One Last Hurrah
Hushed murmurs reverberate through the cavernous stone walls of castle Bakugou, each whisper might as well have been a shout in the empty throne room. Three monarchs are gathered around the vast wooden table. Within the echos are hushed words regarding the hot-headed prince seated in the same room. Katsuki Bakugou sits slumped in a chair just outside of the circle of arguing monarchs. His expression reads bored, but underneath he feels like a ball of anxious energy.
Katsuki taps his foot against the stone, listening to the group intently. His fingers twist and pick at the trim of his deep red cloak, running the pads of his fingers against the soft fur. He glances to his right, holding back a scowl. In the plush seat next to him is prince Shouto Todoroki, Katsuki's fiancee. Bakugou shudders slightly at the thought of the cold and distant man beside him becoming his husband.
The murmuring of the monarchs suddenly seems to cease. The group turns their gaze to the princes, beckoning them towards the rulers. Katsuki stands quickly, moving to stand near his parents. Shouto follows close behind, moving to stand a comfortable distance away from his father. Mitsuki Bakugou clears her throat before addressing the princes.
"Katsuki, you shall be married to prince Shouto in early spring. Your union shall unite the Pyre and Kurinao kingdoms."
Katsuki feels a flash of panic. Only three months are left before he is to be married off. He feels protest building on his lips. He opens his mouth to speak, but is silenced by the glare Mitsuki sends his way.
The parchments were sprawled along the long wooden table. Once all of the agreements are signed Katsuki would be sent off to the Pyre kingdom to adjust to his new home and husband. Masaru Bakugou presses the tip of his quill to the parchment, the king about to seal his son's fate.
Before Katsuki can even stop himself he calls out, "Wait! I demand to be allowed one last quest before I am to be sent to the Pyre kingdom."
The king and queen of Kurinao glance at one another, neither seeming agreeable to Katsuki's demand. King Todoroki simply looks annoyed at the suggestion. All three monarchs begin to deny the request when prince Shouto interjects suddenly.
"I believe we should allow prince Bakugou this… last hurrah if you will. Perhaps it will rid him of the last of his reckless energy." Todoroki words are laced with condescension.
Katsuki is stunned that prince Todoroki seemed to agree with him, even if he was being an ass about it. He glances over to the other prince, Shouto gives him a wicked smile.
Bakugou stays silent as the rulers deliberate. Finally they came to an agreement. Katsuki would have a month to complete his quest and return home. Katsuki drops into a bow, grin from ear to ear plastered upon his face.
"Thank you, your majesties."
Bakugou all but runs from the throne room. He quickly makes his way to his quarters. He begins preparing for travel, all but tearing apart his room in the process. Bakugou packs all the essentials into a worn, but sturdy his quarters he runs along the lavish castle halls, almost running over a few servants and guards along the way. He stops in front of a particular room. He pounds on the bright green door loudly.
"Deku! Pack your shit, we have a quest to complete!"
A man with bright blonde hair and a black streak enters the hallway. Katsuki notices him and points a finger.
"You hear that Sparky? We're going dragon hunting!"
Denki Kaminari makes his way down the hall to where the fiery prince is still banging on the door to Izuku Midoriya's room. Kaminari is one of prince Bakugou's personal guards, and one of the only people that could call the short-tempered prince a friend. Just as Kaminari is about to ask Bakugou what he is talking about Izuku opens his door. The mage steps out into the hallway looking to be still half asleep.
"What are you talking about Kacchan? Did you say dragons?!"
Katsuki drops his pack full of supplies to the floor, reaching out to slap a hand down on the shoulders of the other two.
"Hell yeah I said fucking dragons shitty Deku. This is my last quest before I get married off to prince stick up his ass, so you bet it's gonna be fucking worth it!"
Izuku takes one look at the determination in the prince's eyes and sighs. There would be no way out of this one, Izuku knew that look all too well.
Izuku is shoved roughly back into his room by Bakugou. "Come on shitty nerd, I don't have all day to wait on your dumb ass."
Kaminari rolls his eyes as the prince continues harassing the mage into packing quicker. Denki runs off towards his room to pack after Bakugou takes a threatening step towards him, his long red cloak swishing behind him.
