Chapter 11 – Candlelight Meeting
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the BnHA/MHA Characters. And I am not attempting to say that I do while making this fictional, and fan-made, story. They are owned by Kohei Horikoshi.
Chapter Warnings: N/A
Edited By: Dreamy Wolf
(Uraraka)
Deku was pulled away by Nighteye. The tall man whisking the green haired adventurer to an unknown location that Uraraka could only guess at. But even with his disappearance, something about the action felt right, as if Deku was meant to be taken all along. A calm washed over the mage as she chose to keep silent about the possible locations that Deku could have been taken.
"Was that the King's Power?" Sir Miriko asked. The hare-woman's bewildered stare never leaving the spot where Deku once stood.
"The King's Power?" Uraraka asked Sir Miriko as the other Noblemen made their way over to their location.
"Yes, the reason the late king…his whole line, was in a position of power. It was because of a special ability they pass along to each generation." Sir Miriko answered, finally looking away from Deku's last known location.
"It was an awe-inspiring power, and the true reason why we all chose to follow Toshinori." Sir Ryukyo stated as she put her massive reptilian head beside Uraraka. Being a fully grown adult, she was twice the size of Bakugou and Kirishima, while the softest of steps made the earth tremble around her.
"But the late king's family was very private about the power, so that other countries would not trick us and use the power for their own gains. Even I have only seen it a few times over the many years in the family's service." Sir Ryukyo said.
"But how could that boy have the King's Power?" Hawks questioned. "The late King Toshinori never sired an heir!"
"Well apparently he did." Sir Ryukyo said, the group falling silent in thought and disbelief.
(***)
It had been three days since Deku had been seen. Even with all of the country's mages and resources, King Todoroki was no closer to finding Deku since the moment he disappeared. Uraraka, and her friends, had been placed on a tighter house arrest since the attack. Guards posted not only outside of their rooms, but inside as well.
Uraraka sat on the window's edge next to her bed and watched as the city's people rebuilt the castle walls and mend their stores and homes. It was something that she wished for her own people and wondered if they too would get that opportunity.
The sound of her room's door opening drew Uraraka's attention away from the city's people and to the sight of the youngest Prince entering her room, with the female knight, Yaoyorozu, directly behind him.
"Glad to see that you are still in our company." The prince's usually stone face broke, showing a small glimpse at his attempts to make light of the situation. Not wanting to be rude Uraraka stepped down from the window's ledge and bowed respectfully to him.
"Yes, I was staying to help find De-Midoriya. However, it seems as though my assistance has not been needed." The mage responded, a bit of fire on her tongue. The prince's features broke even further into a full grin before he tilted his head sharply, motioning for the posted guard and Yaoyorozu to leave them. As the two knights did as they were told the prince moved quickly to the girl's side.
"I am sure that you believe I am here on my father's orders to cast you out of the city." Uraraka opened her mouth to speak but Prince Todoroki quickly silenced her with a raise of his hand. " I am not hear to do that. I am actually here to inform you that my father wishes to keep you hear. To keep you close. He believed that the attack at the festival was not a coincidence, and that you and your comrades had something to do with it."
Uraraka snapped her eyes quickly to the Prince's. "How could he believe that! We helped his forces drive them out!"
The prince then moved close to Uraraka, startling her at his swift movements. He spoke in a whisper, his dual colored eyes never leaving hers.
"There are things…people moving about the castle. Rumors of a possible heir of the previous king and rebellion are making my father nervous. You may want to lay low for a while."
The prince did not allow Uraraka to comment as he quickly brushed past her and exited the room, not wanting to be caught spending too much time alone with her. The previous guard resumed his post and an uneasy mage was left standing in the room.
(***)
Uraraka lay quietly on her bed, her staff laying beside her on the nightstand. The young mage was not looking at anything in particular but merely mulling over her own thoughts and trying to piece together her own theories at the prince's earlier words of warning. When suddenly the sound of her interior room's guard crashing to the floor made Uraraka sit straight up on her mattress. Then the sound of a warp gate being summoned next to her made her leap from the bed and grab her staff in a defensive position. Only to drop it immediately as Midnight stepped into the mage's presence.
"I need you to come with me." The witch said calmly, not reacting to Uraraka's defensive position. Midnight reached out her hand, beckoning the young mage to take it.
