DRAGON'S BROOD (Kirishima x Bakugou)

Chapter 3: Dragonslayer Bakugou

Bakugou's PoV

I was irritated when I brushed through my blond hair. Once again, we had gone out to chase a fucking dragon's brood. But, of course, this mission had again led to no results. Again and again people supposedly saw signs of a dragon's brood and panicked everyone around them, called the guards and we had to move out.

I kicked a stone off the wayside and made my way to the inn that gave shelter to me and my henchmen for this mission. My troop consisted of only a few people from the King's Country Guard. Yet I was the only dragonslayer. I was the one who dealt with these beasts, and I was the only one who could win a fight against them. No, I would win. So much was certain. I was the best dragonslayer this country had brought forth in a long time, even though I had only turned nineteen. It wouldn't take long and I would outdo All Might, as the people had named him, and claim the title of No.1 dragonslayer. The dragonslayers were the only true heroes of this country.

When I opened the wooden door of the inn, I immediately made my way to the rotten staircase leading up to go to my room. But a deep, calm voice held me back.

"Bakugou. Come here a moment," I heard Shouta Aizawa say calmly.

I rolled my eyes and walked towards the tall lean man. As always, he had deep shadows under his eyes, which seemed to be reddened with tiredness. He had long black hair, which at that moment fell on his shoulders without being combed. He was the commander of the Country Guard subunit that followed me. For even though we were involved in the same mission, the chain of command of the Country Guard and myself was strictly separated. The guards ensured security and order in the places we travelled to. They questioned the people and regulated all the boring law stuff. I, on the other hand, was subject only to myself and to the King. But Aizawa sometimes seemed to forget that. He already knew me during my training and saw in me an inexperienced, overhasty hothead. That was annoying.

"What's up?" I grumbled irritably.

"There are new rumors of a dragon's brood. In a village called Nirakawa."

"Tch. Can't another unit do that? There's no truth to the rumors, anyhow," I hissed annoyed. A follow-up mission? That was the last thing I wanted to do. We had travelled for several days to move to the remote village Kalima and had spent the night in shabby dosshouses.

Aizawa frowned and rubbed his face tiredly. "Bakugou. This is an order from the king! You're subordinate to the king and the prince, don't forget that. Besides, our troop is the closest to that village," he said strictly.

And there it was again. That condescending tone. "Fine", I hissed. "I suppose we leave immediately?"

Aizawa frowned a little. Apparently, he didn't like my tone once again. But then he nodded slowly. "If you think so, then I would suggest that we leave right away."

Kirishima's PoV

Already from afar I saw the little house that stood at the edge of the forest. Smoke came out of the chimney, which probably meant that the witch was home. The witch Ochako was well known. Once she served the king directly and lived at the court. But a few years ago, she was rejected by the royal court. Of course, there were a lot of rumors, but I never really believed any of them.

For a moment I hesitantly stopped at the witch's door before raising my fist and knocking timidly. I heard a rumble from inside the small house and then light bouncing footsteps approaching the door.

When the door opened energetically, I was confused for a moment. In front of me stood a girl who was at most one or two years older than me. The witch I had in my head and the stories told about her were clearly older than her appearance. I cleared my throat. "Are you the witch Ochako?" I asked carefully.

She nodded with a smile. "Come in, Kirishima!"

How did she know my name? That must have something to do with her abilities. Hesitantly, I followed her.

The small, round room she led me into was chaotic. Books were scattered all over the floor and from the ceiling hung hanging baskets filled with flowers and various herbs, which spread a pleasant scent. Above a fireplace on the opposite side was a kettle making bubbling noises. I smiled a little. This was really a witch's cottage out of a fairy tale.

"What can I do for you?" she asked me and looked me over from top to bottom.

I scratch the back of my head, embarrassed. "I have to change my appearance a bit. Just a little."

She looked at me. "Do you want a new haircut? But a hairdresser could do that too. Or a different hair color. I could change the color permanently."

I smiled. "A different hair color sounds good. And do you have any clothes for me?"

She frowned. "I don't run an ordinary shop here. I sell spells."

I nodded shyly. "Sorry."

She laughed. "But that doesn't mean we can't find something for you." She winked at me. "So which hair color should it be?" The witch took a step towards me and drove through my black hair. Then she looked at me more closely. I tried to elude her gaze but could not free myself from my paralysis. Her scrutinising gaze made me shudder. I didn't like to be looked at so closely. All my life I tried not to attract attention. But she stared deep into my red eyes and I thought I saw a sudden spark of understanding in hers before she released her gaze.

"How about the color red?" she asked with a smile. "It would match your eyes."

"All right." I said, still a little insecure.

"Well, then come and sit down," she said with a smile. I followed her instructions and sat down on a small stool.

The whole procedure didn't take long, but it stank a lot. She had already stirred together finished pastes and spread them on my hair before she began to speak her magic words. I closed my eyes a little and felt a little helpless, but knew she was the best in her field.

Satisfied, she sighed when she had spoken the last words of the spell. "So, go to the laundry room and wash your hair. In the meantime, I'll get some clothes for you."

I smiled gratefully at her and disappeared into the next room. I bent over the small water trough and washed the paste out of my hair. Surprised, I noticed that the unpleasant smell immediately disappeared when my now red hair came into contact with the water. In the small polished metal mirror I could see my appearance. I smiled a little. I liked the red hair.

When I returned to the round room, Ochako waited for me. "In this bag, I've put together some clothes for you." She held it up to me and I took it smiling.

"What do you want for it?"

"Nothing, my dear. I'm in Miss Crownway's debt."

Surprised, I looked at her. She knew Miss Crownway? A bad feeling came over me. If she knew the home director so well, what did she knew about me? Did she know what I was?

I swallowed dry and smiled forced. "Good. Thank you. Then I'll go."

She smiled. "Wait a minute. I want to give you one more thing." From her pocket she took out a small shiny silver metal ring and gave it to me.

Confused, I looked at the piece of jewelry. On the inside foreign runes were engraved. "What is that?" I asked confused.

She winked at me. "Trust me. It'll help you."