for a walk by the cliffs." She said. Maybe being by the ocean would relax her and help her make sense of what was going through her mind.

Kirek had been at Derek's house for several hours helping them study by hitting them with random questions when they were least expecting it. But it was at this time that Victor decided to ask Kirek about something that had been bugging him for several weeks now.

"Hey, Kirek. Can I ask you kind of a personal question?" he asked.

"Sure, why not. Shoot." Replied Kirek with a smile.

"Just curious, have you ever thought about getting together with Veronica?" asked Victor delicately.

Kirek's smile disappeared. "W-why would I do that?"

"Because you're perfect for each other. You have so much in common, maybe more than you think. It's clears that you both enjoy the other's company immensely, and you make each other laugh."

"I would never try and jeopardize our friendship like that." Said the dragon, but his voice was hollow and held little conviction.

Derek decided to chime in. "Who are you trying to convince, Kirek? Us? Or yourself?"

For this the dragon had no answer. He sighed heavily and turned towards the door. "I need some fresh air to get my head on straight. I'm going to the cliffs for a while." He said without looking at them before walking out the door.

Veronica walked along the pathway leading up to Steamer's Lane. Steamer's Lane was one of the best surf spots in Santa Cruise, and she found that she could always think clearly out here by the ocean. It was getting harder and harder to deny her feelings for the dragon, what with her random outburst at her longtime friend. But Sheela had been right, They really did have so much in common, but she couldn't make herself believe that he could ever feel anything beyond friendship for her. In the midst of her musings, however, she gazed out at the cliffs and caught sight of a black dragon standing near the edge watching the horizon. He seemed to be deep in thought as the sea breeze blew through his black hair. She didn't know why, but she felt she should go and talk to Kirek. So she took a detour and started walking towards him.

Kirek always enjoyed being out in nature, he found that it helped him think clearly. He knew he'd either have to break it off with her soon, or just tell her how he felt. Because it was getting very difficult to hide his feelings around her. But he couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was. She also made him laugh with her witty comments. And they both liked metal. He thought with a smile. It was at this point that he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around to see the object of his ever-increasing desires standing before him. God, she looked even more beautiful with the wind blowing through her fur and the light of the sunset shining off her.

"Oh, Veronica. You gave me quite the little scare there." He said with a laugh and warm grin.

"Sorry, didn't mean to." She assured him. She couldn't help but look at him; his body was between her and the sun, so when he got at just the right angle, the light gave him a gorgeous golden outline that seemed to illuminate his scales. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"Oh. I'm just thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Well......never mind. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with. God the sunset is beautiful tonight." He said in wonderment.

"Yeah, I know! I love how the water shimmers. I wish I could see this view from way up high somewhere. It's just so stunning."

An idea popped into Kirek's head. He turned to her and gave her a warm smile. "Would you like to?" he asked her genuinely."

"W-well yes."

"How about right now?"

"I-I'm not sure I see where you're going with this." She said

He turned to her and slowly picked her up in his strong arms. "K-Kirek? What are y-you doing?" she asked uneasily.

He looked at her with a comforting expression. He then said two simple words to her. "Trust me." He ran at the side of the cliff and dove off.

When they fell over the edge, Veronica screamed in fear. But as Kirek gave several mighty flaps of his wings, her scream became a wild exaltation of joy and amazement. As they started to gain altitude, she looked out over the water and gasped in amazement. "Oh my god! It's spectacular!" she exclaimed as she watched the ocean shrink below her, the water looked like it was on fire with the reflection of the sunset dancing across it. She looked up at his face and snuggled closer to his well built chest and held onto his strong arms. For her, this settled it. This wonderful flight he'd given her left no doubt in her mind. She had to tell him.

Kirek was greatly enjoying flying over the coastline. But it was made that much ore enjoyable by the fact that Veronica was with him. When she snuggled closer to him, his breath caught in his throat. He felt that they were sharing a very special moment together. This was the final nail in the coffin for him as well. He knew that if he didn't get it off his chest now, it would just be harder and harder to be around her as long as he felt the way he did. He'd made up his mind; he had to tell her.

