The Boy With the Dragon Tattoo

Chapter 8 "Dragon Fire"

EARLIER:

Once again, Izuku was going through another new experience. The feeling of the air rushing past his face, the animals and all types of other things that looked like ants down below, and feeling as if the clouds were close enough that you could reach out and touch them. Right now, he was flying. And he loved it.

Rather, he was on the back of Kirishima who was doing all of the flying for them, but it still counted.

"What will you do when you return," the half-dragon himself asked.

"Me," Izuku asked back.

"Yes, you. You are to be ordered to prison. By the king himself. But I can tell you're not just going to lie down and receive however the hell long in prison. If you can fight back, you will. So…what will you do?"

Izuku had been thinking about that. Kirishima was exactly right. He wasn't going to let himself be captured with no hope of return. He had Sorahiko to get back to and a life to live. Not even a king could stop that. But, if he did indeed try to escape, while Enji would be particularly irritated about the news that his dragon had not only been left, but said himself that he didn't want to return, there would be no safe haven for him. No place where he could hide. Not only had he heard of the searchers already-humans who could find anything that breathes as long as they have a magical energy-but Enji would stop at nothing to find him. A criminal on the loose that's already labeled as dangerous would probably have a bounty on em' the size of a bridge, and that man would not only make the bounty, but be exclusive to collecting it.

"Honestly, my only option is to run. I'm not going back to that cell, just like you said. Hopefully I'll find some type of refuge on my travels; a place where I can live without having to look over my shoulder…it will be challenging."

"You and Shouko are welcome to come here," the dragon said jokingly.

"That's funny. Really funny. No offense, but…that place is worse than bear feet in winter. I'd silence the cause of my pain before it silences me." Kirishima smiled, finding the comeback clever.

"Speaking of…are you okay, Shouko?" The royal teenager's eyes were glued to the surface below them. She sure didn't look cheery.

"Is there something on your mind," Izuku asked kindly. Shouko squinted and her grip on Kirishima's back tightened.

"This isn't where you belong," she addressed the half-breed. "You belong with me. With us. In the kingdom."

Kirishima sighed and a frown was present on him.

"Shouko, just drop it," he said. "No matter what you say, you won't sway me. I'm done with that castle, I'm done with following orders, and I'm done with him. Accept it."

"You've tricked yourself into believing you're more weak than you are. You are so much stronger than you think, I know it. Oppression has blinded you."

"Nothing has blinded me. The only thing that's blinding is his face in my head. I wish to be rid of it. For good."

"He can't lay a finger on you. It's impossible."

"So you'd defend me? You'd be there to stand up to the big man when the pressure's on and your viewpoints clash? That has never been you. You might not fear him, but you've never disobeyed him. You worry about the ones you care about to much to do so."

"You've never been one of those people, though, and that's my problem!" Kirishima turned his head.

"What do you mean I've never been? Compared to me and my brothers, you had it easy."

"Easy," Shouko said astonished.

"Let me tell you something, Kirishima. It was never easy when he got rid of mother to further his own selfish needs. It wasn't easy going through rigorous training everyday until my feet bled and I couldn't breathe. It…it wasn't easy when he hurt this family a second time…when he killed Touya; his own son."

Izuku went cold. Position of power was something he had recently learned could make you into a different person. Something to be afraid of rather than admired. It could gain you more enemies in a minute than it could gain you friends in a year. But, he never thought it could make you do something like that. Something so sinister as killing your own flesh and blood. Had he even second guessed? Felt remorseful? Or did he think of it as another event in the life of a human? To live one day, then die the next? The natural circle of life coming round, and this time it was simply another person, not his son, that it had taken. For men like that…there was no…redemption; no kindness-only business. That, Izuku was sure of, was not the kind of man who should become king.

Meanwhile, Shouko's words had stirred Kirishima down to his very being. Touya Todoroki. The forgotten prince of the burning kingdom. Victim of his own father. The two boys were close growing up. Like peanut butter and jelly, but stick some bricks on top of and underneath them so that they couldn't escape. When they had heard the news-a fire raging in the back of the castle, his body not found-him, Shouko, Fuyumi, And Natsuo were all devastated. It's a moment in his life that he'd never forget…and one of the reasons his hate for the king was so strong.

