A Tale of Two Heroes
I did research for what kind of vibe I wanted for Ryuuzan. I ended up basing the outside shape of the mountain and the stairs pretty heavily on the Mua cave in Vietnam as well as Tianmen mountain in China. I have aphantasia so I really need reference pictures sometimes.
I hope you enjoy this long-awaited chapter! Let me know if you liked it!
Chapter 5 – The Dragon King
Izuku had lived near mountains his entire life, but he had never ventured outside of his village to climb one before. He hadn't realized how tiring trekking uphill could be, especially during the dead of night when he normally would have been long asleep.
Luckily, Ryuuzan was not the tallest mountain he'd ever seen. He held on to his hope that it was possible to reach his destination and still return before his friends awoke. Despite being unfamiliar with the area, he was optimistic that he was going in the right direction. A single stairway cut through otherwise unstable and rocky terrain, the only sign of human civilization that Izuku could see. It led up toward the summit where he was sure to find the dragon king's hold.
Step by step, Izuku trudged up the endless line of white brick stairs that slithered up the mountain's surface, and he tried not to give in to the delirium of exhaustion. His resolve never wavered as he thought of the journey ahead of him and wondered what life on Ryuuzan was like.
Izuku had seen Aldera on a map plenty of times, but he didn't know much about the region. It was a large peninsula that stuck out from the northeastern tip of Musutafu. Despite its size, Izuku had spent most of his life thinking that it was mostly uninhabited. He'd always pictured Alderaans as barbarians who lived in shabby grass huts, their culture barely developed enough for them to have an understanding of how to use basic tools. However, from the beautiful craftsmanship of the polished white stone railing, and the stairs that reached so high that it must have taken seasons to construct, he could tell that whoever built it was very intelligent and nothing like he'd imagined.
A thousand questions flitted through Izuku's mind as he clambered higher and higher. Where did the Alderaans live? How many of them were there? Did they all have personal dragons? He had to know.
He only became acutely aware that he was muttering lowly to himself when he was unexpectedly struck silent.
A dark shadow passed through the sky above, eclipsing the moon. Izuku strained to see the flying object as it drew closer. He only had a moment to register the outline of an enormous, winged beast before he was barraged by an unnatural gust of wind from overhead. He threw his arms up to shield his eyes.
Before Izuku was able to process what was happening, a taloned leg wrapped securely around his torso, and he was jerked into the air in one swift movement. He lost all sense of direction as the ground fell out from underneath him, and his legs dangled uselessly in the air.
Izuku looked up, squinting to protect his eyes from green locks of hair in the wind. Despite the darkness of the night, and his limited view of the creature's underbelly, he was able to discern that a midnight black dragon had taken him into its grasp.
Izuku fought back a scream, his mind racing for a way to return himself to solid ground. The creature's wings propelled them further and further into the air, diminishing Izuku's hopes of escape. There was nothing he could do but hold on tightly to the dragon's foot and hope that it was taking him somewhere safe.
The apex of the mountain rushed toward him at an alarming rate. The entirety of his intended climb passed by in an instant. Izuku scanned the surface below for evidence of buildings or some kind of castle where the king might live, but he saw nothing. He frowned, confused. Had his map led him to the wrong mountain?
Without warning, Izuku's stomach lurched and wind rushed upward as the dragon began its descent. It dove straight at the mossy rock below, its speed increasing.
It wasn't stopping.
Izuku clenched his eyes shut. They were going to crash!
But the impact never came. Instead, the dragon glided easily into a hole that Izuku hadn't noticed, submerging them in darkness.
Then, unexpectedly, it released him. Izuku let out a little yelp, his body thudding against the ground. The sound echoed eerily throughout the dome-shaped cave. The dragon landed next to him, growling lowly. Izuku scrambled to his feet, backing away.
The only source of light in the cave was a sliver of moonlight that came from the hole in the ceiling where they had entered, high above. Izuku had no way of knowing where the dragon was, aside from its snarls and wet, heavy panting. He gulped, hoping that it hadn't taken him to its nest to be its next meal.
He strained his eyes in the dark, trying to search for an exit. When his efforts to see anything remained fruitless, he had an idea. He willed his sword back into his grasp, and the light brightened the entire cave for a brief moment.
Izuku blinked in surprise. The room had a table and chairs, even a few bookcases. A gigantic drapery hung on the wall, and a pile of furs that looked like a bed was tucked neatly into a corner.
As the magic light faded, Izuku's pulse pounded faster in alarm. There was something in the bed, and it had begun stirring.
"Who the fuck is sneaking into my kingdom at this hour?!" a voice roared.
Izuku quickly raised his sword, just in time to block the incoming blade of a scimitar. "I-I wasn't trying to s-sneak anywhere," he stammered.
"Bullshit!" The stranger yelled, too encased in shadow for Izuku to see them properly. "That guy found you in my territory!"
