Several days later, Kirishima woke up before dawn, his heart pounding.

People were outside their house. Strangers.

It could just be travelers, Kirishima told himself. He himself had been a stranger to Midoriya and Todoroki, once upon a time. The day he came, they might have been frozen in terror the same way, not knowing whether he was innocent or one of the village's attackers.

Bakugou was still asleep beside him. Kirishima put a hand lightly on his mouth and shook him awake, feeling him jolt and try to mutter some half-formed question, bleary-eyed with sleep.

"Shh," Kirishima said. "Listen."

They caught the end of a sentence: "…did this?"

"Who knows." There were two men, Kirishima thought. Or more, but only two were speaking. "Doesn't matter. Looks abandoned."

"Not all of it. Look here." It sounded like they were just outside the house's door. "See, the roof's been patched, and there's boards nailed over the burned stuff. That's got to be new."

Kirishima threw on his clothing, leaving his feet bare, and stepped towards the door. Bakugou shot him a wild-eyed look, but Kirishima ignored it: it sounded like the men were coming to the door anyways, and it was best not to be caught unawares.

"And all these sheep all around," the man went on. "Probably there's at least one person here."

"Alright, I get the idea. So knock."

Kirishima opened the door and stepped outside just after those words were spoken, not wanting to draw out the inevitable.

There were two humans, adult men. Both had horses, but they were not riding them at the moment; each held his horse's harness in one hand. They froze when Kirishima stepped outside, and took a step back in surprise.

"Hello," Kirishima said, smiling at them without showing his teeth. "Can I help you? Are you travelers?"

"Well – yes." One man seemed a little older, and he was the one who spoke first. "We're looking for someone, actually." He stepped back towards his horse, reaching into the pack strapped to its back.

"How did this village – I mean, what happened?" the younger man said, gesturing to the blackened buildings.

"It was some weeks ago," Kirishima said. "A group of men on horseback came. I'm a shepherd, so I was grazing my sheep away from the village." He tried to paraphrase what he'd heard Midoriya and Bakugou say. "I came back when I saw smoke, but they were already gone. Everyone in the village was either dead or missing." He pointed towards the hill that hid the pyre. "I burned their bodies back there."

"I know," the younger man said, his voice gentle. "We saw. I'm sorry. Do you know who…?"

Kirishima shook his head. "I didn't see them. They were already gone when I returned. I just saw them from a distance."

"Here," the older man said, opening a scroll. "We're looking for this person."

There was writing on the top and bottom of the scroll that Kirishima couldn't read, but in the middle there was a drawing of a face that immediately caught his attention. It was clearly Todoroki: even if there had been no details at all, how many boys were running around with two-colored hair and two-colored eyes?

But Kirishima looked at it a second longer and forced himself to be calm. How might he react if he had never met Todoroki? What would he say to these men? "He has strange hair," Kirishima said at last. "Who is he?"

"His name is Todoroki Shouto," the older man said, holding the parchment steady and letting Kirishima continue to look. "He's about your age, and he's missing. Have you seen any travelers pass through here that look like this?"

"No," Kirishima said, looking up at last and meeting each of the men's eyes in turn. "No, I think I'd remember it if I'd seen anyone with hair like that."

"Anyone at all suspicious? Anyone with their hair covered or shaved?"

"No one has passed through here since the attack," Kirishima said firmly. It wasn't a lie: the only people who'd come that he knew of had stayed, not passed through.

The men looked at him a moment later, then both nodded at nearly the same time. "Very well," the older one said, rolling up the scroll. "If you do see this person, do not confront him. He is considered dangerous and should be avoided if possible. As soon as possible afterwards, please inform the nearest Royal Army soldier. That's all – the rest will be taken care of afterwards."

"Where's the nearest Royal Army soldier?"

The man looked at him sharply, eyes narrowed. "In Broadstem, of course."

Kirishima realized he'd probably said something stupid. He nodded vigorously. "Oh good," he said, "I'm glad he's still there. I haven't been to Broadstem since my village was attacked, and I didn't know if it was attacked too."

That seemed to make things better; the man visibly relaxed. "Broadstem wasn't attacked, no," he said. "You really haven't been there since?"

"I was afraid to travel."

The man grunted. "Understandable. But it's safer now. We hardly see anyone on the roads these days, and everyone seems to be minding their own business."

