The dark storm clouds spread over the night sky like black dye spilled on a navy blue dress, and nearly just as fast. Red lightning flashed with a brilliance which had only ever previously been achieved by the grand explosions that lit up the sky every year on the same day. But unlike those design to stupify and wonder children, the red explosions brought the ominous scent of death.

Sheets of rain poured down onto the villages on the outskirts of the main walls of a vast kingdom. The kingdom of the infamous Todoroki family. Parents pulled their children inside while merchants and fruit sellers hurriedly stashed away their precious commodities they had put out for sale earlier that day.

A young boy, somewhere around the age of 16 or so, dashed through the dirt streets, which were quickly turning to mud.

"Deku! Wait up!" A young girl dressed in a light pink dress, brown shawl and wearing an obnoxiously oversized wizard hat on her head, called after him from the doorway of her house, although she did not attempt to follow him out into the shower. Instead, with a disgruntled look on her face, she stepped back inside her small hut, wishing the boy a safe passage home.

"Where is Izuku going?" Her mother asked as she dried her hands of peach juice on her apron.

"I think he said he needed to go be with his mother. Something about living in a floodplain?"

—

Izuku shielded his face as best he could from the onslaught of rain. He ran through the village, the streets already deserted, to the public stables. His horse whinnied and tossed it's head in distress, but Izuku grabbed the reins and was kicking the horse into motion before it could remember what it was scared about. He drove his steed into the dense, black forest, having to rely solely on memory to navigate the trail. The storm clouds blocked out any light from the stars and the moon and the rainwater was getting in his eyes, even as he put an arm over his face to shield them. The only light was the occasional flash of red illuminating the forest from the lightning, turning everything a eerie blood red before once again disappearing into pitch darkness.

Where was all this water coming from? Sure, they lived by the ocean and storms were common, but it wasn't the season for huge ones like this. It was midsummer and all the major storms had puffed themselves out by now. Was this a derecho? A hurricane? And that red lightning….

Suddenly, a crash of deafening thunder exploded above him. The branches, even the largest ones, thicker than a horse, snapped like a twig above his head and came crashing down upon him. His horse reared and sidestepped, ensuring a face full of mud to even that of a man who, if he was tied to her back, would have gotten, and galloped off into the woods, being enveloped by the black ink of the night held darker by the leaves above.

Izuku's head throbbed from where a branch had knocked him in the head, unable to move from his spot on the ground, but he had less than a second to think about that before he was being picked up by someone. Strong arms wrapped around him torso and he froze, not wanting to move for fear of…. whatever might happen to him if he did.

"Move, and I'll kill you," Came a rough, obviously male voice above him as he was hoisted onto a log, laying there, face down across it. At least, he thought it was a log. It was quite a scaly log, but who was he to judge the log. He had green hair, for crying out loud!

Well, at least now he knew what was going to happen to him if he moved. That was a plus, right. Lightning crashed above their heads, illuminating his world once again and for a split second he thought he saw…. wings? No. That couldn't be right. It must have been debris from the fallen branches.

His train of thought was interrupted, however, by calloused hands grabbing both of his arms, pulling them behind his back and tying them together with a strong rope.

"I still don't know why we're doing this," Came a second voice. Another man. His voice wasn't as rough, but it was still undeniably manly. It came from above him again, but further away to his left, and the owner of the voice had to yell to be heard over the noise of the storm. Izuku mentally labeled this voice as Voice #2.

"I've already explained it a thousand times to you and I'm not explaining it again!" Said the first voice, Voice #1. He sounded angry.

Izuku was manually moved into a new position so that he was sitting up and straddling the log instead of haphazardly thrown over it like a freshly killed deer. He didn't like that comparison. A body climbed onto the log behind him and a strong arm, that same one that had picked him up, wrapped around his middle to hold him in place. Izuku, despite himself, felt slightly comforted by the action, for the rain had officially soaked him through three times over and the arm and back keeping him in place were warm. The person behind him, however, had a less than "warm" personality. He turned his head to address his companion behind him, but even with his captor facing away from him, it still felt like he was yelling right into his ear.

