Chapter Text
The purse settled heavily in the palm of Abi’s hand with the sound of coins clanging against each other. The sharp faced woman in front of her sighed with reluctance, “It’s a shame you’re going. Your talents have been helpful.”
Abi smiled politely in return and adjusted the travel pack slung over her shoulder, “Flattery won’t change my mind.”
The elder woman let out a raspy smoker’s laugh at that, “If you’re ever back in this area and need work again, come see me.”
“I will”, she lied fluidly.
Like all the other places Abi had stayed longer than six months since leaving the castle, she had no intentions on ever returning. The risk of her true identity being discovered was too high for her to feel comfortable. She merely stayed long enough to save up a decent amount of money, usually taking a job as a bodyguard or tea server, and then she would vanish as if she were never there.
Clouds drifted across the sky and casted shadows on the earth as Abi left the market town she’d called “home” the past half year or so. Abi peered past the fabric covering her eyes and looked far off into the distance.
“Where to next?” She questioned the wind caressing her blued locks, “…It’s been a while since I’ve seen the sea.”
Abi sat in the corner table of a tea house with her cloak’s hood pulled over her sky blue hair and bandages hiding her dragon eyes. The sounds of chatter from servers and other customers washed over her; it was a calming background noise like the cries of cicadas in summer. As she took a long sip of her steaming tea, Abi reached out her senses to the other dragon warriors. Zeno – a constant sunny yellow – still remained in the castle at Kouka’s heart. Guen – a reassuring pure white – hadn’t moved locations in a few years, somewhere near country’s eastern edge. Finally there was Shuten – an alluring jade green – who could never stay put anywhere for long. He was the nearest of the three and rapidly getting closer.
Abi almost dropped her cup at the realization.
Before an hour had passed, Shuten strolled into the tea house. It seemed as if he had barely changed in the years since she had last seen him. His dark green hair was still tied up in a long tail. His sharp jawline and beady eyes gave off the same roguish impression, which was emphasized by the worn-down traveling cloak. Yet the way he held himself seemed a little different, though Abi couldn’t place what the change was. Perhaps it was simply age. While Abi was observing him, the other dragon glanced around and then, spotting her, walked over.
“Hey, Abi-chan”, Shuten greeted casually as he slid into the chair across from her, “Figures you’d be in a place like this.”
“I thought I told you not to use ‘chan’”, she dryly stated.
“It’s been seven years and that’s how you greet me.”
Abi shrugged and finished the last sip of her now cold tea. Shuten stared at her with a frown, soon speaking with a subdued voice, “You’re still hiding your eyes.”
“Only in towns”, she replied quietly as she sat the cup on the table, “My eyes are too memorable.”
Silence stretched between them in an uncomfortable pause. Circling her index finger lightly on the empty cup, Abi asked the obvious question, “Why are you here?“
“I was just in the area and noticed you were close by. I…”, Shuten trailed off and glanced to the door, “Want to go somewhere with less people around to talk?”
“Alright.”
Abi fished for the correct amount of coins and set them on the table before getting up and grabbing her travel pack. The two dragons were barely out the door when without warning Shuten scooped Abi into his arms and jumped. A squeaky breath of surprise escaped Abi’s lungs as the sudden gust blew off her hood.
“I’m reminded of how irritating you are already”, she glared from behind the bandage.
He flashed his pointy teeth down at her and chuckled. Abi sighed in exasperation while they soared over the coastal town lit in the night by flickering lanterns. She wondered just how many times Shuten had carried her like this. The majority certainly would have been during battle to get her to relative safety after her power had backfired. Abi relaxed into the comforting familiarity of his arms and sensation of near-flight.
Shuten landed them on a cliff overlooking the ocean, just off the road into town. He released his hold, her feet once again touching the ground. Abi took a few steps forward. From behind the blindfold her eyes surveyed the surroundings; no one else was anywhere nearby. With a breath of relief, Abi pulled the fabric away from her face.
Her golden dragon eyes viewed the scenery uninhibited. The half-moon reflected off the rippling ocean, fish scales flashing as the creatures darted underneath the waves. The deep purple glittering with stars blended into dark blue spotted with white foam at the curved horizon. Even though covering her eyes didn’t really affect her sight, it always felt so good to see with absolute clarity.
Abi smiled contently and slowly turned her head back to Shuten. He was staring at her like the air had been knocked out of his lungs. Suddenly self-conscious, a pink blush lit her cheeks as if she were a nervous teenager again. Abi hoped it was too dark for him to notice.
“Shuten, you look like you’re about to recite some of your sappy poetry.”
That shook him out of the daze. His cheeks huffed up as if he was about to deny it, but then a mischievous grin slid across his face.
“You look like you want to hear it, Abi-chan.”
Her blush deepened, “I don’t know why I missed you.”
“Oh”, he leaned forward, “So you did miss me then?”
Abi narrowed her eyes almost accusingly, “You clearly missed me more since you bothered to come find me.”
Shuten sighed heavily as he leaned back again, running a hand through his bangs. Worry lines creased his face.
“…When we left the castle, you were still recovering.”
She raised her brow, “You’ve been worrying about me all this time?”
“Ever since that day”, he replied in a sincere voice.
The two dragons stood in silence for a few moments. The salty wind flowing past them as Abi turned her attention back toward the half-moon reflected in the waves. Minutes passed before she broke the silence with a weary voice.
