A new day had begun. With their campfire discarded, the group carried on with their journey to the Divide with Zorah leading the way while Echo continued to snore against his shoulder, the silverette carrying her on his back. Ciana continued to use Imbue on her blade, testing her speed of casting as well as how long the enhancement lasted. So far, five minutes. Izuku also trained while they walked, swinging his sheathed sacred sword in front of him.
Not far from their view, however, the land jutted up slightly, peeling back to reveal the rock beneath the lush green land, forming a natural, jagged wall of earth. The Divide. And a single rope bridge that cut across what must've been a ravine.
"Your look like a knight already the way you swing your sword Izuku, it's really cool!" She praised the heroic adventurer as they walked, pausing her own swings to eye the guy beside her with her smile. The girl looking very wowed by Izukus awesome performance.
"D-despite my training with All Might, i-it was Zorah who taught me how to be more fluid with my moves, s-so I'm trying to improve on my grip strength," Izuku smiled back at her compliment, blushing a little from the praise.
"Well the way your working so hard at it I can really see you improved a lot, I really admire your heart and passion to succeed on your path." As usual the girl found Izukus shyness cute, giggling cutely herself as her smile stayed. "Hey! Maybe we can even try sparing together when we take a break, it sure would help me improve on my sword skills as well if your up for it."
"Well the way your working so hard at it I can really see you improved a lot, I really admire your heart and passion to succeed on your path." As usual the girl found Izukus shyness cute, giggling cutely herself as her smile stayed. "Hey! Maybe we can even try sparing together when we take a break, it sure would help me improve on my sword skills as well if your up for it."
"That would be a great idea, t-though I can't really help in regards to your new spell, sorry," He offered back.
"Greenie, you live in a world of magic, think you'll find a caster even with your eyes closed," Zorah replied back. "Or pick up a spell book... or whatever you do for magic here; the town nearest here should have something, right?"
"Probably, t-though since I've never had magic affinity, I-I've never considered looking," He answered the man who nudged Echo awake, much to her dismay.
"Well, whatever the case, we're here - The Divide," Zorah announced with some sarcastic, dramatic flare of his arms. "Dun-Dun-Duuun,"
"Well even without magic it still would be helpful for me to improve on the skills, should be fun too!" She expressed cheerfully with her arms in the air. Now seeing the kingdom over the hill in the distance, she stood in silence as the girl eyed the place. Looking a lot like what you see out of a story book. "Whoa… I-it's beautiful, this is amazing!"
Ciana awed, excited to even explore what this town had to offer, but still wondered where they will sleep, Ciana didn't have any money to even rest up anywhere.
"It's still two days travel, but from here we get a good view of it from afar," Izuku commented, admiring the view too as they came to the fork in the road. One led to the bridge over a massive ravine, the other heading left and right.
"Thus, we part ways," Zorah declared, stepping to the right-hand path with Echo rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "You two from here on in; though, little advice..." Then, he promptly flicked Izuku's forehead. "Don't get reckless, potions can heal you fine, but abandoning reason won't keep you sane... trust me; you've got potential, kid, excel to be the best you possible, that's all there is to say,"
"I... thank you so much for everything!" Izuku bowed to the travelling swordsman.
"Good luck yourself, Ciana," Echo waved to Ciana. "And remember, overcome fear and lack of self-confidence, and there's no limit to what your soul can do, trust," She threw up a peace sign with a cute wink.
"I'll keep that wedged in my mind, thank you for everything you two. I hope we will cross paths again soon!" Ciana smiled and waved goodbye to the magical beings, now it was just her and Izuku… the idea made her heart flutter and blush shyly, glancing at the charming boy next to her as she smiled more with her arms behind her back.
"You don't have to worry much about using potions to heal, I have a way to help you get back on your feet if you're ever down." Ciana was pretty intrigued hearing about magical potions here, but since she had the ability to boost stamina and heal, Izuku won't have to use anything up. Though she wasn't sure if he would go for the idea of her kissing his cheek after what happened last night…
Remembering back to that moment had her feel the heat rising back to her cheeks. "It may have been an accident, but… that was really amazing…" Now the girl became a little dazed, flashbacking to the moment while blushing pink as well as her eyes narrowing, the beautiful setting and Izuku's arms around her, it was… magical.
Izuku looked at her quickly, feeling the blood rush to his head a bit. "W-well, I-I wasn't against it... b-but I understand you weren't in the right s-state of mind - but I appreciate t-the support all the same," He held up his thumb to her, then glanced at the backs of Zorah and Echo as they shoved one another down the path. "...those guys were fun to be around, a little strange though..."
