DRAGON'S BROOD (Kirishima x Bakugou)

Chapter 8: Encounter

Kirishima's PoV

When I stepped out of the shade of the trees, the sun was deep above the horizon and the salty sea air surrounded me. I paused for a moment and looked at the breathtaking view. Never before had I seen the ocean. The overwhelming expanse in front of me took my breath away for a moment. But from the position of the sun I realized that it was already late in the evening and that I should start looking for accommodation for the night.

I followed the path out of the forest, which became broader and wider and finally became the main road of the small village. Subconsciously I pulled up my shoulders a little as I passed the first rows of houses. I knew that the king's troops, especially the dreaded dragonslayer Bakugou, were most likely waiting for me in this village.

The streets weren't very busy anymore, which didn't surprise me, because the twilight had already fallen. Somewhat lost I looked around. A boy about eight years old ran past me, apparently in an effort to go home.

"Hey, excuse me!" I called and stopped him. The boy looked at me with big eyes. His clothes were dirty, as if he had been playing outside all day. Embarrassed, I scratched the back of my head. "Tell me, where is a hostel here? I need a place to sleep," I asked him quietly.

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "Normally I would say you should go to Kaizewa Inn. But that's full." Then he looked at me more closely and I swallowed uneasily.  "The only other hostel is on the other side of the village," he pointed along the main road. "You have a bit of bad luck. It's much more expensive, my dad says the owner is a greedy bastard." He smiled shyly at me.

I smiled back. "Thanks a lot, kid."

The boy turned around and walked on. I sighed beaten. Much more expensive, huh? Would my limited budget be able to bear that? Actually I had to be thrifty, but I probably had no other choice. Because when the boy said that the hostel was full I had quickly put one and two together. In a small village like Tamio, it was rare for such large groups to come and occupy an entire inn. I bet my life that the king's troops would spend the night there.

I followed the direction the boy had shown me and walked down the main street. Fortunately the sign with the name of the hostel was easy to find. I wanted to attract as little attention as possible and wouldn't have liked to ask around.

Hesitantly I climbed up the wooden steps, opened the heavy door and entered. I went to the counter, which was unoccupied. Uncertainly I stood there for a moment until I noticed the little bell and rang it.

A young woman came from the back room and smiled friendly at me. "What can I do for you?"

I cleared my throat. "I need a room for one night."

She nodded and turned around to pick out a key from a board on the wall. Smiling, she put a key with the number 108 on the counter. "That costs a gold coin for one night."

I swallowed. That was about half of all my money. Shouldn't I sleep somewhere outside? But I rejected the idea and hesitantly reached for my wallet and counted 8 silver coins which were equal in value. I put the money on the counter but kept my thumb on it before I asked: "Is the food included?"

She nodded. "Dinner and breakfast are included." I breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise the price would have been more than exaggerated. It was still expensive. "But for dinner you should hurry. The kitchen will close soon". She pushed the key towards me. "The dining room is down here, right next to the stairs and your room is on the first floor. I wish you a pleasant stay." So she disappeared into the back room again before I could say another word.

I took the room key and quickly went up the stairs to put away my few belongings. I briefly looked around the tiny room. It could have been bigger for the money, but the bed seemed soft and all in all it was clean. My stomach reminded me that it was dinner time long ago and I ran quickly down the stairs again and straight down the small dining room.

It was almost empty. I quickly went to the counter and met an annoyed employee who was probably about to close the kitchen. Nevertheless, he handed me a large plate of soup with bread, which I gratefully accepted. I looked for a table in the corner of the room where I could see the whole room. I was still a fugitive and wanted to have everything in view.

Then I noticed the second person sitting in the room. It was a young man my age, perhaps a little older, with ash-blonde hair standing in wild spikes off his head. He had chosen a corner of the room just like I had, and thus sat sort of opposite me. He had only eaten half his soup and had shove it to the side. Instead, he bent over a spread-out piece of parchment.

Curious, I tried to peek on the table. It was a map. Was he a traveler? I dedicated myself to my food and started spooning the still hot soup. Even though it was nothing more than a simple stew, the warm food was incredibly good after the long hike. Nevertheless, my gaze glided again and again to the blonde. In concentration he had pulled his eyebrows together a little, so that a small fold had formed over his nose. He chewed a little on his lower lip, which looked damn cute. Wait what? But yes, he did look pretty handsome.

When I had finished eating, he was still sitting in his seat, studying the map in front of him. How long has he been doing this? Then he suddenly looked up. His red eyes almost pierced me when he caught me staring. He raised a questioning eyebrow.

I looked away embarrassed and blushed a little. Why did I have to turn red now? I reached for my plate and wanted to take it back to the counter, but then decided to dare something. I walked up to the blonde and smiled shyly at him, of course as always in an effort not to show my sharp teeth.

"Could I perhaps have a look at the map?" I asked politely and pointed to the map that was spread out on the table in front of him.

He watched me as I approached and frowned. How could one look so good? His gaze wandered over my body and I had to suppress the urge to pull the vest down a little. His gaze briefly stuck to my red hair, then he shrugged his shoulders and turned the map towards me.

My gaze wandered over the parchment. Never before had I seen a map showing the entire kingdom. It was not very detailed and showed only a few villages next to the three big cities of the country, but it gave a good overview. Well, at least if you knew where you were.

"Um, where are we right now?" I asked, embarrassed and smiling.

The blonde snorted. "Are you too dumb to read a map?" he asked, pointing his finger at the spot named Tamio in difficult to read letters.

I flinched. But not because of the insult. It was the voice. The voice of the dragonslayer.