The great black dragon behind her stirred impatiently. The scent of death and gore that his scales carried had grown weak over the years since his last slaughter and he was eager to continue his legend of destruction.

"Soon," his mistress said, the word hissing between her teeth.

But she had been saying that for many years and he was bored of waiting. To rip the arrogant and cursed prince apart; it would be fun to shred his wings and take everything from him once again.

Even more so now that the fool had such a glaring weakness.

Ragnarok settled again, content to imagine how he could maximize the cursed prince's agony as he killed the woman he so stupidly let hold his heart.

"Soon." Medusa said more to herself than to the dragon behind her.

_

"Well?" She asked somewhat expectantly. Her dragon was still staring at her dumbfounded, and she was beginning to feel self conscious. "Soul?" Maka prompted again.

The nest had been empty when she woke up, something that she wasn't used to at all since they had started to sleep together. She had found him outside practicing with a sword, which was new for her dragon. Truly, she had thought him somewhat lazy for the longest time with all of the napping, though as the weather warmed, he'd been more and more active.

"Ah- I was just," the sword he was holding dropped to his side, "It clears my head." Soul said.

"And why does your head need clearing?"

He grunted and looked away from her as if that answered her question. Maka huffed and retreated back to the cave only to emerge a moment later tugging on a pair of his pants and juggling a sword still in its scabbard.

"Little one?" Soul finally jerked to life when Maka nearly toppled over, catching her elbow and steadying her.

She smiled up at him. "Thank you, I figured it would be easier to practice if I can move my legs. I had never seen that style before, will you teach me?" Maka asked in a rush, still pleased with having been able to find a sword so quickly within his hoard. The one she had brought up the mountain with her when she was first sacrificed was surely lost and rusted now; it was no great shame, the blacksmith had thrown it out, grumbling something about inferior metals, and hadn't even bothered to melt it down to try and make something else of it.

He was looking at her again with that same flabbergasted expression- she wasn't sure if it was her attire that caused it or her request to be taught swordplay. The dragon had never before objected to what she wore- from the little silk shirts as dresses to the kimono- so it probably wasn't the fact that she was wearing his trousers.

"My father taught me some of the basics, usually just with a wooden sword, but I am not completely unfamiliar with swordplay!" She tried again, trying to prove to him that she could be taught swordplay. His hand still warm on her arm even through the silk shirt she had thrown on in lieu of the kimono - it had been hard to look at the green silk without blushing this morning.

There was a rumble from his chest that wasn't quite a growl or a purr, and Soul finally grinned. "I do rather distinctly recall you threatening me with a toothpick of some kind." Maka whacked his chest, which just made him laugh. "You had held it rather well though. But here, let's find you a sword that will agree with you."

Maka decided to take the compliment. "This one is fine? What do you mean agree with me?"

"Swords are like dragons; they only like certain people," Soul told her with a gentle brush of his lips against her temple. "Come, we'll find the one that belongs to you and then you can show me what you know."

She hummed in agreement and leaned into his touch, "Well I already have my dragon, so we should go find me a sword."

"That's my little one."

It took longer than Maka expected. Many of the swords that Soul had in his hoard- she wasn't sure she wanted to know their origins or how he had acquired them- were deemed too heavy for her or not balanced properly for her hands.

Maka picked up what seemed to be the hundredth sword in the past hour and yet again asked, "What about this one?"

Soul glanced over his shoulder and went pale. "Where was that, little one?"

"It was wrapped in a rug- I only found it because the hilt caught the light while I was leaning over to grab a different one." He slowly approached her and took the sword from her hands; it was a beautiful piece, well-balanced, and it had felt like a natural extension of her arm.

Soul looked at the gleaming metal like it was a long-lost friend, and finally said, "It was my brother's."

She reached for him, gently laying her hand over his. "We should put it somewhere special then."

But Soul shook his head and handed it back to her, "Hold it again? I want to see something." Maka did as he asked and the sword settled easily into her hands, the hilt large enough for her to wrap both hands around it with ease. "He always did prefer a lighter sword. It might be a little heavy for you now, but I think with time it will be perfect."