Her attention back on Izuku with her head tilted in a bit of confusion, did he realize what she was thinking about? Was she obvious…? This made her blush madly. "Uh… w-what I mean is that I-I can boost your stamina back and… heal as well, though some of the methods I do might be a tad bit intimate b-but if your not comfortable with that then… uh… forget it…"
The girl looked down embarrassingly, fiddling with her hands. "But yeah… they were an instructing bunch…" now smiling sheepishly with her hand behind her neck.
"I-I mean, if you have a way to heal, I don't mind, I just want you t-to be comfortable with doing so, that's all," Izuku waved his hands a bit sheepishly
"A-as long as your comfortable that is!" Now walking together by his side, her blush staying on her face while averting her eyes. Though… Ciana perked up when she noticed something Izuku said before. "Wait… w-what did you mean you weren't against it when I wasn't in my right state of mind…?" Now looking back at him with curious eyes.
"Well, I-I found it surprising, s-sure, a-and I think I just... didn't help, s-since it was nice, s-sorry," Izuku bowed his head apologetically. Sure, he found Ciana cute and all, but a part of him simply enjoyed it, that guilt lingering a little.
Her eyes widen at this, was that what he meant before why he didn't stop himself? Ciana blinked her eyes a few times as her face became more pink, but surprisingly it caused her to smile that he wasn't disgusted… Ciana felt her heart flutter again, looking away shyly but still had her smile on. "No it's okay, I actually… thought so too…" the girl admits, scratching her cheek with her finger.
"I-I know you have someone e-else, and I know y-you probably feel a little bad about it, but... Z-Zorah said to me how your emotional state currently combined with stress and many others things can cause stuff l-like this to happen; s-so if we... ev-ever did that again, I-I know it's nothing romantic or something, I-I'd hate to ruin the connection you already have," He'd never dare to do that to someone, whoever that person was to Ciana, he must mean a lot.
Her gaze went back to his face, eyes narrowing seeing that he felt guilty about this. Should she… tell him the truth? The girl was conflicted if this was a good idea or not, looking at the road ahead of her. "Izuku… how much do you know about dragons exactly?" Ciana suddenly asks, wondering if knew others things about them.
While taking the rope bridge across, being made of thick lines of rope and heavy boards made it far less daunting to cross, Izuku tapped his chin. "Well, they're hoarders of treasure, protective too, can be very powerful as well; a-and if I'm getting what you're referring to, their instincts drive them to prioritise their m-mate over anyone else - which makes sense..." He then rubbed his nape. "I-I'm assuming that's what's o-on your mind?"
Ciana was kinda surprised he did know that detail, nodding her to confirm that. "Right, I-I think whenever I feel attracted to someone my dragon side takes over and makes me behave that strangely… I don't know the full information about them but I can tell I act weird when that happens…"
her gaze goes down very shyly as she still walked. "I-I have to admit, I'm surprised you didn't run away when you saw my appearance… f-figured you find my dragon appearance terrifying and ugly…"
"Why would I? S-sure, the way I saw you... wasn't appropriate, but despite how sorrowful your song was, that and the way you glowed, I felt at peace; you have an exterior of a powerful creature, but your heart's as gentle as water... i-if that makes any sense," He seesawed his hand a little. "And to be fair, E-Echo's true form is much more unsettling,"
Ciana blushed more at this, but frowned a little thinking how Izuku viewed her look not appropriate that she did look ugly. "Well… I appreciate you thinking so…" Ciana is happy inside he enjoyed her singing, but her appearance is what still effects her deeply…
Seeing the slight crease in her brow, he waved his hand quickly. "I-I'm sorry that I intruded on you bathing, t-that was still inappropriate of me, e-even if I did get a look at your draconic form..." He blamed himself for following Echo's curious words to investigate.
"No that's alright… I know you didn't mean to, I just wish you didn't have to see that scary look I took…" the girl frowned more sadly, Ciana didn't think he saw much since her back was turned away from him. But knowing he saw another side to her had her concerned if it really was hideous.
"I wouldn't say it was scary... more... unexpected; you talked about a curse but I'd have never expected to be a dragon shifter of all things, but from how you've handled it with Echo, I think you could do real good with it someday... maybe when you want it to be that is, I-I can't imagine it's easy to simply say, 'sure, no problem', which is why I hope you'll take it at your own pace," He offered a smile to show that support, hopping over a fallen tree.
"Well… I understand what your coming from, but when I'm in that form I-" When the girl tried to do the same, her leg got caught in a root which had her lose her balance, Ciana panicked and waved her arms to try and keep balance. "W-whoa!" Next thing she knows, she falls on top of Izuku…
Both flopped to the ground, groaning from the impact. "...ow... I think someone needs to safe-check this road..." Izuku winced, "You okay?"
She sat up a bit from his chest, rubbing her side while still being in top. "Y-yeah I'm fine… should have payed more attention…." She sweat-dropped, though then looked down at the boy she fell on… blinking her eyes a few times before blushing. "Uh… a-are you okay…?"