"But, regardless of all that, all that pain and suffering…I never concealed how I really felt," Shouko said.

"I showed my pain, to everyone, everyday. I let my hate flow, so that I could move forward. You, however…you've just told me things I never knew you were struggling with. Not once did you come to us and cry in our laps. Not once did you let us know that you couldn't bare to live like this. And because of that…we let you. We let you live in distress without knowing a thing about it. To just…leave the first option you get-no goodbye, no reason, no anything-and you wonder why I want you to come home. You wonder why I'm so stubborn about this. I just want for you to get another chance with us. It won't be like before. We'd stand for you. At least…I would."

Kirishima was always one to admit his faults. Right now…he could see that he screwed up. Badly. Everything she said was on point. He never did let them know everything that happened behind closed doors. He never did tell them how he really felt about being a part of not just theirs, but the kingdom's life. Now, he might not ever see them again.

"…How could you stand for me? You cannot beat him. I'm a dragon. The ways to kill us are widely known, and that is why the rulers of each land have theirs in the first place. But that does not mean our strength is rivaled by many. I could win if the circumstance was right. But you? You can't beat him because he does not regard you. Maybe he has been raising you to be as strong as you can be, but until the day comes, if it does, when you could stand against him, and be triumphant, his will is the strongest thing there could be."

"…This family has been splintered. More times than any family should be. If it would mean saving Fuyumi, Natsuo, or you…I'd kill to keep you safe. That, I'm not just sure of-I promise."

All three of them went silent, Shouko's words registering. Her passion for those she treasured-it radiated. Izuku was amazed. Kirishima was at war within himself.

Shouko was ready to say all that again.

'…As far as speeches went, that was not bad for a teenager,' thought the man in the black coat. He had been listening and monitoring the party of Izuku Midoriya from the ground ever since they became visible to the night sky. He was a bit surprised to find out that they were no longer in the Dragon Lands, but quickly figured out that things couldn't have been better. Now that he was out in the open, with no dragon hoard his demon's had to go through, the chance to kill him was then. However, the dragon and princess began speaking, and the man, being as curious to find out new any unknown information about the burning kingdom he could, couldn't help but listen in (With a little hearing magic of course). Initially the conversation had bored him, thinking it was nothing more than a child throwing a temper tantrum for a stupid reason. But the more he listened…the more he became interested, and the more his creative juices flowed. How the child had told of what she would do to protect people; how he had already knew of Izuku Midoriya's hatred for the burning king, and the recent information that he was about to be imprisoned if the dragon he was riding did not return to the burning kingdom to stay; and how that very special dragon boy despised the king as much as the other two did…it was all coming together in the form of one big plan. One that was built on Enji Todoroki's want for power and to be the strongest, and was also built on the foundation of hatred three children shared for him. A plan that would tear down the burning kingdom and leave it in ashes. In glee, the man opened his ominous book, quickly placing in a bookmark on a page he knew Enji would not pass up.

'This…this could just about be brilliant…'

Sitting down on a rock, Tomura Shigaraki stared at the mass of demons before him. Anticipation was building inside of him for the oncoming battle. At first he had worried, seeing Izuku Midoriya riding a dragon in the sky heading in the opposite direction of their attack. He had gotten even more worried when his master seemed to have not worried about it at all passing it off as nothing to worry about. But then…he saw the look on master's face. One of pure joy and excitement. Right then and there, he knew that everything would be absolutely fine. The shadow being appeared next to Tomura, giving him news of their leader.

"You could probably already have guessed, but master will be sitting this one out. He will leave it to the demons to battle and destroy these lands."

"As usual," Tomura replied.

"He has given the order to move out. We should make haste." Tomura grinned.

"Then haste shall be made." The red eyed man then snapped his fingers, which alerted the beasts before him of their following orders.

"Here me, unholy creatures and savages," he yelled.

