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Hinata usually visited Shadow Mountain, though people feared the mountain for its plentiful of dangerous animal and poisonous plant. But the mountain was Hinata’s friend, providing him with food like mushroom, berry, and nut, and a source of great contentment, especially when his farm couldn't produce enough goods, even for himself.
One day, Hinata found a big cave, far up in the mountain. Suspicious for the dark cave felt warmer than the sunlit ground outside, Hinata left. He returned the next day, imagining all sort of precious stone he could find there or, even better, treasure from the war of the past. But what he found at the end of the cave, in the middle of dark water, was a man bounded by chain in both wrists and pierced by at least ten swords all over his body.
Hinata knew he must run, but instead he crept closer. Warmth radiated from the body he thought to be dead.
He touched the biggest sword of them all, the one decorated with orange gemstones. The sword was warm.
The man breathed and lifted his face.
Under the rows of hair so dark they were almost blue, a pair of glaring blue eyes stared at Hinata in anger. He showed rows of teeth, its fang far longer than Hinata would found in normal human, and then he was squirming, grunting in pain. The heavy chain rattled. Before Hinata knew it, his fingers were lifted as he tried to yank those swords off the poor man.
He started with the orange sword.
It took some time in the beginning, but then Hinata was able to pull the sword away. The weapon was longer than his leg and wider than his palm. He expected blood gushing, but the grunting man’s body seemed fine. The sword left nothing but silver sliver of scar.
Hinata pulled all the swords and threw them to the water.
When the last sword, a dagger to the man’s chest, was pulled, he broke free from the chain, leaving only two large, heavy, black iron six-edged bracelet on his wrists.
Then he fell towards Hinata, heavy and sleepy, warmer than Hinata, his body smoking lightly.
Hinata dragged him with all his might back outside the cave, to wooden carriage Hinata used for farming.
Hinata was sure that he broke at least one third of bones on his body dragging the man home, but he was more intrigued than tired.
*)*
After the sun vanished for the day, Hinata, who was currently peeling potatoes by the fireplace of his kitchen, heard a loud, heavy thud from upstairs.
The man he just saved from the cave rolled down from the stairs. He landed with a loud thump. Then he stood, perfectly uninjured. His strides were long, calm, and heavy.
And then, there, with the light form the fireplace shining upon his large built, Hinata saw him for the first time clearly.
Hinata had apparently missed a pair of small horns, dark and shining in rows, nestled against the man’s dark hair. His dark, short hair with fringe sat upon a pair of glaring blue eyes, that seemed to be slightly shining in the dimness. His body and arms were covered in light, silvery scar from which all the swords stabbed him. He was naked from top to toe. There was something black, long enough to touch the wooden floor, and full of scales between his slightly tanned scarred legs. It took Hinata a full second to realise that it was a tail.
He looked at Hinata without words.
Then they ate dinner, in which he ate nothing but meat. At first, he just curled down and ate directly with his mouth like a large cat. But after Hinata started eating with his knife and fork, he imitated Hinata, grunting and munching loudly. The other thing Hinata noted was that he left his vegetable on his plate and refused to eat it.
Hinata wondered whether this man—if he were human at all—was some sort of carnivore.
What was he, anyway? With horns and tail full of hard, shiny scales, he couldn’t be another farmer like Hinata.
Also, he was incredibly warm. Hinata realised that the swords weren’t the warm one, this man was. Perhaps the cave was warmer than sunlit ground outside it because this man emitted so much warmth it seeped throughout the cave.
“Do you have name? My name is Hinata.”
He just looked down at Hinata from his great height. His blue eyes reflected the fire dancing on the room. The man didn't answer.
But he dragged Hinata to bed when Hinata announced bed time.
The night was a little cold, so Hinata asked for permission to lit his fireplace.
But the man jumped down from the bed with such ease and knelt before the fireplace, his back, full of scars and muscles, faced Hinata.
Something happened and the fire suddenly lit.
He turned around, his nostrils and slightly opened mouth smoking.
He stood, looming in the darkness, with light from fireplace shining his behind. Then he looked at Hinata, blinking, his expression soft and his eyebrows no longer furrowed. Then his fingers found Hinata's face- large, calloused, and so very warm, unlike any skin Hinata had ever touched. He knelt by the bed, leaning his chin on the fabric next to Hinata's pillow and gazed at Hinata, unblinking.
Hinata.
Hinata had no idea how, but he knew that the horned and tailed man called him—not through words, but through mind, through eye contact and touch.
Hinata.
Then it dawned upon Hinata; this was no man, but something he had heard long time ago as a child.
He was a dragon.
A dragon who said to be most powerful creature on earth, with wings and breathe of fire, with magic and eternal life, who took not only the form of beast but also human, whose stronger than any wizard and witch on the kingdom.
Hinata.
The dragon had curled against him once again. Hinata was pulled into a very warm hug. With his palms against the dragon man’s back, he could feel scales on his back, the place where a pair of strong wings could emerge any time.