The dragon growled again, seemingly in agreement.
"I- well- yes," Izuku admitted. "I'm sorry for the late hour, but I need to speak with the dragon king! It's imperative that I see him tonight!"
The scimitar clashed against Izuku's sword again. Izuku was able to block it once more, but his opponent's strength proved to be too much. His sword skidded against the floor, out of reach.
In a fit of desperation, Izuku lunged at the man he couldn't see and pushed him to the ground. Weapons forgotten, they grappled and rolled, pushing against each other for dominance.
In the end, the stranger was victorious. He sat on Izuku, pinning both of his gloved hands to the floor.
"I'm the dragon king, you idiot," the man above him grumbled. "Who the fuck are you?"
"Nobody important," Izuku insisted quickly. He stopped struggling and relaxed back against the stone below. Moonlight illuminated his face. During their fight, they had managed to tumble partially under the skylight. "I was told that you know all that happens around here. I need your wise counsel for my-"
The king's grip abruptly tightened on him, hard enough to bruise. "What kind of fucking shapeshifter are you?" There was a hard edge to his voice that made Izuku's blood run cold.
Izuku was taken aback by the change in the king's demeanor. "Huh?"
A hand pulled back from Izuku's wrist and then erupted in yellow flames. In the light of the fire, a familiar face stared back at him, eyes harsh and unforgiving. Izuku's heart stopped.
"Kacchan?" he asked quietly, his voice full of awe. A gleeful laugh bubbled up from his chest. "Is that really you?"
He expected his long-lost childhood friend to be happy to see him again, but instead, Katsuki recoiled from him. He stood up, raising both hands into the air, flames at the ready.
"Kacchan," Izuku tried again desperately, bracing for an attack, "it's me, Midoriya Izuku! It's been a long time, but do you remember me? You taught me how to use a sw-"
Katsuki threw his arms forward and expelled fire toward several candles all over the room, lighting all of them at once so that they could finally see each other properly.
Izuku averted his eyes politely when he saw that Katsuki was only wearing a leather loincloth. They settled instead on the giant dragon that was curled up in a corner of the room, watching him intently. It yawned, its monstrous teeth on display for all to see. Izuku gulped.
Katsuki's whole body shook, fists clenched. "The fucking audacity. You dare torture me with this? 'Course I remember Deku." His voice wavered, seething with anger. Izuku looked back at him and saw a flicker of pain in his eyes. "But he's dead, so who the fuck are you?"
Izuku sat up, blinking in confusion. "I-I'm not dead." Then, taking in Katsuki's serious expression and cautious stance, it hit him all at once. "Is that- is that what you thought happened, all this time?"
"The amount of blood," Katsuki hissed adamantly. "His hands."
Izuku stood up, pulling at his gloves and slipping them off one by one as he approached. "You remember that my mom is an herbalist? She was there. She healed me as soon as you left."
"Impossible," Katsuki growled, though he didn't look so sure anymore.
Izuku held out his hands, showing off his scars. His heart pounded in his chest, and he fought the urge to hide. He felt strangely naked.
Katsuki grabbed at his arms brutishly, inspecting them at every angle. "It makes no goddamn sense," he muttered. "You're an idiot. You died like an idiot."
"The magic of surgery, I guess," Izuku said with a shrug.
"Surgery?" Katsuki asked skeptically. "I don't know that kind of magic."
"Oh… I guess I never mentioned it. It's… kind of a type of advanced medicine," Izuku explained weakly.
Katsuki sighed and released his hands, allowing Izuku to hastily shove his gloves back on. "Only Deku would spout such nerdy nonsense."
Izuku grinned, glad that Katsuki had finally come to his senses. "I'm so glad to see you again, Kacchan. I never imagined that you'd be the dragon king."
Katsuki raised an eyebrow. "Then why the hell're you here?"
"I'm on a quest," Izuku explained. "I need to figure out how to cure a demon, and I heard you might know how to find some of them."
Katsuki grimaced. "So? S'got nothing to do with me. Why the fuck would I help someone this late at night, especially you?"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Izuku asked, trying not to be offended.
"I didn't need saving back then," Katsuki said, "and I don't owe shit to you now."
"I never said you did," Izuku replied angrily. "I came here expecting… I don't know what I was expecting." His encounter with Hawks flashed through his mind as he searched for a way to explain the situation. Then, suddenly, everything clicked.
Hawks was right. Katsuki was the one person he trusted. He had to show him the sword.
"I have an early morning tomorrow," Katsuki grunted. "You're lucky I didn't roast you on sight. I should have my dragons toss you back down the mountain where you belong." He turned around, and the black dragon raised its head in interest.
Izuku grabbed Katsuki's bicep. Katsuki scowled, looking him up and down. No one but his dragons ever dared to touch him like that.
"Wait…" Izuku said. "I can explain."