It was Maka's turn to shake her head, "Soul I can't, this is your brother's sword! I can't use this, we should put it above the fire-"

"There is no other sword that will suit you better or that I would trust you with more." His hands covered hers on the hilt of the sword and the scars she had been admiring just the night before stood out on his hands. "It may not have defeated his dragons, but it will defeat yours." He nodded, resolute, and Maka believed him.

They spent the rest of the daylight out on the mountain, sparring and training. Soul had spent the better part of the time watching how she moved and letting her work through what she remembered. In the same way that watching her react to him and his attentions, watching Maka with a sword was equally intoxicating. There was a gracefulness to her that came out in waves when she parried, dodged, and attacked.

She was beautiful and Soul was having a rather difficult time not becoming completely distracted by the beads of sweat trickling down her cheek or how the hair at the base of her neck was curling into delicate ringlets.

The whole reason he had come outside to practice with a sword was to escape her and give her some peace. He'd woken up with a pressing need for her and debated different ways to wake her up but it hadn't felt right to ask for more than she had already given him last night. It had still taken him a much longer than usual before he managed to extract himself from their nest, and he hadn't been able to leave without a few gentle brushes of his lips across her face.

Now, to see her so determined and her eyes so bright, it was getting hard to ignore just how badly he wanted her.

They practiced until they were both breathless and nearly shaking.

Maka finally laughed and dropped to the ground, panting and watching the last few traces of color leave the sky as the moon rose above them. Soul joined her, laying his head on her stomach as a pillow, and grinned when she made exasperated noises about being crushed by a dragon. Sweaty and exhausted, but stated with a day well spent, they lay together and watched the stars peek through the sky one by one until their breathing evened and their bodies cooled.

"Come on, lizard, let's go make use of your outrageous bath before we both pass out. And if you fall asleep in the water, I will leave you there to wrinkle until you really are the size of a lizard!" Maka said, the chill of the evening finally making its way to her skin.

Her words made him laugh, but they got him up and he offered her a hand to help her up as well. Maka took it, her smaller hand engulfed in his, and Soul pulled her to stand with him easily.

His hair was even more wild than usual and it reminded her of the first time she had seen him step out from the cloud. Never would she have guessed that she would feel so safe with him or that her heart would feel so full when he leaned down to kiss her soundly.

"Mm, you're avoiding your- ah! B-bath," Maka managed to gasp out when Soul nipped at her neck. He just grinned against her skin- she was going to kill him when she saw his handiwork from last night.

For the sake of speed and also getting out of their sweating clothing as quickly as possible, Soul picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. Maka shrieked and then laughed, pounding on his back and proclaiming that he was going to ruin her and that she needed a knight! Soul just growled and gave her bum a good tap but that just made her gasp and then laugh more.

He did consider simply jumping into the bath with her still over his shoulder, but the idea of being able to help her undress proved to be even more enticing. Soul gently slid her down from his shoulder but kept her against him. She was flushed from being upside down and trying to bite back a smile, "You are a scourge, dragon, and I believe I should be worried about your intentions."

"You enjoyed my full attention last night, little one." he reminded her with a smirk.

Maka quickly turned scarlet from the tips of her ears all the way to her chest. She let loose a string of insults and curses while Soul just laughed and began to tug her shirt over her head.

"Awful, terrible, rude dragon!"

"You're becoming repetitive with your name calling again, little one. You had some much more biting ones when you still thought I was going to eat you."

"Infuriating gecko!" she spat when her head came free of her shirt. But instead of hitting him, she went for the hem of his own shirt to pull it off him. "See if I let you pay me any attention any time soon!" The way she bit her lip once he was stripped of his shirt said otherwise though.

Soul rested his hands on her hips, thumbs tucked underneath the rolled fabric at the waist of her pants and rubbing maddeningly slow circles into her skin. "Is that so, little one?"

