DRAGON'S BROOD II (Kirishima x Bakugou)

Chapter 22: Intruder

Bakugou's PoV

The darkness had fallen and the lights from the windows illuminated the capital in a magical way. I pulled the hood a little deeper into my face. Aizawa had given me the cape and even though I wanted to reject it at first, I was now happy about the visual protection it offered me.

My right hand rested on my sword handle as I walked close to the walls of the houses towards the palace. I had missed the soothing weight of the dragon blade. Aizawa had stayed behind us just before the fight and by the time he reached the battlefield, Red had already flown away with me. Although he also thought I was dead, he had taken the sword without hesitation and kept it ever since. And somehow, I was grateful to him. Even though I would never be a dragonslayer again, the hardened blade simply belonged to me.

In this city I didn't need a map or any other orientation. Even at night the streets around the palace were more familiar to me than any other place in the country. I breathed deeply before I turned around the corner, knowing that this was the first time in years that I would see the impressive palace. I almost became a little wistful when I saw the familiar castle wall.

From my point of view, only the high watchtowers of the palace could be seen behind it, but nevertheless I saw that it was still brightly lit. Right in front of me was the large gate, which was heavily guarded at all times of the day.

But I ignored the guards. Don't get me wrong, I'm always ready for a fight, but now just trying to get into the area through the front would be pure suicide. Especially since I knew exactly how to get in without any problems. As I said, I knew the palace and the surrounding area very well.

At the time, the legendary dragonslayer All Might had taken me to court as an orphan. Nobody there had been really enthusiastic, and they all doubted that I would ever be able to be a dragonslayer. But that had only spurred me on more. I had overcome every obstacle that was put in my way through my ambition and my intransigence. I clenched my teeth as I thought back of that time.

I continued to walk closely along the castle wall so that I merged with the shadows. Even as a child I had secretly left the grounds and knew exactly how to do it unnoticed.

My fingers ran along the rough stone until I found the nailed down iron door. The door couldn't be opened in the usual way without leaving traces. At least you couldn't if you didn't know exactly how to do it. But my practiced fingers were fumbling around on the hinge side, finding the gap between the stones and levering out the stone right next to the hinge. A little bit in a crooked position, the heavy iron wing was to be moved now so far to the side that I could push myself through.

With a little sensitivity I pushed the stone back from the inside and closed the door again. Thank God, there was such a thing as a memory of movement, because that could only be achieved if one knew exactly from what angle it was possible.

There I was, in complete darkness. Of course, the castle wall was crossed by numerous corridors connecting the watchtowers. But this passage was different. It was an old servant entrance, but it hadn't been used for a long time. My hands felt their way along the walls and I quickly found my way around. As automatically I raised my feet, in order to climb over the debris on the ground. A small self-satisfied smile put itself on my lips. Now it was worth it that even as a child I had ignored the rules of my supervisor, looked for my ways outside and optimized them over the years.

I quickly found myself on the other side of the wall. On the one hand it was easier to get out of here, on the other hand it was problematic. The door wasn't locked from the inside, which made the way outside easy, but there were the guards patrolling the wall regularly. So simply opening the door would cause the danger of running right into them.

I laid my ear on the cool door and closed my eyes. I didn't hear the familiar rhythmic steps of the guards, but I didn't want to risk anything and decided to wait until I heard them. Only from this moment could I know exactly where the men were. The way to the palace went over a lot of unprotected space and to overcome it undetected, the patrol had to be as far away as possible.

I drummed my fingers silently on my thighs as I paused in this position. And finally, I heard exactly what I had been waiting for: the heavy boot footsteps from the guards. As they walked right past the door, I began to count. After five minutes, I pressed quietly but firmly down the cool door handle.

The ice-cold night air greeted me, and I took a deep breath before running across the lawn. When I reached the wall of the palace, I pressed against it and merged again with the shadows. I listened briefly but heard nothing but my own breaths. Calmly I went on and always stayed close to the wall.

I came to the small attached rose garden. But now I stopped short. In former times there was this trellis, which reached up to the second floor and was densely planted. But the garden seemed to have been completely restructured, and not even the small tool shed stood where I remembered it. I cursed inwardly. It was actually natural that something had changed in the recent years.

I didn't have much time to think about what I could do, because the guards would continue their tour and sooner or later I would get back into their line of sight. I gritted my teeth and stared up the rough wall. After all, the rustic façade was rough enough for me to find purchase. At least up to the pedestal under the first floor I could climb without problems.

I began to climb up the façade and indeed my hands and feet found enough hold to reach the first floor. I stood on the pedestal and stared up at the window I was aiming for. A metal hook had been hammered into the wall halfway along the way. Probably the trellis was fixed here earlier. It would help me to cover the last part, but somehow I first had to get there.

My fingers searched for gaps in the much narrower joints so that I could pull myself up better. But shortly after I had started to climb further I noticed that my feet could hardly find any support. I gritted my teeth together and stretched out to get to the hook. But at the same moment my left foot finally lost its grip. I drew my sword in a flash and hit it into a joint between the stones. A metallic noise echoed through the silence of the night, and my body hit the wall harshly as I caught my fall. I listened briefly to check if I had alerted the guards, but fortunately that didn't seem to be the case. Now I hung there, only with one hand on my sword. My sword. Damn, if it had been this simple blade I had carried with me before, this action would have gone wrong. I couldn't imagine that it would have got between the joints so easily.

I suppressed a curse when I pulled myself up on my sword and could finally reach the metal hook. With clenched teeth I pulled myself up and found new hold. But getting the sword out of the wall was something that almost cost me my balance again. But I succeeded and I finally reached the window through which I wanted to enter the palace.

Behind that window was a small room. It had never really had much function and therefore acted more or less as a half-forgotten storage room. But a storeroom with a large window and a good view. I used to spend a lot of time in this room when I wanted to be alone or just get annoyed by other people. The fact that the room was on my escape route was an additional bonus. The window was easy to unlock from the outside and I got in quickly.

But before I could set my second foot on the ground, I felt a breeze right behind me. I ducked reflexively and attacked the dark figure who tried to take me by surprise. From his movements I saw that he was a well-trained fighter with experience, but unlike me he didn't carry a sword. Apparently, he hadn't expected to need it. What was he doing in this dark room anyway?

I prevented his next attack by placing my sword at his throat. Defensively he raised his trembling hands and now I had the time to look at him. In the darkness I could hardly see more than a shadow, but where through the window a little moonlight fell on him, I saw that his hair had a green shimmer.

I clicked my tongue and took the sword away.

"What the fuck are you shitty nerd doing here?" I hissed.

The big eyes of my counterpart widened.

"K-Kacchan?"