Katsuki pulled away and crossed his arms impatiently.
"You can't tell anyone about this," Izuku warned. He reached out and called the sword to him. It appeared instantly.
Katsuki jumped into a fighting stance on instinct, confused by the unexpected display of magic. "What the-?"
Izuku pulled at the cloth he'd wrapped securely around the hilt of his blade. After it finally came loose, the symbol of the legendary sword was revealed.
Katsuki's eyes widened in surprise. Izuku had expected him to be impressed. Instead, he frowned skeptically, staring back at him with calm intensity for a long moment.
"So, you're here to bring me my sword?" he finally asked.
Izuku blinked, stunned by the unexpected question.
"Uh… no," he answered. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain how he acquired the sword without revealing Toshinori's secret as well. "It- it's mine."
Katsuki snorted derisively. "Don't remember you being funny," he said without laughing. "Now, hand it over."
He snatched the sword right out of Izuku's hands. Izuku shouted in surprise, shoving Katsuki in an effort to wrangle it back. Katsuki held him back with his free hand, barely phased.
However, as soon as Katsuki lifted the sword to inspect it, it returned to Izuku, its true master. Katsuki howled in annoyance, shoving him away.
"It's too late to deal with this shit," he groaned. "Sleep now, talk in the morning."
"What? No!" Izuku's thoughts raced to understand what he did wrong. He had shown his sword to the king, exactly as Hawks had said. "I need to-"
"S'fine. I'll get my sword in the morning." Katsuki turned to the dragon, ignoring Izuku's protests. "Hey, you. Escort Deku to his quarters."
The dragon stretched lazily, knocking a book off of the table with its outstretched wing. Then, slowly, it stood up and trudged over to the drapery on the wall, taking a portion of the cloth into its mouth and pulling. It slid to the side on a pulley mechanism to reveal a hidden path in the rock behind it.
Izuku dismissed his sword, shivering with excitement when he realized that he was being led further into the mountain. How extensive were the tunnels? How were they formed? His mind was buzzing with the possibilities.
Katsuki turned around in disinterest, already trudging back into his mess of furs to sleep.
Izuku wanted to argue, but a wave of exhaustion overtook him, and it didn't look like the king was offering him a way back down the mountain anytime soon.
Admittedly, he didn't want to say goodbye to Katsuki again either.
He bent down to pick up the book on the floor, but his heart skipped when he saw the cover. It was his childhood collection of Sir Yagi stories, the one he'd used to teach Katsuki how to read all those seasons ago.
He looked back at Katsuki, a small smile on his face.
Katsuki didn't notice.
With a wave of the king's hand, the fire extinguished from all the candles in the room, leaving them in pitch darkness. "Move that partition back after you're done," he ordered.
The dragon growled at Izuku impatiently.
Izuku did as he was told, placing the book on the table before stepping out of the king's quarters and pulling the heavy cloth back into place.
He looked back to see that the dragon had already eagerly stomped down the curved path ahead and out of view. Beams of moonlight guided his way as he headed after it, streaming from evenly placed circular holes in the rock. He wished for more time to peer through them and look at the scenery below, but the dragon's pace was unrelenting.
Eventually, the creature came to a stop in front of another drapery and looked at Izuku expectantly. Izuku pulled it aside, creaking wheels echoing in the silence of the night.
He was met with the sight of a small room containing only a lone nest of furs. After the dragon left, its job done, Izuku closed the room off once more and collapsed into the pile.
As he drifted to sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of his childhood friend, imagining his life as the dragon king. Despite Katsuki's disapproval of what had happened in their past, Izuku was glad that he'd jumped in to save his friend's life, now more than ever. Katsuki had grown up to be someone amazing and important, just as Izuku had always known he would be.
He fell asleep peacefully, dreaming of fighting, flying, and laughter.
Izuku shifted in his sleep uncomfortably. It was hard to breathe. There was something that he needed to do, but he couldn't remember what it was. It weighed on his chest, choking him. He needed to remember. He had to-
Izuku jolted awake and came face to face with a dragon whelp with pink, iridescent scales. It sat on his chest, flicking its forked tongue and staring at him curiously.
Izuku grinned. Last night hadn't been a dream after all.
He sat up and stretched, forcing the small creature to hop off of him. It scurried underneath the drapery, before poking its head back inside and peering at him, its tongue hanging out.
Izuku smiled, somehow understanding that it wanted him to follow it. It slithered away, and Izuku quickly scrambled to chase after it, flinching at the immediate burst of sunlight when he exited the room.
The dragon padded down the hallway and led him up a flight of stairs, flapping its little wings to help lift its tiny, plump body over each step.
It wasn't long until Izuku heard the sound of human voices. The dragon led him straight toward them until they reached a giant atrium.