"Yes, absolutely. No attention. No regard for your intentions either!" Her own hands were on his trousers, boldly undoing the laces and tugging on them. "None, whatsoever." She said more quietly and against his lips. "So what will you do about that, dragon?" Maka pushed his pants down off of his hips and kept her eyes locked with his. She could only hope that she wasn't as red as her cheeks felt. But since having live steel in her hands all day and watching him move so gracefully with a sword, she was feeling particularly brave.

"I believe I'll just have to win back your affections." he said, voice just as hushed and his hands gently kneaded her hips.

"And how do you intend to do that, Soul?"

He grinned and inched her own pants down the curve of her bottom, "Oh, I'm sure I can come up with something." And with one final tug, her pants were pooled around her ankles. His little one's face was scarlet, but she didn't look away from his eyes or try to hide herself.

"Brave, little one." Soul rested his forehead against hers and enjoyed how he could nearly feel her heartbeat against his own.

"Yes, well, when you have a dragon constantly threatening to eat you!"

"That reminds me." His look was absolutely predatory as he sunk to his knees in front of her.

Maka gave a squeak of surprise, her hands flying to her mouth. What did he intend to do from that position? His hands were warm and steady on her hips, but why would her dragon kneel before her like that?

The look he gave her was even darker than that of the night before and she found herself whispering his name through her fingers. Soul grinned up at her and placed a kiss at her hipbone. It started with just a press of his lips to her skin, a flick of his tongue, and then a scrape of his teeth. He repeated these motions, alternating between sucking and biting until a deep and pleasurable ache had settled into the mark and into her bones.

He looked up at her again and she felt as though she would catch fire under his gaze, Soul closed his eyes and pulled her hips closer to his face. Everything stopped when his tongue stroked her skin; a little too hot, a little too rough, and just a little too long to be human. He started with one long wet lick and moaned into the burnished gold curls against his nose. There was no air left in her lungs and she couldn't find her bearing, his hands flexed against her hips holding her in place and supporting her as he pushed his tongue flat against her and stroked.

She gave a strangled gasp and Soul pulled away for a moment, "Is this alright, little one?" He licked his lips and waited until she nodded, teeth buried in her bottom lip and cheeks flushed.

"Good, because you taste delicious."

Maka would have squeaked, horrified by how blunt his words were, but his tongue was against her skin and she lost all words. The heat was incredible and with every brush pleasure shot straight up and down her spine.

She was melting and flying and lost; the only thing keeping her still was the hand she had braced on his shoulder and cradling the back of her dragon's head, fingers woven into his hair. One of the hands that had been holding her so steady on her hip smoothed down her thigh, it was lost though in comparison to the texture of his tongue and the pleasured moans that he was making while he tasted her.

It wasn't until he pulled back again to look at her and grin that she even noticed his fingers ready to tease her like they had before. "Still alright, little one?"

"Yes, Soul." Maka was panting and stroked his hair, "Being eaten by a dragon, it isn't so bad."

He rewarded her by sinking his fingers deep inside of her and watching her gasp before putting his tongue back to work. It was more than before, different from when she had sat in his lap and he teased her neck while his fingers pleased her. She could feel his teeth every now and then and they made her gasp each time. Soul kept varying the pressure of his teeth, his tongue, the movements he was making and then he started to suck on her sensitive flesh.

"Soul! Oh, Soul!" Maka tightened her hand in his hair as she came shaking and screaming his name. Keeping his fingers buried in her, he wrapped his arm around the backs of her legs and caught her weight when her knees gave out from under her.

There was a deep rumbling chuckle from Soul as he watched his little one try to regain her bearings. She was still pulling on his hair hard enough to make him hiss, but at the same time it just made him ache for her more. He gently pulled his fingers from between her legs and licked them clean. Now that he had tasted her, he knew that he would never want anything else.

"So have I won back your affections and into your good graces, little one?" Soul asked while he eased her down until she was cushioned against his chest. She blinked at him and shivered, making a pleased sounding noise in the back of her throat. "Into the bath with you and then to the nest."

"No." Maka said.

