I decided to write more of this, for some odd reason. Probably because I find HikaruxSilver sexy, and fanfics of it do not exist.

Warning: Odd pairing, possible OOCness

Disclaimer: Wilder does not own Dragon Drive, Hikaru, Silver, or any related properties.

Chapter 2

Himuro improves quickly, but it's still another two weeks or so before he can go anywhere fast. He keeps opening up one of the wounds in his chest, and his shoulder's still wrecked, but the time comes that his ribs knit and they can't keep him in bed anymore. He's restless and angry from being cooped up, and Silver almost expects that dragon of his to show up and rip off the roof.

One night, he shows up at her door.

"I'm leaving. Don't know why I'm telling you, but I'm not about to tell them." He's trying to sound strong, like the pain isn't there, but she hears it in his voice.

She doesn't know why the next words leave her mouth.

"I'm coming with you. You'll get yourself killed in your condition."

"You don't even have a dragon. You'll be in more danger than I am."

Silver flares.

"Last time I checked, I had a pair of blades and your dragon was enormous. I think he can carry two without much trouble, and I think you could use someone who can use both arms."

Himuro doesn't speak for a moment or so. Silver can see him mulling it over, weighing his odds. He's not stupid. He knows he may not survive on his own.


"You do realize that I wasn't asking, right?" Silver smirks. She thinks she sees the corner of Himuro's mouth quirk upward for about half a second as he rolls his eyes.

Hikaru's surprised how easily Silver balances on Kanopus's head – it took him two weeks to master that – but considering her training, it doesn't shock him that she picks it up more quickly than he did. He was just a kid when he found Kanopus, after all.

He's eighteen now – at least, he thinks he is. He hasn't been paying attention to the dates in Ri-kyuu. Asking Silver confirms that he'll be nineteen in another two months.

She watches him carefully. He tires quickly, and she can tell he's in more pain than he'll admit by the time they land for the night. Reluctantly, he lets her check his shoulder and the gash, which he's managed to open again. It's starting to scar, though, and Silver thinks it won't be long until it heals enough to stop bleeding, though she knows it will never disappear.

Himuro still tries to be tough, not to let the woman see how much pain her ministrations cause, but Silver's no fool. He's in agony, especially from his shoulder. Silver isn't sure it will ever heal completely enough to regain a full range of motion.

In another day or so, they reach dragon buster territory. Himuro's gaze hardens. Silver doesn't envy the man they're hunting.

They see a few dragon busters, but they're smart enough to stay away from their deadly former comrade and the dragon master beside her. Silver rolls her eyes when they hide.

Eventually, Himuro decides to take a more…direct approach to searching.

"Where's your friend, huh?" he growls, holding a buster by his neck against a cliff face. "About my height, rides a green dragon about half the size of mine?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" the man says desperately. "I haven't seen him in weeks!"

"Where?" Himuro demands, his grip tightening, his other hand twitching toward his blade.

The trapped man panics.

"Northwest, about a day's flight from here," he chokes. "Probably less for you. It's a forked mountain with a cave near the top."

Himuro releases the man and lets him slide to the ground, gasping for breath. Silver quietly sheathes her twin blades and returns to Kanopus. The dragon lowers his head to allow her to board, and Hikaru gets another surprise. Kanopus has never trusted another human like this.

But it's getting dark again, and they have to land before they make it to the place their captive described.

Silver can't sleep; this cave isn't well-protected unless she counts Kanopus, and after a decade as a dragon buster, she doesn't. He's strong, but an experienced buster could catch him off-guard, and then where would they be? She needs to keep watch.

Before long, she notices Himuro watching her, his golden eyes sharp and cold.

"I know it's not ideal," he says.

"We should have kept moving until we found a better hiding spot. This is too open."

"Kanopus and I, we're stronger than you think we are."

"You're a wreck, and I'm not sure I trust you with my life just yet. Sleep, Himuro. You need it more than I do."

"We'll trade off," he says after a long pause. "Wake me in a few hours."

Silver agrees, but she doubts she'll actually do it. He really does need the rest more than she does. But as it turns out, he wakes up on his own in less than four hours, and she appreciates the sleep more than she expected to.

The former dragon buster realizes that she's going to need a dragon of her own eventually. Despite Kanopus's size, there's only a very small area where passengers can actually ride without being thrown; and being this close to Himuro for the majority of the day is getting uncomfortable. So the day comes that they still don't have any leads, Himuro's positively fuming, and Silver leaps off of Kanopus's head onto a dragon that looks perfect. She's grey-blue all over except for a scarlet spike on her tail, and her mind is raw and untamed – for a moment, Silver considers letting the wild thing stay that way, but she's made her choice and she'll stick with it.

Himuro let out a yell when she jumped, but now he simply watches as the new dragon bucks and weaves through the air, performing a slew of acrobatic maneuvers that he knows will serve Silver well once she and the dragon have bonded. Of course, she'll have to survive first, but he knows her well enough not to doubt that.

It takes well over four hours before the dragon's flight smooths out and her mind quiets enough for Silver to talk to her.

You're strong, pretty girl, Silver whispers. The dragon growls, not angry, but confused. You want to come with me, don't you? I know I scared you. I'm sorry. You see that boy? I didn't want to ride with him anymore.

The dragon hesitates. This woman is strange. She's not like the hunters who came after her to sell her, or to kill her. This woman wants a partner, the kind of relationship that her mother had with her own rider.

What's your name, beauty? Silver asks.

Misaka, the dragon speaks without thinking.

It's a good name. So, Misaka. Are you coming with me?

The bluish dragon doesn't speak for another few minutes, and Silver gives her time. She waited years before Kono would talk to her as an equal.



Silver crows, and she sees Himuro twitch in surprise.

"This is Misaka!" she calls. "I guess I'm not riding with you anymore!"

Himuro lets out what might be a laugh, or maybe just a sigh. The point is, Silver's got herself a dragon.

Misaka makes life much easier. She keeps testing Silver, making sure the woman really does know what she's doing, but she lets Silver have a break from Himuro when she needs it.

Dear lord, does she need it.

He's not much for company – never was, she guesses – but now, he gets angrier with every hour that passes without meeting his enemy. Silver knows better than to suggest that they simply leave their next meeting up to chance, but she wishes he would realize that it's nearly impossible in these mountains to find someone who doesn't want to be found. The dragon buster might have thought Himuro dead, but he has to know by now that the man from another world is alive, and out for revenge. And no one in Ri-kyuu is stupid enough to fight Himuro alone.

They fly side by side, but they don't speak most of the time. Silver isn't surprised that Himuro's no chattier than he was three years ago.

And then they find him.

Himuro's features twist into something brutal with rage, and Kanopus dives faster than a dragon his size should be able to, landing hard with the buster's terrified dragon pinned beneath one of his great claws. The green creature screams and struggles; Kanopus tightens his grip and snarls, and the smaller dragon falls silent.

Silver can see the desperation in the dragon buster's eyes. He knows he's dead.

Himuro jumps lightly to the ground, barely betraying the pain it causes him. The trapped man doesn't notice, but Silver does.

The young man doesn't bother with the sword cinched at his hip. A knife is all he needs. The other begs, but it's over quickly. There's no demonstrative farewell, no one-liner, nothing but cold steel and hot blood. Himuro doesn't care about the dragon, so Kanopus lets it go, and it flees.

Silver's more impressed than intimidated, but the intimidation is there. He's vicious. He's merciless. She knows she could fight him off now, wounded like he is, but maybe not if he were fit. Himuro is stronger and fiercer than he was three years ago. But Silver is, too.

End Chapter

My Hikaru muse is scary sometimes. But I like him anyway.