To Be Human

Black Dragon

  Nearly crashing into Nina when she slid to a halt, she looked back with a wide-eyed look.

  "Mugaro, what are you doing here?" Nina questioned, and I saw the kid she was talking to. Not too far off, there was a loud bang, and something came crashing into the street beside us. Dust, stone, and debris flew into the air from the impact, and I tried to shield Nina from it as much as I could.

  "What was that?"

  "Azazel!" My eyes went wide as I saw the man lying in a small crater where he had landed. He wasn't moving and was covered in wounds, and I tried to feel for a pulse. 'Does Azazel's kind even have a heartbeat?' I momentarily thought, then discovered that they did as I felt it beneath my fingertips. "Oh, thank fuck." I sighed with relief.

  "Mugaro, I told you not to come." Azazel said through gritted teeth as he forced himself to sit up. "Tch." The demon snarled when Mugaro simply smiled. "You two, take Mugaro and go far away from here." He managed to stand but he couldn't even walk straight as he grunted in pain and held his side.

  "What about you?" Nina furrowed her brows, but the demon didn't answer. I felt compelled to do something, so I stood in his way.

  "Wait!"

  "Move."

  "No." My voice was firm as I locked eyes with Azazel. "If you fight with those injuries, you really will get yourself killed."

  "I'm going. Even if it kills me." The demon growled while pushing past me.

  "You can't!"

  "Rag Demon!" A voice echoed, seeming to come from where Azazel had flown from. "Can you hear me? If you do not show yourself, I will slaughter all of these demons."

  "That is the king of men, Charioce." The demon said with hate in his eyes and venom in his voice.

  "What kind of king would do this?" Nina furrowed her brows.

  "If I die, use your powers for the demons."

  "Don't-" I grabbed his wrist to stop him, but I must have used too much force as he came flying back into me, knocking us both back down the incline of the street. We tumbled until we were back at the small crater, and I was straddling his hips when I sat up.

  "Get a hold of yourself!" Azazel snarled, and my ears burned as I looked down at him.

  "Wait!" I swallowed, my cheeks starting to turn pink as I thought of a solution to this issue. I didn't want Nina to be put in the line of danger, nor did I want this demon that was already near dead to go back just to be killed, so that only really left me with one option. Glancing at Nina, she had this understanding look, somehow knowing what I was going to say, and she didn't fight what I was about to do.

  "Look, I'll tell you the truth, but promise you won't tell anyone else!"

  "Eh?!" Azazel made a face, and my own cheeks were getting darker.

  "Promise!"

  "I promise!"

  "Kiss me." I told him, and his brows furrowed as he looked at me like I was crazy.

  "What are you saying?"

  "Hurry up! Kiss me!" Azazel's eyes darted to Nina and Mugaro, and the pink-haired girl just waved her hand to gesture at me. The demon hesitated but then shouted while grabbing my face and planting his lips on mine. The kiss only lasted a second before I pushed him back and screeched. "I meant on the cheek!"

  "How was I supposed to know?!" He shouted and my body started to glow with a black light as dark scales covered my skin.

~

  I woke up in Rita's place again, covered in a sheet and on the soft red couch. Blinking away the sleep from my eyes, I looked around to see if Nina was there like last time.

  She wasn't, but Azazel was. I saw the demon laying there on the table, and I quickly rolled over to face the back of the couch as my face burned from remembering what he had done. And, to make matters worse, I was completely naked under the sheet. Again.

  "Oh, no." I grumbled under my breath before covering my head with the blanket to try and hide from my embarrassment. Unlike Nina, it was harder to make me flustered but this situation right here was near enough to make me turn into a dragon.

  "You saved me yesterday." His voice was soft, and now I knew he was awake.

  "Don't forget you promised not to tell anybody about yesterday."

  "About how you can turn into a dragon?"

  "No, not that!" I sat up to look at him and saw that he now had his eyes open as he was staring at the ceiling. I felt the sheet slip, and I panicked and wrapped up in it again. "....That I turn into a dragon whenever a guy kisses me." I mumbled. "I know it's weird, but I can't do anything about it. I.... Nina and I are from a small village way out to the east of here." I continued while trying to focus on the fabric on the couch and what I was saying rather than my current predicament.

  "Our father is a dragon, and our mother is human. I'm not sure, but I think that's why I have trouble changing because Nina sort of has the same problem as well. We were the worst at turning into dragons in the village. But then one day....a boy kissed me on the cheek after giving me a flower and that was the first time I'd actually turned into a dragon. Nina, it's easier for her though, because all it takes is for her heart to race or a hug." I explained. "We ended up causing a lot of damage to the village, so our mother lectured us to avoid young men. It was fine since most of the villagers were old, but after coming to the capital...."

  "You met me." Azazel stated.

  "I mean, you're not the only one who can make me turn into a dragon." I felt the need to clarify. "I hardly remember anything when I turn into my dragon, though, and I go wild."

  "Hardly?"

  "Whatever I'm thinking about or focused on before I turn is what I do when I turn. Like saving Nina, or helping you with those knights. And there's nothing I can do about it. Honestly...." My voice got quieter. "I think if I turned to look at you right now, I'd probably turn into a dragon again."

  "That would be a problem." Azazel replied nonchalantly.

  "I don't think I'd be any use to you or the demons." My brows knit together as I nervously ran my finger over the threads on the couch.

  "That's not true." The demon slightly rose his voice, and I shook my head. "If you're unable to control yourself, I will control you instead."

  "Huh?" My ears were burning as I continued to stare at the back of the couch. "What the Hell do you mean?" There was a quiet pause, but when Azazel spoke again, he had a determined tone.

  "Let me make love to you and turn you into a dragon!"

  "What?! Wh-What are you saying?!" I swallowed and put my hand over my pounding heart in the hopes of keeping it in my chest. "If you don't stop saying weird shit like that....I really will turn into a dragon!"

  "Not now, please." His voice was soft again. Carefully and quickly wrapping the sheet around myself, I shot to my feet.

  "Don't you tell anyone about this!" I shouted before hurrying out of the room before it escalated and I was breathing fire.

~

  Sitting on top of the carriage next to Mugaro, we were looking toward the sunset while he played his ocarina. I sat with my knees pulled up to my chin and was talking away while the kid simply listened, or he was actually just ignoring me.

  "I can't believe he said something like that. Such an idiot!" I huffed. "Who does he think he is trying to control me? Hey, Mugaro? How do you handle that demon's attitude?" The kid paused his playing and only smiled softly. "You ever get used to it?" He just kept smiling. "....He'll be okay, right? He's a pretty strong demon, right?"

  Mugaro put the instrument back to his lips and began to play it. I could tell the kid was worried as well, but he seemed to have faith in Azazel.