"Your orders as of now are to bring down the Aichi Tribe of the dragon lands! For this task has been appointed to you by none other than the master himself, and so it shall be done with absolute perfection. We've made you with the knowledge of dragon's weakness, now it's time to practice what you've learned." He stood from the rock tall and straight.

"MARCH!"

Kirishima was still conflicted about his willingness to go back. He didn't want to leave the Dragon Lands yet, if at all. His species, his people, lived there. It didn't feel right to abandon them.

At the same time, Shouko's words had resonated with him. He hadn't been completely honest with his friends, his family, ever, and it was only fair that they deserved a new beginning with him. One where everyone could be comfortable telling each other how they felt when they needed to. Not bottle up their feelings to make each other have to carry one less burden. Perhaps…perhaps he should go back. Just to try a life with them even one more time. Have hope…that things could be different.

"Shouko…I-"

Suddenly, a loud roar shook the earth. A loud roar shook the earth. One that seemed to belong to a creature in pain. One that signaled a need for help. One that belonged to a dragon.

More of these roars rung out, and eventually, they were accompanied by the brightness of dragon fire. Kirishima turned in the air, fearing where he thought the sound of those roars originated from. His fears were realized when they were clear as day coming from the direction of the Dragon Lands.

"How…What's happening down there," Izuku asked in surprise. Kirishima had already flown closer to the scene, not asking thinking about the two passengers on him. This allowed Shouko to make out what was happening, and she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Demons," she said. "Lots…and lots…of demons"

"We've gotta get down there," Kirishima said quickly. His wings shot him downward as fast as he could go, spotting an area filled with baby dragons and a hoard of demons ready to pounce on them. Without hesitation, he flew to the spot, landing in between the infants and the monsters. Letting out a mighty roar, he charged at the beasts, each one trying to run and avoid his attack.

Izuku noticed that the other babies were left to themselves, and jumped off the human dragon's back. Just as a demon was about to slash one of the little ones, he blasted forward, heabutting the monster right in and through its stomach. It fell to the ground as a big hole was present in its midsection.

"Izuku, I saw hundreds of these things from the sky. They're everywhere-I've never even heard of them occupying in these type of numbers," Shouko said as she jumped off Kirishima's back as well.

"Kirishima," Izuku called. "How many dragons are in this tribe?"

The dragon spit out the demon head stuck between his teeth, then roasted another monster trying to flee with his fire breath.

"About two-hundred fifty or so…But we all saw the view from the sky. This place is running rampant with those things…they don't go down easily, and…" Kirishima looked forward to see a sight that made him shiver. There, about twenty steps away from him, was a dragon corpse that had its spine ripped from its back, and its no longer beating heart next to its lifeless body.

"They know how to kill dragons."

Shouko was stunned. How could they possibly know the weakness of a dragon!? They were not smart enough, but more importantly, not human or of royal status enough, to know that information. Could it be that…something, or someone…told them?

"If they nearly double our numbers, are strong enough to slaughter a dragon, and will keep fighting no matter how sever the injury…then-"

"There's no guarantee that these dragons will survive the night," Shouko thought out loud.

Izuku looked around and focused his senses. His red and green aura surrounded him as lightning sprung to life around his body and his tatto moved up and down his arm.

"Well then," he said. The other two looked his way.

"Let's leave it without a shadow of a doubt that they do."

PRESENT:

Katsuki and Ceaser flew as fast as they could back to the lands. Both of them could feel it-something wasn't right.

Just as Ceaser was preparing to land, a demon ambushed him from the left flank, grabbing onto his back. Immediately, the clawed beast took himself out of flight and rolled on the ground, hoping to squish the little pest along with him. Unfortunately, it had jumped off just in time. Ceaser stared down the creature, trying to send a message that it didn't want to fight a beast like him. The demon simply crawled and stared back, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

It sprang forward at great speeds, once again going for the dragon's back. He put out his wing to block the attack, but the demon was tenacious, and clawed at Ceaser's back again, leaving scratch marks where it reached. Katsuki came up behind the dragon to land a powerful explosion to the demon's head. It was sent back various feet, and took a couple seconds to collect itself. But a couple seconds was all the time needed for Ceaser to suck in his breath, then let out a powerful blast of fire.