"What's going on?" Uraraka asked. She had not taken Midnight's hand, only looked at it in questioningly as she cautiously approached.
"We are in need of your testimony." Midnight's usual whimsical voice was cold and straight to the point. Uraraka only nodded and took hold of Midnight's icy hand, allowing the witch to guide her into the portal.
However, as Uraraka expected to once again enter Midnight's realm, as soon as the young mage stepped into the portal she was instantly walking into a dark alley.
"I don't understand, where are we?" Uraraka asked, not completely sure where she was, or what Midnight was planning. The mage believed that Midnight was going to take her to her realm, but this did not seem like the case. Was this really an alleyway, or another illusion?
"We are not in my realm, if that is what you want to know." Her icy tone still stung Uraraka. Midnight did not look back at Uraraka as she tightened her grip and forcefully lead her down the alleyway. Stopping only in front of an old wooden door. What could be so serious to make the witch loose herself.
"I have brought you here in great importance, and I do apologize for involving you further. But please do not lie. Tell only your truth and no harm will come to you."
Uraraka opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Midnight opening the door and gesturing her to go inside. Uraraka walked into the entryway slowly, only to be greeted by the dark hallway and the door shutting abruptly behind her.
Illuminating her staff, Uraraka followed the musky and damp hallway until she found herself at another door. Its large wooden frame was neatly cared for and had intricate carvings. Pushing the door open she found herself in a small circular room. Lit only by the candles that hung from the ceiling, flickering their small light onto the faces of the ten Noblemen, Kirishima, Bakugou and Tsu.
"The mage girl from Air?" Sir Crust scoffed. "Was she seriously the one we were waiting on this whole time?"
"Do not tell me this meeting was to discuss going to war with the country of Shadow?" Sir Kugu said, crossing his large black and white arms in front of his chest.
"No." The sudden voice of Nighteye drew everyone's attention to the center of the room and away from the current conversation. He was standing with Midnight and Deku at his side. The young adventurer looked tired and worn out, but overall, he was safe and back with everyone. A tight feeling entered Uraraka's chest as she placed a hand over her heart. A weight lifted from her shoulders, she finally felt as though she could breathe once more. This, however, did not stop her from glancing over to Bakugou. His usual angry expression in full effect as his nails dug into the palms of his clenched fists.
"We are here because I have finally acquired King Toshinori's heir." Nighteye explained. Everyone looked at the sorcerer in disbelief, even the dragons' eyes were wide with shock.
"That is impossible Nighteye." Sir Hawks said. "Late King Toshinori never sired an heir."
"Quiet Hawks and let him continue." Sir Shinya said, cutting off the winged Nobleman. "Besides, we all know that you have a soft spot for King Todoroki."
Sir Hawks then tightened his jaw at the elite assassin, red feathers going puffy.
"Go on Nighteye." Sir Shinji said, bringing the group's attention back to the matter at hand. "What makes you so sure that this boy is truly the rightful heir?"
"You all saw it with your own eyes during the attack. King Toshinori's power runs through the boy's veins." Nighteye stated.
"We don't know what we saw." Sir Yori said quickly, cutting off Nighteye. "The battle was chaotic; thus, we did not get a good look at the boy's power. There has been many new powers emerging as of late. How do we know that this is truly the King's Power and not something similar?"
Half of the room shifted uneasily as a thick cloud of question flooded the room.
"Come now Yori, I know that you witness the boy's power for yourself. How can you have any doubts?" Sir Ryuku said calmly, aspiration filling her eyes. The capital's forger did not return her enthusiasm as his eyes snapped to hers. His mouth was open, about to speak when Sir Hawks cut him off. "You are speaking of treason and rebellion. Why wouldn't we have doubts?"
"Calm yourself Hawks!" Sir Wash said. "I am sure Nighteye would not have brought us or these children here on a simple hunch."
"That's right, the children." Sir Hakamata said, bringing the Noblemen's attention to Uraraka and the other's.
"What is your testimony on the boy?"
"Have you experience his power before the attack?"
"What was the power like?"
"How long has he had the power?"
These, and many more questions came flooding onto Uraraka like a broken dam, to the point she didn't even know who was asking them. She backed away and hid behind her staff as the Noblemen drew closer to her. The other's did the same and defended themselves in their own way.