He slowly raised his thumb, "About as great as ever... minus the tumble," Leaning up on his elbows, he stared back at... black vines? "Huh, never seen vines like that before?" His thoughts lingered on them a little, black with white thorns, and they were spreading from the tree to the left... very odd?
"Huh?" Still on top, her gaze looks to where Izuku was looking. Noticing the black vines he mentioned. "Well… maybe it's a kind of plant we never heard about? I mean you can find vines pretty much anywhere in the woods…"
"Yeah..." Though he made a mental note of it, something... really unnerved him about the plant. Shaking his head, he eyed the girl now sat on his stomach, anxiously speaking up. "U-um, not to sound r-rude, but..." Her green gaze met his, then glanced down at the fact she was still atop him.
"Hm?" Turning her gaze back, realizing not only that they were close up, both she was indeed still on him… the redness slowly appeared on her face. "Oh! Right… s-sorry!" Ciana rolled off him, standing up to offer her hand to him.
"No problem..." Hoisted back onto his feet, Izuku pulled out his map to inspect their route. "...erm, well, it's not detailed as a local map, but if we follow this path we'll eventually hit the main route used by traders to move through the forest, that'll take us to the village located at the center of the Grove... which by then will be sundown, lovely..."
"Guess we'll be camping in the woods again…" the girl smiled sheepishly. "But that's alright! When we take a break we can use the extra time to spar, usually I would try and practice seeing my dragon form… but I wouldn't want to put you through what happened like last night…" Ciana can't lie to herself that she liked that moment… but Ciana didn't want to freak Izuku out more.
"Hm... maybe I can help... but from afar?" Izuku suggested. "I could sit up in a tree while you work - or we can try to work on your swordplay, either would be a great skill to practice, right?"
"Well… I-I think I owe you trying out the swordplay first… since we kinda stopped anyways, want to see what I learned?" Her smile rose, thinking how fun it would be to do a sword spar with this Izuku.
Nodding, Izuku led her just off the dirt path to a more open space among the thick trees around them, it would do for a small spar. Keeping their swords in their sheaths, Izuku watched her closely. "Ready when you are... I suppose?"
"Hey, you not going shy on me because I'm a girl, are you…?" She playfully asked with her brow raised, swiping out her sword as Ciana points it at him.
"N-No, I've heard of plenty of swordswomen among the Adventurers," Izuku smiled a bit, keeping one hand on his sacred sword while Ciana clutched hers in both in a stance unfamiliar to Izuku, that being said, he made sure to be on guard.
There was no call or sign to start, both simply glared back at one another, the wind blew through the trees, casting Ciana's ponytail to one side while Izuku's curls fluttered slightly. Without warning, the gap closed, and their swords slammed together, both holding firm. Pushing off each other, Ciana moved first, striking at Izuku's guard several times before he skipped back and swung in a rising slant, forcing her head back to avoid the blunt edge.
She lunged, prodding her sword forward as Izuku quickly inverted his grip to guard his side from her strike, shoving her to the left for him to drag his sword across her side, landing the first blow. He spun around, only for his chin to lean back, the tip of her sword clipping his jaw. They put distance between each other, Ciana smirking confidently to mirror Izuku's.
"Had enough?" The girl playfully asked as she tried to push her sword forward while eying him, already the girl is having fun doing actual fencing. Plus this is a great way to help her improve when it comes to other people and their weapons.
"Not even close," Izuku closed the gap this time, drawing his sword down on the air as he watched the shadow pass over his head, the girl landing behind him to thrust her sword only for her eyes to widen as his left forearm slammed into its side, blocking with a metallic clang. Her eyes narrowed, he was wearing armour beneath? She jumped back from his own slant, swinging back only for Izuku to bend under her strike, sweeping past her legs, catching his sword on her thigh before rolling away from her plunging strike as she drew her blade forward, attempting to keep him on the defense.
Ciana begun to laugh a bit as they spared, this Izuku is just as amazing as the other. Clearly he worked and trained hard to achieve his goals to be a knight. It wasn't too surprising seeing this but Ciana is very impressed by his own skills, the girl could tell Izuku is going to be an amazing knight. Which just had her smile more. "You clearly trained pretty hard to keep up like this, I admit I'm impressed!" Ciana praises while keeping her weapon raised.
"I had the best paladin in the kingdom teach me, I want to do everything I can to surpass him, even if its only a spar, every fight matters as a lesson!" He yelled, driving his sword down to cross with Ciana's. Both held it firm, or until his opponent did the unexpected and reached forward to grab his tunic, sweeping his legs out from under him and eventually pinning Izuku down as she held hers to his throat. "...case and point... your fighting style is unknown to me..."