After ten seconds of the hot stream, what was left of the demon was a body charred and patches of skin and meat missing, leaving bone visible to see. Katsuki stood next to her elder, taking in the attack.

"Did you notice," she said.

"That it went for my back? Yes."

Katsuki was worried.

"This might be very, very bad. We have no idea how many of them there are. If there are potentially more of them than there are us, and they know how to kill a dragon…they could kill everyone."

Ceaser followed suit, getting in a position to take off.

"Then we'd better hurry," he said gravely.

Shouko delivered an ice covered fist to the demons jaw, sending it backwards. Creating a spike, she threw it upwards into the demon's head, and it dropped to the ground. This had been the scene for nearly twenty minutes now. Her, Izuku, and Kirishima killing every demon in sight, then killing some more. Other dragons were destroying their fair share as well. Others…were less fortunate to be battling right now.

*THUNK

Izuku's fist met with a monster's chest, and he slammed it as hard as he could into the ground. The amount of blood these things spewed when killed was disgusting. He already had his face covered in it once. Now his hand was drenched too.

Kirishima whipped four demons coming up behind him with his tail and caught the four running up to him in the front with his mouth. He promptly blew out the flames from his lungs, destroying the restless creatures. Shouko was left with cleanup as she impaled the four demons her dragon friend had hit into the air with ice pillars.

"These things keep coming," Izuku said. "It's as if they're multiplying as we speak!"

"Doesn't matter," kirishima said as he stomped on one. "Just keep going."

From atop the cliffs, a brigade of demon's jumped with the intention of surrounding the three. Izuku spread out his arms, then brought them together. What followed was a loud 'BOOM'. His clap had blown away all the ones coming from the front, the sheer force making their ribs cave in. Shouko handled the ones coming from the back by putting up an ice wall to block their way, then shape shifting those walls into tentacles to ensnare the creatures. She tightened until they popped, or, rather, split in half, and their upper bodies fell off.

Izuku looked at the dead demon's around him. He knew of their viciousness; their savagery. He remembered Kacchan. Where was she? Was she okay? Had they gotten to her already?

"Hey," the green haired boy called. "Can you two handle this by yourselves?"

"Why," Shouko said. One from her right. A pillar through its side, and it stops moving. Nothing from her right.

"Are you leaving?"

"Not this place. It's just…I want to find Katsuki. I need to know she's alright."

Shouko looked around to see five more demons appear from the shadows.

"No arguments here." She fired a glacier the size of a cliff.

Katsuki blasted her way through a blockade of demons, twisting and twirling in the air as she picked up and swung the creatures into the sharpest rocks she could see. Ceaser ran on and stomped every demon in his path, scorching the earth and their bodies with his fire. Both were unentertained by the suckers they were rampaging through. Already they had rescued about thirty dragons and counting.

"You are enjoying our rule now, I'm sure. This way, the boy is far from any danger," Ceaser said.

"That may be," Katsuki said. "But right about now, Kirishima would come in handy. His strength is much, you know."

"That it is. So much so that it even rivals mine and Daedalus'. But we cannot rely on him now. We must incinerate these foul beasts ourselves."

Out of nowhere, a rhino sized demon came and tackled Ceaser to the ground, and a gorilla sized demon lunged at Katsuki. As Ceaser got back up, he grunted and moved his arms to push it off of him, but the demon grabbed both and held them in place. Hot fire rose from the dragon's mouth, and the demon was forced to let go and shield its face. Ceaser head-butted It And got back up, ready for a brawl. The two predators rushed at each other, the fiery dragon letting out a resounding roar, and the demon running straight at him. The two collided, Ceaser taking a blow to the throat, but getting a hold of the creature's neck to push it into the ground. He dug his claws into its legs and arms, which made the demon under him grunt and groan. It wasn't done yet though. It brought its feet up into his stomach and moved its head to bite his arm. Its teeth wrapped around the navy blue scales and drew thick blood. Ceaser groaned and threw it into nearby rocks, which had done damage to its back. From atop a hill, though, a demon of the same size appeared and growled at the dragon.