"I swear to the gods, if I have to explain why we're here one more time, you'll be cleaning up Lord Explosion Murder's shit for the rest of the year!"

Lord Explosion Murder?

Izuku's heart leaped into his throat as the log— no, it wasn't a log at all. As they rose into the air on the beat of strong, leathery wings, Izuku was finally able to see what he was riding on. A dragon.

now that he thought about it, this really shouldn't have surprised him.

It's scales were blood red, like that of the lightning. Izuku was sat on the juncture of where the creatures long, 8 foot neck joined it's wide shoulders. Rain pelted his face but he had nothing to shield himself with, so he closed his eyes and tucked his head down.

They soared through the sky, faster than the wind, rising higher and higher into the sky. Izuku was certain that they would be struck by lightning as they entered the twisting clouds. After less than a minute of flight with the clouds caressing his face, the rain pittered away and the clouds disappeared from around him. He cautiously opened his eyes and gasped. They were flying above the clouds, the wide sky opening above them.

The storm clouds around him looked like mountain ranges, like some undiscovered land no one could touch. He grew dizzy at the sight. Looking down was a mistake as well. The earth seemed to pull at him from below and he involuntarily started leaning to the right.

"Oi!" The arm around him tightened its grip and roughly hauled him back into place. "You got a death wish or something?"

"Didn't you threaten to kill me earlier?" Izuku asked back. This earned him a clubbing on the back of the head and the world went black.

—

When he awoke once again, he was lying on a bed of grass staring up at the stars. It was a clear, open sky. No storm was in sight. Had he dreamed it all? Being kidnapped, flying away on a dragon with two men. He checked his wrists and… yup, not a dream. His hands were still securely tied behind his back uncomfortably. Suddenly, a face appeared in front of him, blocking out the sky.

"Waahh!" Izuku screamed and sat up too quickly for the other to move out of the way, rewarding them both with sore foreheads.

"Jeez, man. What's your skull made of? Iron?" The person, a male, rubbed his forehead as Izuku studied him warily. He had a wild mess of yellow hair with a strange black streak running over the left side in the shape of a lightning bolt. He wore a simple, baggy white blouse, like a sailor, which was tucked into light brown breaches. These were held up by a thin belt of rope with no buckle. He wore no shoes and looked like a proper peasant. And Izuku would have thought he was, if he didn't spot the thin chain of gold hanging low around neck. A single diamond stud twinkled from his left ear, and an assortment of valuable looking bracelets encircling his wrists, like very expensive handcuffs.

Izuku took this opportunity to look around and figure out where he was, which proved futile because he had no clue where he was. He sat in a small, flat clearing with giant trees encircling it on all sides. The remains of a campfire smoldered a few feet in front of him. To the left of that, sitting a few feet away, was a pile of bags of varying sizes, although none looked too large to pick up and run with at a moments notice, should the need arise. Supplies maybe?

"Is he up?" Came a female voice to his left. Izuku looked over and confirmed his suspicions that, yes, she was female. A quite...pink female, at that, with curly, pinker hair. She wore a sort of dress that seemed to be stitched together from scraps of different types of cloths. A thick, brown corset wrapped around her middle and weird looking shin guards wrapped around her lower legs, attached atop thigh high brown stockings. She sported leather boots on her feet and half a breastplate on her chest, that disappeared below the corset, as to not overlap it (points for style). An additional band of gold circled her right bicep.

"Mina, why don't you tell me?" The yellow haired boy snapped sarcastically at her as he clutched his forehead, but it had no real bite to it. Mina bounded up to Izuku and crouched in front of him.

"Hi! Nice to meet you, I'm Mina, obviously. That yellow lump over there is Kaminari. Sero, Kirishima, and Boss Man will be back soon-"

"Oi!" The three turned to see two men walking out of the forest on the right. One had spiky red hair that seemed to be giving gravity a fat middle finger, and one with more normal looking black hair, slicked back against his skull. His wide grin reminded Izuku of a Cheshire cat. The black haired man was waving to them and tossing a medium sized sack into the air with his other hand.