Before she could speak, she then felt the tip of his blade tap to her stomach, proving both would 'die' in this battle; a draw.
"You be surprised where I learned those moves…" She giggled, now taking a step back to catch her breath, putting away her sword before the girl looked back and smiled at him with her hands placed on her hips. "Those kinds of skills you have are pretty cool though! I'm sure your teacher would even be proud seeing you put them into good use."
"Thanks... 'Against monsters or people, a knight must always be on their guard'," Izuku recited simply with a wave of his hand. "Your movements are just as unique, the way you incorporate hand-to-hand and swordplay can broaden your combat potential instead of focusing on a single move set,"
"T-thanks! I-I wanted to try and rely on my own strength rather that my dragon form…" She smiled shyly while scratching her cheek. "I been avoiding using my dragon power lately… I hoped if I can rely without it then I would be okay, though… I don't think it really help as it seems to have a mind of its on sometimes…" her smile turned a little sad, shrugging.
"You'll gain control someday, you're strong enough without it; besides, with Echo's help, you have a more controlled way of using it through a light spell, so that's a silver lining," He reassured her, looking around. "...that being said, do you want to keep going, train more, or relax before moving on?"
"Since we'll be moving on soon we probably should take a break to avoid becoming exhausted, though just to make sure… I didn't accidentally cut you anywhere, did I?" Ciana didn't think she did but she wanted to make sure Izuku isn't injured after their spar.
"No, I'm alright, I was more worried for you since this is a sacred weapon..." Izuku ran his hand over his sheathed weapon gingerly. "In any case, I'll get us something to eat, I had a bunch of fruit packed before I left home so there should be enough for two,"
"Sounds good! Though if there's a river nearby, we could try and catch some fish too to eat." Ciana didn't have a fishing rod but did have her weapon to stab fish with. "But also I don't let little scrapes get the better of me so you don't need to worry about my well-being, who says girls can't be knights too after all?" She giggled.
"That's true," He agreed as they parted ways for a bit. Izuku worked on checking through his bag for food while using his thin blanket as a cover on the ground.
Ciana decided to take to the small slope in the forest to spot a river, using her enhanced hearing thanks to Yuuki's aid to listen for the familiar sound of running water over all the chirps and other noises the wildlife made. Drawing her short sword, she took swings at any branches in her way, practicing in the process.
While doing that, she comes across the river soon enough. "Score! Super hearing does it again!" She playfully says, approaching the river. Ciana slipped her boots off to step into the water as she still had her sword in hand. Now eyeing the water for any fish swimming by… once she saw some, Ciana wasted no time jabbing at them, some she missed but others the girl managed to catch. Cheering in the process whenever she caught some, stacking them over to side.
Again, sharper senses paid off, hand-eye coordination, not to mention her breathing technique made her as silent as a mouse and strike with the precision of a viper. With just four fish, more than enough, she grabbed them after cleaning her sword in the water and headed back toward the distinct smell of wood burning. Following her nose, she came back to see Izuku having set a fire while he sipped on a corked bottle of water, holding another out for Ciana.
"Here - oh, you caught fish? I didn't hear a stream this close to us..." He wondered for a moment, then snapped his fingers, "Right, sharp hearing,"
"Yep! Don't expect any less out of you for figuring that out." She giggled, now sitting by him while putting the fish aside, grabbing stick to use them to cook. "I admit my senses can be handy, but so strange sometimes… I rather if I just stick to glowing and enhancing stamina than turning beastly." She sweat dropped, sticking a few of the fish near the fire to cook.
"I understand, you feel more grounded in who you are... but it can't be helped, which could be frustrating," Nodding to her concerns, Izuku did the same, hanging the fish over the flames, turning it slowly. "I mean, I've got the weight of living up to a great a hero as All Might, even one of his own weapons passed down to me... it's terrifying how big of a role that is, so... I try to take it one day at a time, at least so far."
Ciana held her face up with her hand, eyeing Izuku with a smile. "He must have saw a lot of potential in you to live up to your weapon, I can see why he chose you… you have a kind and heroic heart. That's enough to show the heart of a true knight, from how charming you usually are I almost mistaken you as a prince…" The girl teases with a cute giggle, he is a very handsome and brave hero to her.
Stammering a blush, he kept his eyes on the fish. "R-really? Well, unfortunately, n-no, I am not... but t-thank you - I-I guess in a way, you reminded me o-of a siren when you were singing last night,"
"Hm? I do?" Her head tilted in wonder of that. "Did my voice attract you to come towards me or something?" Her eyes narrowed in concern, wondering if her voice is becoming a alluring mating call…
"M-more just how beautiful it sounded, you could b-be a talented bard with a voice l-like yours," He reinforced. "And to answer better; I was just curious where the singing was coming from, th-then I saw you - erm, h-heard you," Quickly coughing into his fist, he steadied his rotations of his food as it cooked evenly.