Izuku peered his head around the corner and gasped. The first thing that he noticed was a jagged gash in the ceiling that opened up to the sky. Dragons of every shape and size flew in and out at their own leisure. Some were lounging on protrusions on the wall above. Others were playing or squabbling over food below.
Katsuki sat on a raised platform at the center of it all in a manner that was unbefitting of his station, one of his feet propped up on the fur seat of his elaborately-carved throne. He leaned on the armrest with a sour expression on his face.
A man with pointy red hair stood on his right-hand side, looking much more friendly. Izuku blushed at the open vest he wore, the red bandana around his neck barely obscuring his exposed skin. He wondered if all the men in Aldera walked around without shirts all day. It seemed so indecent.
"But the dragons have overtaken another cavern, your majesty," an old man rasped, standing before the two men at the foot of the platform. "We're running out of places we can call our own."
"And?" Katsuki asked impatiently.
"Well," the man continued, "no one can handle them like you can, sir. I understand that you've ordered them not to attack us, but they can get… disagreeable."
"Out with it, then, what are you proposing?" Katsuki demanded.
"It has been generations since someone in Ryuuzan has had magic that can shape stone," the man continued, "but more than ever, I think it's important to return to our roots. We need to expand."
"And I said not to ask me again," Katsuki growled. "It's annoying hearing the same thing over and over."
"My granddaughter's magic has just presented," the man continued.
The red-haired man grinned, revealing rows of pointy teeth. "Mimi finally got her powers? That's great! She was such a late bloomer. I worried for the kid."
"Yes," the man said. "She has the gift of hearing. With the echoing of a single sound, she can see the inner workings of the mountain. There will be no risk of collapse if she-"
"So, you're here to force your agenda on a child?" Katsuki interrupted, eyes narrowed.
The old man must have answered, but Katsuki stopped listening. Instead, his attention snapped over to Izuku, who finally inched further into the room.
For a moment, Katsuki forgot how to breathe. He had almost convinced himself that the night before had been a dream. He took in the freckles and green curls, frowning incredulously. If not for the proof standing in front of him, he would have never believed it.
But it was true. Izuku was alive.
Izuku had grown to be a man since the last time they'd met, but he still had the same distinct baby face. He looked around Katsuki's throne room, eyes shining with curiosity and wonder. Katsuki knew that expression too well.
It pissed him off.
"Stop standing there like a creep and get in here already, Deku!" he shouted.
Everyone in the room turned to look at the source of the king's agitation. Even a few dragons stopped to see what the fuss was about.
Izuku flinched at the attention. The pink dragon, asleep on his shoulder even though it was a little too big to rest there comfortably, began to slide off at the sudden jolt. Izuku reached up to hold it in place as he scuttled across the room toward the king and his subjects.
"Who is this?" the red-haired man asked, flashing a welcoming smile at Izuku.
"An annoyance of my past," Katsuki answered coldly before Izuku could. He turned back to the old man. "If your granddaughter wants to work so damn bad, then she can come to me herself. Now get out of my sight!"
The man shot Izuku an annoyed look for interrupting but left without another word.
Izuku wasn't bothered by the less than warm welcome. "I'm Midoriya Izuku," he said with a bow toward the man he didn't know.
The dragon on his shoulder lost its balance again, tumbling to the floor. It huffed and trotted away to find a better place to nap.
"Kirishima Eijirou," the man answered, watching him curiously. "How do you know the king?"
"We were-" Izuku began.
"During my trial," Katsuki answered gruffly. "Wasted my time teaching him how to fight."
"Even if you think it was a waste of time, I'm grateful that you did," Izuku replied.
Katsuki's scowl deepened.
"But uh… I really should be on my way back. My friends must be worried about me by now," Izuku continued. "I only have one question, and then I'll leave, I swear."
"You're not leaving until you give me what is mine," Katsuki insisted.
Eijirou looked between the two of them, confused.
Izuku sighed. If Hawks had sent him up the mountain with the intention of getting him to give up his sword, then the entire trip had been a waste of his time.
"It's not yours," he shot back defiantly. "Ask me for anything else. Just, please, I need to know about the demons around here."
Eijirou perked up at something Izuku said. "Oh, is he coming with us, then?" he asked his king.
"We're not going today," Katsuki said simply.
Eijirou's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What? But Mina and I packed already and everything."
"I need to take care of this," Katsuki insisted.
Eijirou and Katsuki shared a look as if they could communicate in ways other than words. After a moment, Eijirou nodded.
"Good. Now watch over my throne," Katsuki demanded. He stepped down to Izuku's level. "You. Come with me."
Izuku followed him without protest, knowing Katsuki well enough to understand that challenging him would only make it worse.
Katsuki wasted no time, his strides so long that Izuku almost had to run to keep up. He stomped silently through the stone halls, his red cape billowing behind him as he went.