“It’s gotten better over the years…but even now I occasionally have nightmares about it.”
Just like all those years ago, Shuten reached out his hand toward her but then hesitated. Confliction wavered in his dark orchid eyes. His uncertainty – acting as if something as simple as touching her might cause her to shatter like glass – made annoyance flare in her chest. Abi impulsively spun around and grabbed hold of his hand.
“You are an imbecile.”
She closed the distance between them. With her free hand reaching around the back of his head, Abi pulled his face lower and pressed her lips against his. Shuten froze as if she had unleashed the power of her eyes, completely unresponsive to the kiss. Her heart raced as embarrassment flushed her face. Abi quickly pulled away, wondering just how badly she had misinterpreted Shuten’s actions.
Then his grip on her hand tightened as he pulled her close again. One arm wrapped around her waist as he leaned in to kiss her. His tongue trailed across her lower lip. Abi clutched the fabric of his shirt, pulling him even closer, and deepened the kiss. They kissed like they bickered, trying to one up each other. At one point, his sharp teeth scratched against her lips. He tried to pull away with a mumbled apology but Abi pressed forward to continue. Eventually, they parted breathlessly. His fingers, calloused from a life of fighting, trailed down her cheek and jawline.
“Why did I wait so long to come see you?”
Abi smiled, “I did say that you’re an imbecile.”
Shuten snorted before kissing her again.
The constant sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore was lulling, singing to Abi as she drifted between the state of dreaming and awareness. However, early morning rays filtered through her eyelids. Abi groaned with annoyance and snuggled closer in the covers of the make-shift bedding, hiding her face from the bright daylight as best she could.
“Abi-chan.”
She shifted slightly while ignoring Shuten’s grating voice.
“Abi-chan”, the whisper tickled her ear, “Abi-chan.”
“Sleep”, was her mumbled reply.
He switched tactics and began slowly kissing the back of her neck. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine as a sound between a whimper and a moan escaped Abi’s lips. Of course, she hazily thought, he’d find that sensitive spot of hers.
“That’s an interesting reaction.” Shuten’s lips smirked against her neck. “But…”
The moment was then promptly ruined by his sharp teeth intently scraping her skin.
“Ow!” Abi jerked up, turning a golden glare at his smug face.
“You’re finally awake”, he grinned impishly.
“Shuten”, she stated in a grumbling tone, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t paralyze you for that.”
His answer was quick, “There are villagers heading this way.”
A glance with her eyes confirmed that there were two villagers approaching. Abi suddenly realized that, unlike Shuten, she wasn’t fully dressed yet. She scrambled around to gather her clothes and hurriedly got dressed. Shuten sat there and watched with that smug expression never faltering. With a huff, Abi threw one of their travel blankets at his head. He snorted as he caught the blanket. Once Abi was fully dressed, he ruffled through his travel bag and tossed her an orange.
“Here.”
Abi caught the fruit but at the same time noticed that those villagers were almost close enough to able to see the dragons. She set aside the orange to reach for her blindfold. But before she could tie it in place, Shuten grabbed her hand holding the bandage and looked her straight in the eyes.
“Do you really need that right now?”
Abi froze, looking into his steady orchid eyes. Seven years ago she would have, even if all three of the only people alive that she felt comfortable showing her eyes to were with her. A day ago she would have because none of them were beside her. However, today she had one of the other dragons. That was emboldening.
“…I guess not.”
A relieved expression settled on Shuten’s face, as if he was worried that he had overstepped a line. He slowly pulled the blindfold out of her grip.
Then the two dragons were within the villagers’ sight. Abi stiffened and averted her eyes as the two villagers passed by. They briefly glanced in the dragons’ direction but walked on without incident. Once the villagers were far enough away, Abi let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
The weight of Shuten’s hand pressed comfortingly on top of her head as he murmured, “That type of expression really doesn’t suit you.”
Relief mixed with the joy of being around another dragon again and the lingering giddiness of the night before. It bubbled up and escaped in a laugh. Shuten stared at her with a raised brow. Eventually her laughter faded, and Abi smiled at him. He muttered under his breath about how she made no sense sometimes. Abi shrugged and took a breath of the salty breeze before turning her attention to peeling the orange.
As they sat in companionable silence, pieces of orange skin building into a small pile beside Abi, new thoughts drifted through her head. Last night had been impulsive. From what she had gathered, Shuten coming to see her had been on impulse too. So where did that leave them? Was this going to be a one night deal? Even ignoring last night’s activities, Abi didn’t really want to part with her fellow Dragon Warrior so soon after meeting again.
“So”, Shuten’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts, “Were you doing anything specific here…?”
Abi popped a piece of the fruit in her mouth, savoring the burst of citrus flavor. She replied once she had shallowed, “Not really. I’ve been wandering around the past few years. Why?”
“There’s this hot spring inn on top of a mountain. The view is amazing”, he suggested offhandedly before plucking a few pieces of the orange right from her fingers.
She watched him eat with a frown, “Shuten, you’re terrible at this.”
He scowled at her, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Abi ate the rest of the orange before he could steal more and then stood up, brushing grass from her robes.
“There’s nothing better to do”, she smirked at him, “I guess I’ll go to this hot spring with you.”
Abi thought the happy expression that settled on Shuten’s normally gruff face was somewhat adorable.