Written, 2/4/2010; posted, 11/20/2010; 383 words
dragon tamer. slight ulquihime. sometimes dragons are just lonely and second chances are ok. post ch 354.
a/n: as I'm sure you can tell by now, I'm hung up on The Ash. fic mutated a bit from its original form, particularly with kawaiis' fanart, dream, fave DOT me/d2xxsct
Maybe, she thinks, this is not such a good idea. But everything is done – her time here in Las Noches is drawing to a close. The battle is done, the dragon slain and the hero triumphant.
Kurosaki reluctantly goes his way after her reassurance all will be well.
"I have the Shun Shun Rikka. Ishida-kun will be good as new in a jiffy!" she smiles brightly, not caring if he thinks it fake or not, but trying nonetheless for it to come off as sincere. He can't go into battle with a heart full of uncertainty. That's not what heroes do.
He nods and flash-steps away, leaving circles of dust in his wake.
She turns to the only other person on the dome. "Well, Ishida, let's get that arm of yours fixed!"
She rejects the wound, still trying to smile. She can tell he wants to say something, but he collapses once she's finished. Probably from stress, worry, and fear, she imagines. Being stabbed by your rival can't be good for your health.
She pulls together the remnants of his cape and tries to tuck him in. It's the least she can do for her knight – after all, she is a princess. Heroines do not get left behind in terribly lonely places like this, heroines go off to face battles and dragons. Princesses are the ones left at the tops of towers.
It is just her and silence at the top of Las Noches, and she doubts anyone will come. The false blue sky rolls like the sea below her, the clouds drifting like sea foam and pale cotton candy. The moon is immovable, ominous above her. It is a starless sky.
She watches the dust slide across the floor like mist. She wonders if this will work at all, now that the dust is scattered. Maybe, this is not such a good idea. Dragons are slain for good reason, after all. But, then again, she's never really liked the story of St. George the Dragon Slayer. And sometimes dragons are just lonely and second chances are ok – dragons won't have to be slain this time and princesses can become dragon tamers.
She calls the Shun Shun Rikka, and sends up a wave of gold sparks that light up the sky like stars.