Kirishima's PoV

I looked into the shocked face of Bakugou and a wave of panic came over me. I had been careless and had lowered all my guards. Worse still, I had enjoyed his presence and was drunk, which influenced my judgment. Cause how could I forget that the man in front of me was the one who chased me, hunted me and wanted to kill me?

Frantically I got up and took two steps back, my eyes fixed on the blond man in front of me. He reached for the spot on his belt where his sword probably always hung. But he hadn't expected to meet me and had put down his weapon.

Bakugou's facial expression was hard and unemotional, but above all shock was reflected in his eyes. I wanted to say something and opened my mouth, but my mind was foggy and the panic paralyzed me.

I had to leave. Now. Right away. I broke my rigidity, took a last look at the dragonslayer and ran. I ran as fast as I could through the foyer, opened the front door and jumped down the stairs. I heard Bakugou's cursing behind me and heard heavy footsteps, first following me and then stopping. Knowing that he did not carry his sword with him, I hoped this would give me an advantage.

But through my hectic escape, I left everything behind. My clothes, provision and the rest of the money Miss Crownway had given me. Once again, I cursed myself for my carelessness. I knew he was the dragonslayer. I knew he had come to Tamio to track me down and kill me. And yet I had not refused his invitation and why? Because I found him fascinating and handsome?

Due to the adrenaline in my veins I hardly felt my burning muscles but breathing became more and more difficult. It was now in the middle of the night and the unknown streets were illuminated only by the faint moonlight, yet I tried to run north. Since the village was quite small, I quickly left the last rows of houses behind me. The salty smell of the sea and the sound of waves always accompanied me, so that I was sure that I was running along the coast. My exhaustion grew, and I became slower and slower as the path went more and more uphill. I stopped for a moment to gasp for air, but then continued with a brisk pace. The dragonslayer was certainly close on my heels, I was not allowed to take a break.

Bakugou's PoV

"Fucking hell!" I yelled when I saw him storm away. I hesitated for a moment, but then ran up the stairs in my room. I needed my weapon. The sword lay in its sheath on my bed. I grabbed it and strapped it to my belt as I ran down the stairs again.

The employee who had served us the evening welcomed me as I took the last steps. "Send a messenger to the Kaizewa inn and tell Aizawa that I found the dragon's brood. He has to follow me with the troops as soon as possible," I ordered him while I hurried to the front door.

I had accommodated my horse in the stable of the hostel and had hurried directly to the stables. Aizawa had offered to keep it with the other horses of the troop, but I had felt uncomfortable at the thought of not being able to act. Thank God! Because on foot I surely couldn't catch up with Red - no, Kirishima.

As fast as I could I saddled and bridled my horse. The stallion felt my tension and snorted nervously as I saddled up in the stable alley. Kirishima had a huge lead! Already on the smallest pressure of my thigh the stallion reacted and stormed down the main street of Tamio in a hurried gallop. There were not many ways out of the small village. Kirishima had shown me on my question the way direction south, why I suspected that he fled exactly opposite, thus directly north.

I slowed my pace a little as I rode out of the village. The stallion couldn't keep the gallop forever and I didn't know how long this hunt would take. I also needed time to perceive my surroundings. I came to a junction and thought for a moment. To the left it went down to the beach and to the right the way led steadily uphill. I knew that the beach quickly developed into a steep coast. If he had actually run down there, he would be trapped sooner or later. I don't think he knew that because he was from Nirakawa, but I suspected that he went the right way. The sandy road to the beach was too arduous. He was on foot and had to make fast progress.

So I followed the right path, which became increasingly steeper and rockier. In the faint moonlight I could hardly see anything, but I was sure that it went steeply down to the sea directly behind the crooked silhouettes of the pine trees to my left.

I slowed the pace a little more. How much lead did Kirishima have? He couldn't have gotten that far on foot, could he? But if he had shifted, he could already be gone. But I doubted that. I had never witnessed a dragon transformation before, but one did not shift into such a powerful and mighty being without leaving traces.

Then I saw him. At some distance I could see a dark silhouette. A grin spread across my face. He had no chance.

As always, when I was preparing for a fight against a dragon, the images flashed in front of my inner eye. Images of death and destruction. The destruction of my home village by a gigantic black dragon. The hate that had never let go of me since then, that had pushed me and given me my willpower in the past fights, was now rushing like adrenalin through my veins. I'll kill him!

I pushed the stallion until he fell into a wild hunting gallop. I saw Kirishima turn around when he heard hoofbeat, which echoed like thunder through the silence of the night, and noticed that he was trying to run faster. But there was no way out. On the right was only the wide plain and on the left it went down steeply. He couldn't escape me.

He also seemed to realize that, because he stopped and turned to me with his head down and raised his hands trembling. I slowed down and jumped off my horse. Slowly I walked towards him and pulled my sword out of its sheath. I would certainly not show mercy!

"Bakugou ... please!" he said quietly. He slowly raised his head and looked at me with teary eyes.

I froze.

"Please." He repeated insistently once more.

Red's big beautiful eyes looked at me pleadingly and it was as if there had never been hate in my veins. My hand trembled as I lowered the sword.