After about ten minutes, Veronica started to shiver slightly. He took this as a sign that he should take her back to the ground. He began a slow downward spiral that took them back to the very cliff that they were on before. Kirek flared his wings to slow them down and grunted as his powerful legs took the brunt of their landing.

"Oh Kirek. That was.......indescribable! Thank you so much." She said as she hugged him again.

The dragon eagerly returned the gesture. After they released each other, they both turned back to the ocean and just watched.

Almost on impulse, they both turned to each other. "I have something to tell you." They both said, and then shared a laugh.

"You first." Said the dragon.

She took a deep breath and it out slowly. "Kirek, these last three months have been some of the best days of my life. And today has been the most wonderful so far. The contest at the boardwalk, those rides on the rollercoaster, and I thank you again for getting my shoe off the roof." She said as she indicated her feet; with a shoe on each. "And the spectacular flight capped it so well. I enjoy being around you more than anyone else. You've done so much for me. I know I can't force you to feel the same, but I just need to tell you how I truly feel about you." She stated gravely while the dragon just looked at her with a shocked expression.

She didn't know how she managed to meet his gaze. "Kirek, I-I think I'm falling in love with you." She said quietly.

Kirek was stunned. He had been preparing to tell her the same thing, but she'd beat him to the punch. He'd never felt happier in his life. And now that he knew how she felt, there was no reason to keep his own feelings hidden any longer.

She apparently had taken his silence as a bad sign because she was now looking away from him with her eyes closed. He took her chin in his hands and brought her face up to his own.

"Well that's good. Because I know I'm falling in love with you." He said, unable to keep the smile off his face. Her shocked expression was accompanied by a soft inhalation. "I have been ever since we sat down that one day and talked for five hours. You and I have so much in common, maybe more than we realize. You're smart, funny, beautiful, tasteful, dedicated, and some other attributes that escape me at the moment. You're like another half of me who accepts me for who I am. Veronica, you're everything I could ever want."

The otter was close to tears at this point. She'd been sure that she had ruined their friendship, but this was something she hadn't been expecting. But it was a very welcome surprise.

"Oh Kirek. I feel the same way. I have so much fun when we're together. You have so much empathy and are so sensitive to other's feelings. I never thought I'd find someone like you, Kirek. You....You're everything I could ever want." She said softly, lovingly.

He stepped closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Kirek, I........"

"Shhhhh." Shushed the dragon as he gently cupped her cheek in his hand. Veronica shivered as she felt his claws lightly running through her fur. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but love and adoration for her. As if on some unspoken cue, the gap between their faces slowly began to close. They were both breathing heavier, their eyes never leaving each other. A fresh gust of wind came up just as their hearts and lips became one. They stayed locked like that for about ten seconds; the only things moving in their world were their lips as they gently massaged each other. When they finally separated, both their faces were flushed heavily as they tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Veronica was the first to recover. Now that she knew her feelings were requited, the otter felt no shame in wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his head down into a deep, passionate kiss. Kirek returned the gesture with gusto. Veronica pushed her tongue into his mouth and entwined it with his reptilian one. Kirek encircled his arms around her back and rested one hand on the back of her neck. She caressed his muscular arms with one hand while she ran the fingers of her other hand through his hair. Veronica's Wrathchild ring-tone sounded, but neither of them noticed; having lost themselves too much in each other's lips and warm caresses.

For thirty minutes they kissed; their passion never ceasing, their love never waning. But, after a blissful eternity, the two separated from each other with a soft smack of their muzzles. They were both panting, but their smiles never left their faces.

"Wow." Was all they could say.

"So what does this mean for us now?" asked the dragon

"I would like for it to mean that we could be more than just friends." Said the otter.

He got a horn-to-horn grin. "Nothing would make me happier than being allowed to keep loving you." He said to her. She sighed happily and they shared a warm, but much shorter kiss.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" asked Kirek.

"I'd love that." Said Veronica. Kirek put his arm around her shoulder and she put her arm around his. They started to make their way towards her house, their heads leaning against each other.