Something on Katsuki's upper arm, just below the fluttering fur collar of his cape, caught Izuku's eye. It was a simple tribal tattoo with lines that curled around a number 1… or maybe it was a letter I. Izuku couldn't be sure. He opened his mouth to ask about it, dying to end the awkward silence.
Instead, he was struck dumb as they stepped out into the open air once again. Izuku gawked, looking out over a bustling bazaar. Shopkeepers beckoned customers to their covered stalls, and children chased each other over the wooden bridges that crisscrossed in every direction. Booths lined the walls, stacked on top of each other, ladders connecting platform to platform. Somehow the Alderaans had managed to wedge dozens of shops into a fissure in the mountainside, filling the small space as much as possible.
Katsuki didn't bother to check to see if Izuku was still behind him. The wood creaked below his feet as he crossed to the other side of the chasm, leading them even higher.
"Where are you taking me?" Izuku finally asked, discouraged by their upward trajectory. "I hope it's a way down this mountain, because I don't have time to-"
"Shut up!" Katsuki shouted, grabbing an apple from a nearby stall. "Forgot that you're so fucking annoying."
"Good morning, King Katsuki," the merchant said, waving at him.
Izuku was surprised by the genuine smile that blossomed on her face, despite Katsuki's unconcealed thievery. He supposed though, as king, Katsuki was able to take whatever he wanted.
Katsuki nodded in her direction and reached for the dimly lit paper lantern that hung above her stall. It came to life, the light inside radiating an unnatural yellow glow.
"That'll last four revolutions of the sun. Don't waste it," he said.
"Oh, thank you, sir!" she called. "Pleasure doing business with you."
Katsuki ignored her, taking a crunchy bite out of the apple and continuing up the next flight of stairs.
A little girl ran down the steps toward them, bobbing and weaving past anyone in her way. She wasn't quick enough to dodge Katsuki and bumped into him hard. Katsuki grabbed the handrail with his free hand, steadying himself.
"Watch it!" he shouted.
Izuku shrunk back and hoped that Katsuki showed her mercy. He'd heard stories of King Todoroki doing awful things to those that showed him disrespect. Even people who looked at him wrong were sometimes jailed.
"King Katsuki!" the girl exclaimed, her face lighting up. "I thought you'd left already!"
"Not yet, brat," he replied. "Something came up." He loudly took another bite of the apple.
"Good. I was worried that I would miss you," the girl said, relief evident on her face. "I leave for my trial soon. When I return… I want to challenge you."
Katsuki snorted and ruffled her hair. "I'd like to see you try. Better prepare yourself, 'cause I'm not holding back. I plan to stay king until I die."
The girl nodded, a fiery determination in her eyes. "Yes, sir."
Izuku watched the exchange with admiration. He could tell that Katsuki's subjects really loved and respected him. It made sense that a culture willing to send their children into the world on their own for a 'Trial of Strength' would value Katsuki's ferocity and abrasiveness, but it was more than that. Katsuki was genuine and fair. It was obvious that he truly cared for his people.
Izuku looked over the handrail, peering down at the sea of people bartering goods below. He blushed at a couple that was kissing passionately, unashamed, even in the middle of the crowd. There was no way that anyone would do something like that where he was from.
He looked away, trying not to stare.
It was easy to focus on everything unusual about the Alderaans. The way they dressed, the mountain they lived in, even the way they moved seemed strange. However, fundamentally, Izuku knew that they weren't that different.
"Hurry up!" Katsuki barked from the top of the stairs. He tossed the apple core into the air, and one of the dragons hovering above dove to seize it.
Izuku snapped out of his thoughts and ran to catch up with him. As soon as he reached the top, Katsuki whirled around and towered over him menacingly.
"Steal anything and you die," he growled.
Izuku nodded quickly, not really sure what Katsuki was talking about but not daring to disagree.
Katsuki turned and led them through another passage into the mountain.
As soon as they entered the cave, they were plunged into darkness. Izuku would have sworn that all of his senses had stopped working if not for the patter of dripping water and the echoes of their footfalls. He held his hands out in front of himself blindly, feeling through the air and narrowly avoiding knocking into a few stalagmites.
He wondered why Katsuki had opted not to guide the way with his dragonfire. As far as Izuku knew, it wasn't like regular fire that could choke the air out of someone's lungs in an enclosed space. Dragonfire was magic, and dragons used it in caves all the time.
"Stay quiet," the king hissed as if he could hear Izuku's loud thoughts, even though he hadn't actually made a sound. "It'll be a pain if you disturb her with your nerdy mumbling."
Izuku gulped at the implication that they weren't alone and nodded, though he felt silly after he realized that Katsuki couldn't see the gesture. He concentrated on keeping himself silent, shamefully aware that he often had no control over his own words.
He trailed as close behind Katsuki as he dared, not wanting to lose him in the never-ending abyss. It was hard to resist the urge to reach out and touch the man in front of him, to grasp onto something solid and reassure himself of his existence. Izuku held back nonetheless, knowing that Katsuki wouldn't have appreciated the unwarranted physical contact.