Making contact with dragon was against the kingdom’s rule. Hinata knew he should report to the head of the village immediately, so the head of the village could contact the king and capture the dragon, for it’d be to dangerous for everyone.
But with the dragon, who looked no less than his own age in human form this close to him, who just ate his chicken for dinner and had so sadly cried with swords against him on the cave, chained and alone, there was no way Hinata was going to give him up.
“It’s okay,” said Hinata, with more certainty that the dragon understood him. “You will be safe here.”
And the dragon’s call echoed into his mind once again.
Hinata.
*)*
Hinata realised that he could hear the dragon man’s thought upon their touch.
It was much more unnerving than talking normally, for Hinata must start every conversation with extending his hand. But the dragon man, albeit seemed to have permanent pout on his face, raised his eyebrows in an entertained manner and tightened his lips whenever Hinata came closer. Hinata suspected that he wanted to smile, but he couldn’t or wasn’t sure how.
And when Hinata touched him, their conversation was all visual image or flow of feelings and moods.
When the dragon man must wear pants Hinata made him and with Hinata’s hand on the man’s forearm, he thought about rope and plunging to a cliff instead of wearing clothing. In the end, Hinata managed to persuade him on wearing pants for deer meat dish for dinner.
When their arms brushed against one another—and the dragon man was awfully warm, like human in fever—as he helped Hinata with preparing deer for dinner, Hinata could hear song of happiness flowing inside him and he could see and smell flowers and spring on his head. It was all meat, meat, meat, and happiness.
The only word the dragon man seemed to know was “Hinata”.
He called Hinata a lot when they touched and Hinata smiled, feeling the dragon man’s mind probed inside his, feeling it like the way the dragon man felt Hinata’s hair between his warm, calloused fingers and palm.
One day, when the dragon man helped him with feeding the chicken (and he had caught the dragon man drooled over the fattest rooster Hinata had), Hinata looked at his strange guest and wondering out loud.
“Do you have a name? Should I call you something?”
Hinata reached for the dragon man’s forearm. He seemed hesitant at first, but then their mind connected once again. Hinata found out that the dragon man didn’t have any name. The images of chains, swords, and cave came to their minds and Hinata quickly stopped the visual. It’s okay. We don’t have to remember that.
But as they stood near the chicken coop, Hinata was holding the dragon man’s hand, he gazed up at the scowling face and smiled, “What do you say about ‘Kageyama’—Shadow Mountain? It’s the name of the place I find you.”
Hinata saw the dragon man’s tail rose and wagged sideways happily like a dog.
“Yeah? Do you like that name?” chuckled Hinata.
The dragon man—no, Kageyama—nodded. Kageyama nodded and squeezed Hinata’s hands. Hinata! I Kageyama! Hinata! Kageyama!
That day, Kageyama the dragon learned two words: ‘I’, and the name Hinata gave him, ‘Kageyama’.
*)*
After learning his name, Kageyama initiated to touch Hinata more and his vocabulary grew.
In the beginning, Hinata wasn’t sure on what tone should he used to address Kageyama. Kageyama was a dragon, but also a human, and also a magical being. Should Hinata address him like normal human his age? What if Kageyama didn’t understand the references Hinata made? Was Kageyama older or younger than him?
But after being named, Kageyama started to talk more.
After several days of I love meat. It’s very tasty., Kageyama started to form longer sentence, like So human will usually get ill if they didn’t “cook” their meat?
Much later, when they were both curled on Hinata’s bed, Kageyama had been able to construct longer sentence. He said, upon their touch, You are very warm, Hinata. I know that I am warmer in body temperature, but you are warmer in heart and soul. Thank you for saving me back then in the cave. Now I owe you my life and I shall belong to you.
To this, Hinata blinked, watching Kageyama’s blue eyes, his eternal pout, and the dark fringe that framed his head. Kageyama, maybe you shouldn’t say things like ‘I belong to you’ so very easily like that.
Kageyama lips curled. But you did save me and now I am yours.
Hinata face felt very hot, even though Kageyama wasn’t touching it with his burning palms.
Okay, then, Kageyama.
Kageyama lost his frown. I am so happy to belong to you, Hinata. Soon, I shall speak to you in spoken words.
Hinata smiled at that, but too sleepy to analyse. Of course, Kageyama. Let’s go to sleep now. Good night, Kageyama.
Good night, Hinata… my Master.
*)*
The next morning, Hinata woke up with someone calling his name.
“Hinata. Hinata?”
He opened up his brown eyes to speaking Kageyama.
“Eh?” Hinata immediately sat and felt dizzy momentarily.
“Hello. Hinata. Good morning,” Kageyama spoke, his voice low and warm, albeit a little clipped.
“Kageyama?” Hinata blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes. “You can speak?”
“I am sorry,” he said, he was pouting again. “I need to grow organs on my throat so I can speak again. Now I have. I am sorry for making you wait to hear me.”
But Hinata jumped from the bed to hug Kageyama. He laughed, his arms and legs around Kageyama’s warm, scarred skin, and Kageyama hugged him back.
