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The beast’s fire had burned most of the city by now melting the brilliant orange of the flames with the sky’s color of the early morning. It had it’s claws somewhere around the plaza where it ate the few citizens and soldiers that were still alive and trying to escape the dragon’s hunger. It was a huge monster, more than any other that Saitama had ever seen in his whole life. And there was nothing he or the entire royal army could do against it, they wouldn’t land a scratch on such a massive creature before it ate them all.
Right now, Saitama was positive there was no way to get out of this alive. He had seen the Dragon’s power by himself, he had tried to protect his friends but he failed. His reputation of being the strongest knight in the kingdom wouldn’t scare a monster this huge, there was nothing he could do to beat it.
So he saw them die, he watched as most of them tried in vain to stop the Dragon to get into the city but its mighty fire and his strong claws threw them away, crushed them and burned them to ashes. He decided to call it a lost cause, and he reunited the few soldiers who could still stand to evacuate the citizens to the nearest kingdom. There was no point in fighting a lost battle when there was still people to save, especially someone that he really didn’t want to lose today to a monster’s whim.
He had gotten to the castle as quickly as he could, now running through hallways and stairs that never seemed to end. He was getting desperate just because he couldn’t find him. He checked the studios and libraries, bedrooms and dinning rooms but he was nowhere to be found. What if he was outside now, trying to fight that monster? He could be dead for all he knew, he could be in the process of doing so in the middle of the battlefield as he bled himself to death, or burning or being eaten and Saitama only though of the endless possibilities before he heard voices and screams on a room next to him.
“We can’t fight!” Came from an unknown voice as he rushed with the last of his hope to where it came from. “We need to retreat, your majesty!”
“And do you expect me to run away like a coward?!” He recognized the voice of the prince, and he was forever grateful to the gods that he was still here safe and sound. Genos was many things, reckless among all of those, but had the boy rushed into battle again and Saitama would’ve gone insane.
Without elegance he stomped through the doors and was quickly to talk. “Your majesty, I’m afraid we have to leave immediately.” He sounded authoritative, like he was the one in charge now, he payed no attention to the Genos’ crown, sword and amor on top of the desk. “You two start helping everyone in the castle evacuate, take them to the front gates, everyone must be there by now.”
Both soldiers bowed before leaving with quick steps through the almost broken door of the prince’s office. Genos looked at him furiously. “We can’t, We must fight! We need to protect the people—”
“Listen, there’s not gonna be any people to protect if we try to fight it,” said Saitama with a tired voice.
“But you can, right?!” Genos grabbed him by the shoulders with desperation. “You can! I believe you can do it! Do you need more soldiers? A shaper weapon? Tell me and I will help you!”
Saitama grabbed the prince’s sword from the desk and gave it to him. “I tried. But can’t beat this one, Genos” He whispered, his worry evident in the expression of his face. “I don’t want you to get hurt again” His tone was soft and tender. When they were alone there was no need to play pretend, right?
The screams of both men and women alike were loud outside, the magnificent roars of the dragon as he got closer to the castle… they kept looking at each other before Genos gazed slowly to the floor, finally giving up. He seemed disappointed in many ways but most of all he looked scared. His lips were tight and he could feel him shaking. Saitama got out of Genos’ grip before they both started to make their way to the front gates of the castle without no more words.
“Is your horse alive?” asked Saitama like it was a common topic of conversation.
He heard Genos yell from behind, “I believe so, why would you ask?”
A loud crash shook the whole building and both of them fell to the floor as growl came from outside the walls. The floor began to crack beneath them and Saitama grabbed Genos’ hand as he pulled him towards a safe place. But when the dragon’s head popped from the ceiling Saitama’s heart stopped. It roared again while its claws opened the castle’s roof like it was made of paper.
But it wouldn’t fit completely through there to catch them, so as intelligent as the monster was, it breathed and gathered a small amount of air in its lungs. Genos’ eyes were wide with shock and fear as he felt Saitama pull him towards the stairs and almost threw them down avoiding the ball of fire he spit at them. They rolled down without care until the both hit the hard floor.
