Title: Dragon Heart

Author: sllebswap

Characters/Pairing: Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

Type: Continuous (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/General/Humor

Word Count: 3923

Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)

Disclaimer: Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

Summary: It is believed that the heart of a dragon, if consumed whole, would grant the one who ate it incredible powers and immortality. So, by order of King Azami, Sir Knight Tsukasa Eishi had been sent to find that dragon and acquire its heart, by any means necessary.

Verse: Fantasy Medieval AU

Chapter Last Revised on: 05/06/17

Chapter 2

"Are you not worried that you have a stranger living in your home?" he had asked the next evening.

She obviously lived alone, so far out from civilization. If anything were to befall her, nobody would know, let alone come to her rescue.

"I could be someone with bad intentions, for all that you're aware."

"Are you?" she had asked evenly in return. "Do you have bad intentions?"

She looked at him after cleaning and changing his dressing for the day.

He shook his head at her. "That's not what I'm asking."

Eishi could not figure out why anyone would want to live the way Rindou did, cut off and secluded from the rest of the world. She was no hermit; she seemed like someone who enjoyed interacting with others. This self-imposed isolation was very strange, indeed. Was there something here in these lands that kept her tethered to it?

She shrugged, and a flash of something that seemed like amusement flickered past her golden eyed gaze.

"I'm not afraid of you," she simply responded. "What are you going to do; hop after me on one leg and hope that I'll stay put long enough for you to catch?" She gestured carelessly around her. "Here are all the worldly possessions that I own; you may have whatever you want. What more is there for anyone to take?"

He looked at her silently.

She did not seem to realize the power of her own appeal, that captivating, ethereal beauty that some men would go to dangerous lengths to claim and possess for their own.

"Please be more wary," the white haired knight told her at last. "Also. My leg will heal completely one day soon and I am still physically stronger than you are, you know."

"And may~be I'm slowly poisoning you with my food and herbs all along," she sang back slyly. "Shall we see who'd be the last one standing in the end?"

She served him his meal with a feline smirk, and he looked at the bowl that she held out. It was roast pheasant with herbs and wild rice, and the tantalizing aroma teased his nose. She was very good at cooking, he thought, silently accepting the dish from her. The food was delicious. They dug in silently.

"…I owe my life to you," he told her quietly after a few bites. "You've nothing to fear from me."

She looked at him over her own bowl, her slit pupiled gaze glinting with humor.

"I hope so. I'd really hate to have to murder you in your sleep tonight after all that effort I've already put into keeping you alive."

"…"

He noticed the plain bandage that circled her wrist that day.

There were the faintest tinges of red permeating through the snowy white material – come to think of it, that bandage had been there on that first night he came to and found himself in her cottage, too. Nearly a week since they first met, he finally asked her the question that had been niggling his curiosity.

"What happened here?" he asked, reaching out to grab her arm, his fingers wrapping around her forelimb, gently turning it a bit so that he could have a closer look. "It's been sometime; it's not healing properly…?"

She startled, not expecting the contact, tugging free and slipping away from his grasp before he could unravel the dressing to inspect the wound.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, belatedly realizing how inappropriate the touch was. She still watched him, but she shook her head slowly.

"No, you surprised me, was all," she replied. He noted that she covered her injured wrist with the sleeve of her dress, and kept it out of his sight by slipping her arm behind her back. He transferred his gaze to her face.

"Did you get hurt from when you saved me…?"

She shrugged. "It's nothing." And she blithely changed the subject, plonking down on his bedside and leaning towards him all of a sudden. He stilled when she got really close, her visage filling his vision. But then she pulled back again and wrinkled her nose.

"You need a bath. You smell pretty rank," she told him seriously, and he started to look chagrinned.

"I cannot help that, being bedridden and all," he defended himself somewhat self-consciously. Her ochre gaze considered the scraggly whiskers on his face, and then, much to his astonishment, she reached out and curiously touched his facial stubble. Her fingers briefly cradled his jaw.

He stared at her.

"You need a shave too," she commented, rather amused by his unkempt appearance. He looked very strange even with a partially grown beard, like a youth playing at being an adult. She snickered, finally pulling her hand back. "I don't think you should ever grow anything on your face, Eishi. You look like you're molting. I'll help you wash up."

He snapped back to attention at her offer, alarmed.

"That's not necessary. I can do it on my own. If you can draw a pail of water and get me a washcloth, that'd be good enough."

She looked doubtful.

"What about the hard-to-reach places like your back and all that? I didn't go through all that work patching you up only for you to overstrain and hurt yourself again," she pointed out. "Don't be so stubborn and let me help."

A bit frazzled, he was also starting to get vaguely irritated again, that she was forcing him to spell it out.