Everything was so painfully still that Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden clinking of a few coins drizzling against the floor.
"Shit," Katsuki muttered, coming to a stop. His hand shot out in front of Izuku, keeping him from walking any further.
Before Izuku could react, a yellow glow lit the entire cavern, answering all his questions in a single moment. He gasped, unable to believe his eyes.
Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and more floated in an ocean of gold. Izuku had heard that dragons were hoarders, but he never could have fathomed the extent of it. Even just one of the stones in that cave would have bought his mother a comfortable life for the rest of her days. He thought of all the poor, starving people in the country that he could help with just a fraction of what he saw before him.
The treasure sparkled ethereally in the yellow-hued light, but Izuku froze when he realized that it wasn't coming from Katsuki as he'd assumed. A giant blue dragon lay on top of one of the piles of coins, its cold eyes fixed on Izuku. Its neck glowed brightly as if it was about to spit fire at any moment.
Izuku lowered his gaze and kept his hands firmly at his sides, determined to prove that he wasn't a threat.
"Dammit, the whelps are finally hatching," Katsuki grumbled. "Fucking perfect timing."
Izuku followed his line of sight to see two speckled eggs nestled in the gold near their mother. One of them was moving, its exterior cracking little by little to reveal a tiny blue head.
Izuku's mouth hung open in awe.
"Don't even think about it," Katsuki scolded him, though Izuku hadn't done anything. "Hurry up. We'll take the other shortcut."
Izuku looked longingly at the eggs, but a glance back at the mother's threatening stare made him realize that Katsuki was right. It was best to leave them alone. They turned back the way they came, away from the mother's intimidating glow, and returned to darkness.
Katsuki led Izuku toward more stairs, and they hiked upward in silence. Luckily, however, they didn't have to climb for much longer before they reached their destination.
They stepped out onto white stone, and Izuku immediately recognized the stairway that he'd ascended the night before. They stood on an observation deck at the very top, overlooking the east.
"You see all that?" Katsuki asked, eyes fixed on the horizon. "That's Aldera. It's all mine."
Izuku leaned over the railing to get a better look and was struck breathless at the view. Blue sky was reflected in the water contained in hundreds of terraced rice paddies down the side of the mountain, soon ready to be drained and harvested for the autumn season.
The people living their lives in the farmland below were as small as ants, and a larger village could be seen curled around a winding river toward the north. Past the horizon, he could even see the ocean if he squinted, and it filled him with excitement. He'd never seen the ocean before.
"It's incredible," Izuku replied, though the words didn't feel like they were enough.
His eye was drawn to a strange area where the scenery was drastically different. The expanse of land was dreary and withered, a dark cloud hovering over hundreds of deep craters. A volcano sat in the midst of it, oozing glowing red lava that Izuku could see even from a distance. It made him a little uneasy.
He turned to ask Katsuki about it, but he was struck by the strange look on his childhood friend's face. Katsuki was watching him carefully, almost calculatingly, like a predator stalking its prey.
"I'd been alive for barely fifteen cycles when I became king, the youngest in history," Katsuki continued. "Pretty good for the homeless little whelp you knew, huh?"
Izuku frowned, confused. He was suddenly struck with the uncanny feeling that Katsuki was showing off on purpose. Why had they walked so long just to arrive at some random spot at the top of the mountain? The king could have easily called for a dragon to fly them there in an instant.
"What are we doing here, Kacchan?" he asked, tense.
Katsuki grimaced and stepped closer. "The sword's gotta realize that I'm better than you by now, right? I'm the chosen one. It should stop wasting my time and become mine already."
Izuku chose his words carefully. "I never said that I was the legendary hero. I don't know if I ever will be," he admitted, "but I'm sorry. I can't give up on my dream either. I need this sword, more than you could ever know."
Katsuki bristled. "What does a little nerd like you need it for? Tch. I doubt you could even rescue one whiny little princess in a tower, much less the whole kingdom. You're nothing but a side character in my legend. Even the Symbol of Peace will be nothing compared to me. Now give me the sword before I blast you to pieces."
"No," Izuku said, standing tall and puffing out his chest.
He didn't bother to explain to Katsuki that the sword could only be given freely, never taken. Toshinori had made it very clear that if Izuku died without passing the sword on to a successor, One For All would be lost forever. Izuku was just glad that Katsuki was too focused on taking the sword for himself to bother asking about how Izuku had acquired it in the first place.
Fire engulfed Katsuki's clenched fists. "Hah? You reckless little shit. I'll kill you and pry it from your cold, dead hands!"
Izuku barely dodged the blast in time. "Killing me won't make you a hero. Do you seriously think that will make the sword choose you? You're better than that, Kacchan."