Saitama’s head was spinning but the prince’s grunts took him out of his daze, as he heard the dragon walking on what was left of the castle’s ceiling.
“Oi! Genos, get up!” He ordered as he helped him to his feet, pulling him by his hands towards the exit.
“It’ll find us again, Saitama!” Genos’ voice sounded like it was miles away and not right beside him, he must’ve hit his head if it was aching this bad. “We won’t make it out,” he heard, and again. He just didn’t stop walking.
Saitama wanted to scream and ask the heavens what did he do to deserve this misery. He had never asked for this, never to have to live and see the day where Genos had to be put through all of this, hurt and tired and scared. His number one priority was to make Genos happy, not to take him out of the castle alive, to not worry he’ll die crushed beneath his own walls or inside the stomach of a filthy dragon.
“Hey, stop!” Genos pulled him away the time, just right before a claw coming from above them tried to catch them. Saitama saw how the eye of the dragon looked through the hole it made, like a cat hunting down the small rats of the kitchen. Saitama began to run and wondered if anyone was even alive. The dragon was here having his fun with them for a reason.
It might’ve killed everyone by now.
Genos led him through a small room filled with litters and small beds, they crossed a bathroom and some closets until they saw a small, old wooden door. Genos unsheathed his sword and smashed the doorknob with a swift strike. Door now out of the way, they finally got out to the castle’s back garden.
Above them a gigantic black tail moved from a side to the other. The garden looked like they were in hell. Bodies scattered all over, fire dancing in the air as if it was part of the landscape. They tried to ignore the soldiers Saitama had sent out before that now laid dead on the ground next to servants and horses. Genos was about to stop but Saitama pulled him before the dragon could turn around and see them. He grabbed him by his hand and ran faster than ever before until they couldn’t hear more fire or the dragon’s roar or the sound of the castle falling to the ground.
Saitama feet where tired but not enough for them to stop, never letting go of Genos’ hand as they made their way to the front gates of the kingdom. None of them said a word about the corpses they ran into, whose dead bodies they have to step on or the screams of help from the poor agonizing survivors that were trapped under the city’s destruction.
When they came to a stop, they were in front of the long bridge to cross the river to the outskirts. They could see small points of people that were moving on the other side, all of them safely away from the burning town. Saitama felt he was finally allowed to breathe. If they ran fast enough they might be able to catch up, but surely they would be able to survive. Some citizens waved at them when they recognized them, happy to see their prince still alive.
Genos gripped his hand tighter, and Saitama turned to see his beautiful smile drawn on his lips. He was about to say something; something nice and smooth, maybe to ease up all the stress about the near death-experience they just went through. Saitama opened his lips and Genos eyes where all on him, his adorable freckles covered with ashes and the blood that ran along a cut on his cheek where all making him go nuts.
But sappy puns or sentimental speeches never came out of his mouth as a strenuous sound of the dragon falling on top of the bridge woke them from their little paradise. They saw the people on the other side running away, and Saitama cursed his insides when he watched his las chance of getting away crumbling down into the water, splashing and drowning deep down in it.
Genos pulled him away from the dragon’s attempt to crush them with his claws, and then Saitama got and idea. Without warning he grabbed Genos’ sword and sent it flying like a projectile to the monster’s eyes. It growled and they took the chance to run. Back again to the hide and seek-game thing the dragon had started to play with them, they both ran away from the gates and into the city where they hid inside a destroyed house, hoping the beast would follow them instead of the innocent civilians that were safely out of this mess.
Saitama let his weight fell on the house’s door while Genos sat on the ground with heavy breaths that filled the empty home.
“I’m sorry, Genos. I failed” said Saitama between gasps, while he walked closer to Genos, falling to his knees when he reached him, his amor making a loud clashing noise when it hit the ground. He took his shoulder plates and his gloves off, freeing himself from the heavy weight. His face down to the floor and his eyes filling with tears. “I don’t deserve to be your royal knight or whatever the hell I was supposed to be”.