"Okay," Kirishima said, cautious. "I'll go out there soon."

The younger man was now fishing in his bag for something, and Kirishima wished there was something he could do to speed them along. Surely they wouldn't want to stay much longer, would they? What if they wanted to rest for a while? Kirishima didn't dare look towards the other house, but he hoped desperately that Todoroki wouldn't step out unknowingly.

The younger man stepped towards him, something in his hand. It was a coin, Kirishima saw. "It isn't much, but I want you to have this," the man said.

"I don't need it." Kirishima knew he could not take this man's money without guilt – not when he had so much of his own to spare. "I have enough of everything I need. Thank you, truly, but –"

"How can you live like this?" the man said, and Kirishima actually felt his pain – he seemed so touched, so sad. "Go to Broadstem, get out of here. How will you last through the winter alone?"

"I'll find a way," Kirishima said, hoping his tone was firm without being pushy. "I've got the sheep. The house is warm enough. Look," he said, stepping back, "keep your money, please. I appreciate it, but I don't need it."

The older man nudged the younger one. "Just listen to him. If the boy doesn't want it, he doesn't want it."

"Fine," the young man said, tucking it back into his back with a scowl. "But take care of yourself, alright?"

"You're too soft," the older man said, and they stepped away together, leading their horses behind them.

Kirishima watched them go, feeling like he was finally able to breathe again, when all of a sudden the younger man stopped and turned back to look at Kirishima. "This house is fixed up too," he said. "Is there someone else in the town?"

"Yes." Kirishima walked over slowly, buying time as he thought of a response. "Another shepherd survived as well." He lowered his voice to a half-whisper. "I didn't want to disturb him – he hasn't quite been right since the attack… Do you want me to wake him up so you can tell him too?"

The men looked at one another, and the elder shrugged; for a second, Kirishima was sure he'd be safe. But the younger one, apparently still suspicious, turned to Kirishima and said, "Sure, would you please? Ask him to come out so we can explain everything to you."

Kirishima inwardly cursed his bad luck but nodded, keeping his face blank as he approached Midoriya's house. He opened the door, careful to position his body between the opening and the strangers, and stuck his head in.

They were both awake already, of course. Todoroki was fully dressed and stood next to the door, looking like he was ready to attack. Midoriya was next to him, his eyes wide, breathing shallowly. They reminded Kirishima of cornered animals; they were only a moment away from fight-or-flight mode.

"Midoriya! Glad you're awake," Kirishima said loudly. "Don't be scared. The travelers want to talk to you about something. Will you come out?" He mouthed "It's okay" to him, but he wasn't sure if Midoriya picked up on it.

"Sure," Midoriya said, throwing his shoes on. But he forgot a coat, and began shivering as soon as they stepped outside.

"Hello," the younger stranger said, motioning for the elder to unroll the scroll again. "We're looking for someone and we're wondering if you've seen anyone who looks like this."

"Or anyone in general," the older man added, and showed them the picture.

Kirishima looked at Midoriya's face as he surveyed the scroll: distrust and fear; it was probably glaringly obvious that he wanted nothing more than to flee. "No," Midoriya said, biting his lip, "never seen anyone like this here! 'Todoroki Shouto,' huh? Is that someone important?"

"Yes," the older man said simply, rolling the scroll up. "And dangerous." He repeated that speech about informing the Royal Army, and luckily Midoriya asked no more questions, just nodded and assured the men of course he'd tell if that boy ever came through.

Kirishima and Midoriya stood on the road and watched the men get on their horses and ride until the men were finally, finally out of sight. Then, just to be safe, they waited another minute or two, straining to listen to the hoofbeats as they faded away. Midoriya was gripping Kirishima's arm tight enough to hurt, so tight it almost cut off the blood flow.

After several minutes and no more sign of the men, Midoriya turned to Kirishima. "Bring Bakugou and come into my house," he said. "I think we all need talk about this."

When Kirishima entered his own house, Bakugou surged to him, so quickly Kirishima was afraid for a moment that he'd been mistaken for an attacker. "What the hell was that?" Bakugou said, his voice still low. "Who were those guys?"

"They're gone," Kirishima said. "They were, I don't know who they were, but they were looking for Todoroki."

He didn't look surprised, just grim. "Yeah, I heard. I could hear just about everything." He paused. "You – you did well, you know. Talking to those guys."