"No?" He glanced down to make sure that he had heard her correctly.

"You first, Soul." Twisting in his arms, she kissed his neck in the same way he kissed hers; softly at first and then marking the skin with a bite. He couldn't help but moan.

"Me first into the bath?" Unsure of what she wanted, but just a little too aware of how naked he was and the way his cock kept brushing against her skin, he nuzzled her face and waited for Maka to explain.

Instead though, she kissed down his neck, to his collarbones, and then to the very top of his scar where she placed an open mouth kiss against the first jagged stitch. "You took care of me, now it's my turn to take care of you." Soul wanted to be impressed that her cheeks could color any more than they already were, but he found himself distracted by the way she was trailing her tongue down his scar.

"Little one, you don't have to." he murmured against her hair.

Maka just hummed and moved herself out of his arms so that she could continue to kiss down his entire torso. His cock was resting against his stomach and he ached to stroke it, but a stronger part of him was more curious to see what his little one would do if left to her own devices.

He wasn't disappointed. Once Maka was satisfied that she had kissed every inch of his scar and left her mark on his hipbone as well, she directed her attention to his cock. Soul held his breath, while even the tips of her ears burned bright red; Maka reached out and gently ran a finger down the underside from the tip all the way to the base, just feeling the hot skin. He groaned and leaned back as she settled between his legs and gripped him, her small hand curling around him.

It was the sweetest torture to watch her and feel her explore different movements and varying her grip. Maka would glance up at him to check and see if he was okay or if he liked her attentions or if he wanted something different. Each time Soul just shook his head and managed to pant that he was fine, please just don't stop!

She seemed pleased by that reaction and began to pump her fist around him in earnest. Soul threw his head back and allowed himself a low and guttural moan, it wasn't going to take much for him to come. When she slowed the pace again though, he looked at her and was about to tell her to stop torturing him, but instead, she lowered her head and licked from the base to the tip of his cock.

"Oh fuck, Maka." At hearing her name, she glanced up at him and watched his face as she swirled her tongue around the head and then took him into her mouth. Soul swore again and forced his hips to stay flat against the cool floor while she wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft and began to suck. She played with him, mindful of her teeth as she moved him in and out of her mouth, pushing her tongue flat against him, tracing the ridges and veins, or gently sucking on the velvety skin.

He was flying or possibly just burning, his skin felt overheated and he was in a free fall as she moved over him. "Maka," he was panting and hoarse, "little one, you're too good. Move, I don't want-" he was losing control of his hips and could feel his release so close to the edge. Maka pumped him harder and looked up at him. It was too much.

Soul came with her name on his lips and his back arched off the floor. His world was black and lost, with lazy eyes he managed to find her licking her lips clean and smiling at him. "Was that alright?"

It was hard to find words to describe just how incredible that was so Soul settled on reaching for his little one and pulling her against him to kiss her senseless. They lay next to the bath until their breathing was calm and even and Soul no longer felt as though his little one had managed to melt every bone in his body.

"You didn't have to do that, Maka." He finally said and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Maka shrugged against him and continued to trace nonsensical designs into his skin, "I wanted to though." They were quiet for a while longer until Maka sat up, pressed a kiss to his nose, and slipped into the water.

The dragon lay still until he could smell the perfumed shampoo she was using and his back began to protest being on the hard ground for so long. He dove into the water with no regard to grace and was pleased when he came up for air that Maka was laughing quietly. It was easy enough to float over to her and assist her with lathering her hair with bubbles, especially when she insisted on returning the favor as well.

They played in the water until Maka's fingers began to shrivel like dried grapes and only after thoroughly kissing him, did she allow her dragon to pull her out of the water. She was quite smug and Soul rather loved it.

When they were dried off and settled into the nest together she finally whispered into his neck, "I melted my dragon. You were so beautiful." She pressed a kiss against one of the darkening marks she was responsible for. "I've never felt so powerful."

Her admission sent shivers down his spine, "Good. I want you to feel powerful, little one. I'd never felt so loved."