"It's inappropriate. You're a young, unwed maid, and I'm a man."

Instead of backing off like any sensible lady would in this situation, she looked at him like he was crazy.

"So what? We're the only two beings up here in this entire mountain range and you're worried about propriety? It's not like we're going to copulate or anything like that!" He spluttered at her frank comment. This woman-

And Rindou wasn't even done. She continued, raising her voice a bit over his protests. "Also, if you're worried about your modesty, I've already seen most of all there is to see the first time around when I was treating your injuries and changing you out of your bloodied clothes. It's fine; I'm not bothered at all."

She was so matter of fact and dismissive about the whole thing that he could not help but start to feel faintly offended instead. He had been led to believe that he was quite an attractive male specimen back at the royal court but apparently this woman found him rather underwhelming, if her reaction was to be of any indication. It stung his pride, just a bit.

"…Fine," he gritted out.

She petted his arm and looked pleased by his acquiescence. "Don't worry! I won't take advantage of you!"

"…That's not what I'm concerned about," he muttered somewhat crossly. He couldn't remember the last time when he had been this openly aggravated. Anyone who knew him would not believe their eyes if they were to see him right now. The feeling was both refreshing and alarming at the same time, this increased level in expressivity…and decreased level in self-discipline. Was it the mountain air? Was it the food he ate?

Was it the woman who was driving him completely batty?

…It was the woman. It was definitely the woman.

Said woman in question had gone off to prepare all the things that he would need for his wash. Eishi was loathed to admit it, but he did feel grimy and greasy and a wash sounded really good right now. He watched as she arranged a stool in the middle of the room, dragged in a couple of wooden basins, and started to heat up some water at the hearth. The hem of her dress was hiked up rather scandalously to her knees to keep the material from getting accidentally soaked, showing off the dainty turn of her ankles, the charming curve of her slender calves. He felt vaguely like a scoundrel for staring at her, also at the same time wondering if there was something wrong with him for mentally waxing poetic over a woman's legs?

He couldn't quite look at her by the time she proclaimed that everything was ready for him. She found his behavior a bit strange, but then again, he had been a pretty strange man from the very moment they met, so maybe this was something that was normal for him? She helped him to hobble slowly over to the stool, get him perched there securely, before she shared her plans with him.

"So here's what we're gonna do. I'll help you wash your hair first, and then later I'll remove your dressing and you can use the washcloth to wipe yourself down. You seem rather shy so I'll leave that part to you-" His eye twitched a bit at her faint teasing. "I'll take care of the rest, is that fine by you?"

At this point, the white haired knight just really wanted to get this done and over with as soon as possible. He nodded. She beamed.

"Very well, lean forward over the basin, I need to wet your hair-"

Despite her bossy nature, her hands were gentle as they worked through his hair. Warm water was run carefully through the pale strands, and then her soap-lathered fingers slowly combed through the wet locks, blunt nails scraping lightly against his scalp, trying to get him as clean as possible. The entire experience was less traumatic as he would have thought, and was quite pleasant, actually. He was almost sorry when it ended, and she dropped a towel over his head before encouraging him to sit up once more. While he absently dried his hair, she started to remove his bandages, inspecting his injury at the same time. She seemed pleased with what she saw, reaching out a finger a poke him experimentally to gauge his reaction. He did not grimace in pain, which was a good sign.

"Your side looks like it's almost healed," she commented approvingly as she handed him a washcloth. He accepted it from her distractedly, looking rather surprised at how quickly that nasty gash had closed. He had suffered injuries of that degree before in the past and he knew from experience that the wound should have taken at least a week longer to look the way it did now, still a bit raw, but already knitted shut. What on earth was going on here…

She left him with the damp washcloth as well as the second basin of warm water to really get himself as clean as possible while she dragged the one with the dirty water outside to rid of it. He worked quickly and quietly in her absence, and by the time she returned, he was almost done.

"You're fast," she commented in surprise. "Do this often?"

He shrugged a bit. "I've been hurt before," he admitted. Her gaze flickered over to his torso, looking at the faint, silvery scars that covered parts of his whipcord lean musculature. She lifted a finger, curiously traced one of those pale, knotted lines. He stilled at the soft touch.

"…So I've noticed."

She took the washcloth from him, rinsed and wrung it out, then padded over behind him to help him with his back, as promised. She also helped him roll up the hem of his pants, and then wipe down his legs, wash his feet.

"You don't have to do that," he protested. She shook her head.

"It's not like you can manage it on your own right now," she commented, and that was that.

He was a bit dazzled by her. He had never met any woman like her before. Bossy, but also gentle. Sassy, but also sweet. Blunt, but also kind. What was a woman like her living on her own all the way out here, he wondered again.