Kirishima wished he could have taken a moment to absorb that praise, but his heart was still in his throat. He felt faintly sick. "Midoriya wants to talk to all of us," he said. "He wants us to meet him in the other house. He's there already with Todoroki."

"That guy better have some fucking answers," Bakugou said, his voice a growl. Kirishima would not necessarily have said it in the same way, but he couldn't help agreeing with the idea.

xxxxxx

xxxxxx

Todoroki was ready for Bakugou's anger. He expected it. Deserved it, even.

He knew he should have told them all who he was immediately, and explained the risks associated with that information. That he had only told Midoriya, and only very recently, was unacceptable.

It wasn't going to make telling the others any easier.

"So who were they?" Bakugou asked, looming over him. Todoroki was seated at the kitchen table, Midoriya at his side; Kirishima hovered in the doorway, watching with obvious concern. "Why are there men going from town to town showing a wanted poster with your face on it, telling everyone you're dangerous?"

"I didn't see their faces, so I don't know who the men were," Todoroki said. He stopped and took a deep breath; he was being pedantic. He knew what Bakugou meant. "They were probably working for my father. My father is Endeavor," he added, watching Bakugou's face carefully.

A moment of blankness, and then, yes, there it was – the look he was waiting for: surprise, awe, maybe a little doubt too, and of course fear. Bakugou turned to Midoriya after a moment, his mouth set in a grim line. "I suppose you knew all this already."

"I-I knew that much, yes."

"Bakugou," Kirishima said, coming to stand behind him, "you know Todoroki's father?"

Bakugou sighed. "I know of him. I don't know him myself. He's the royal magician or something. Some bigwig who lives in the royal city…"

"Oh, I suppose that explains why Todoroki can use magic."

That had an immediate effect on Bakugou. "You knew, too?" he said, his voice too loud in the small house. "Everyone knew but me?"

It was the first time Todoroki had ever seen Bakugou yell at Kirishima, maybe the first time Bakugou had ever yelled at Kirishima, but the selkie didn't back down. "It was a secret. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," he said. "Even you."

"Everyone, listen." That was Midoriya, raising his voice to drown out the lovers' quarrel. "Calm down. We need to talk about this. Bakugou, Kirishima, can you sit down? Todoroki is going to tell us the whole story, and then we'll decide what to do about it."

"Shut up, Deku," Bakugou said, but he did as Midoriya had ordered, folding his arms against his chest and looking at Todoroki with narrowed eyes. Kirishima's face was still twisted up with worry, and Midoriya looked pale and tired. Todoroki wondered how he himself looked.

"There isn't much to tell," he began. "Like I said, my father is Endeavor, the royal magician. I was being trained to replace him someday – that was the idea. But I didn't want to. I hated it. So I ran away."

They looked at him after he finished. They were waiting for more, he realized. "That's it?" Bakugou said. "That can't be the whole story."

Well, it was and it wasn't, of course. Todoroki felt the "whole story" inside him still, tangled up and hidden impossibly deep, too deep to reach at the moment. He knew it wasn't fair to the others, but he also knew he wasn't able to tell it that day – not in front of all of them, not with nerves still making him feel like he was going to throw up. He'd been ready for an all-out battle against those two men, ready for them to look in the houses and see him and attack. They might have even been magic users too, but even if they were not, it might not have been a battle Todoroki would have won – particularly not with Midoriya and Kirishima so close, because it meant he couldn't be as reckless with his magic. The whole time they'd been talking to the men, Todoroki had been thinking of strategy: what to do if the strangers rushed him, if they took a captive, if they tried to flee to get reinforcements –

So his mind was still ramped up, his hands were still clammy, and he was in no mood to dissect himself just to explain his motives to Bakugou. "That is the whole story, actually," he said, careful to keep his voice level and his face blank. As he spoke the words, he watched something in Bakugou's expression close off – like in that very second a decision had been made, a door shut and locked.

"Either he leaves the village or I do," Bakugou said.

Midoriya and Kirishima turned to look at him, shocked, but Todoroki had been expecting something like this. He nodded. "I understand. I'll leave."

"But–!" Midoriya looked back and forth between them. "The men left. The danger's gone! Shouldn't it be okay for him to stay?"