Katsuki unsheathed his scimitar in one swift motion and swung at Izuku. "You got it somehow, so it can't be that hard," he retorted.
The Deku sword manifested in time to block every blow, causing Katsuki to snarl in frustration.
Izuku wracked his brain for a way to placate him. There had to be something that Katsuki wanted other than the sword.
While he was distracted, Katsuki tripped him, catching him off guard with a parry that Izuku always tended to fall for when they were kids. Katsuki constantly used to scold him for thinking so much during battle and reacting to his opponent too slowly. Some things never changed.
Izuku hit the rough stone below but refused to cry out in pain.
Katsuki crawled on top of him, pinning him to the ground just as he had the night before. To Katsuki's chagrin, the other boy didn't struggle, clearly not taking their fight seriously.
"Wait!" Izuku exclaimed instead, suddenly struck with an idea. "Demons are a problem for you, right? Come with us on our quest! We can help you get rid of them."
Katsuki groaned. "You still going on about that?"
"Yeah!" Izuku said, becoming more and more sure of himself as he spoke. "It'll be great. You can help us find a cure, and we'll help you defeat them so they never bother you again."
Katsuki glared down at Izuku, indignant that his opponent was able to act so carefree even while he was being restrained against the ground in submission.
He seized Izuku's sword and held it up to the sky, but he might as well not have even tried. It was back in place a moment later.
Katsuki released Izuku and stood up, fuming.
"Why the hell do you need to cure a demon so damn bad anyway?" he asked. "You've obviously never met one or you'd be fine just killing it."
"I… uh. Well, it's kind of my first knight's quest," Izuku said. He composed himself and stood up as well, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. "There's someone I need to help."
Katsuki watched as the legendary sword he'd been coveting for so long disappeared into thin air once again, so close yet so far.
"You're a knight now?" he asked in disbelief, feigning disinterest.
Izuku blushed. "Uh… not exactly. Maybe, if I do well on this first quest."
Katsuki smirked at him, not surprised that a weakling like Izuku hadn't proven himself yet. Then, after a beat of silence, he crossed his arms and sighed.
"All demons piss me off, but there's one in particular that's a pain in my ass," he finally admitted. "So self-righteous, calling me a 'false' chosen one. What do I care about the stupid 'Knight Killer' Stain they all worship so much?"
"Stain? Isn't that the demon that appeared at court one day and threatened to hurt Queen Rei?" Izuku asked, confused. "Sir Yagi killed him before we were even born."
"Yeah, well, they still won't shut up about him, going on and on about his ideas of justice and corrupt kings like I give a shit," he grumbled. "They raid my people just to piss me off. I'm sick of it."
"Great!" Izuku said, relieved that he was finally getting somewhere.
Katsuki raised an eyebrow.
"I mean… not 'great,' but… I-I just meant, um… my friends and I can help!" Izuku stammered.
Katsuki watched him struggle, unimpressed, considering his plea for a long moment.
At last, he spoke. "I don't need your damn help. As soon as I get my hands on that sword, I'm leaving."
"So, you'll come?" Izuku lit up like the sun. "Thank you, Kacchan! You're amazing!"
Katsuki turned away, unable to stare at him for too long. He gazed toward the sky, frowning when he spotted a great, lilac purple dragon headed in their direction.
Izuku gaped at the creature. It seemed different from other dragons he'd seen before, its appearance and bumpy skin more akin to a gecko than a dragon's usual sharp features and ridged scales. Strange yellow filaments protruded from its head like antlers, flopping in the wind as it descended onto the landing.
"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" Katsuki barked.
The dragon growled, the same noise the black one had made the night before when it had Izuku in tow.
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Fantastic. More fucking trespassers."
Izuku stood at attention. "How many of them? Two boys and a girl?" he asked hurriedly.
Katsuki ignored him.
The dragon lowered itself, allowing Katsuki to climb onto the swell of its back. It stared at Izuku with thin, vertical pupils.
"Get on," the king demanded.
Izuku couldn't scramble on top of it fast enough, almost giddy at the honor. He sat in front of Katsuki, who wrapped an arm around him firmly.
Izuku knew that he was a novice who was likely to fall off without support, but his heartbeat still stuttered at the contact. He found himself leaning into the touch.
The dragon's wings spread out on either side of them, and they were lifted into the sky.
The sensation was much different from his only other experience with flying, when he had dangled aimlessly in the air, scared and confused. He looked out over Aldera in amazement, unable to stifle a laugh.
The wind in his air and warmth on his back filled him with exhilaration. He couldn't believe his luck. Nothing had ever felt more right.
Slowly, he was starting to believe that dreams really did come true after all.
Izuku was relieved to see that, despite their predicament, all of his friends were safe and sound. They kneeled at the foot of Katsuki's throne, hands tied behind their backs. A cluster of Alderaan guards stood around them, one holding tight to Touya's reins.
