Hey guys, here's the second chapter! Hope you're enjoying this and I would love to hear from you!
Come on, Ochaco…
Rocks floated around Uraraka as if she was the centre of the universe. Every so often, a rock would fall out of the place and a frown would appear on her face. She had been practising for hours today and had improved massively, lifting double the amount and spinning them twice as fast.
Air magic is the most temperamental, surprisingly. It channels from the very soul of the user – the magic reacts violently to emotions and a bad day could leave you without its blessing. Air magic users, like Uraraka, were taught to be calm like the wind that they wielded, but she found herself on edge today and the magic seemed to react favourably to it.
Memories of the encounter with the thieves flashed in her mind. The creeping image of their twisted fingers and menacing gaze haunted her. She could remember how heavily they breathed as they drew closer that day. Their hands almost grabbed the sole of her foot before Midoriya saved them with a miracle.
The wind picked up around her. The rocks rotated around her slim body even faster as the pauses between her breaths shortened. As the pebbles built up speed, Uraraka darted her eyes around for a target and launched the deadly bones of nature at the boulder resting on the hill.
After a series of loud clashes against the rocks, Uraraka boosted herself towards the boulder with her staff and she mapped the cracks with her hand. Utterly pleased with the results, she closed her eyes again and channelled the air to seep into the cracks. Seconds later, her body tensed and the boulder exploded, reflecting the pieces off the air shield created by Uraraka.
As the final pieces of the debris fell to the grass, Uraraka dropped and laid on her back. She hung her staff above her head. A delicate piece of ancient equipment that the village sorcerer entrusted her with it. Despite the rumoured age of the staff, the jewel encrusted on top of the wooden staff shone true and seemed to share the same glow it did from the day it was forged. The staff was decorated with faded paint that was gradually peeling off at the grip, but Uraraka could imagine how regal it would have looked with its purple and gold coating.
The staff stood a head taller than Uraraka was. A mysterious chiming sound rings every time she performs magic, as if the staff itself resonates in joy. She had thought of creating a new staff to fix the jewel to, but she had gotten used to old stick and had left a groove engraved where her hand would be.
She had known how to manipulate the air since she was a child. While the other children played with toy sword and little figures, she would be creating air blasts that annoyed her parents to no end. They would frequently find little holes in the walls that their darling little girl would have made while they had turned their heads around.
By the time she turned nine, the village sorcerer had taken her in on account of her parents no longer able to repair the gaping holes in the walls. Her unique talent had brought attention to herself and many believed that she would eventually leave the village to pursue a greater education in the kingdom.
Not that she would mind, the Uraraka family had been in trouble lately, since the village had reached maximum capacity and the need of builder had decreased to almost nil. But an education anywhere outside of the village would cost a fortune and she simply could not do that to her parents.
Why does everything feel different?
A week ago, she would have considered her life perfect. Loved by friends and family, the village seemed to be the world to her. Yet, the life-threatening encounter shined a light on her – there was so much more that she did not know about the world. Her throat tightened and she struggled to rid the thought that if she stayed in the village with the people she had grown up with and the parents that raised her, she would never explore all the unsung potential of the world.
Evidently, as a fourteen-year-old, she knew little of the world, but clearly, her head was filled with hopes and possibility. Few had left the village before, but few were trained apprentice of a sorcerer, who, while old, was once a reputed lord of magic that had retired into a quiet life.
Uraraka knew that the premature plan was just the start of a journey and she had to give it more thought before she could even bring it up with her parents. She would want support, and the face of a certain green-haired boy popped up to mind.
With a few small jumps assisted by her magic, she made it to Midoriya's house before the sunset. She knocked on the door with her staff and adjusted her robe and hat. Mrs. Midoriya opened the door up and the plump woman gave out a relieved smile.
"Oh, thank heavens it's you, Ochaco! I was worried that the village elders were back again to poke Izuku," she added as she was shovelling an extra chair to the dining table. "I am serving up dinner so I do hope you're staying for some lasagne." She was evidently excited to have guest as she almost sang out the last few words.
"I would love to. Is Midoriya in his room?"
"I think Izuku is out the backdoor. Something about wanting to watch the sunset," she sighed as she set a bowl of sauce on the table, "you would think that the boy will take a break after all this. Thank goodness he's fine."