She rose, wiped her hands off with the cloth, and she walked over to the corner of the cottage to retrieve a small, leather wrapped package. Unravelling the pouch before him, she exposed the shaving kit.

"This was once my father's," she explained, and there was a faintly wistful quality in her voice as she touched the handle of the shaving brush. He wondered what had happened to her family. "Anyway, it should serve your purpose well enough. I've never actually done this before though, so…"

She sharpened the shaving blade with the razor strop, then lathered the shaving soap with the shaving brush. The washcloth was tucked around his neck. Then, she applied the soap foam liberally around his jaw and lower portion of his face.

"I'm starting now."

He flinched a bit when she nicked him slightly on the first shave – that blade was very sharp. She hissed in dismay. Her fingers coming up to soothe the very faint laceration. He twitched at her apologetic touch. Their eyes met. "Sorry. I'll be more careful."

And she really tried her best. The rest of the shave proceeded more smoothly, and he watched her as she concentrated very seriously on her task. It left him with an oddly warm feeling in his chest, how earnest she was being. When she was done, she wiped off the rest of the lather on his now clean shaven face, took a step back to survey her handiwork…and her ochre eyes widened slightly.

"…Huh. You're really…beautiful," she remarked slowly, as if she had only just realized...

Then, she blinked. And grinned. "You're the most beautiful man I've ever seen…though not that I've seen many in the first place…" she trailed off. Her golden, curious gaze focused on him again. "Are all human men beautiful like you are?"

The way she phrased the question was somewhat strange. She wasn't actually trying to compliment him, was asking an honest question, but…her words pleased him, all the same. He felt ridiculously pleased, for some reason. She thought that he was beautiful.

"I can't really answer that question, since it'd be unfair of me to do so." he replied at last. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"

She tilted her head at him, a brief furrow on her brow.

"Find out for myself?" she echoed, mystified. "How?"

He eyed her carefully.

"You can come down the mountains with me when it's time for me to leave."

Her previously curious expression turned blank, guarded.

She slowly shook her head.

"…I…can't."

"Why not?" he asked, watching the myriad emotions flickering past her eyes, come and gone all too quickly for him to isolate and identify. "What's keeping you here, Rindou?"

It was a question that he had been thinking about more and more for the last few days. She was obviously a social creature. To be confined to isolation like this…it seemed wrong. Almost unimaginably cruel, somehow.

She shook her head again, starting to clam up at his questions.

"I cannot leave," she repeated, her voice becoming clearer with conviction. "I've my reasons that I cannot share with you."

What are you afraid of? He wanted to ask, but that question would cross the boundary that she had so clearly drawn around herself, and so he kept silent. But his eyes continued to watch her silently, until she looked away, changing the subject.

"Your leg will set well enough for you to leave soon. Perhaps in another week or two," she commented. There was an expression on her face at her announcement, almost like something sad. He did not think that it was wholly because of him…more to the fact that his imminent departure would mean that she would be left alone, again.

"Rindou." His voice was quiet, and she looked at him. "The world is so much larger than this mountain sanctuary you call home. It may seem frightening and dangerous at times, but I think there are many new experiences out there that you'll enjoy. Places you've never been. Things that you've never seen. Think about it."

She looked at him, and he knew that his words had elicited an effect on her, because that fierce yearning that laid coiled in her rose to the surface, a roiling hunger to explore new horizons, to devour new worlds. She was not something that could be chained up to one place and still be happy about it. She reached out and tugged lightly at his arm, seeking his attention. There was a faint wonder on her face, a rising need to know glowing in her catlike gaze. He was a gateway to all the foreign things and far flung places that existed beyond the isolated bubble of her limited world, that which she could not even begin to imagine. She wanted to know what she was missing.

"…Tell me more."

He had not forgotten the reason for his journey here.

The dragon.

The thing was, remote as this place was, there wasn't anything that seemed entirely off or out of place about this land. The nights were cold and quiet, and the days were peaceful and tranquil. There were no sightings of strange beasts and unexplainable events, and nature is as nature always was. There were no outwardly physical signs etched onto the forests that there existed a large, lizard-like fire breathing creature residing anywhere in this mountain range. One would think that a dragon, being a hulking, scaly beast of rage and fury incarnate, would have possessed a much more impactful presence…but no.

This led Eishi to wonder if the information that he had received from the Order had been entirely accurate in the first place. For all he knew (and likely suspected), he had been sent on a fool's errand, and would have to eventually return to the palace to report to his King that there was no dragon.

