Ghost's Reign Chapter 39: Pained Arguments, a How to Train Your Dragon + Big Hero 6 Crossover fanfic

Chapter 39, everybody! Time for the hangover and such.

So Momakase's accounting of her thing comes from my own personal accounting…I swear it's part of the curse relating to the Fall of Man. The bacon recipe she lists is a one-pot carbonara and it is delicious.

Regaining consciousness was a knock-down drag-out fight and one he wasn't sure was worth the trouble. Slide back into unconsciousness….

Felt like he was drowning, tried to claw his way back to the surface, failed, ribs being crushed as blackness washed over him….

Pounding told him he wasn't dead, slowly jolted him back to the surface of waking, each hit forcing him closer and closer….

Finally managed to open an eye—

Slid it back shut with a groan when sun splattered into it, rolling a little and curling into the warm wall next to him and hoping the pain stopped soon.

"Hey!" Footsteps, poke, shake of his shoulders. "Hey! You're alive! You're not dead, right? If you're dead I get all your stuff."

Groan and try to twitch away, grumble when the pestering did not cease. "No, I'm not dead, unfortunately." Death would be less painful and annoying, he was sure of it.

Momakase huffed at him. "You sure? Because you missed a great opportunity for it, let's be fair."

"I'm sure," he muttered. "And I keep doing that." Try to crack an eye open again, decided that wasn't happening anytime soon. "What happened?"

Momakase made a pensive noise. "Well I don't want to tell you all the sordid details yet, some of them I want you to be coherent for so you can react properly."

"That bad."

"It was entertaining on my end. As for the rest…." Trailed off for so long he thought she had wandered off or he had gone deaf, either way disappointed when he realized those weren't the cases. "That thing, in your face…what causes it?"

Couldn't help the pained groan, which was enough to get the source of warmth next to him squirming—so he was laid up against a dragon that probably couldn't care less and straining its goodwill. Great. "This again? Why is this so important to you?"

Another aggrieved huff. "Because, that thing in your face? Reacted to some weirdo rock some crazy hermit had and knocked you for a loop."

What?

Try to look blearily at her again, realized at this point that his left eye was refusing the order and that that side of his entire head ached more fiercely than anything else, which was something considering how his head was throbbing. "Say what?"

"Do I need to say it in code so you understand me? You were acting as loopy as the dragons were, and then this guy opens a cabinet and shows this green glowing rock and you—you went down howling."

She looked concerned enough that he felt that she wasn't exaggerating, that whatever had happened had been bad. "I…take it that's not a problem anymore?"

"No, I got us out of there. Now, serious time: are you okay?"

Short answer was no.

"Give me a day," he muttered, laying back down and hoping whichever dragon he was against had enough patience to tolerate him. "And maybe a lobotomy, that can't possibly hurt as bad as I feel right now."

Huff. "I got some tea steeping that has those painkiller herbs Jian uses."

Ugh, no, those made him loopy—but the alternative was pounding pain over being knocked out for a few hours, which was enough to make him attempt to shove himself upright. Momakase handed him a cup without comment—well it must be serious—let him drink and flop back down in peace.

Unconsciousness happily leaped up and smacked him in the face, and he was more than willing to go down for the count.

Obake was sitting up when she came back, so she counted that as a win.

"Feeling better?" she asked, depositing the pack she had taken with her and looking in the other—oog, if she had to guess the turtle meat was now bad. Not that she felt like eating right now, and that certainly made that feeling worse.

"Define better," Obake said, watching her blearily as she shut the pack and sat down, slightly ginger in her movements. Blink. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, waving him off. "Just my regular thing, don't worry about it."

He blinked at her again, apparently trying to process this—finally sat up enough to pick up the kettle with the painkiller tea in it. So he was somewhat improved, she observed.

"Tea?" he asked her, holding the kettle out.

Consider him a moment—the kettle was obviously still full, he wasn't asking for more, if he could pick it up he could pour it himself…ah.

"You know what, sure," she said, accepting it and pouring herself a cup. "I deserve it today. Especially after pulling your bacon out of the fire."

"Mmm," he noised, flopping back against Tadashi, who snorted at him before going back to sleep.

"Remember what it tasted like?"