Uraraka was surprised when the woman reached up to her and held her hands tight around Uraraka's. "How are you doing, dear? I can't imagine how terrible you all felt." Her hands were so soft pressing against Uraraka's. Uraraka found it difficult to stare her in the eyes and she looked dryly at the floor.
That was when she found drips of water on her hand. Mrs. Midoriya sobbed as she continued, "When the elders came, he said he wanted to go out to the kingdom." Her voice seemed to be trembling even more. "I can't let him go… We don't know the first thing about anything outside of the village. What if he gets caught by the bandits? What if he never comes back?"
Uraraka instantly wrapped her arms around her and she gently pat her back as she waited for the sobbing to stop. "It is a dream come true for him… The village is too small a place for him. Izuku is so smart and willing. Maybe he deserves an adventure outside of her world."
"No, he needs to be somewhere safe… I can't lose my boy. He dreams so much. People don't treat that nicely out there…" She looked squarely at Uraraka, her eyes pink from exhaustion.
"What if I go with him?"
…
"What?"
"I could look out for him. I am tough and I know how to use magic. Izuku and I can look after one another."
…
"You're wonderful, Ochaco… But I can't depend on you to take care of my son, when he can be safe here. He can dream here. He doesn't have to face what's outside…"
"You can't shelter him like this!"
A motherly instinct seemed to have been triggered inside her, and her lips curled unpleasantly. "I can't risk him… He is my only responsibility left in the world…" As quickly as the anger entered her, it was swiftly replaced by fear again. "Only one left…"
Uraraka dropped her wand and quickly hopped to her side to support her waning figure. "I am sorry, Mrs Midoriya… I will… I will make sure he stays with you."
"But didn't you both want to leave?"
She could almost feel the regret as she spat out her words, "No… My parents can't afford it anyways… It's a dream for later…"
"You promise?"
"Yeah… But now," she tried to flash her most comforting smile, "let's have that dinner you were talking about."
Dinner was awfully quiet and uneventful; everyone gulped down their food pretty quickly. The salty red sauce seemed to have nothing but salt in it. A rare mishap in the mother's cooking, but no one wanted to point it out. Ochaco peeked at her table mates. Mrs Midoriya seemed to have recomposed herself and was now eating delicately. You could tell by her constant frowns that she knew that she had left too much salt in the dish.
Izuku, on the other hand, had barely touched his food. His green hair dipped forward and covered his eyes. He played around with his lasagne and challenged it with his fork, but even that eventually lost its excitement. He would only respond with grunts and impatience tapping on the table.
Guilt ridden, Uraraka emptied her plate. She excused herself briefly as she felt that a discussion was coming along, and she knew she wanted no part in it.
"I can't stay here forever, mum. I want to get out there and see the world," he begrudgingly spoke for the first time tonight, "the sword is a sign."
"This isn't some fairy tale story you pull from a book, Izuku… You have no money, no connections… Who is going to help you out there?" His mother's arms swung frantically as she spoke.
"I know what I did in the cave, mum. It was a fairy tale miracle! I have never felt so in control before. For once in my life, I wasn't the pebble on the side of the road that people overlook."
He paused briefly. "I can matter."
"Izuku…" He couldn't tell if the words were coming from his mother anymore, she, whose face had never been so pale, could barely resist trembling. "You matter to me." Finishing her sentence, she rushed out of the room, passing the eavesdropping dinner guest.
Walking into a room of broken atmosphere, Uraraka found Izuku sitting limply with his back against the wall. He held in his hands the sword. Creepy to have brought it with him to dinner, she thought.
"It's funny… I thought I could wave this around for her after dinner and show her the bright light…" he said as he rubbed the corner of his eyes lightly, "I thought she would be convinced that I was meant for a life more than simple farming."
"You are," Uraraka affirmed, "I know it, Iida knows it. Your mother… She knows it too."
"How would you know," he chuckled, forgetting about his mishap, "you're hardly my mother?"
"Instinct," she joked, relieved as the mood lifted. "Maybe we can talk to her together later."
"Yeah. Maybe."
As if the timing couldn't be more inappropriate, the village alarm sounded and it was as if hundreds of trumpets blared at the same time. Responding to the sound, the west of the village burst into flames. Midoriya and Uraraka rushed to the window to find the cause, and was astounded to see a horde of armed men, each riding fiercely black steads and had covered themselves with pelts of all kind.
