DRAGON'S BROOD II (Kirishima x Bakugou)

Chapter 14: Unexpected Encounter

Kirishima's PoV

Tetsutetsu and I flew for quite a while and our conversations became more and more lively as I became more and more comfortable and he lost his distanced behavior towards me. Little by little he seemed to forget that I was a Kirishima, a nobleman so to speak, and became as open to me as he was during our first encounter.

The landscape below us became more and more flat and I realized that we had completely left the mountains behind in the meantime. This showed that I was in the empire of the dragons. Curiously I searched for signs of civilization, but found nothing at first. The steppe below me was only dotted with groups of trees, but apart from a few rabbits and deer I saw nothing.

My wings are getting heavy. Do you think we should take a break? Tetsutetsu finally asked.

Inwardly I had only waited for this question, because I also became tired slowly. And above all I was hungry.

Yeah, let's land. I also have to eat something, I replied.

We descended and landed on the vast steppe. We were both hungry and wanted to go hunting. I had been hunting only once in a while during the last years and had eaten the prey mostly as a human being to eat together with Katsuki. But if I wanted to stay in my dragon body, I had to hunt for bigger prey.

Shall we go hunting together? I asked him.

Tetsutetsu's eyes grew big and he looked at me a little embarrassed. At that moment I realized that I had said something wrong. But Tetsu regained his composure quickly and giggled growling. Sorry Bro, but I really don't know you enough for THAT yet.

I frowned and tilted my head questioningly.

Tetsu grinned mischievously and revealed his sharp fangs. Hunting together is something very intimate, Eijirou. You don't do that with every dragon you just met, he rebuked me giggling.

I felt the blood raising into my cheeks and was glad that it couldn't be seen thanks to the scales. Embarrassed, I looked down. I-I didn't know that.

The silver dragon nudged me friendly on the shoulder. Come on, don't be embarrassed. After all, you didn't grow up with dragons. Besides, we are two unmarked dragons, so who cares?

My eyes widened. I HAVE a mate! I said energetically.

Oh! he said surprised and looked questioningly at my neck. Why ...? Oh, right. They're human, right?

I nodded with a little smile and thought of Katsuki.

That could be a problem, he said thoughtfully. Not that you HAVE a mate, but that it's not visible to anybody.

I shook my head confused. Why should that be a problem? If someone tries something, I just tell them that I'm taken.

Tetsu snorted amused. You are a young good-looking dragon from a noble family, the girls will throw themselves at you. You've never sniffed the beguiling scent of a female dragon ready to mate, have you? Of course, it's bad manners to ensnaring someone who already has a mate, but how would they know that? The pheromones will reach you before you can say a word.

I shuddered. I hadn't even imagined that this could be a problem. That ... it MUST somehow work. Besides, I have no interest in females. Maybe they don't influence me at all...

Tetsu shook his head. Your mate is a MEN?

I nodded hesitantly. Is that a problem?

The silver dragon laughed. No, no ... at least not for me. But you really are the most unusual guy I've ever met. You're a Kirishima, but you don't know anything about your family and the customs of dragons. You're a half human defending these cruel creatures and now you're telling me you're gay. Oh man.

I pulled my shoulders up uneasily. Until I was seventeen years old I had always been anxious to hide my dragon side to avoid attracting attention. Since I could finally show my dragon side, I had felt so free. But now I noticed how little I actually knew about the dragons. Tetsutetsu was right. I would certainly always seem a little strange to the other dragons. How could I convince them of my mission? What if they didn't take me seriously? I felt the self-confidence I had built over the years collapse.

Tetsu must have noticed my depressed facial expression, because he approached me worried. Hey, sorry, man. I didn't mean any offence. Absolutely not. You'll manage, you seem to be a good guy to me.

I nodded and forced myself to smile a little. His encouragement was supposed to be nice, but it didn't really help. Sighing, I thought of Katsuki. My Katsuki, who was the only one who always managed to build me up.

Bakugou's PoV

I continued to ride along the foothills and felt myself getting more and more tense. I had woken up early this morning and had set off without hesitation. My gaze glided over the strangely familiar landscape in front of me. It was an eternity ago. I stopped my horse because I knew that if I rode around the next hill there would be my home village Tsumari. Or what was left of it.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I ordered my horse to move on. I had gripped the reins so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

Even before I had ridden completely around the hill, I saw the numerous small columns of smoke rising behind it. And then I saw it. It was my home village and nevertheless it wasn't. The surroundings were so familiar, the houses had been built in the same familiar style and the cobblestone stone was from the same dark stone of the surroundings as then. And yet everything was different. The houses were no longer where I remembered them and the street structure had changed. No wonder, because they had to rebuild the village from scratch.

I rode into the village and looked around. I felt people's gazes resting on me. Of course, because I was wearing the red cape, they thought I was serving under the king. Those who knew a little better about the rules of service would surely recognize from my uniform that I was a dragonslayer. Unconsciously I stopped in front of a small house. I recognized the blooming old magnolia in the garden. My parents' house had once stood here. Tears rose in my eyes and I quickly wiped them away before anyone could see. The house that stood here had little to do with the one I had grown up in.

Sighing, I turned away and rode to where I suspected the market place was. I wanted to stock up my provisions. The open three-sided bordered place lay exactly where it had been in the former Tsumari. Many people had come together here and I got off and tied up my horse to be able to move better through the crowd.

I bought some bread and cheese and went over to the fruit stand. Already from a distance I could see the bright red apples. That was just the thing. I pushed myself through the crowd and froze.

In front of the fruit stand stood an older woman who had put up her grey hair in a stern bun. She wore a white high blouse and next to her stood a little girl with pitch-black hair who had stubbornly crossed her arms in front of her chest. Hesitantly I approached them both. When I was only a few meters away from them, the woman turned around and her stern grey eyes met mine.

"Miss Crownway?" I asked in disbelief.