III. Shadows Of Justice

"This makes things… complicated." Hagakure grumbled at the crowd that was slowly gathering on the streets.

"You know how things are," Ojiro answered, a hint of discontent to his voice. "All it takes is one rumour and enough people who are willing to believe it. And right now everything concerning the West is a very hot topic."

"Mhh, it doesn't mean I have to like it. We'll need to follow them until they're out of the village if this continues." The girl sighed.

"If they even show up, of course." Ojiro added. "This is still a baseless rumour."

"Yeah, but what did you expect from that hefty reward sum? It was obvious that this wouldn't be your run-of-the-mill job."

"I guess we'll just have to wait it out."

12 hours later…

Shouto took in the silence, inhaling, exhaling, inhaling, exhaling.

Finally, he opened his eyes, looking through the iron bars confining him in the dingy cellar of the town's law enforcement.

The mediocre-looking, blonde half-beast in the cell opposite of his was sitting on the ground, legs crossed and his large tail wrapped around himself.

"Solitude is the best place to self-reflect." He whispered his father's words to himself, closing his eyes again instead of straining them in the darkness.

And self-reflecting was something he was in dire need of.

What got this whole thing started? Why were they caught up in this mess all of a sudden?

He gnawed on his lower lip in thought. It probably started with their last stopover in a village, where they had offered Ashido and Jirou to join them on their journey.

Correction: Midoriya had offered, and then their group of five had broken the two thieves out of their holding cells in the middle of the night, earning them a big, fat reward on their heads.

They had known it wouldn't be long before the first bounty hunters showed up.

Maybe Midoriya was the problem, with his way-too-trusting nature?

Shouto shook his head. That wasn't it.

He let out an involuntary sigh, glancing one more time at the half-beast in the other cell who seemingly hadn't moved a muscle since the last time Shouto had looked over.

And then things got messy. Saying it escalated quickly was an understatement. To top it off, their whole group was being detained for an entirely separate crime, without anybody realizing that there was a huge bounty on their heads a few villages further.

Even more astoundingly, nobody had recognized him as the prince yet, even though he was still wearing his original traveling outfit. For the first time in his life, Shouto found himself thanking his father for putting more funds into the military than into lavish clothes.

It still, however, didn't change the fact that he was stuck in this cell.

A headache washed over him like an unpleasant wave, eliciting a groan from him as he rubbed his temple.

Because he knew where the real root of all problems lied. Within himself.

It was his own fault for following his selfish desires, escaping from the knights and joining the trio on their quest. He should've been prepared to face the consequences.

Given, of course, that the consequences were within reason. Being accused of murder was not within reason.

6 hours earlier…

"Hey, odd fellows! You there!" Tsuyu was the first to take notice of the man, shifting her attention to him out of curiosity.

The man, old and obviously intoxicated, waved her over. She glanced back towards the rest of the group who were currently haggling with a fish vendor. More specifically, it was Uraraka doing an expert job of negotiating with the woman while the rest just stood around her and waited for the fish.

She was sure Ashido had yawned at least three times already since reaching the stand.

It wouldn't hurt to indulge the man for a few seconds, she thought, and split off from the group.

"Yes?" She asked, a hint of professionalism in her voice. A 'what would you like to order?' also nearly slipped out, but she caught herself in time.

"Watcha doing around 'ere? Haven't seen the likes of you before." He nodded over to the rest of the group, enunciating his point.

"Ah, we're just passing through because we needed supplies." She answered truthfully.

The man nodded. "Ah, I see. Just a heads up though, don't stay on the streets too long. The others wouldn't like that."

Tsuyu frowned at the new information. "Why not?"

"We're getting some really important guests later on. Royalty, y'know? They're doing their best to make the town look all pretty and so." He grinned lop-sidedly, but his addition only made Tsuyu's frown deeper.

"The King? Since when does he visit the villages?" Knowledge regarding the king in the villages was limited to vague reports and drunk ramblings, but one thing was for sure: He avoided leaving the capitol as much as possible.

The old man back home used to tell her that he made a fearsome figure, huge, broad, with fiery red hair and blue eyes so cold and ruthless they could freeze over the nation, but that same old man hardly remembered what he had for breakfast the day before, so she didn't know exactly how trustworthy his word was.

The drunkard let out a splutter of ridiculing laughter. "Of course not our king, that bastard's too busy in the capitol, doing god knows what." The laughter morphed into a wheeze, then into a cough.

Tsuyu gently patted him on his back until he calmed down enough. "Is it the prince or the princess then?"

The man shook his head. "It's a princess, alright, but not ours. Rumour has it the Princess of the West will be passing through here today."

Tsuyu stilled, her old employer's words echoing in her mind. "That thing about the kingdom of the West… it's bothering me. I heard their princess disappeared as well."

