59. Auslin

Chapter 59

Auslin

S omehow, the past few weeks had flown by in the blink of an eye. All too quickly, it was the night before Auslin and Kitaro were supposed to embark on their journey to Arenvale to seek Satsuma for guidance about Fate's Gate. It didn't feel real to Auslin that they were leaving in the morning to start the long trip. He was still in denial about it on an emotional level because of what it meant for his future with Kitaro.

Kitaro rubbed Auslin's shoulder. "You should rest. Morning will come early."

The reminder made the human sigh. "I know, but…"

"I understand, but it would still be wise to sleep."

Auslin traced Kitaro's shifter markings on his chest. "Sleeping in this bed for so long will make sleeping on the hard ground even worse than before. You've spoiled me."

"There is much about life in the castle I miss during my travels," Kitaro agreed. "However, I would much prefer traveling just the two of us instead of with Father's army."

"It'll be weird waking up early again." Auslin wasn't looking forward to that part. He had grown spoiled by Kitaro's afternoon starts to the day.

"Perhaps it will not be necessary. As I have excellent night vision, traveling in the evening is not impossible if you are riding me."

"Riding you?" Auslin propped himself up on his elbow to look down at Kitaro in surprise.

"Yes, most of our travels will be done like the night we met, when I took you to the cave in my dragon form."

Auslin hadn't even considered that as a possibility. "We're not walking?"

"It would take even longer if we progressed on two feet," Kitaro said. "I can understand you in that form, so please do not feel that you have to endure the traveling parts in silence."

Auslin grinned. "Are you encouraging me to have long, one-sided conversations with you? "

"Despite my inability to reply in any meaningful way in that form, I would very much enjoy hearing your thoughts while we travel."

"I'll do my best to find something interesting to say, then." Some of Auslin's good humor disappeared as it brought back the reality that they were really leaving tomorrow. "I wish we didn't have to go."

Kitaro kissed Auslin's forehead. "I feel the same way, but alas, we must."

"Doing the responsible thing sucks." Auslin snuggled closer to Kitaro for comfort.

"It does indeed."

Silence fell between them. It gave room for Auslin's morose mood to return. "I wish there was some other way."

"I will hold on to the hope that she will say fate brought you to become my mate. Then, we will have authoritative proof that you do not need to return to your time." Kitaro continued to reassure Auslin through touch.

"That would be nice, even if it means having to put up with Mitsuki's wrath for the rest of my life." It sounded too good to be true. Auslin wasn't nearly that lucky. At the same time, he suffered a pang of guilt about never being able to see his younger brother, Sephen, again if he stayed with Kitaro in the past.

"His displeasure would be a small price to pay for the privilege of having you stay here with me," Kitaro said. "But these are not thoughts that are conducive to sleeping."

"Yeah, thinking about Mitsuki before sleeping will only lead to nightmares," Auslin joked. It had been a relief he hadn't run into Kitaro's older brother since the disastrous breakfast the day after the banquet with Nasume.

"There are many more pleasurable things to dream about." Kitaro chuckled at the comment. Auslin loved how it sounded from his resting place on the dragon prince's chest.

"Yeah." Auslin wished he could have a dream where everything magically worked out somehow. Maybe then tomorrow wouldn't be so scary.

T he next morning, Auslin and Kitaro set out on their journey to visit Satsuma. They had walked together out of Tiora before Kitaro shifted into his dragon form. It took some getting used to, but Auslin found a comfortable position to ride since Kitaro had been kind enough to provide a saddle for him. It was amazing traveling through the forest from such a high vantage point.

They covered more than triple the distance Auslin could have done on foot alone. When they were making such good progress, he wondered if the trip would take as many months as Tatsuki had predicted. Auslin hoped not because the sooner they reached Satsuma, the sooner they could go back to the castle and resume their normal lives.

As dusk fell, Kitaro strayed from the main road to a pleasant spot by a river to make camp outside of Wandril, the capital of Elyenbell. He crouched down to allow Auslin to dismount before he shifted back into his human form.

Auslin marveled at the quick change. "You really are amazing."

Kitaro chuckled as he used his dragon fire to start a small blaze in a pile of wood he had gathered from the nearby trees. "That is hardly cause to be impressed."

"So modest," Auslin teased. He sat close to the fire to enjoy the warmth. There was a slight chill in the air that made him rub his hands in front of the flickering flames.

"I will go for a quick hunt for dinner. I promise not to stray far."

Kio had always whined about finding dinner, so it surprised Auslin to hear Kitaro volunteer. "Wow, thank you. I really appreciate that."

"It is my pleasure to take care of you." Kitaro disappeared in a blink of an eye, thanks to his shifter speed.

Warmed by both the fire and the comment, Auslin leaned back on his hands with a sigh. He stretched out his senses out of habit but stopped himself when he realized what he was doing. He would always check for Maseo's nearby presence since Kio would often use hunting as an excuse for hooking up with the half-wolf shifter. That meant Auslin would be left alone for hours at a time, leaving him to forage for his own food.