"Ah, speak of the Devil and he shall appear," said Mina as she stood up and waved back enthusiastically. "Heeeyy! Welcome back you guys! Did you bring us anything good?"

"Nothing too special, but enough to keep us going for a good week or two," said the red-headed man. He stepped into the remaining firelight and Izuku saw he wore a thin, white shirt with the sleeves cut off, revealing strong arms. Around his neck sat an impressive red and black striped scarf. At either side of the waist of his brown pants hung two wickedly sharp looking daggers, about the length of Izuku's forearm. However, the most surprising thing about the man was his teeth. The closest thing Izuku could compare them to would be a shark's. "I see our guest is awake. Hi, I'm Kirishima."

Kirishima's expression was as hard and unmoving as stone, showing nothing of what he was thinking. He gestured to the man standing beside him. "This here is Sero. Have you met these other idiots yet?"

Izuku dumbly nodded his head. He didn't know what to think of these people yet. They seemed nice enough. The grinning man wore clothes akin to Kaminari's, but he also wore a brown vest atop his white shirt, brown shorts, and moccasins that looked like they had been tossed through a war and barely made it out alive.

Everything was happening too fast for Izuku to process. Where was he, and who were these strange people? They all seemed to have a quirk about them in some way. He needed to find a way to escape and get back to his mother. First, he would have to get out of these restraints…

"Hey Sero," Kaminari's voice interrupted his thoughts. The yellow haired boy had stood up and was approaching the newly arrived pair. He had a suspicious glint in his eyes as he not-so-subtly eyed the pouch in Sero's hand. "I know you've had a long day, so I wouldn't mind counting that for you—"

"Not in your wildest dreams," came Sero's response. He held the bag high above his head and out of reach of Kaminari's grabbing fingers. He moved to sit on the other side of the fire and began to try to coax it back to life again, the pouch safely by his side.

"U-um," Izuku said smartly, but he shook his head and tried to find his words. All eyes were on him now. He straightened his back and continued stiffly. "I demand to know why I've been kidnapped."

"Demand, huh?" Kirishima said. He plopped down next to Izuku, who jumped slightly. "No offense, but I don't think you're in any position to be demanding anything right now." He snapped a twig and tossed it into the fire, watching as it turned to ash before grabbing another and repeating the process. There was silence for a bit after that. Izuku didn't know what to say. These people seemed friendly enough, but held themselves at a distance. Like there was an invisible wall between them and him and they were perfectly content to leave it there.

"Six moderately expensive rings, a couple of copper pieces, some regular solons* we picked from a noble lady's purse aaaaand…. a few gold bracelets. Not our best, but it'll buy us provisions for the next week, if we use it right." Sero had spread the contents of the pouch onto the ground in front of him, a small frown on his face.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up," Kaminari sat on his knees beside Sero, his hand clapping down onto his shoulder in comfort. "You're still learning, and it's late at night. Not many people of note wander around this late at night. You did good for your fifth time out."

"I guess. But it's nothing like what you guys pull out sometimes. Just last week, you and Kirishima picked three full White Iron* coins."

"It's because we had time to practice and plan our approach. Tonight, you just did some minor picking and scouting, no planning whatsoever. But just wait until the Day of Night Suns. We'll be richer than ever and living like kings!"

That seemed to bring a smile back onto Sero's face, which satisfied Kaminari, who sat back down in his original spot. Mina came over to the both of them holding two cans of beer and portioned bits of bread and meat. She gave some to Kirishima as well but skipped over Izuku, sitting down with her own meal instead.

They ate while Izuku awkwardly watched them joke around and have an all around good time. He didn't mind that he didn't receive anything. Why would he? These people were obviously thieves. The scum of the city, the lowest of the low. If they didn't have the courtesy to keep their hands out of stranger's pockets, what makes him think they would be willing to give anything to someone they had just met? Besides, he wasn't hungry anyway. He had eaten with Ochako and her family before the storm had started.

When the group had finally finished, Sero whipped out a card deck and started dealing around. Finally, Izuku was addressed.