“So we’re going to touch less now,” Hinata said, when he pulled back and tiptoed on his way back to the ground.
Kageyama blinked two times at him, his face innocent despite the frown, “Do you want to always touch me, Hinata?”
Hinata’s cheeks felt tingly, “Yes. But it’s not necessary now that you can speak.”
But Kageyama scooped Hinata into his strong arms and held Hinata close to him, “Hinata, you must touch me when you want to. You are my master and I belong to you, and you shall do as you please to me.”
Hinata knew he was blushing furiously. He laughed his embarrassment off—Kageyama liked to admit he belongs to Hinata very much—and kissed Kageyama’s left cheek in one quick movement.
“Okay, Kageyama, my Dragon.”
Kageyama placed Hinata on the ground once again and smiled, for the first time, confidently, boldly, and his face turned strikingly intimidating yet handsome.
“Yes, Hinata, my Master.”
*)*
Hinata had thought that living with Kageyama would change, after Kageyama could speak, but they eased into their usual routine very easily, like a perfectly fitting glove.
Hinata noted that prior to speaking, Kageyama liked to touch his chickens or trees or plants Hinata grew on the filed. When Kageyama spoke, Hinata finally understood that he was actually talking with them.
He also started to tell Hinata things like, “The oak tree on the backyard wished you’d give him some extra water once a week” or, “The birds that perched outside the kitchen every morning said you usually let them take some of your crops and they’re very thankful for that.”
Hinata blinked at Kageyama, amazed and surprised, “You can talk with animal and plant?”
Kageyama looked back, slightly shocked, “You mean you can’t?”
Hinata also discovered that the Shadow Mountain was now less scary and there was less dangerous animal and poisonous plant around. When he told Kageyama about this, as they worked on Hinata’s radishes, Kageyama wiped sweat from his forehead, the chain against his iron wristband made small rattling sound.
“The Shadow Mountain was devastated because I was there, deep in the heart of the mountain,” he said, his blue eyes pierced into Hinata’s brown ones. “Now that I am free, it wouldn’t be so, borrowing your term, scary anymore.”
“Oh,” said Hinata.
They continued to pluck the radishes and stopped at noon.
“Kageyama.”
“Yes, Hinata?”
“How long have you been there in that cave?”
Kageyama didn’t look at Hinata’s eyes, “You don't want to know.”
“Why don’t I?”
Kageyama was half-glaring at him, “Because you have such gentle heart and it’d pain you to know how long I’ve been trapped there. Just think about it as very long time. Beside, I don’t want you to think that I am very old.”
Hinata raised his eyebrows, “Are you very old?”
Kageyama coughed, his cheeks reddened, “I don’t want to answer that question, Hinata.”
But then, at lunch, Kageyama gazed into skewered meat on his hand.
“Dragons don’t die, Hinata,” Kageyama said, his tone clipped once again. “If no one killed us, we could live forever. You have seen how many swords they struck into me, but even a magical sword couldn’t kill a dragon like me.”
Only by then Hinata realised that no fire or disease would be able to kill Kageyama. But immortality seemed very lonely. Perhaps, one day, in the past, Kageyama had met someone like Hinata, someone who died in the mere span of fifty years.
“Do not make that face, Hinata,” Kageyama sighed. “I do not like it when you are unhappy. I am okay. I will be okay. I am happy for I belong to you. Do you not happy that you own me?”
Hinata smiled at that and ruffled Kageyama’s hair, careful as not to touch his horns, “I’m so very happy, Kageyama.”
Later at night, with Kageyama sleeping nestled against him, Hinata thought fiercely, I will make him happy as long as I’m around.
And he crossed his heart and hoped to die if he weren’t to fulfil his promise.
*)*
A little later, Hinata slept with a dream of when snowstorm came to his village like it always did every year. He opened his front door to blanket of white wherever he saw. The sun was cold and pale, distance in the sky.
Hinata must check his chicken, so he tightened his coat and closed the door behind him.
But the dragon he cared jumped behind him and closed the door for him.
Kageyama didn’t talk very often (Hinata imagined his throat must be still rather wounded somehow), but he greeted Hinata good morning with a hug and several nuzzle against the farmer’s nape. They walked hand in hand, Kageyama warmer than ever, because he was a dragon and he had fire inside him.
Kageyama’s breath turned extra white in front of him. His dark figure, with dark hair, dark horns, and dark tail, looked menacing between the pure white of snow.
But then Kageyama lightly pressed his body against Hinata and Kageyama made long, content low growl that came from his throat.
To lit fire was much easier this day, but to think that Hinata had his own fireplace whom he could bring everywhere was a luxury he never dared to dream about.
Kageyama squeezed his hand around Hinata’s, stinging warm and a little rough. Then Kageyama leaned down and Hinata tiptoed to meet Kageyama’s kiss. Kissing with Kageyama had to be done with precaution and safety, for the inside of Kageyama’s mouth was very hot and it always hurt a little from the heat.
But whenever Hinata pulled back, it always felt like Kageyama had breathed a fire inside him.
And no winter would be cold to Hinata anymore.