"I recall it with something resembling fondness, yes."

"I remember learning this recipe once, it was noodles with shrimp and bacon in a creamy sauce and it was really good." Oog, maybe no food thoughts, stomach wasn't agreeing with those thoughts today.

"A pity we lack the means," he said, watching her. "And I suppose getting more out of you today isn't going to happen."

"You're still out of it and I'm not feeling up to it, so no," she said. Had managed to get some foraging done, but even at that she doubted he'd be feeling too hungry right now either. Curl up against Gogo, savoring the heat she was radiating, made a grateful noise when she wrapped a wing around her.

"Think anyone's looking for us?" she asked abruptly, thought barely staying in her head before moving on to her mouth without permission.

"Wouldn't you know?" he asked, looking like he was trying to doze back off.

Huff at that comment, decided to ignore it. "They probably are—I mean the chief's been gone…a couple weeks now? Everyone's probably getting antsy."

"This is assuming they aren't all dead."

"Nope, you're not better, you were spouting this nonsense on that stupid island too."

He was giving her a narrow glare now. "It's an island full of directionless mercenaries. It's the logical conclusion."

"All the murdering for murder's sake people left with Callaghan," she told him. "I can guarantee that Carl, Felix and Ralph at least are behaving themselves. Calhoun and Helga would be motivated to keep the peace. Now Vitani, maybe."

"Vitani generally needs a target and a reason," he pointed out. Pondered for a beat. "I suppose we can write off Dibs."

"Dibs probably walked right off a cliff by now."

"Barb might be motivated to commit murder."

"Only if somebody bothered Juniper."

"That would be the trigger, yes."

Silence fell again; she debated on breaking it, wondering if she had teased him back out of his funk. Maybe not—it had felt like an uphill climb, ever since Gogo had insisted they chase after him and they finally caught up, finding him in some…some mental morass that she had never seen him in before. Not even when they were both in the kill ring's cells with death promised in the morning—then he had just given up, was ready to lay down and die.

This had felt similar, had the same defeatist overtones, of being willing to slump to the ground and wait for it to swallow him up…but it had felt older. It…didn't feel like that had, didn't feel like he had attempted to get away again and again and again only to fail one last time and give up.

She didn't know if she should ask. If she asked then he'd squirm out of it, like he always did. And if she asked, he might remember that was how he was feeling, would fall backwards into that and drown in it. She wasn't Carl, who was better at picking his words—she'd end up pushing him in by accident if she wasn't careful.

Hiro came padding up, licking his lips and still teetering a little—dirt smudges and bits of moss stuck to his scales suggested he had tried hunting and failed miserably. Went to Obake, tried to nose between his chest and his legs, which he had pulled up—finally flopped down next to him, eyes closed as he huffed a whining sigh.

Consider, as Obake dropped a hand down to scratch between Hiro's ears, improving the little dragon's mood. She could ask that question…but would he really be motivated to share? Maybe the simpler one—usually after the fact he was more than happy to share the workings of whatever plan had succeeded. This counted, right?

"Why?" she asked—which startled him into looking at her. "Why did you decide to train a dragon?"

He blinked at her, like he hadn't been expecting that question, or maybe he had forgotten she was there—Hiro whined, nudging him to try to prompt him back into petting. She arched an eyebrow at him, consternation deepening when he looked away.

"I had a lot of time on my hands," he muttered.

"Uh-huh," she said, hoping her disbelief properly translated. "And the reason you had all that time on your hands was because you skipped out on raiding to hunt down the Night Fury you shot down. And then you find it…and then you don't kill it. Why?"

Maybe she shouldn't be pursuing this line of questioning—Tadashi had an eye slit open and an ear raised, and she could feel Gogo listening in on the conversation. Even Hiro had sat up, was watching Obake carefully.

Obake, meanwhile, looked like he desperately wanted to be anywhere but here, was scrunched up on himself and glaring at nothing, very studiously not looking at any of them.

"Why is this important to you?" he asked stiffly.

"Because…." Oh great ask her a question she didn't have an answer to. Maybe she could deflect. "You know everyone figures you bewitched the dragons somehow—made it so they only listen to you."

He snorted at that, apparently regretted that decision when it aggravated his headache.

