To the Town 4
"You're awake Kuro."
Although slight, Kuro could feel the tremor from below- he was being carried by Ayame while around him were… high-up from the surface.
Kuro woke up at the worst time, right now they were climbing the mountain, which was higher than Mount Tai… no, that's china… mountain that was higher than Mount Everest.
The atmosphere around here were too spreads that it's almost nonexistent—just staying here made Kuro felt tired.
'Great training places…'
Acute mountain sickness… vomiting… severe nausea… headache… fatigue…inability to exercise… shortness of breathing…
Such thoughts unknowingly flown inside Kuro. As he searched for air. Just being carried, he was this tired.
Worriedly, Kuro searched for Korone and Okayu's figure.
"If it is Koronen and Okayu-chan, they're here." Ayame once again read his mind…
At the same time, Kuro felt a movement from near his and two adorable head popped out—a dog and cat. They were tiny… even tinier than current Kuro.
Their original form.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Nya~ nya~"
That's a relief. Come to think of it…
"Where is Shion?"
"If it's Shio-…"
Kuro attacked first so that she won't read his mind. Her read her first before she can read him first. The almighty psychological tactic.
"She went back home alone after I treated you."
"Oh…" After hearing the Oni's answer, Kuro felt down.
"I wanted to play with her because she haven't been coming to us lately."
Kuro right now were very complicated. He was intertwined between the desire to be strong and the desire to play. This feeling wasn't that even Ayame could bother in.
"Let's play together then, when we get to my town. I will introduce you to our town's game." Nevertheless, she bothered in.
It was her time.
"I will be looking forward to it!" Smiling, he rested himself on her back.
-----
It didn't make sense.
Why would Zero, which is Kuro, decline his request?
When Kuro thought he could cheat his way to become a strong people, his dream was trampled by a single word from Zero "No."
After hearing that, the three stopped asking Zero as they let him be.
Because of their quotes: Every action has a meaning in it.
That was how Kuro's sea consciousness meeting ended. Very anti-climatic.
-----
Fortunately, there weren't any dangers when Ayame was climbing the cliff. If there wasn't some poisonous bugs in the cliffs—there wasn't even an flying dragon.
Just Oni, climbing up. Now that they've reached at the end of cliff, all they had to do were walk down the hills.
The original plan were circling this mountain to get to the Nakiri Town however, after Kuro got injured, she changed the plan and they went on shortcut—climb over it.
Not only wasn't Kuro, Ayame were also cursed with emotion.
Her emotion asides, there were a reason why she tried to circles this mountain…
"OIIIII! WHO DARES TRESPASS MY TERRITORY!?… OHH, IT'S AYAME, ISN'T TIS!?" This creature… were too loud.
One of the mythical creatures, Inferno Dragon King, her father's friend, and her father once introduced her to this dragon.
He is very hot. By hot, really hot. Ayame's father said that this dragon's aura alone can melt attacks before it even reaches him.
Even that father of her, struggled to beat this dragon or so.
Not only his ability, his personality were also hot, loud. When her father introduced her to him, she was only a children at that time.
His loud voice scared her and traumatised her… apparently from what she heard from her mother, after the Dragon caused her to cry, it enraged her father and the two fought once again.
"Ayame!! You've grown!… younger…? WHATEVER! Ayame! Greet your grandpa!" Usually, this dragon was like a loving grandpa but… she still can't bear his hot temperament and she was still traumatised.
"Grandpa, can you let us pass this mountain?" She greeted the Inferno Dragon and asked for a request.
This loving grandpa, was the type to spoil his granddaughter (despite that they're not related in any way).
"Of course of course! Come get in my palm! I'll throw you to your town—it will be in instance!" The dragon showed it's gigantic palm which lava poured down from it.
"I'll burn before you throw me!" Ayame raised her voice because of how ridiculous the dragon was.
'Besides, I still don't fully understand Kuro's question about the relationship between speed and durability (constitution & agility). Better not get past my max speed unless necessary.'
"Can I get past here?"
"Why not? BESIDES! With your growth from the time you spent, you should be able to easily jump past this mount-… WHAT!?" The dragon finally looked closely at Ayame.
"Yo- you… WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?! TELL YOUR GRANDPA, AYAME! WHY YOU, WHO HAS BEEN LIVING FOR 1,500 YEARS, AT THE SAME LEVEL SINCE A THOUSAND AND THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO!?!"
The dragon was enraged. His cute grand-daughter (which is not related by any sort) has stopped growing since 1,300 years and her strength remained the same.
His eyes found the sources of problem. The child she was carrying, awake and staring at them fearlessly. From a child, his behaviour were too weird.
"IS IT THAT CHILDREN IN YOUR BACK!? ARE YOU BEING THREATENED, AYAME!?"
"YOUR GRANDPA WILL HELP YOU?" Without waiting for her, the dragon attacked by splashing the lava toward them.
"No! I won't let you hurt Kuro!" Seeing that there were no more time to refute, she used her body to cover Kuro and the two from the lava.
Which Kuro struggled behind her back and release himself. With the speed almost instantaneous, he got in front of Ayame and covered her from the lava.
"Kuro!?"
"What, Kid, are you insane!?" Although he was the one who has thrown an attack, he wasn't expecting for his target to deliberately come to get hit.
Moreover, that body… it's terribly hurt. Despite that, he covered Ayame and let himself get hurt?
*splash*
'It burns!' The sensation of his skin tissues burning, his sensitive nerves sending stress all over and the lavas that painfully stuck his skin almost burning down to hid bone.
'Crap- this may be really bad. I… am going to… di…'
First of all, his injuries from previous fight hasn't recovered. It was truly reckless action.
"kid… Sun Life (Sunlight)." A single word caused the sun-ray to shower Kuro's dying figure and filled his body with life.
The lava which was burning away Kuro's lifespan became the flame of life as it gave Kuro the life as well, the sun-ray showering Kuro healed his wound at visible rate.
Within instant, the aftermath injuries of his battle against snake were barely seen and his left arm were fixed—even the hidden injuries, ruined bone structure, messy veins were fixed to be even healthier.
However that didn't stop from Kuro to fall unconscious as well the hatred in Ayame's look—even the two creatures awaken as they leaped from Ayame's back.
They were growling against the dragon, baring a threatening look not caring who their opponent were.