"Little turds."

Katsuki dodged a punch from her opponent before throwing a quick exploding jab at its shoulder. Her strategy was go for the monster's joints so she wouldn't tire herself out fighting. She had never dealt with demons before, and had to be cautious.

It rebounded quickly, twirling from the momentum of the blast and kicking Katsuki hard in the shin. She fell hard, and the demon tried smashing its hands into her ribs. She swiftly blew it away with a powerful blast to its face. Half of it burned away, and the other half's eye stared with rage. Katsuki knew that look and accepted the challenge.

"Come on, bastard."

She blasted forward with her arm reeled back, and the demon rocketed forward. Their hands collided as Katsuki's blast went forward, but the creature deflected it by grabbing her wrist. She used her other arm to blast into the sky, bringing it up with her. Cartwheeling in the air, she threw it back down to the ground. It hit the surface, leaving a crater in it wake. Seeing an opening, she blasted downward, gearing up for a killing attack.

"Say good night, ass hol-"

*BANG

Katsuki was sent reeling after an unknown fist connected with her cheek. Dazed, she supported herself on her arms, and spit out blood. Breathing hard, she turned to look at the assailant and saw a demon of smaller stature standing above the other demon, who was getting itself ready to fight again.

Smiling, she picked herself up and clenched her fists. She looked around. Maybe there was another dragon nearby that could help. Another look around, but nothing. Damn.

Blasting forward, she ducked under the second demon's legs and grabbed its ankles, taking it out from under itself. She pushed upwards, kicking it in the back of the head, then grabbing it around its neck and squeezing. She had it in a chokehold it couldn't get out of. Just as it was about to get its throat crushed, the demon with its face burnt off came up behind Katsuki and punched her in the back. She yelled out in pain, and her grip loosened. The demon in her grasp flipped her over her back, and she flew into the head of Ceaser. She fell to the ground, but had no time to gather as the dragon was falling backwards. What had happened? The first thing she knew, there was one demon taking on the mighty dragon. Now, there were six altogether climbing and gripping onto his body.

"KATSUKI! MOVE!"

She rolled away from the collapsing mass of scales, bone, and meat, which roared as it fell heavily.

The other two demons battling Katsuki rushed her once again, and she had to get out of the way to avoid death. However, that was no longer her focus, as she could see, that Ceaser was struggling and needed help.

"Hold on! I'm coming!"

She tried running to him, but her opponents weren't having it, and flanked her from both sides, blocking her path. She went into the air, but the demon's followed her up there too.

'Dammit! These things are so fucking annoying,' she thought. 'I need to get to Ceaser! He can't hold out much longer!'

One demon on Ceaser's back began clawing at it even while pinned to the ground. Eventually, it was deep enough to dig its hand in and search for what it wanted. Ceaser roared in pain due to the feeling of having the demon digging through its body. He could feel it getting closer and closer…to his heart.

"CEASER!," katsuki cried.

The demon's palm felt the dragon heart, and balled its fist to deliver the final blow…

*WOOSH

Katsuki looked horrified, but that horror soon turned to shock. The demon pinned under Ceaser's body's head was there one second…then gone the next.

*WOOSH

*WOOSH

*WOOSH

*WOOSH

Four more demons that had clung to the dragon's body were gone instantly, their now dead carcasses on the ground and left with holes through their chest's or missing heads. The last demon searched for its attacker, as well as the demons she was fighting. Feeling a blow of wind on its back, it growled then turned around. It readied a punch…

It was too late.

It's head rolled off the dragon's body slowly, falling to the surface quietly, but still somehow loudly.

Ceaser looked around weakly, looking for what could have saved him. Or…

(He looked to his left, and saw a muscular young man with a dragon tattoo on his right arm standing over the body of a demon that had just fell off his body. The same boy…that Katsuki brought with her)

Or…who could have saved him.

Katsuki looked at the scene before her. Demons on the ground…headless and chestless…and none other…than Izuku Midoriya standing in the middle of it and all.

"Kacchan…"

*LIGHTNING CRACKLE

"I'm here!"