"You must be terribly confused," said Mina, who was sitting to his left. Izuku met her inquisitive eyes. She had a friendliness about her that the other men seated around the fire seemed to lack.

"Mina," Kirishima warned, sending her a meaningful look. A look that clearly said watch your tongue or pay for it. Mina seemed to consider her next words carefully.

"You must be wondering… why you're here. But it's not our place to tell you." Her eyes flicked around the circle, as if looking for an objection, and maybe planning to slap whoever had one. "When Boss Man returns, he'll tell you everything you need to know and answer all your questions. Maybe."

"And you'll be back home before you know it. Probably." Said Kaminari. He then slapped down a full house onto the ground and laugh maniacally. "Haha! You all owe me all your copper pieces from tomorrows picking. Don't be stingy now."

A chorus of groans and protests filled the air as the rest threw down their cards in defeat. It was a common gambling game they played almost every night. Whoever won got to demand a kind of tribute from the next days haul. This motivated the others to get as little as they could of that specific item as well as at the same time prompting them to pick more difficult and more expensive items, which they got to keep for themselves.

As another hand was dealt out, the beating of a large pair of wings, familiar to Izuku's ears and bringing up memories of the previous night, became louder above them. The same red dragon that Izuku had been unceremoniously kidnapped on flew into the clearing, a man perched upon it's back. Said man jumped off and patted the dragon, who flew off back over the line of trees.

"Ah! The king has returned!" Kirishima exclaimed, raising his glass, indifferent to the beer that sloshed out and ran down his arm.

"Shut the fuck up, Shitty Hair," the man said as he sat down on Kirishima's right and Kaminari's left. He didn't so much as acknowledged Izuku's existence.

He wasn't wearing a shirt, which Izuku would deny was the first thing he noticed about the man to the day his grave met the god six feet under. He wore orange sleeve-like arm braces with a sort of Aztec design on them. Ornate beads and animal's teeth hung on necklaces around his neck and an Arabian Scimitar was sheathed at his left side, it's pommel made of shining gold. Dragon's teeth, painted a bloody red, pierced his ears. A huge, burly red cape flowed from his shoulders like a waterfall and fluffy, white feathers lined where it met his shoulders and neck. His lower half was covered in simple brown pants held up by a belt with an actual buckle, unlike his gang mates. His leather boots, obviously expensive hunting shoes, were lined with the same feathers adorning his cape. They let the wearer move quickly through the brush as silent as a cat stalking its prey. His spiky blonde hair was like Kirishima's, same middle finger and everything. Izuku's eyes were drawn to the strange tattoo covering his left shoulder. He felt an odd sense of deja vu, like he had seen that symbol before but couldn't quite remember where.

In short, he was the prettiest man Izuku had ever seen. He knew he should stop staring, but he just couldn't. He was star struck. The other man's eyes snapped up to greet his and Izuku flinched and looked away. He could still feel those steely red eyes on him and he fidgeted. Those eyes were nothing short of murderous. Izuku felt the strong urge to flee and freeze in his spot at the same time. He felt like a rabbit who just walked into a lion's den, but this time, he brought his own knives and boiling pot with him.

He was fucked.

Mina handed a can of beer, some bread, and a portion of meat to man, while Kirishima shuffled the cards and prepared for another deal.

"Sooo," Kaminari broke the awkward silence. "What'd you see out there, Bakugou?"

So his name was Bakugou. Why did that name sound so familiar?

"Nothing. Everything is as it should be. The king's guards are just as stupid and clueless to their surroundings as they were a week ago." Bakugou sipped at his beer and stared into the fire. Kirishima set everyone's deck out for them to look through before the game started. Everyone except Izuku, of course. Kaminari let out a sigh of relief.

"I don't know why I'm getting nervous, all of a sudden. The deadline is still one month away."

"You're right to be nervous," Mina said. "If we get even one step wrong, we could be hanging over the bay by our necks, waiting for the birds and the sharks to eat our corpses." She drew a line with her thumb horizontally across her neck.

Kaminari gulped nervously. "But Boss Man isn't going to let that happen to us. Right? You're too smart for them, aren't you Boss?"