Her cheeks became red at this, did he actually see her fully naked?! The idea had steam coming out of her head. "Oh… well, uh… t-thank you! T-that's very flattering…" Ciana played with her hair bashfully. "Though… were you by any chance staring at my body while listing to me sing…?" She now asked kinda playfully with her brow raised at Izuku.
"Eh?" Staring at her for a second, his face lit up before nearly throwing his skewered fish in a panic. "No-no! J-just your back before I slid behind the dirt mound to give you privacy! Even with the m-motes of light you made, I could only m-make out your outline and hair."
Ciana giggled at this, enough for her cheeks to turn pink. His bashful shy side is still so cute. "Glad you at least enjoyed the show…" Ciana wasn't saying she was fine seeing her exposed but the way he reacted was too cute to become bashful herself, well she still felt flustered inside. "Usually when I sing my dragon form comes out too… I haven't sung in a while because I been trying to avoid that."
"I see..." Pulling his fish away, he tapped her wrist to do the same as both were properly cooked now. "Well, I hope one day you can sing again, I can imagine a lot of people would love to hear you sing too,"
"They would, if they didn't see how it changes me…" she responded a but sadly, taking a bite out of her cooked fish… it is very good. "But I'm still trying to get a hold of my panic attacks… never easy." Ciana sighed at this, knowing people think she's pathetic when that happens.
Biting into his own fish, Izuku enjoyed the nice change of pace, looking back to Ciana. "Well, d-despite what happened last time, I think you've managed to do well so far; overcoming something like panic attacks isn't easy, but you haven't shied away from it, healing like that is a slow process, o-or that's what I've heard,"
"I have you to thank for that…" she murmured out with a little smile, eyeing Izuku as she now smiled more warmly towards him. "Despite that… I really appreciated that you comforted me when I was trying, it actually helped a lot…"
"A-anytime," He gulped down another bite, flashing a small smile before taking strips off his fish before it got cold, sighing from the flavour.
It's fun to camp out like this, especially when it's just him and her… maybe her and her friends can do this when she gets back to UA, if she ever does that is… "just to check… do you not mind still helping me overcome my dragon side? I mean… even when risking what happened that freaked you out?" Ciana shyly asks with a blush.
"While I-I'd rather not invoke the anger of your significant other, I don't want to let you suffer with this curse without some form of help; if we find a dragon shifter, that'll be good, but luck alone can't solve your problem," Putting the remains of his fish aside, he wiped his face clean to stare at her firmly. "There's a risk in me being an adventurer, and in you trying to overcome your curse, so it's better to rely on one another than to wander alone."
She smiled more at this, this Izuku would be so surprised if he knew who her lover is… Ciana was a little curious how he would react knowing that. "Well… okay, thank you Izuku… but if your still uncomfortable then don't be afraid to say so as I don't want to push this on you…" she rubs her arms a bit nervously. "Do you… want to try again now?"
Handing the water bottle to her, Izuku gave her an inquisitive look. "If you're okay trying... then why not? I doubt we'll have the time once we're on the move and in that village tomorrow."
She blinked at this, surprised by the suggestion. "I'm… not sure how that will work if I can do that… but it's worth a try I guess." Taking a big deep breath, once again her eyes closed to enhance her power within her. Focusing towards her arms as a little glow emits out from her both, her arm slowly forming scales and her nails grow slightly long. Opening her eyes slightly and seeing the sight…
Ciana lowered her head to hold in her trembles, taking a few more deep breaths…
"That's it... you're doing great so far, just take deep breaths to calm your heartrate," His soothing tone reached her ears, pulling her gaze up to his. "You've done this before, long breaths - your scales are only forming on your forearms,"
Her beastly eyes appeared again when she glanced back up to Izuku, nodding her head before taking more deep breaths. The grip in his hands tightened a bit as she did, Cianas hair changed to looking very light yellow again, Izuku could feel the warm sensation not only from being near her but from her hands he took in hers.
"Easy... think of it like a stream, a gentle current, you can do it," Izuku assured her, if need be, he'd cut the contact just encase.
"I-it still feels so strange…" her eyes shut tightly when feeling her fangs come in… slowly her horns were coming out too, Cianas glow became a little brighter as breeze blows around her.
Keeping calm, he spoke softly as he let her hands go. "It's okay, you're okay, now... suppress it, don't panic or your magic could fluctuate, but like with breathing, gently ease out that excess energy, follow my lead. In..." He took a deep breath, Ciana following as they held it for a few seconds. "...then out. Again..."