The dragon descended through the hole in the ceiling and glided safely in front of them. Tenya was the first to notice that Izuku was on its back. His mouth hung open in shock.
"Midoriya!" he shouted. "Have you been captured too?"
"Are you alright?" Ochako asked frantically, tugging at her restraints. "Did they hurt you?"
Katsuki glowered at them, untangling himself from Izuku the instant that they landed.
Izuku slid off of the dragon and ran toward his friends.
"I'm fine!" he promised. "I'm sorry to make you worry." He immediately bent down to undo the rope from around Shouto's wrists.
One of the Alderaans moved to intervene, but Katsuki motioned for them to stop.
Shouto watched Izuku with an unreadable expression. "Glad to have you back," he said quietly.
The crowd parted to make way for Katsuki's path up to the throne. "Commander Tatsuma, all of you, leave," he grunted.
A woman who had a large headpiece of dragon claws attached to her head nodded and motioned to the others to follow her. Several of the guards shot Izuku curious glances, but no one said a word.
The group dispersed, leaving only three.
Izuku recognized Eijirou, but there was also another man and woman that he didn't know. A single glance told him that they had to be Katsuki's parents. The man resembled Katsuki to some extent, but the woman, in particular, looked exactly like him, even down to the short, spiky blonde hair.
"Where the hell have you been?" she screamed. "I thought you were heading to Tartarus and leaving me in charge this morning. Turns out you were just gallivanting around while we dealt with outsiders by ourselves."
Katsuki slumped down onto his seat, looking down at them all from atop the platform. "I don't have to explain anything, especially to you, you old hag!"
"Luckily, we did just fine without you, though," Katsuki's father pointed out, laying a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. "Right, Mitsuki?"
She pursed her lips at him angrily but seemed to calm down at his touch.
Eijirou nodded. "The girl is a witch, so that was a problem, but we managed to subdue them all in the end." He beamed and flexed a muscle to prove his point.
Ochako sighed shamefully.
Izuku finished untying his friends and stood up tall. "Sorry that we bothered you, but we mean no harm. My name is Midoriya Izuku." He turned to Ochako, Tenya, and Shouto, who all seemed bewildered. The hall fell quiet as he motioned toward the king. "Guys, I'd like you to meet someone. This is my old friend, Bakugou Katsuki."
He looked up at Katsuki with pleading eyes, hoping that he wouldn't reveal his secret about the sword.
Katsuki said nothing.
"Midoriya, you know one of these-?" Tenya held his tongue. He was smart enough to catch himself from saying anything more, but Izuku knew he was about to call Katsuki a barbarian.
"Uh, yes, actually," Izuku said quickly, eager to move the conversation along. "I knew him when I was younger, but since then it seems that he's become... he's now... the dragon king."
Ochako and Tenya jolted in surprise, both seeing Katsuki in a new light. Tenya stiffened and bowed low. Ochako and Shouto followed suit.
Before anyone could say another word, their attention was drawn to the purple dragon. Izuku and his friends all stood there, dumbfounded, as its entire body morphed, reforming and shrinking into the form of a human girl. At least, she appeared to be human. Her skin and short hair were pink and there were two curled, yellow horns that protruded from her head, so Izuku couldn't be sure.
"Blasty has friends?" she cackled. "Who knew?"
"Shut up!" Katsuki yelled, his fists smoking.
The girl glanced at Eijirou standing next to her, and they both chuckled.
"Care to explain why these people are here, brat?" Mitsuki asked accusingly.
Katsuki sighed. "We're leaving for Tartarus after all," he answered. "These people are coming with us."
Izuku's friends all turned to look at him. He nodded in confirmation. "He knows where the demons are. I got him to agree to show us," he explained quietly.
"Hell yeah!" the pink girl yelled, pumping a fist in the air. "Adventure time!"
"That's unlike you to invite others, bro. You sure?" Eijirou asked, brow furrowed.
Katsuki shrugged. "If they wanna fight a demon so bad, then by all means."
Eijirou grinned. "Then, nice to meet you all," he called out to the outsiders cheerfully. "I'm Kirishima Eijirou, and this is my wife, Ashido Mina."
The pink girl waved cheerfully. "Hi everyone!"
"My name is Iida Tenya," the knight replied, leaving off his title for fear of his unpopularity ruining their quest.
"I-I'm Uraraka Ochako," the witch stammered, intimidated by Katsuki's cold stare. "N-Nice to meet you."
"Aizawa Shouta," Shouto lied. His hood was down, but they were lucky that none of the Alderaans appeared to recognize him.
Katsuki looked between them all, patience growing thin.
"Yeah, yeah, we've wasted enough daylight as it is," he said, standing up. "We going or not?"
Izuku looked around at everyone, grinning as the eagerness on their faces mimicked his own.
"Yeah," he said. "Let's get going then."