DRAGON'S BROOD (Kirishima x Bakugou)

Chapter 29: The Kuma River

Kirishima's PoV

For a while we lay next to each other in quiet harmony and simply enjoyed the presence of the other. But deep down we knew that it was unwise to stay too long. After all, we were still hunted and on this wide plain we could be easily spotted from a distance.

Sighing, I straightened up and the blanket I had pulled over my naked body slipped from my shoulders.

"Baku ... what do we do now? I know we had said roughly that we should head north, but unlike you I don't know my way around this country," I asked thoughtfully.

The dragonslayer sighed and straightened up as well. "We should move a bit further in the direction of the Kuma River and then follow the river north into the mountains. We will have to pass one of the three big cities, Kyotawa, but we will need water. Besides, the shore is quite fertile and there will be trees and animals. The river is like an oasis to the north, which is otherwise quite barren."

I nodded and smiled at him. Without his knowledge we'd be screwed. I got up and thoughtfully looked at the clothes of the guards. I briefly wondered if I shouldn't just leave it behind, as it was actually just extra luggage. But then I decided to keep them. We were not yet at the end of our journey and maybe we could use them again.

I dug my clothes out from our tied bundles that we had worn on our bodies yesterday and put them back on. Then I reached for the back holder for the twin blades, put them in their sheath and strapped them to my back. Just to test, I reached back and drew one. I smiled contentedly. Even though I couldn't handle it properly, I felt safer in my human form now.

Meanwhile, Bakugou had also changed his clothes. He looked almost exactly the same as when I met him. Only now he was wearing his new cape and his naked chest was covered by a shirt.

"Is it really wise to continue wearing the cape of the royal military?" I asked carefully.

Bakugou just strapped his sword to his belt when he looked at me with a frown. He grabbed the fur on his collar with thoughtfulness. "Maybe it's not. But I like the cape," he grumbled.

I frowned a little too. Not that I was really concerned that he wanted to continue wearing the cape, but I felt there was more to his answer. I decided to talk to him about it another time. But now we really had to leave.

We gathered our last things and ate from the little provisions we had. Then we levelled the remains of the campfire and covered the soot-blackened areas on the dry ground with some of the fresh clay, so that our camp could at least not be seen from far away.

Then I shift back into a dragon so we can get on our way. The transformation became less unpleasant and painful from time to time. A little as if my muscles had gotten used to the effort. Ochako's ring lit up again and kept in its magic my clothes and belongings during the time when I was a dragon.

I turned to Bakugou and felt his gaze running over my body. "I have never seen your dragon form in broad daylight before. You are really impressive," he said quietly and stroked his hand over the hard scales of my neck. I barely felt his touch, but I held still as he looked at me with sparkling eyes.

Finally he sighed and climbed on my back. I made sure for a moment that he had found a safe place on my back. Then I turned my gaze forward again, spread out the wings and jumped up with a powerful leap.

Flying was really something wonderful. The air played around my streamlined body and the wind ran under my wings. I flew relatively high so that someone who happened to look up would not immediately identify me as a dragon. At a glimpse, I could certainly be thought to be a large bird at this altitude. Well. A very quick glimpse.

Bakugou's PoV

The air up here was fucking cold and I pulled the cape tighter around me. But I didn't want to complain, flying so high made sense after all. Even though the plain below us was barren and didn't offer much, I didn't get tired of looking at the landscape below me. Just the view into the distance and the cool wind that brushed through my face was enough to give me a feeling of freedom.

After quite a while I saw the river approaching in the distance, which was flowing like a dark line through the landscape. I sighed with relief. "Red? As soon as we reached the river, let's land first," I shouted to him. The dragon below me made an approving snort.

A short time later, Red finally landed a bit off the shore. Directly at the river stood some trees, which hindered the dragon's access. I slid down from his back and the mighty red dragon shift back into the man I loved more than anything. Immediately I approached him to kiss him. Red returned the kiss a little surprised and smiled as I separated from him again.

"What did I do to deserve that?" he asked with a sparkle in his big glowing eyes.

"Just for the hell of it," I hummed. It was true. Sometimes my love for this man just came over me and I saw no reason to suppress it.

Together we walked through lush green grass and between green-leaved trees to the riverbank. The Kuma was a wide river that supplied all the vegetation in the immediate vicinity. The water was clear and the river flowed idly past us. We filled our water skein and took some of it with our hollow hands.

Sighing, we settled on the shore. On the face of the half dragon lay a thoughtful expression as he looked at his surroundings.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked curiously.

Caught, he looked at me and smiled. "It's beautiful here. I spent most of my life in the orphanage. But on my journey, I saw how beautiful the country actually is. There was this deep quiet forest between Nirakawa and Tamio. Then there was the sea, the wide plain and now I sit here in green grass and listen to the river". He turned a little red. "Maybe that sounds a little cheesy."

I shook my head. "It's not. Nature can be breathtaking. That's why I used to like hiking."

Red smiled and wanted to say something, but the silence was interrupted by his loud stomach rumbling. He chuckled a little and held his stomach.

"I guess someone should go hunting," I said amused. "You or me? Or do you want to hunt together?"

Red grinned. "May I try?"