"The dragons don't listen to me," he groaned, rubbing his forehead. "They don't listen to anyone—they either like you or they don't."

She blinked at that, saw in his expression he didn't mean to share that—but—

"That can't be it," she said. "There has to be more to it."

"Is there?" he spat at her. "Tell me how you and that Nadder get along so well then."

Gogo lifted her head a little, tipping it at them with spines starting to bristle—sensing agitation, maybe.

"I—" Didn't know, she had been willing to humor Obake's latest scheme because she thought he had a plan, had jived well with Gogo, she had a personality she understood….

"Go back to them—it's not that they're intelligent," she tried instead. "If intelligence was the factor then you would have never killed a person."

"I want you to think really hard about that statement," he shot back.

"Listen mister smarty-pants, I know this is a hard concept for you, but most people aren't stupid. It just looks like it from that pedestal of yours," she added when he scoffed. "So if they're smart…oh I get it, this was something new for you to bend your mind around and you grabbed it with both hands."

He seemed inclined to take that bait, settled back with a smugly relieved air. "So there you go."

"Except that doesn't explain the starting decision," she pointed out, darting forward for the kill. "You didn't know they were intelligent when you started—so what was that decision?"

Squirming, apparently hedging for a way out. "I don't feel compelled to tell you."

"But there's a reason. You're you—everything has to have a reason, you don't do half-cocked schemes."

"Maybe I do," he spat finally. "Maybe I was tired. Maybe I thought I could get away from it all, thought I could just—fly off and leave this—this mistake behind. But no," he said, furor leaving in favor of a simmering attitude. "I see I was mistaken—I try to get away from it and it just pursues me no matter what."

She had to take a moment to process this, by which time he had curled up on his side—wouldn't stay that way, that was his bad side. "Now wait a minute—you can't expect me to believe you were running away."

"And whyever not?" he asked brittlely.

"Because your own statements run contrary to it—you said you don't control the dragons. Tadashi runs the flock, basically—what was your plan, get him to maroon you on some desert island?"

"Right now I would adore some solitude, yes."

She was frustrated and furious with the way this conversation had gone, knew that part of it was simply from the fact that she wasn't in peak form right now, but also knew that by this time tomorrow he'd be all collected again and she would have missed her window. But she had absolutely no idea how to proceed with this, didn't know what to say to get him to give her the answers she was looking for—finally settled for grabbing the pack with the dead turtle and chucking it at him, scoring a hit and making him kick the kettle over in his startlement.

"Good," she spat at him. "I hope you have the mother of all headaches."

Apparently he was frustrated too, if the way his face flared when he flung the pack away was any indication—and then grimacing and curling up on that side, hand to his face. Huh, so apparently right now that hurt NO we were NOT feeling sorry for him she was mad at him, dangit.

"Nngh—If I frustrate you so badly, then leave," he managed finally. "You were not invited on this excursion."

"This wasn't an excursion! This was you running away! You were giving up—again!"

The dragons were very openly staring at them now, but right now she hardly cared—too busy glowering at him, glaring at her, teeth gritted against his emotions and general pain, face flickering and chest heaving.

"I," he hissed finally. "Do not have to deal with this."

And on that note, he struggled to his feet—or he would have, if Tadashi hadn't looked sharply at him and decided to make an executive decision. She blinked, and in that brief space Tadashi had flipped his tail up and knocked Obake flat, scooping him to his side with his wing and pinning him there. And then flattening his ears against what sounded like a very impressive tantrum.

"You deserve that YOU SUCK," she spat at him, grabbing her remaining pack and punching it several times before flopping down with the intent of using it as a pillow.

Unfortunately, without the conversation as a distraction the only things she had to focus on were her frustration and her pain—she was curled up into a tight ball when Gogo warbled at her.

"I am mad at him keep him on his side of the camp," she grumbled—ugh this was idiocy take her back to like ten minutes ago when things were at least civil. How had this gone sideways? She didn't think it was her fault.

Gogo huffed, carefully sidled a little closer before using her own wing to tug her close against her side. Well…maybe a giant hot water bottle would do in the face of losing the tea.

It still took a long time before her mind and body allowed her to fall asleep.