"Didn't she disappear?" Tsuyu pondered, wondering whether the rumours had just mixed together so much that something entirely different reached the old inn owner. You never knew.

"That was the original rumour, but whaddya know? She was just taking a trip!" The man laughed heartily, but Tsuyu's gut twisted uncomfortably.

Her amphibian instinct was screaming at her that something was amiss, but she didn't know what.

She only knew that it made her feel really, really uncomfortable.

Uraraka grinned to herself proudly while dropping the silver coins into the vendor's outstretched hand.

She had gotten themselves some big fishes for a rather small price. It may have taken up some time, but they'd see that it was absolutely worth it once they ate it.

The others had begun to converse amongst each other while waiting for her, it seemed, and they all displayed similar looks of relief when she was finally done.

She let out a bashful chuckle before they continued their shopping.

"Where's Tsuyu?" Ashido suddenly asked, her pink hair flipping around her as she frantically looked in all directions.

"She was right here a second ago." Midoriya added with a frown.

Just as they were about to break into full-out panic, Tsuyu reappeared.

"Sorry, I was just talking to one of the villagers." She apologized, but she seemed absent-minded.

"Oh, did you learn anything interesting?" Jirou inquired while balancing two water canisters.

"You could say so." Tsuyu replied, albeit only tentatively. She glanced around quickly before continuing. "It's not something I want to discuss here. Let's talk about it back at the inn."

She was met with looks of confusion and curiosity, but they all agreed on bringing their new acquirements back to the inn before doing anything else.

Shouto was no master of social interaction or reading any sorts of moods besides anger, but even he could tell how uncomfortable Tsuyu had to be feeling.

She was usually upbeat and earnest, but there had been a large frown on her forehead ever since she talked to that villager.

"They think we ruin their reputation." Was the first thing she said when they were safely squashed into one of the inn's rooms. "So they don't want us on the streets later."

Jirou sighed. "Can you blame them? It's not as if these disguises practically scream that we're hiding something." The hint of sarcasm in her voice didn't go unnoticed.

"Jirou, I must ask you to reconsider your words." Iida made wild hand gestures. "We have not been approached or arrested for, dare I say it, your crimes."

Jirou scowled and stemmed her hand on her hip. "We already told you, you had no obligation to help us. Not to be ungrateful, but this has led to more problems than it has solved."

"Jirou's right." Ashido added. "While we are very grateful for you helping us, there were probably better ways to deal with the situation."

Iida's eyes twitched with annoyance. "And you only think about mentioning this now?"

"Guys, stop!" Midoriya interrupted forcefully, making the entire room go silent. Midoriya only seldomly raised his voice, so it came as a shock to the two newest additions to their group.

He cleared his throat at the awkward silence before gesturing towards Tsuyu. "I think she still has more to say."

Tsuyu nodded her head. "It wouldn't be an issue on any other day, but it seems today is special."

Shouto frowned. "Special how?" His mind ran through all the nation's holidays and celebratory days, but his mind couldn't match a single one with their current date.

"It seems they are getting important visitors today, so they want the village to be presentable, especially around the main streets." Tsuyu went on.

"Important visitors? That they'd want to present the village to?" Ashido cocked her head to the side. "That sounds fishy."

"I agree. The only visits these villages usually get from higher-ups are from the tax collectors, and I don't think they welcome them with open arms." Jirou complied.

Tsuyu shook her head. "Even higher up the command chain."

"A state magician perhaps?" Uraraka asked. "I heard that there was one travelling around lately. It'd make more sense than a tax collector."

"No, even higher."

"What, somebody from the royal court?" Jirou threw in jokingly, but choked at the serious nod of affirmation Tsuyu gave her.

The word 'royal' was enough to make Shouto freeze up. Could it be that his father's men had really tracked him down? Already?

"No way, seriously?" Ashido's voice was filled with awe and uncertainty, and Shouto couldn't blame her for either.

His father only gave the villages the attention they absolutely needed, nothing more, nothing less. There was nothing they could really complain about, but there would always be those who wished for more.

So why else would somebody be coming here?

"I thought none of the royal family leave the capitol." Iida remarked, eyebrows furrowed deep in thought.

"I think that's the worst part of it." Tsuyu continued. "It's not our royal family."

"What?"

Tsuyu folded her hands in her lap and nervously fidgeted with her fingers. "They're preparing the village for the arrival of the Princess of the West."

Shouto's thoughts immediately came to a halt, repeating her words in his mind over and over again, until he came to a sure conclusion.

"That's not possible." He hadn't meant to say it out loud, especially not with as much certainty as he did, but luckily everybody was too caught up with the news to notice the solidity behind his words.

"I agree." Ashido went on. "I heard she went missing a few weeks ago, she wouldn't just show up in some other country all of the sudden. That'd be too crazy and reckless."