Midoriya gripped the handle of the sword that he never let go of and rushed to the door. Uraraka held his arm tightly and stopped him. "Are you sure about this? There are a lot more of them than there were back in the cave."
Surprisingly calm, Midoriya yanked his arm free. "We have to, there's nothing else we can do."
"What if we run?"
"They are on horseback. With the fire behind them, they will be able to spot us instantly."
Uraraka swallowed her fears and put up a brave face. "Do you think my parents are safe?"
"They are on the opposite side of the village, if we intercept them and hold the bandits down for long enough, maybe they will be out of reach with a head start," he said.
Sensing her doubts, he continued. "The village guards will be there by now, we can just support them. I promise you," his hand now returned the favour and held on to hers, "I will protect you."
Startled by the stark change in him, Uraraka was dazed by the confidence for a moment, but freed her hand a moment later. She firmly pressed her hat down. "Let's go."
From upstairs, the woman watched as the two figures escaped into the grounds. Her hand pressed softly against the window and she could feel her heart tearing itself apart. She knew the boy would rush in head first. Perhaps she could find it in herself to be proud if he ever returns, but with a scrimmage like this, she doubted her chance of finding her son whole.
Her legs gave out and she folded herself and let out sobs of anguish as the flame on the field continued to consume everything in its path.
Amidst the smoke and ash, Midoriya could barely keep his own eyes open. The intense heat drowned the houses to his left and he could feel them closer by the moment. Uraraka naturally released air blasts to try and blow away the flaming debris, but the lifeless force mocked her efforts.
He unsheathed his sword and held it across his chest. The chattering around the corner attracted him and he made a bold dash and was just about to slash the unfortunate victim before him.
Two metal swords clashed and let out an uncharacteristically clean sound. Midoriya instantly relaxed as Iida lifted his oversized helmet and smiled weakly.
"I have found someone here," he shouted to the group of armoured knights not too far away from him. Midoriya recognised the decorated armour of the leading knight and knew it was Iida's older brother.
Without a doubt, the man shed his helmet and revealed a familiar face. The brothers bore remarkable similarity. It's more than likely that after a few years, Iida will grow to be just as tall and striking as his older brother, and will finally be able to fit into the lofty responsibility and armour.
His eyes were marked with a black coating, but you could not miss the exhaustion that pulsated from his entire being. His armguards lost its silvery coating and his sword was barely holding itself together.
"Where did you guys come from?" Even in this state of emergency, Midoriya did not miss the concern in his voice. "It's a firestorm out here… The scouts said they spotted the bandits coming in and rumour has it that they brought a fire magic caster." He gritted his teeth as a wave of laughter invaded the area.
"They are coming." He turned to Uraraka, who was terribly out of place, but exactly where she was needed at the same time. "Can you blast the fire that way?"
Uraraka's eyes followed his finger and she nodded. A moment later, everyone was in stance and ready. Assured, she lifted her staff high above her head and closed her eyes. Concentrated, she slammed her wand against the ground and directed a strong current of air to blow apart the fiery wall.
As if they were waiting for this moment, the horses all glared hungrily at them. The men riding them looked even hungrier. Brandishing their swords and knives, the men and their watering mouths halted and parted for a cloaked figure to come forth. Not missing the cleaver dragging behind him, Midoriya watched intently as the man walked closer.
Laughter radiated from him and as the laughter grew stronger, a loud bang set the cloak alight. He seemed to be taking joy in the shock and confusion that pervaded their faces. The fire burnt swiftly and eventually left behind only bits of the cloak. He dusted the pieces off his body, that was remarkably unstained. His muscular body twitched as he lifted his head of blonde hair. A devilish glare, he only seized his laughing to inspect his foes.
"It's the boy king." Midoriya could hear Iida's brother whispering under his breath.
There was nothing regal about him. In fact, he growled and snarled like an animal, pacing left and right, bearing his teeth. The necklaces he wore rattled as he waved his cleaver around. Too much attention on that, however, and you would miss the sparks coming off his hands.
Without a word, a blast came from his hand and he propelled himself forward with immense speed. He swung his cleaver at Midoriya, who was standing quite far apart from the others. Barely left with time to react, Midoriya drew up his sword.