"That's naïve," Todoroki said. "The fact that they've reached this far means that me being here at all is incredibly risky. If anyone else passes through – someone from Broadstem, for example – and they see me here, they'll probably report it and you'll be punished for aiding me. And I can't change my appearance with magic," he added, looking at Midoriya's hopeful expression. "Not for that long of a time, and not consistently. And no, I won't remain indoors exclusively either."

Midoriya opened his mouth, shut it again, and shook his head. Bakugou spoke: "Deku, you know he's right." The look he gave Todoroki was almost thankful, as if he was glad they weren't arguing more about it. "If I'd known he was on the run, I would have told him to leave sooner."

"That's probably why he didn't tell you," Midoriya said, glaring. He was angry at Bakugou, and Todoroki felt floored. Had the situation been flipped, he would have probably reacted like Bakugou, with distance and distrust. He had no idea how Midoriya could take Todoroki's side despite his secret-keeping and the danger to the others because of it.

"Midoriya," Todoroki said gently, or as close to gently as he could muster. "It's really best I don't stay, for my safety and for everyone else's. I need to keep moving."

"I'm coming with you, of course," Midoriya said quickly, as if he was afraid Todoroki had forgotten their conversation from a few days ago. "I don't care that you're being pursued."

Kirishima's gaze snapped to Midoriya. "What?"

"If Todoroki leaves, I'm not staying here," Midoriya said, raising his chin. "There's nothing left for me." He turned back to Todoroki. "Maybe we can leave a sign for the other possible survivors, a note or something. So if anyone comes back later, they know I survived too."

"Midoriya," Kirishima said, "you're leaving?" His tone was desperate, almost a whine, and Todoroki could tell he was torn. Kirishima had to make a choice between two humans he liked, and one he liked a lot more – it would not be easy for him.

Bakugou noticed his hesitation, too. "Kirishima," he said, his voice angry and pleading at the same time, "we don't have to stay here in the village, we can go back to the ocean – to Broadstem – to another city –"

Kirishima began to cry. Todoroki just watched, unable to offer any comfort, embarrassed for him yet somehow still finding it difficult to look away. "And what if I wanted to travel with them?" Kirishima asked Bakugou. "Would you come too?"

Todoroki braced himself for a flat "no," but Bakugou surprised him. "Come on, Kirishima," he said, his voice almost gentle. He closed his eyes, then opened them a second later and sighed. "Todoroki was just telling us about how dangerous it would be to stay near him. If they catch him, anyone with him would get punished too. Punished a lot worse than he would be, I'd bet." Bakugou snuck Todoroki a look that was almost guilty, but what he'd said was probably true, so Todoroki did not interrupt. "If he gets caught, whoever was helping him would be thrown in jail or killed."

"Midoriya doesn't care about that."

"He's risking nothing! He has nothing to lose."

Todoroki looked at Midoriya, but he did not seem to be offended. The implication of Bakugou's words was clear to Todoroki: He has nothing to lose, but I have you and you have me – right? Bakgou was questioning, hoping for a certain answer, not entirely sure he'd get it.

Luckily, at that moment Midoriya spoke up. "You don't have to decide this minute," he said to Kirishima. "Todoroki, when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning," he said. He didn't think Bakugou would let him stay longer than that.

"When are we leaving, I should say," Midoriya said, and shot Todoroki a smile. However sad the rest of the conversation was making him, the promise of Midoriya's companionship was a blessing. Todoroki was deeply glad not to be traveling alone.

"So you have until then to decide," Midoriya added, and rose. "I don't want to kick you out, but, I mean…"

"Yeah, yeah. We're leaving." Bakugou got to his feet, and Kirishima did the same a second later. They walked in silence back to their own house; Todoroki could only imagine the conversation they would be having shortly. He decided to stay away from them until they made a decision, because he wasn't sure he wanted to overhear any of it.

He had a lot to do, anyways. He had his things to pack, and he had to find his horse – she stayed in the general area of the village, but she'd wander up to a mile or two away from their house, grazing. Then he helped Midoriya prepare dinner, their last dinner together in that house for some time – quite possibly forever.

They were silent as they prepared it. Todoroki wondered if Midoriya was running the earlier conversation through his mind, over and over, wondering which way Kirishima and Bakugou would decide to go. Wondering if there was anything that could have been done differently.

"You don't have to come with me, you know," Todoroki said. He didn't want to seem like he was trying to convince Midoriya to stay – he wasn't – but he also didn't want them to be already on the road when Midoriya realized he'd made a mistake. "I wouldn't be offended. I would understand."