"Of course I'm that smart, half-wit!" Bakugou yelled at him, his explosive nature not surprising Izuku at all. "Like hell I would let my least non-incompetent servants die. Fuck off!"

Sero leaned close to Kaminari and whispered something into his ear that made the boy chuckle quietly. Izuku looked around the circle and came to the realization that all of his captors were around his age, if not a bit older. They were most likely a band of orphans or slaves that had managed to escape their masters to live a solitary life in the wilderness. His mother had told him about them once when he was little. Well, littler. She had told him that if he ever ran into a band of them, that he should hid and pray they would never find him. She had called them savage and beastly, the scum of the city, if even that.

But these kids, this small group of thieves… they seemed different. Not bloodthirsty enough for his mother's stories. Well, all except maybe for Bakugou. He fit the picture his mother had painted in his mind perfectly.

"Hey, Deku! That's what they call you, isn't it?" It was Bakugou who was addressing him now, face empty of any emotion besides hostility.

"How did you…" Izuku was shocked speechless. No one but his closest friends called him by that name. The only way this man could know that was if he… "Have you been stalking me?!"

At Izuku's accusation, the tips of Bakugou's ears turned red and he glared at the green haired boy. "What the fuck-! No! I'm not some creep who watches random-ass people."

"No, he's the kind of creep that watches people he's about to kidnap," Kaminari grinned slyly before being tackled backwards and choked by Bakugou. Mina leaned into Izuku's side and spoke loud enough to be heard over Kaminari's pleas of "MERCY! MERCY, PLEASE!" and Bakugou's curses.

"We know that your friend's call you 'Deku', but I'm getting the feeling that that's not your real name?"

"N-no," Izuku had to tear his eyes away from the violence ensuing before him. None of the others in the circle seemed surprised, like this was a normal thing. Kirishima casually got up and tried to pry Bakugou off his bandmate. "My name is Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya."

"Izuku Midoriya," Mina tried the words out on her tongue before shaking her head and making a face that resembled Ochako's after she ate a lemon. "I think I like Deku more."

"U-uh… ok. Deku it is then."

"Deku it is then!" Mina raised her cup as Kirishima finally pulled Bakugou back into his spot and Kaminari sat up, rubbing his throat. "To Deku, the new member of the Bakugang!"

At those words, everyone, except Bakugou and Kaminari (who was still learning how to breathe properly again) toasted to Deku's name.

"All right, everyone, listen up," Bakugou called their attention and all eyes were on him immediately. He had that sort of voice that just demanded attention whenever he spoke. "The Day of Night Suns is exactly one month from now. We've gone over the plan, and the capturing of Deku was the first part finally being set in motion. Now, you all know the plan very well, I hope, so I'm not gonna go over it again. As for Deku, I want him to be treated as a tool, not as a friend, and not as a servant. And also not as a bandmate."

"But… We just toasted-," said Sero hesitantly.

"I don't give a damn!" Bakugou interrupted him. "Toast or not, Deku is not joining our gang. Now, as I was saying, Deku is a tool. Since none of us knows enough magic to even jerk a dick properly, he is here to fill those shoes."

"I mean…. I fine with my own hand for now, but…" Kaminari snapped his mouth shut with an audible click at the glare sent his way by their leader.

"Are we not gonna tell Deku the plan?" Kirishima asked, his confusion mirrored on his bandmates faces. "How is he supposed to know what his job is if he doesn't know what we're doing."

Izuku mentally agreed.

"Seriously, are you fucks dumb or some shit? Don't tell me you actually trust him with your lives already. He doesn't need to know the full plan, just the bits he's actively participating in. Long story short, Deku," Bakugou spit out his name like a poison, rose from his seat, and stalked over until he was standing in front of the boy he captured. He stood between Izuku and the fire, blocking the heat and light and casting a cold shadow down onto him. Bakugou's figure was ominously backlit by the firelight yet his eyes still shown like ruby's in the shadow of a bonfire. "That little bit I mentioned…. well, we're going to rob Enji fucking Todoroki, noblest of the nobles, king of the land you poor shits till until you break your backs. And you're going to help us."