Ciana started to panic a bit when Izuku let go of her hands, sitting a bit shakingly until Izuku advised her to continue taking deep breaths, after a few more deep breaths… Ciana opened her eyes slightly to eye Izuku in front of her, his calm and concerned voice toward her made the girl feel so warm inside. When her beastly eyes now gazed at the handsome boy in front of her, Cianas eyes began to narrow in a dazed manner. Her eyes once again admitting an alluring glow she could not yet control as her heart raced just looking at him.
"No… h-he's not my Izuku, h-he's not…" But he is… Ciana tried to tell herself it's not him but he looked, sounded and smells exactly like him… it's him, her mate… still in the form of her beautiful dragon side. Ciana began to lean towards Izuku, having a strong urge to wrap her arms around the boy she loved and craved.
"It's happening again... are... me and her lover that similar...?" He thought. And if so, this may prove to be a harder challenge than he realized. Izuku was many things, but researcher of hybrids and curses is not one of them. Biting the inside of his cheek at her smoldering gaze, he rationalized to the best his heated head could muster. "How would he handle this? Obviously, simple breathing instructions are out, there's the ointment but that's a last resort for worse-case-scenario. Gah, think, Izuku! You want to help her but how...?" This was much harder than originally expected.
While he was distracted, Ciana already had her arms around Izuku… laying her head on his chest as the girl smiled and nuzzled him, looking happy to be closer… her beastly gaze went back up to him in a longing and loving manner.
Izuku stared down at her with an apologetic face. "...you really miss him, don't you...?" He asked her gently. This curse... wasn't all she was running from, was it? That look in her eyes plenty of times, she was lost and didn't know where else to run to.
Ciana looked a little confused by his words, especially since it's him her heart is set on. Ciana just giggled at his silly question, then suddenly leaned up to his neck… Ciana begun to kiss and nip him now…
"Ciana..." He shivered at the familiar sensation that locked him in place, the heat of the fire only serving to make his whole body hot. Her aura was intoxicating. Unconsciously, his arms gripped her waist, letting out small gasps from her biting and the warmth of her lips across his skin.
Ciana smiled wider at the feeling of her mates embrace, pleasing the dragon girl more… now gripping his shoulders as the girl continues her loving affection toward the boy, her lips trailed around his neck, jaw and collar bone. Nipping in places knowing where her mate would be pleased the most… the sensation becoming hotter like she was blowing heat into him.
Her constant affections made it harder to resist, but, would it be bad to help her release some of that pent up stress? That's what his mind dissolved into out of his rational control. It didn't help she was touching points around his skin that made him groan or feel tingly all over... Now, his hands moved to grip around her rear, pulling her into his lap to close their embrace, feeling hotter by the second.
This pleased the girl greatly, wanting to be close as they possibly could. As Ciana continues her affections, her lips moved up to his cheeks. Pausing to gaze at his own beautiful face that made the girl feel so happy inside, she pressed herself closer to him as her narrowed twinkling eyes stayed on his own. Ciana longed for her mate as the twinkle in her eyes become more alluring like she was calling for him to submit to her further.
But then Izuku pulled away to sit on his knees, panting hotly. No, he had to stop, if and when Ciana snapped out of this, she was going to hate herself further, he needed to stop this... before her mental health is damaged further...
"Hm? When her mate stopped and pulled away, looking very confused now. Sitting on her knees slightly to eye her twinkling gaze toward Izuku again as she blinked a few times wondering why her mate had pulled away from her.
"...we s-should stop, b-before... t-this hurts you f-further..." He stuttered, ignoring how hot his body felt or how one muscle in his body kept pushing against his clothing, eager to continue. For her sake, and her real partner's sake, he had to stop this... even if his body didn't like it.
"Izuku…" The dragon girl didn't seem like she wanted to stop now, she leaned further to put her arms back around him. Her face in his chest as she nuzzled into it again. "Stay with me…" the girl murmured softly with a little smile and cute purr.
That wasn't meant for him, he knew that as it hurt him to feel this way. "I will help you, I gave my word... but I don't want to make you go past the point of no return, I won't do that to you; I'll help you overcome your demons, one at a time," He held her shoulders tightly, shaking them slightly. "So please... don't let this control you..."
The dragon girl was surprised by the sudden shake, but it was enough to blink her eyes a few times like she was coming out of a dream. "…H-huh…?" Her gaze went back towards Izuku, now just looking more confused. "I-Izuku? Did… I-I just fall asleep…?" The girl asked with a curious tilt of her head.
His blush sustained itself, but noted that while her appearance hadn't shifted, she was clearly acting normal. "E-eh... a-a-about that..." Lowering his head, making sure to avert his eyes from her indecent form, he felt nothing but disappointment in himself. "Gods... I'm s-so pathetic... I-I can't even k-keep my word... you t-trusted me to help y-you with your power, a-and all I did was given i-in to temptation... I-I'm so sorry..."