The sound of the dragon’s wings flying above them broke the silence of the room. “You are wrong, Saitama” he confessed. “You had the chance to leave. But you came back, and you tried to save me.” Genos’ hands went to Saitama’s face and cupped it in his hands. “I didn’t chose you because you were strong, but because you were the most kind, humble and honest knight I met in my life and I can assure you—”
Saitama’s index finger flew quickly to Genos’ lips, delicately placing it on top of them. “Oh god, shut up. You’re embarrassing yourself” Saitama mumbled before a tiny smile and a faint blush appeared on his face. Again, they fell into silence while Genos’ caressed with him with his hands before a strong rumble gained their attention. Genos eyes filled with tears and his hands fell down on his lap. It was hard to hide the worry that the end was this close.
Genos lifted his head and sniffed. “I wish I could’ve spent more time with you”
Saitama let out a laugh as the rumble got closer and closer. It had been quite a while, some few years together, maybe Genos meant time as a whole? Like a lifetime of them just being themselves in the privacy of their relationship, the intimacy of their friendship… Or whatever this was, honestly.
Saitama swallowed a cry before he talked: “Would you hear my last request, your majesty?” Genos huffed at the title and nodded, before Saitama reached for his hands and intertwined their fingers. “Find me. I’m sure we’ll meet again in another life or something. So please, promise me you’ll find me…”
“Yes! I promise!” Genos’ excited voice silenced any noise from the outside, even the one of the dragon as he ripped what was left of the house above them. “And I swear on my name that I’ll kill any beast that tries to stop me.”
Saitama smiled, his own tears falling down his face while he closed the distance between them and joined their foreheads together. Their eyes looking directly into each other, their hands clasped together, the smell of Genos’ sweat combined with his fancy royal cologne, the way his eyes shined as if they were made of pure gold.
A big, dark shadow covered and suddenly Saitama sobbed. “Of course that you will, my prince”.
And there was a brief searing pain when the dragon devoured them in a single bite.
And then there was darkness.
And then Saitama woke up.
Genos was putting away the dry dishes when he heard a loud gasp from the living room. He scanned the area with breath-taking speed, but found no threat around while he softly made his way to where his teacher slept.
“Good morning, sensei. I apologise if I woke you up.” He said, while he came back to the kitchen to fetch their breakfasts.
Saitama’s breath was heavy and he could feel his pyjamas sticking to his skin from the dampness of his sweat. Was all that just a dream?
“No, it’s… fine.” He replied, his own voice like some sort of weird sound lingering in the air.
In the background Genos’ talked about something but he couldn’t make any of it. He was busy wondering why did he had that kind of dream out of all things? Genos being his… uhh, prince and he being his trusty white knight. Damn, wasn’t it a little too odd? Like, wasn’t it a little too… gay?
The thump of the plates on the table made him jump and Genos stared curiously at him. They stayed silent, until Genos expression stiffened.
“It’s something the matter?” asked the blond before he kneeled by his futon. “You seem distressed, are you sick? Perhaps you got a cold from that time you stayed outside…” He rambled and Saitama only waved his hand dismissively at him while he pushed the covers away.
“No, it’s nothing. Just a weird dream.” He replied. Genos’ said nothing more as he watched Saitama sit by the table and grab the chopsticks. He followed shortly after and sat in front of him, phone on one hand and chopsticks on the other. The morning went as it usually did for both of them, Saitama turned the tv on to watch the morning news broadcast while he ate. There was nothing interesting on it and his thoughts went slowly to the last of what he remembered of the dream.
He looked over at Genos and caught him smiling at something in his phone. His eyes widened and his breath felt thick as it traveled through his lungs. Saitama was in too deep now to turn back, wasn’t he?
Well, shit.
“Hey, Genos” He called as he lazily played with a tiny piece of lettuce on his plate.
His disciple looked up from his phone before replying, “Yes, sensei?”
Saitama sighed and he felt his heart give some weird beats against his chest.
“Do you believe in reincarnation?”