"Back away from them!" Midnight said in a booming voice, making the Noblemen stop in their tracks. "Answer Uraraka, to the best of your ability." Midnight said again, this time in her usual sweet tone.
"Well, I have only known De-Midoriya, for a few weeks now, but as far as I know he has had the power since before I knew him." Uraraka began, lowering her staff and standing taller. "His power is rather remarkable. It makes his body glow green and he becomes physically powerful. Like that of a god. But I feel…safe when I am around him. As if everything is going to be alright when he unleashes his power."
Uraraka glanced over to the others and herd them give similar responses. All except for one, Bakugou. Who had said that he had known Deku since they were very small, grew up in the same village even. And that Deku had this power since then.
The room still felt uneasy, unsure of what to believe, when the door Uraraka had entered through opened again. Prince Todoroki and the knight Yaoyorozu, entering this time. The Noblemen began to panic, readying spells to escape and to erase memories of their involvement in the meeting. When the Prince raised his hand and stopped them.
"I have not come here to disturb you. I too have my own witness." The Prince said before stepping to the side and making way for a short plump woman. She wore a simple light green dress and a pink bandana was wrapped around her green hair.
"Izuku?" The woman exclaimed, seeing Deku in the center of this commotion.
"M-Mother?" Deku said back, even more shocked then the woman.
The room took in a sharp breath before Sir Hawks began to laugh off his surprise. "I hope you don't mean to tell us that this woman was King Toshinori's lover." He jabbed his thumb to the side, motioning outside of the room. "I can easily find twenty women in the city who claim the same thing."
A few of the other Noblemen's shoulders dropped, chuckling and agreeing with the winged man. The woman did not faulter though. Clutching her fist tightly she raised them to her chest and took in a deep breath. Her dark eyes focused and determined.
"Perhaps you can Sir Hawks, but how many of these other women know of King Toshinori's second form?"
The chuckling immediately stopped.
"What other form do you speak of?" Sir Kaminara asked. There was a hint of threatening tone to his voice. As if he already knew what she was about to say but pushing her to continue.
"I mean of the one where he would transform into a thin, almost sickly looking man." Deku's mother continued, not faltering. She then put a hand to her cheek and a calm and whimsical expression made its way onto her face. "I remember his clothing fitting him as if he were a child wearing his father's clothes. He even had to make special holes in his belts so that he could fasten his trousers properly. His eyes were always so tired and black though. I believe that form showed the ware of the crown and the weight on his shoulders."
"That is impossible, that form was a closely guarded secret. Only the Noblemen knew of it. Unless…" Sir Miriko said, a wide grin spreading across her face.
"That is correct." Deku's mother continued. "Izuku was sired by King Toshinori."
"If what you say is true, then why have we not known about you, or the boy, before now?" Sir Sakamata asked.
"Unfortunately, that was because of the current King, Enji Todoroki." Deku's mother stated. "When Toshinori was still alive, when Izuku was still young, he was in the process of moving us to the Capital and making us official members of his family. But a neighboring country attacked our old village and enslaved many of our town's people. Toshinori went after them, however, he never returned." The plump woman looked to the ground as a sad and dark cloud engulfed her.
Not knowing much on the country's history, Uraraka looked to the other's for visual guidance on what the woman was saying. They all looked shocked and bewildered but none more so than Bakugou. Who had gone so pale and sweaty, she thought he might pass out. The mage was about to reach out to him when Deku's mother spoke again.
"I believed that something terrible had happened to him, so I moved Izuku and myself around the country, trying to avoid King Todoroki who had found out Izuku's true heritage. Until the day came when he found us.
"I did not have the time or resources to move us so soon, so I sent Izuku away, saying that he needed to travel the country and become an adventurer. He did so without question and the day after he had left for his new life, I was taken into King Todoroki's custody."
The sound of sniffling drew the room's attention to Deku. "Mom, I-I didn't know t-that." He attempted to walk towards her, arms wide to embrace her, but was halted by Nighteye.
"Neither did we." Sir Ryuku said. "If King Todoroki is keeping these kinds of secrets from us, then what else are we not aware of?"
"If you are in need of any more proof…" Nighteye stated and placed a hand on Deku's shoulder, signaling the boy to act. The young adventurer wiped away the last of his tears and stood tall, activating his power. The soft glow was followed by flashes of emerald electricity and the same secure feeling Uraraka had mentioned before wrapped around everyone like a blanket.