A few weeks ago? Shouto frowned. That was definitely impossible. Something didn't add up here. After all…

Tsuyu carefully watched Shouto's reaction to what she had to say, confirming her own theory that he definitely knew something they didn't.

She realized it the first time they had actually spoken, after the incident at the inn. He seemed… stiff, in comparison to most people she had met until then.

Once you work as a waitress long enough, you can estimate a person's personality just by observing their behaviour. Knowing whether to serve a hot or cold drink can save your life on occasion.

And the first words that came to her mind when he had come to speak to her were stiff. Formal. Out of place.

He looked spectacularly out of place amongst the paladin, that mage and the adventurer. And yet, they formed a harmony.

It didn't stop there, however. Sometimes it'd be words that she never heard before, dropped in casual conversation. Or phrases or the like.

Once, when she and Iida were collecting fire wood, she asked him where Shouto came from. Maybe his odd manners were due to being from another country?

But the paladin had cheerfully replied that Shouto was on his own quest to find the meaning of life, and that they had met only shortly before arriving at her village.

In fact, it was only due to Shouto's excellent knowledge that they even found her village. Another suspicious aspect. Where did he get that knowledge from?

She had nodded and thanked him, but there were still too many unanswered questions in her mind.

Such as right now. Why was he acting as if the royal court was a bad thing?

She had deliberately spoken slowly and in fragments, and it was definitely the part with the 'royal court' that had begun his unease, and the news about the princess being the peak of it.

On top of all that, the way he'd said that it was impossible sounded so heart-breakingly honest, so raw.

He was definitely hiding something, but the more Tsuyu thought about it, the less she was sure she really wanted to know.

Their chaotic chatter came to an end with them all agreeing that the event of the princess visiting was a bit too unlikely to happen.

But one question still remained: How had the news spread through the village like wildfire? Where was the instigator? And what was he or she planning?

Was it connected to…?

"I don't feel right leaving this unattended." Izuku spoke up. "It… just doesn't feel right." His fist clenched the fabric over his chest, his knuckles already turning white.

His heart was beating rapidly as he took in all the looks the six other people in the room gave him. Curiosity, worry, incomprehension, everything and nothing.

"It's too dangerous. We shouldn't get involved." Shouto's reply was immediate. Izuku didn't expect anything else, to be honest.

It was the same way he had reacted when Izuku proposed breaking Ashido and Jirou out of jail.

Back then reason had been on his side, and after explaining the two thieves' true objective, the swordmage had eventually given in, revealing himself to be a talented strategist and coming up with a fool-proof plan.

This time, he didn't have anybody's honourable intentions to argue with. In fact, reason lay with Shouto, as it should be their primary objective to get over the border right now.

But it didn't stop his urge to make sure that the people of the village would be okay. His mother always scolded him for putting others before himself, but if it wasn't for that part of him, he'd never have left in search of the One For All, and he'd never have met all these amazing people.

"I'm also not too sure about this, Deku." Uraraka added.

Iida stood next to her, eyes closed and eyebrows set in a deep frown. "While Shouto makes an excellent point, I can't help but share Midoriya's sentiment. I, too, am worried for the villagers."

Jirou glanced at her partner-in-crime, then set her lips into a straight line. "I'll admit that there are too many things here that don't add up, but I don't know whether we should stick our noses into other people's problems."

Tsuyu just shook her head apologetically.

Izuku nodded understandingly as everyone outed their concerns. It went against logic to stay behind now when they should be prioritizing their escape.

"However," Jirou continued after a short pause. "If there should really be something shady going on, and we happen to catch wind of it, it would only be our duty as citizens to stop whatever evil it is from happening, right?" She looked off to the side in an attempt at an indifferent expression.

Izuku nearly started crying at the joy and relief he was flooded with at her words.

"It would really have to be coincidental." Uraraka added, also not looking him in the eye.

"Yeah," he finally mustered. "It have to be really coincidental. What are the odds?"

"Indeed, what are the odds?" Shouto cut in, exasperation lacing his words. "What are the odds that it looks like a lovely evening for a stroll through the village?" His heterochromatic eyes met Izuku's, and Izuku couldn't stop himself from spilling a few tears.

Yes, he really had met so many amazing people. Together with them… surely… he could do it!

Shouto was really praying to whatever gods reigned the heavens, praying that they wouldn't encounter any trouble.

But a small part of him already knew that Midoriya would not be satisfied until he saved at least one life.

He had learned that the need to help others was so deeply ingrained in the boy's heart and personality that there was nothing he could do about it even if he wanted to.

But that wasn't the real issue here. The real problem was the fancy carriage that was driving through the village, pulled by two white, majestic horses.

He knew it couldn't be the princess, that was impossible. So who was it?

Ojiro dropped the remains of the apple he had just been eating on the ground, keeping up with the extravagant carriage that was currently being cheered on by the villagers.