"Hm? What do you mean?" She didn't even notice the shift in her personality, though had noticed he was suddenly looked bashful and embarrassed… did she just do something weird to him again…? That what she guessed from how he shook her and it looking ashamed of himself, causing her to become bashful realizing. "Oh no… d-dont tell me…?" Ciana covered her mouth in embarrassment and was ready to apologize, but before she could… the girl could clearly see whatever happened was eating him up, causing her to frown in guilt seeing.
"Izuku…" Ciana hated to see that she was messing with this Izuku's emotions and making him so disappointed in himself, maybe… she should tell him the truth. "…Your aware dragons have mates right? Do you… know why I been so fixed on you…?"
"...I-is the person you love s-similar to me? T-that's why you've been attached to me, b-because your unstable emotions are c-causing you to latch on for comfort?" He hazard a guess, still unable to meet her eyes, but did note that again, she hadn't stopped using her curse at all, she barely seemed to notice it.
"It's more so than you think…" her gaze turns down to her lap, having a sad smile on her face. "Remember when we met and… I immediately knew your name?"
"Ye-yes...? I still didn't... get an... answer..." It clicked, finally that missing piece brought the whole picture into focus. How she noticed his mannerisms, how he acts, his name! She... knew him already, or... "...you... know a version of me? L-like what Zorah told me about other r-realms, t-that's where you're from?"
Ciana was very surprised he already figured it out, her eyed perking up to show her stunned expression. But she nodded to confirm that. "Y-yes… I… I-I'm in love with you… or, the other version of you." Ciana smiled a little with a blush on her cheeks, having no signs of lies in her eyes.
Of course, dead silence followed. The news, had it come several days prior, Izuku would have a very hard time believing it, even now if felt far too superficial to be real. But he had proof, he saw Ciana literally fall from a rift, and Zorah and Echo were clear walkers between worlds. But a version of himself? What was he like? Well, clearly they had very similar lives... but what was it that drew Ciana to him the same way she felt out of desperation to himself?
Placing a hand on his head, he tried to process this. "...it makes sense... e-everything I - I'm so sorry, now I realize... why you..." Now their eyes met, and he felt both understanding and sorrow for her. "Your curse... you're afraid it'll hurt him, so you... fled here... then out of pure chance you ran into me, his counterpart... I... really wasn't helping you a-at all... I'm such an idiot!" He hit his forehead a little, tisking at his stupidity.
Ciana immediately took his hand in hers, looking up towards him in concern. "No Izuku that's not it, well yes… I left because I was afraid I hurt him, or rather you… but it's also because I was becoming a nuisance to my friends when I was scared of my own form." She looked down sadly but still clutched his hand. "Everyone kept telling me to get over my problem… but they didn't understand that wasn't me and my fear was only just causing them to view me badly…"
Her eyes became more sadder at this. "I have people targeting me and I am scared it would lead him towards death… but he was helping me to try and overcome my dragon side, even if it seems like your causing me emotional stress your presence actually gives me a calm sense of protection… I wouldn't be able to pull myself together if it weren't for you." Her gaze goes back up towards him, giving him a warmer smile.
"...but, i-if you ever did go back... because of me, y-you and I have..." He didn't want to say it, sure, it was an exact copy of himself, but that still didn't make this right. "...I feel I-I betrayed not just myself but my other version..."
"No you haven't…" she shook her head. "In a way… I fall for you no matter who I met first, your right though. I… I-I can't help myself around you when I'm in my dragon form… but even if my dragon form craved your affection my heart has always been set on you and only you."
"You mean the other me? O-okay, this is confusing me... d-despite me being the person y-you love, it's him you like, but I still provide you that s-sense of protection," He structured carefully, deciding to stick with his other version as Ciana's Partner to make it easier on himself. "S-sorry, that threw my head i-in a loop,"
"I honestly can't blame you, this whole thing has got me pretty confused too." She giggled to try and lighten the mood. "I would have told you sooner but I could tell I would of given you a headache…" her hand went to her neck awkwardly now, rubbing it while smiling sheepishly. "You make me feel so safe when I'm around you because how you smile and tell me everything will be okay… no one can make me feel that way but you."
That... helped a little to put his mind at ease, at least for the time being. Now, he focused back on what drove this whole ordeal in the first place. "Speaking of your power... this whole time... you've been automatously controlling it, e-ever since you woke from that primal t-trance; Echo was right, y-you always had control over the transformation side... or maybe what w-we've done has helped you regulate your instincts? I-If that's even a th-thing?" He quirked a brow a little, not sure he followed whatever that logic was.