"Todoroki!" Midoriya seemed scandalized at the idea. "Stop telling me to change my mind unless you want me to!" He looked over at Todoroki. "Do you want –"

"No!" The amount Todoroki did not want Midoriya to change his mind surprised him. "No. I… I'm happy you're coming with me."

They said nothing more.

Todoroki knew the responsibility of informing Kirishima and Bakugou that dinner was ready would fall to him, and he dreaded it. He didn't want to walk in on them arguing or see Kirishima crying again. But, to his surprise, the two of them came to the house on their own, just before the food was ready. Todoroki knew from the smug expression on Bakugou's face what their decision was, but he said nothing, just waited for one of them to speak.

"I decided I'm going to stay with Bakugou," Kirishima said. His voice quavered a little, but he didn't sound like he was near tears, something Todoroki was grateful for. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, Kirishima," Midoriya said fondly, "don't be sorry! I knew you wouldn't be able to stay forever. This is probably for the best, anyways."

"Yeah," Kirishima said, not sounding completely convinced. "Yeah, I hope so."

"Dinner's ready," Midoriya said, and they sat down and ate in what had to be one of the most uncomfortable silences of all time.

Afterwards, Todoroki helped Midoriya pack his things. He was surprised at how few things either of them had. They wouldn't be able to ride his horse – not both of them and their bags – but she could carry their possessions easily. Todoroki knew he was out of shape, though, and wondered how hard the journey would be for them in that regard.

Later that evening, Kirishima came to say goodbye to Todoroki. They sat in front of the fire in Midoriya's house; Midoriya himself was doing something outside, Todoroki wasn't sure what.

"I'm sorry," Kirishima said again, and Todoroki wondered if it was eating him up, this guilt that he wasn't coming with them. He wondered how often before Kirishima had lost or been separated from people with whom he'd spent a lot of time. From what he'd said about selkie life, probably not often; probably this was the longest he'd spent with people besides Bakugou or his family.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Todoroki said. "It's a shame they came through. I wish they'd given up looking for me already."

"I hope they never catch you."

"Thanks. Me too."

"Will I ever see you again?"

Todoroki wasn't sure whether the "you" was him alone or he and Midoriya both. It didn't really matter; the answer was the same either way. "I don't know."

"If I want to find you, where will I go?"

"Don't try to find me," Todoroki said. "Not until Endeavor is no longer the royal magician. Keep your ear to the ground and listen for the news of that. Then you can find me. Bakugou will know where to go." He didn't particularly feel like explaining how to get to the palace, not right then.

"Alright." Kirishima looked at him directly, the light of the fire making his skin glow gold. He looked less sad now, and more resigned. "I wonder if I'm making the wrong decision."

"You aren't," Todoroki said. "Well, I don't think you are, at least. And Bakugou certainly doesn't think so."

"I hate this," Kirishima said softly, looking away. "It's really possible I might never see you again, and I have no way of knowing."

Todoroki didn't know what to say to that. It was true. It had hit him a long time ago, years ago; he was used to the comings and goings of those around him, used to those in his life leaving it without warning. But it hadn't been an easy lesson to learn, and he didn't envy Kirishima. Todoroki didn't want to try to reassure him with empty platitudes, so the two of them stared into the fire for a little while, wordless, until Kirishima heaved himself to his feet with a sigh.

"I'd better find Midoriya and say goodbye to him, too." He turned to Todoroki. "You two keep each other safe, alright?"

"If it's any reassurance, I am very good at magic."

For some reason that made Kirishima laugh. "Well, that's good." He paused a second, then jumped forward and gave Todoroki a hug. It lasted only a moment, and Todoroki didn't even have time to hug back before they'd separated. "Safe travels," he said, and actually ran out of the house.

It was bitter, that last night in the bed. In the end, Todoroki had never given it back to Midoriya. Now, of course, it no longer mattered. Starting the next night they'd both be sleeping on the ground, and the bed would only be a fond memory.

Todoroki thought it would take him a long time to fall asleep, but he was surprised at how exhausted he felt – and even more surprised to realize he would be able to sleep without any trouble. He tried to stay awake a little longer to plan a possible route in his head, but soon found himself drifting off. His last thought was one of happy surprise: he'd welcome all the rest he could get now, because, starting the next morning, their journey would be a long one.