The Noblemen, unable to state that they did not receive a clear look at Deku's power stood silent. They all looked at each other, nodding and silently having conversations with only glances.
Sir Miriko and Sir Ryuku where the first to drop to one knee, their heads bowed to Deku in a submissive, yet powerful posture. The rest of the crowd looked at each other once more, before they too trickled down into the same position.
Committing treason to the current King, they all had made their choice. Their lands, armies, resources, and even their lives, now belonged to Deku.
Bakugou made a low growl before storming out of the room. Uraraka raised a hand and opened her mouth to stop him, but then pulled back.
She had no right to stop him.
He had always talked about dethroning King Todoroki and becoming the new King of Fire. Now that goal seemed even more out of reach as Deku neatly took the country's resources in a few simple minutes. Not through a grand war. Not through putting one's glory or honor to the test. Just a simple meeting.
She had no idea what he was feeling, and she didn't know him well enough to interfere. But her stomach turned, and she could hear a small voice in the back of her consciousness pushing her forward. As she made up her mind, she gripped her staff tightly and followed after him down the dark hallway.
Uraraka could hear Bakugou before she could see him. "DAMN HIM! DAMN THAT LITTLE GREEN HAIRED NERD!" The sound of Bakugou's fists slamming into the brick walls made it apparent that he was attempting to release the feelings bottled inside of him.
"The King's heir? WHAT A SICK JOKE!" The sound of punching stopped as Uraraka came into the alley. Bakugou was turned away from her and the way he was hunched over, she imagined that his fists were clenched to his chest.
"And the king…that skinny ass man that was always fawning over Deku…that was him? AND I HAD NO IDEA!" His voice cracked and his hands went to his face, covering his eyes. "That's how he knew me…that's how he knew where I was-"
Uraraka stretched out an arm towards him while slowly taking a step. In doing so she had disturbed a few pebbles on the ground. Bakugou quickly turning to face her. His eyes flashing from panic to a blood curling anger.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" He yelled. Uraraka opened her mouth to ask what he was upset about, but when nothing came, she simply stood there. What had he gone through? What was he hiding? Did it have anything to do with the scars on his back?
"GO AWAY! I DON'T WANT YOU HERE!" He yelled again.
"Your hands." She said quietly.
"What?"
"Your hands are bleeding." She said a little louder as she pointed to his bloody knuckles.
She walked closer to him then, now finally having a reason to, and took his hand gently in hers. He tried to rip his hand away, but she quickly grabbed his wrist and held him in place. He wasn't trying very hard to get away from her, easily doing so before, but somehow finding it difficult to do so now. Bakugou eventually stopped his struggling, allowing Uraraka to release her hold and properly heal him.
The soft green glow of her healing spell wrapped itself around the dragon's hand, when she noticed something. She wasn't sure if it was his current emotional outburst or the magic, but she could feel Bakugou's hand trembling at her touch.
She wasn't going to ask him the questions that had come to her mind a moment ago. If he wanted to tell her, then he would have. "You know you have a talent for hurting yourself." Uraraka said. She attempted to make her voice playful, but it did not carry all the way through.
"What the hell does that mean?" Bakugou responded. His tone sour and short. Gently Uraraka switched out his hands and began to mend the other set of knuckles.
"Just what it sounds like. You always need me to heal you and I'm sure that there are going to be a lot of battles in the near future, so I need you to take better care of yourself."
"What the hell do you care?"
"Well, we are partners, right?" A blush crept onto her cheeks. "Kind of…for fighting?" What the hell was she saying? When had they discussed that?
"WHAT THE HELL?" He snapped. "I don't need you! I don't need anyone! I can fight on my own!" He quickly turned away from her, a slight dusting of pink on the bridge of his nose. Uraraka smiled and looked back down at her work.
"Whatever you say." Uraraka said in a cheery tone. His hand stiffened at her words, but at least it had stopped shaking.
Hey there everyone! I know that it has been a long time here on this story but with a lot of hard work, with the rewrites/edits, I can say that we are finally at new content! I am super excited and I so thankful for every single one of my readers (both public and silent) who have been so patient with me on this journey. Seriously, thank you! :)