He felt Hagakure's presence next to him. "Did you set everything up?"

"Yeah," came her breathy reply, "they'll be inconvenienced once they're in the village outskirts. We can ambush them then."

"Okay, good job." He replied, glancing back at the carriage moving through the streets. Neither of them really expected it to actually show up, but life always finds new ways to surprise you. Just as Hagakure learned she could actually run really fast if she had to in the span of the past half an hour.

Unexpectedly, the villagers crowding on the street had forcefully slowed down the carriage's speed, buying her more time to set up the trap.

Just another day as an assassin.

Izuku was very good at deducing things, or he'd like to think. So why was it that he only now thought of the consequences of a high-profile person travelling? Why was there a good reason their royal family hardly ever left the capitol?

He slapped himself across the face, earning worried looks from Iida and Uraraka. "I can't believe I'm so stupid."

"What is it, Deku?"

Izuku sighed, running his hands through his hair. "The princess of a foreign country is supposedly travelling through this town on a certain date. That means that a lot of people knew where she'd be and when she'd be there. And not everybody likes the king or his family."

Uraraka gasped in shock. "You don't think…"

Realization crossed Iida's face. "Assassins."

Izuku nodded solemnly. "Yes. Assassins. What if the word was spread around so intensely because somebody hoped that the princess would be assassinated?"

"This is serious." Iida said. "We need to warn her immediately!"

"I don't think she'd listen to us, no matter what we do. Our best chance is to secure the area! We need to think like assassins!"

"As an assassin… I wouldn't want to be seen." Uraraka offered.

"That's right, but at the same time, I wouldn't want to lose sight of my target." Iida added.

Izuku quickly scanned his surroundings, recalling what little of the environment he had seen so far. "The back alleys!"

With that, the three of them ran off.

Hagakure suddenly let out a loud gasp.

"What is it?" Ojiro turned to her, concern on his face.

"The fail-safe I left on the trap just got activated. We've been compromised."

"Dammit, looks like we have competition. I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way." Ojiro sighed, pulling his mask up his face and effortlessly scaling the side of the building. Hagakure followed swiftly.

"So you're gonna dive right in?"

"I don't really have a choice if we want that money. It's been some time since we've even had a proper meal." Ojiro grumbled, preparing his blade.

Hagakure gave him a thumbs-up. "I'll be there to get you out of any trouble, so don't worry."

He nodded gratefully before jumping off the rooftop.

It happened in one, blinding moment.

Shouto was walking amongst the villagers who were following the carriage, cheering it on. He chided himself for getting so overwhelmed by his curiosity, but a part of him really needed to know who was in that carriage.

And then, a figure landed on top of the carriage, a long, sharp sword glinting in the last rays of the setting sun, face obscured by a mask.

Then the blade sunk through the carriage ceiling.

A scream filled the air. And a second scream followed right after.

And then, there was only silence.

He had pushed through the crowd, ready to chase after the perpetrator, but luckily Midoriya was already there, going after the assassin with his sword drawn.

It took Shouto a few valuable seconds too many to break through the shocked mass, but once he did, he stumbled out in front of the carriage's ajar door.

Against his better judgement, and to satisfy his gnawing curiosity, he opened the door.

Two dead bodies tumbled out onto the ground, splattering blood on his trousers and boots.

And momentarily, he forgot how to breathe.

Everything after that was a blur.

Apparently Midoriya, Iida and Uraraka had caught the perpetrator, but due to villager testimonies, they had been detained as well, dragging the other three girls into the mess as well.

Shouto lied down on the hard bed the cell offered, bringing his arm up to cover his eyes from the imploring moonlight.

It was ridiculous. The dead girl's corpse came to his mind and he let out a strangled laugh. She was very beautiful, yes, fitting of a princess as some might say. But her long, golden hair was out of place and that chin was just a bit too round.

No matter how you looked at it, that girl was not the princess of the Western Kingdom.

AN: I changed the rating to T because of violence, death, and Bakugou (next chapter, I swear!).

Now, for those of you who are interested, a short character class breakdown:

Shouto Todoroki – Swordmage

Izuku Midoriya – Swordmage

Tenya Iida – Paladin

Ochako Uraraka – Mage

Tsuyu Asui – Ranger

Kyoka Jirou – Thief

Mina Ashido – Thief

Tooru Hagakure – Assassin

Mashirao Ojiro – Assassin

Coming soon:

Katsuki Bakugou – Barbarian

Eijiro Kirishima – Rogue

Momo Yaoyoruzu – Alchemist (She's still a fighter, don't worry.)

Denki Kaminari – Swashbuckler

Fumikage Tokoyami – (Edgelord?) (Necromancer?) Mage

Hanta Sero - Spy

Shouta Aizawa – Assassin

Toshinori Yagi– Knight

~Emi