After much prodding on Bakugou's part he has his party ready to set out on their journey. Each of the three men strap their bags to their horses. They mount their horses and start out on their quest, leading their horses into the dense forest surrounding the Kurinao kingdom. Kaminari moves closer to Bakugou, who is obviously leading.
"So, all you mentioned was slaying dragons, care to elaborate on that for us."
Katsuki turns in his saddle towards Kaminari, manic grin on his face. "We are going to explore these abandoned ruins. There is said to be a dragon that guards the remains of a conquered castle.
We are gonna kill it!"
Izuku makes his way up beside the other two panic evident on his face. "Why do we need to kill this dragon Kacchan? Can we even kill a dragon?! There is only three of us!"
Katsuki turns to Izuku and snarls, "Shut your stupid mouth Deku. Of course we can slay this dumb fucking dragon."
Denki sighs, "What is even in it for us Bakugou? Slaying a dragon seems like an impossible quest to be doing for nothing in return."
Katsuki scoffs, "Oh we aren't going after this dragon for nothing. This dragon is said to be sitting on a massive treasure hoard. Only problem being no one has lived long enough to see if that rumor is true."
Midoriya only looks more panicked by the explanation. "Kacchan that sounds like a horrible plan for a quest! Not only that, but where are these ruins anyway? How far of a journey is this? You only have a month before you have to be back in the kingdom."
Bakugou lets out a frustrated breath. "Don't fucking remind me Deku. We will have plenty of time. We're a week away from the ruins, and killing a dumb lizard shouldn't take us that long."
Kaminari stays silent, but Izuku mumbles, "I still don't think this is a good idea Kacchan."
Bakugou promptly ignores the mage and they continue along the trail through the woods.
Many obstacles impede the party throughout the week, each event another omen of bad luck. Things like bandits, destroyed bridges, Kaminari falling into a large game pit, Deku stumbling into a fire ant nest, and Bakugou almost being hanged by his beloved cloak on a particularly sturdy tree branch. On the last day of the week they reach the final stretch of forest before they reach the ruins. The party looks quite worse for wear. Kaminari speaks up, "Bakugou, do you really think we should go through with this man? I have braved many a quest with you, but dude I have never almost died before the action starts so many times! Is this dragon really worth it? Like the way our luck is going right now Deku is gonna get eaten by a bear before we reach the clearing."
"Wh-What!" Izuku practically screams from the other side of Bakugou. Bakugou turns and slaps a hand over the mage's mouth.
"Shut the fuck up you shitty nerd! Do you want the fucking dragon to know we're here?"
Bakugou looks around the dense undergrowth surrounding them, but to his dismay he can't see anything. A dense fog has settled around the the clearing leading to the ruins.
"Shit, you two fuckheads stay here. I'm going to go ahead to scout the area. Try not to fucking die while I'm gone. If I'm not back in twenty minutes send Deku in to die after me. Kaminari, you have to live to tell our tale to the old hag and King fiery asshat."
Before any of the others could protest Katsuki was off, headed towards the remains of what was once the castle gates.
Izuku almost follows, stopping to whisper-yell, "Kacchan wait! You can't die, you're the only heir to the throne!"
When no response is heard from the dense fog Izuku begins to panic. His hands twisted in his mop of green curls, practically pulling his hair out with anxiety. "Oh my gods, we got the only heir to the throne killed. We just let him march to his death!"
Kaminari pats Midoriya on the back unhelpfully and laughs, "well at least he will go out in a blaze of glory then."
Bakugou creeps through the ruins, being as silent as possible. All around him the ground is littered with broken stone and ashes of charred wood. Katsuki takes a deep breath and is shocked at what he smells. He bends down to rub a bit of ash between his fingers. The fire that razed these ruins was no ordinary fire, but magical fire. Magical fire leaves behind a specific scent, the residue distinct to those who know to look. Katsuki wonders for a moment what had befallen this kingdom.
Deep within the ruins Kirishima jerks to attention. He hears the faint echo of what sounds like yelling. He sighs, not wanting to deal with yet another foolish quest seeker. Kirishima moves to his usual spot to watch the unfortunate person approach. The dragon shifter is perched in human form in a crevice along the castle wall. Eijirou can now hear someone approaching the ruins. The footsteps are light and mostly silent. Kirishima glances to the entrance of the ruins, leading to the dilapidated entrance hall. Eijirou notices a well muscled blonde man, clearly armed, and draped in a bright red cloak. Kirishima groans, knowing this one would be a fight. This man was much too quiet to be a simple treasure seeker,.