Before the attack could connect, the cleaver was squarely interrupted by an invisible cushion of some sort that seemed to have taken hold of the cleaver and it wouldn't go any further. The cleaver was inches away from Midoriya's face, and it frightened him to no end. His apprehension of danger could barely keep up with the situation and he hoped backwards as the air shield provided by Uraraka dissipated.
Enraged, the savage growled aloud, "WHO DID THAT?" He looked around menacingly and spotted Uraraka in her sorceress equipment. Displeased that his quick strike did not land, he signalled his men forward and, as if their chains were loosened at last, made the most incredible dash for the villagers.
There were barely thirty able men to begin with in the village who knew how to swing a sword. And few had already been dispatched by the bandits when the attack was launched. Even with a sorceress at their side, it was easy to tell that confidence was lacking.
Yet Iida's brother collected his calm and commanded a formation to protect Uraraka. The weapons clashed as the skirmish began. Midoriya could barely see what was going on around him. The bandits fought without honour or tactics. They seemed to only know to challenge anything closest to them that moved.
Despite the number disadvantage, the knights were able to hold down due to the formation. Pure strength couldn't penetrate the expert defences. Midoriya, who was kept in the middle with Uraraka, however, could only keep his eyes on the red-eyed king, whose arms were crossed as he watched with a smile.
In a war of attrition, the knights would normally hold out. However, these were knights who had spent the last hour performing search and rescue. The little strength left in them was disappearing with each sword hammering down on their shields. Uraraka couldn't even find a moment to concentrate, let along creating an advantage with her magic.
Midoriya turned to Uraraka and whispered, "Can you throw me at him?"
Uraraka could barely hold down her voice, "ARE YOU INSANE?"
"I don't think we can last for any longer…"
"Are you absolutely sure? This is your life on the line."
"This is all of our lives on the line," He swallowed nervously.
She sighed and relented. Maybe because of the way he was or maybe because the heat was getting to her head, she agreed. She lowered herself, advising Midoriya to do the same, and with the jewel-end towards the ground, summoned a whirl of wind that launched Midoriya up into the air.
With his sword held in both hands, Midoriya dived at him. The weight of the sword pulled him down and he couldn't help but grin as the sword was only centimetres away from his head.
"Idiot," he said as he dropped his cleaver and put his two hands together above his head.
Midoriya watched as the sparks in his hands ignited and blasted Midoriya off course. He crashed metres away from his target. He grunted as he tried to stand up, but the bandit king knew better and quickly slammed his foot on Midoriya's sword hand.
"Argh!"
"You little bastard! Did you think that stupid plan is going to work?" He aimed his hand at Midoriya's forehead. "Say bye bye to your stupid brain."
"IZUKU!" Uraraka flew out from the formation and Iida commanded as loudly as he could, for the knights to break apart and charge at the exposed enemy.
"Ya basta…" Before he could finish, a fist of air marked him and he let go of Midoriya and stepped back. The sudden jab disorientated him and he emptied his stomach content. He could barely stay standing up when the green hair boy once again stood up.
"You will… bow to me!" Positioning his hands in front of him again, the boy shakily took aim. The images in front of him blurred and he launched a weak blast just as the enemy took his stance and swung his sword.
In a matter of seconds, his red blasts were extinguished by a golden giant who released a wave of energy that was yards more powerful than anything the sorceress girl had done. He bit his lips in disbelief and rage as he couldn't stand anymore. The giant had neutralised them, and the once-proud king kneeled in front of his enemy.
He could feel a sword by his neck as his hands were chained by the few knights, who a moment ago were still at his mercy. The knights slammed his entire body onto the ground and, with his voice muffled, he growled and demanded to know Midoriya's name.
"Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya."
"Midoriya… I am Katsuki Bakugo, the King of the Bandits. And I swear," mixed with rage, disgust and hurt pride, he no longer looked as if he wanted to laugh, "I will kill you."
…
"TAKE ALL OF THEM AWAY!" Iida's brother commanded as Midoriya realised that the scattered thieves were all cuffed.
"Both of you have done a great job today. Thank you."
Both Uraraka and Midoriya could hardly remain standing and they quickly fell to their exhaustion. They lied down and faced each other in content. They grinned stupidly at each other as the last of the fire was put out. Neither of them noticed the reopened wounds on Midoriya's arms.