But those memories were now so distant they didn't hurt anymore. If anything, he was concerned about how badly Kio was probably treating Maseo. Despite the years of betrayal, Auslin could never hate Maseo when all he felt was empathy for the hurt he had to feel being on the other side of their twisted triangle relationship through Kio. Kio had horribly abused them both. Auslin could only hope that Maseo would also break free of Kio's twisted version of love someday.

Auslin was amazed at his own good mood. It was nice that he hadn't gotten yelled at once during their travels for being too slow, too human, too emotional, too whatever Kio found offensive that day. Admittedly, Kitaro couldn't talk in his dragon form, but given that the dragon prince had never once raised his voice at Auslin in the entire time he had been in the past, he trusted it wouldn't happen, even if they had been traveling together on foot.

It was incredible how stress-free the day of travel had been. If it weren't for his fear of Satsuma declaring he must return to his own time, the journey would feel like a real vacation. He never realized how much anxiety he had during traveling because of Kio until it suddenly wasn't an issue with Kitaro .

It was weird realizing how much joy Kio had removed from his life. He could never return to Kio's side after being with Kitaro. Why would he ever trade his caring relationship for Kio's abusive one?

True to his word, Kitaro quickly returned with a few rabbits and birds in hand. It put things even more into perspective about how long Kio used to be gone on his "hunts" for dinner. Why had Auslin been willing to put up with being treated that way for so long?

He pushed the thoughts aside to greet Kitaro. "Welcome back!"

"Is this acceptable?" Kitaro brought the game closer to Auslin for approval.

"It's wonderful." Auslin held out his hand. "I can take care of the rabbits."

Kitaro passed them to him, then sat near the fire. "You do not object?"

"I wouldn't have lasted on the road for more than a few days if I did." Auslin looked for branches long enough to cook the animals with, but there were none nearby. "I'll go get some sticks for the fire."

"There is no need. I can suspend it with my magic."

It seemed there were more benefits to traveling with a full shifter than Auslin thought. "You really are amazing."

"I am gratified that you are pleased. Did you always take care of the cooking during your travels?"

"Yeah, my companion had no patience for that. I could barely get him to hunt for food for us. His hunts were more sexual in nature whenever he would find his ex."

There was a dark rage in Kitaro's blue eyes, which were rimmed with silver. "My anger toward my future relative knows no bounds."

It warmed Auslin's heart, but he didn't want to ruin the shifter's good mood. "I would have thought the young prince who lived in the lap of luxury would have brought someone along to take care of such menial things for him." He held out the finished rabbit to Kitaro. "Work your magic, please."

Kitaro waved his hand, and the rabbit meat floated over the silver fire, followed by one of his birds. They rotated in the air like they were on a rotisserie to cook evenly. "Father would have my head if I was incapable of hunting and cooking for myself on the road. That was some of the very first outdoor training I received when I was a child."

Given that Tatsuki was a military man, it made sense that he would expect his children to be self-sufficient while traveling. "How fortunate for me you aren't a spoiled prince, then." Auslin started on the second rabbit.

"Do you have any complaints about today's travel?" Kitaro asked.

"What's there to complain about?" Auslin laughed as Kitaro lifted the second rabbit above the fire. They spun in tandem on the phantom rotisserie spit. "I got to enjoy a fun ride and not walk myself into exhaustion like normal. And I didn't get yelled at once!"

Kitaro's gaze softened. "Was my flying too rough or uncomfortable?"

Auslin leaned over and kissed Kitaro. "Everything was perfect today. I literally can't remember the last time I enjoyed traveling this much."

"I am glad it was not too arduous. I worried you were perhaps too polite to complain."

"It was anything but," Auslin reassured him.

The food finished cooking quickly. The taste of rabbit meat made Auslin oddly nostalgic. "Today has been amazing."

"Are you sure you do not wish to spend the night in a hotel in Wandril? It is not much farther."

"No, it's been so long since I've been able to look at the stars." Auslin looked to the sky, enjoying the glittering light. "They always look so much prettier when you're not in the city. Besides, sleeping next to you and a fire brings back memories of how we met."

Kitaro grinned. "It is a pity being naked outdoors is a terrible idea."

Auslin laughed, amazed at how carefree he felt despite knowing the journey that lay ahead. "I worry about going to most towns, though. Because I travel so much, I know shifters in almost all the kingdoms of Talwyn. The risk of running into someone in the past who knows me in the future is too risky. I'm too scared I'll mess up the future by accidentally doing or saying the wrong thing now."

"You are wise to be concerned. So long as you are comfortable, I do not mind enjoying the great outdoors with you."

"Thank you. You're the best." It was just one more reason why leaving Kitaro would be impossible.