Eijirou watches the man glide through the shadows, keeping out of sight. Kirishima comes to the conclusion that this man obviously has some sort of combat training, another warrior come to slay a dragon. He moves silently to follow the intruder intrigued by the man creeping through the ruins. He continues to follow in human form, wanting to see what the man would do. Kiri can already feel the disappointment, knowing he will most likely have to kill this handsome young hero for his own stupidity.
Eijirou quickly bores of the cat and mouse game with the warrior. Clearly the man was looking for the dragon. He chuckles to himself, a dragon this man would get. Kiri moves into the open space of the ruined entrance hall. His transformation is silent except for an eerie snapping sound as his bones reform. Kirishima stands tall and menacing in the main hall, the large red dragon awaiting the warrior's attack.
Bakugou moves into a more open area. He suddenly hears a sickening crack echo through the room. He frantically glances around, trying to find the source of the unsettling sound. He turns around and the last thing he was expecting to see was a dragon taller than a house reared up before him. Katsuki wasn't expecting to be so captivated by the beast. Even in the darkness he could make out the brilliant blood red scales. He quickly darts behind a broken pillar, panting with panic. Katsuki prays the dragon had not caught sight of him yet.
Kirishima listens for a moment, catching the sound of the human's rapid breathing. He stalks closer, his sharp claws dragging against the stone floor ominously. Kiri stops in front of the pillar and lets out a warning burst of fire. Urging the human from his hiding spot.
Bakugou jumps away from the fire being blasted against his hiding spot. "Holy fuck man!"
Katsuki turns quickly, drawing his sword to face the dragon in front of him. He thinks to himself bitterly, if he wins he will be a legend, and if he dies at least he won't have to get married.
Kirishima feels a slight burning on the back of his right shoulder, he thinks nothing of it in the moment. He instead lunges for the warrior, his large jaws filled with razor-like teeth snapping inches from the man's face.
"Oh fuck!" Bakugou yells and dodge rolls out of the way. He isn't sure what he had been thinking when he thought this would be a good plan. Sure he has slain plenty of beasts before, but a fucking dragon? He decides he is royally fucked. He quickly glances around the room and notices a narrow hallway. Katsuki makes a break for said hallway, knowing the dragon would be too big to fit.
Izuku chews at his nails anxiously, sitting cross legged on the forest floor. He wonders how long it has been since Bakugou went off alone to the castle. "Has it been twenty minutes yet? I feel like it has. We should go find Kacchan!"
Kaminari nods, "shit, you're probably right! We should go look for him." Kaminari leads the way, Izuku trailing just behind. They make their way towards the entrance to the ruins.
Kirishima watches the warrior slip into a narrow hallway. The dragon lets out a puff of smoke in irritation. He moves to the entrance of the dead end hallway and sticks his head inside. Kirishima growls, his head only reaching so far down the hallway before his massive shoulders catch on the stone of the entranceway. Bakugou freezes as he sees the dragon's head pop into the hallway. He panics for a moment, knowing he has nowhere to run. He backs down the hallway till his back is pressed against the stone of the far wall. He thinks to himself, "this fucking sucks, where the hell were Deku and Kaminari?"
Izuku is in much more of a rush than Kaminari, he practically bolts into the castle and has to stop himself from yelling out for Kacchan. He would be so dead if he let the prince get himself killed right before his marriage. Kaminari and Izuku hear some muffled noises and smell smoke coming from further within the castle. Kaminari motions for them to be quiet. The approach the corridor where they can see a huge red dragon with its head shoved down a hallway.
Kaminari motions for Izuku to get on the opposite side of the dragon from him. Kaminari motions that he is going to stab the dragon, then Izuku should blast its head when it rears back. The two do exactly that. Kaminari sinks his blade into the dragon's right flank, and when it pulls back Midoriya shoot s burst of green magic straight at its head.
Kirishima suddenly feels a sharp pain in his right flank. He rears back to attack the other intruder, but just like that his world goes black. The dragon shifter returns to human form once unconscious, leaving a very much human man passed out on the floor in front of the quest seekers.