The only thing that was worth noting was the way he seemed to be healing from his injuries at an incredible, accelerated pace that defied his understanding. Even the best healers in the Kingdom could not produce the results that he was experiencing. He had broken limbs before, ribs, collarbones, even his fingers. He knew that time was imperative for the fractured bones to set well. His broken leg, while a clean break, should have taken a least two months to completely heal, but as it was, it had only been slightly less than two weeks...and already he was able to put weight on the previously damaged limb.

He could not comprehend or isolate any possible cause for his rate of recovery. Was there something mystical about this land? Was it the air? The water?

"Oh, you can already stand on your own," his redheaded host had not seemed too surprised by his excellent prognosis when she walked into the cottage that morning. In her hand, she held what he assumed was to be their lunch. A hare, already expertly skinned, dressed and bled, probably found caught in one of the snare traps that she laid around the land surrounding the cottage when she made her morning rounds checking them. Prey was abundant here, and together with the herb and vegetable garden nestled into the side of the cottage that she carefully cultivated and tended to, they ate surprisingly well.

"…Yes." Eishi looked grimly at his leg, flexing and lifting the weakened limb, testing its physical limits.

"Isn't that a good thing?" she asked, walking up closer, and then circling him once to observe his physical state. "You don't look very happy; why is that so?"

He glanced at her. "I'm not unhappy that I'm healing. I just cannot figure out how I'm healing at such an incredible rate. Something strange is going on here."

She went very still at his words.

"Perhaps you are overthinking things," she offered. "Maybe you weren't even hurt as badly as you thought you were in the first place…"

But he had caught her tell, in her too bright eyes and the subtle way she shifted her weight uneasily and hid her arms behind her back. She was suddenly the very picture of wide eyed innocence, and he blinked at the sight. It was all very suspicious. He focused his attention on her.

"You know something."

She shook her head, sidling a bit to the side at his faint accusation. Unfortunately for her, now that he had regained some of his mobility, he was able to match her retreat. She glowered a bit at him. He frowned back, unimpressed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she denied vehemently. And just to get him to lay off on her a bit, she blurted out. "The only thing I know is this-"

Quite literally in an instant, she fished the wild duck eggs out of her pockets and shoved it at him, leaving him no choice but to grab the handfuls or have them smashed against his chest.

"We're having omelet and rabbit stew and since you're obviously feeling better, then you can help out too!"

She would not take no for an answer and pretty much bossed him through the entire cooking process, though he suspected that she mostly did so in order to keep him from asking questions that she was unwilling to answer. She was very mysterious, he could not help but think. For a woman who lived in a cottage so far out in the mountains, there were a lot of things about her that did not entirely make sense…

"Tell me more about Tootsuki," she had insisted as they shared their noon meal. She seemed to enjoy listening about him talk about his world, but steadily refused to share her own. He wanted to highlight the unfairness of it all, but he didn't think that she would care too much. And so, he gave in to her hopeful gaze and that expectant look on the lovely face of hers. He told her about the royal courts, the grand palace, the bustling towns and the people who lived well and prosperously under the rule of the Tootsuki monarchy. He spoke of the King and his family, as well as the loyal who served him and helped to protect and safeguard their kingdom. Noble lords and virtuous ladies, and then there were also the chivalrous, gallant knight cavaliers.

Rindou stiffened at the mention of the last, slit-pupiled eyes flashing.

"I hate knights," she whispered with such quiet vehemence that he looked at her, surprised by her fierce, kneejerk reaction.

"Why…?"

"Because nothing good happens whenever there's a knight around," she retorted fiercely. "They invade lands and create wars. They pillage and they kill. They take what is not theirs' to take and slaughter in cold blood those who try to stop them. The only difference between them and murderers and robbers is that their 'heroic' deeds receive the support and approval of their King."

He was silent. She wasn't wrong. Her impression was cynical, and very bitter, however.

There and then, he knew without even having to ask, the fate that had befallen her and hers. Some of the pieces are starting to fall together now, the reason why she behaved the way she did…

She hated knights, huh…?

He had to ask, even as a sinking feeling grew in his stomach.

"What would you do, if you found a knight here…one day?"

She looked at him. Something inscrutable flickered in those exotic eyes. Something very feral, and incredibly, breathtakingly wild.

His pulse quickened. He could not tear his gaze away.

"I'll put him out of his misery."

::tsuzuku::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

Gah, I deliberated over this chapter long and hard, thought of rewriting the whole thing more than once, but decided in the end to leave it as is for now. Again, you will find that the pacing is going very fast, which might probably be disconcerting to read, but please do let me assure you that I'm still in the process of setting the storyline. These first four to five chapters will seem to go really quick, because they are still prologues to the actual plot, haha.

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As always, please do let me know what you think. I live for your thoughts and commentaries! Thanks for reading! :)

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-sllebswap