She blinked her eyes, Turing her gaze up to the sky with her hand on her chin to process this information. "It's… hard for me to tell… when I'm in my dragon form I kinda think like an animal when I'm around you, though… I can also act aggressive, that side I'm afraid I'll end up a killer…" her eyes looked worried recalling how she reacted to the hero killer, Ciana could tell she was evolving more.
"I-I'm afraid I'll one day lose my humanity over this side of me…" Ciana now hugged herself in fear of that.
"...well you certainly don't act like a monster, I mean, you're controlling it now, so I think whatever it is you are doing is working," He assured her, taking one of her hands to inspect her gold scales a red-tipped nails as they gradually started to dissolve back into normal, soft skin. "Y-you're even causing it to retreat back into your body... or wherever your dragon aspects go,"
Eyeing her arm anxiously, Ciana did indeed see her scales disappear, even the sensation of her horns faded and licking her teeth found her canines back to normal, this whole time while they spoke, she hadn't even thought of it.
Ciana forgot she was in her dragon form, causing her to look pretty surprised by that. "Oh… I-I didn't know I was still in dragon mode…" she eyes her body to make sure they were all gone. "When I don't notice I'm calm… but when I do though, that's when I freak out… when I first got my power I just started out glowing and enhancing stamina, but when the change happened that's when everything changed…"
She frowned again knowing that. "Since then… I-I been scared of how much I'll change when I continue using it…"
Izuku stared at her hand for a while, stuck in deep thought. "Echo said fear and lack of self confidence... those are two large hurdles to overcome, maybe... if you can find a way to defeat your fear the second task won't be as difficult, both are feeding off each other. W-when you're in that primal state, your fear vanishes... maybe that's a clue, i-if you can somehow tap into a mindset not as strong as that m-mate instinct, but something close, y-you could have complete fearlessness over your curse, use it's own power against i-itself,"
"Though that's a big task too... so I'll only suggest it, d-don't feel pressured about trying that," He waved his hands slightly.
"It's hard to overcome my fear knowing how it makes my mind behave too, like for example. If I saw someone holding a knife up to your throat… I-I have this intense fear you would die and uncontrollably my dragon side comes out to stop the person… becoming aggressive in the process."
Ciana fiddled with her hands as she explains more. "I lost my mom standing up to bandits…" Ciana words it that way, thinking it be easier for this Izuku to understand. "Since I became so close to you, I'm scared that I'll end up losing you as well…"
"Feeling anger for someone you want to protect isn't exclusive to your power, I can tell you care a lot about others, but now you have the strength to make good on protecting more; the strong protect the weak, that's a fundamental law of nature," Izuku explained to her, smiling a bit. "I'd be scared to lose the people I care about too, and I'm sorry you had to see that happen to you first-hand, but... you should have faith in the people around you; believing in them to make it to the other side with you is proof you have complete trust not just in yourself but in them to stand with you when that time comes,"
Patting her shoulder, he took a stand again. "Just... give it some thought, okay? For the time being, we should get back on our path toward the village before nightfall, better than sleeping on the ground for another night,"
Ciana goes to stand up as well, dusting the dirt off her outfit before eyeing this Izuku with a thankful smile. "I do have faith in them, I just hate they have to put up with me when I'm being ridiculous to them… but I also don't want to end up killing anyone if I become too out of control…"
She goes to grab her bag now, helping Izuku put anything away. "I figured if I disappeared the people who are after me might give up too… I been going through a lot of torment due to these issues…"
Shaking his head, Izuku stomped out the small campfire. "I don't think you're being ridiculous, I think the people close to you know that, they just wanted you to feel safe around them too - as for your worry of losing control, I really do hope you can find that confidence in yourself to control it, I'm sure they miss you, as you do them, but for now, I'll help you however I can... guess, I'll do it for your Partner in his place, i-if he doesn't mind that, heh," He chuckled slightly.
"I'm sure he wouldn't knowing it's him, though I'm not sure how he feel if he found out I kissed you rather than him… he might be jealous." She smiled sheepishly again with another rub to her neck. "But I know it's my power making you do that so I'm sure he wouldn't take it to personally since my other side believes your the same person…"
Though the girl leaned up to kiss his cheek in a thankful way. "But thank you for sticking by me… I'm sorry what this stupid side of mine is making you do these intimate things… I'll avoid shifting into a dragon for a while so we can avoid that if you want."
"A-ah, s-sure, no problem," He blushed a bit, but out of sincere gratitude than love... no, even when thinking of that word, Ciana never came to mind. "For now, w-we can focus on that spell of yours, a-and on swordsmanship," Then he smirked little while his face drained of blood again. "And speaking as his other version, p-pretty sure he'd lie and say he wasn't a little jealous,"
"I-I really can't refute t-that..." He sighed.
Now packed, the pair made their way back onto the dirt road, delving back into their journey through the Silver Grove.