In a Den of Predators
Full Summary: Crowned Prince Izuku in order to retain order and relieve the imperial court's fear of him being the last heir to the Yuuei Dynasty, lest the Empire that held strong for 9 generations falls to the hands of the Tyrant King; All for One...
Is being arranged to marry the beautiful Momo Yaoyorozu heiress, making her his Princess Consort. If things were simple for Izuku it would've stopped at her, but then dangerous situations call for desperate measures and now he's gaining a new wife almost every other month!
This would be fine for the crowned prince…if his growing harem didn't have spiritual animal manifestations of predators…predators that are natural enemies to rabbits! Because when you're born with a prey animal spirit that comes with many connotations attached to it, that's the least of your problems…Izuku…Izuku is going to have to get used to this if he wants to ascend the throne one day…or die trying!
Author's Note: Hello, this story is already posted up on AO3 but I'm also posting here too. See if I'll get more views or comments. I want to clear up some things before you dive into the story if this is your first time reading.
First: This is very much a heavily influenced fantasy with elements close to ancient imperial eastern dynasties. It is also very historically inaccurate. There are also elements of some modern technology present which would make sense, given certain characters' quirks. There is some western influences as well, like with the army, but again, don't expect it to be 1:1.
Second: This is a Harem Story. Yes I already have a list of girls in the harem, no I am not considering adding more, with the exception of a few more but that is up in the air, unless I can create a reason for why they should be in the harem.
In order of how they will mostly come: Momo Yaoyorozu, Kyouka Jirou, Itsuka Kendou, Mina Ashido, Mei Hatsume, Setsuna Tokage, Yui Kodai, Female!Shouto Todoroki, Ochako Uraraka.
Third: Imperial Harem Rankings: Because Emperors had so many concubines and different ways of ranking them at certain periods of time, I just made things simple for the sake of this fanfic.
List: Empress/Princess Consort, 1st Royal Consort, 2nd Noble Consort, 3rd Virtuous Consort, 4th Imperial Concubine, 5th Honorable Concubine, 6th Noble Companion, 7th Sincere Attendant
Fourth: This story is a slow burn romance story as well as a gradual worldbuilding story; so if that's not your cup of tea, well you've been told.
Fifth: Quirks are still present, now with the addition of people having spirit animals. One for All works a little different here.
Sixth: That should wrap up most of what I want to say before letting you move on. If you have any further questions, you can PM me. Also, updates are sporadic. The only reason you're getting a whopping 45K story is because I decided to add the first three chapters all at once here on ffnet.
Chapter I – The Hanged Man
Prologue
Many generations ago, before the Great Dynasty of Yuuei was formed, many factions and small kingdoms battled to expand their empires and sought control of the lands. In this world predicated on survival of the fittest, humans asserted their dominance, not only with gifted powers, unique to each individual, called quirks, but also the spiritual animal form they are born with, taking on the mannerisms and even strengths and weaknesses of that animal. Naturally, those with predatory animal spirits are seen as the more dominant while those with a spirit tied to prey are seen as inferior.
One such kingdom vying for power, had been expanding their influence over many, the home of two brothers, heirs to their growing empire. They became known as All for One and One for All.
The eldest of the two, garnered the reputation of; All for One, The Tyrant Prince, and The Dragon Devourer. A powerful warlord prince with the spirit of a white dragon, he basked in the glory of conquest and the thrill of slaughtering his enemies, taking their powers for himself.
The younger brother, One for All, was a frail man in comparison. Despite his spirit being that of a black dragon, he was born ill. He was diplomatic compared to his brother and had no true powers to speak of, other than his useless ability to stockpile power he was unable to use.
The two brothers vied to ascend the throne. Though One for All was the favorite among the people, there wasn't much he could do to stop his elder brother from taking the throne by force. When All for One murdered their parents over ascension of the throne, proclaiming himself as king, the younger brother finally made the decision to put an end to his brother's tyranny.
Gathering the might of the strongest men loyal to him, the younger brother waged war against All for One. The brother did his best to learn more of his powers and what he could do with it before confronting his brother. Then one day he discovered his seemingly useless power was worth something. Knowing that even if by some miracle he were to defeat The Dragon Devourer, using his power just one time would result in his death.
Putting his trust in one man, his general that walked the path of righteousness, the younger brother transferred his powers to the General in the hopes that he could defeat All for One. This stockpiling power was given the name; One for All.
And then the impossible happened, after waging many wars, the Tyrant King was finally defeated by the General and the younger brother reclaimed the throne. In just a few short years before his death, the black dragon stabilized the empire. Having no heirs, he entrusted the empire to the man whom he bestowed his powers to.
Following in his late emperor's footsteps, the new Emperor continue to rule the empire and it flourished to prosperity under his rule. This new dynasty he named; Yuuei.
From him, the Yuuei Dynasty was inherited by his eighth child, the Sixth Prince, who had inherited the powers of One for All. This discovery came right on time, for the white dragon, known as All for One, thought to be defeated, had seemingly come back from the dead to continue his conquest of the world. And now he had but one goal, take back his rightful place and to eradicate the family that inherited his brother's power, the only known power that exists that could defeat him.
And so, it went, the unending cycle of All for One's wars against every descendant born into the Yuuei imperial royal family that possessed the power of One for All. Every generation becoming increasingly powerful. Every generation one step closer to finally ridding the world of The Dragon Devourer.
Which brings us to now, in a world where the survival of the Yuuei Dynasty rested on the shoulders of it's last remaining descendant. A young boy, once thinking himself, plain and uninteresting, suddenly had his world turned upside down overnight. He became a crowned prince and his parents, the ruling monarchs.
Izuku Midoriya was ill prepared for the life he was thrown into, but he was the only hope the nation had…
Present Time
An assembly of disheveled dressed council men and women in various stages of sleepwear, filled up the meeting hall. The meeting room was large and spacious, decorated in warm colors of gold and reds. It didn't compare in extravagance to the main throne room, but the design of the room was almost identical.
Facing the entrance and taking up half of the room in the back, was a three level tier platform that grew smaller every third step until one got to the gold throne chair at the very top. Here, a very tired empress Inko sat, in modest sleep robes and her long hair down in a messy braid. She allowed the heads of court to enter and take their seats without decorum.
Her left phoenix wing, made of gradated colors from green to blue and pink, covered part of her body, signaling the empress was very tired. Standing quietly on both sides of her, were her trusted ladies in waiting. The older one, dressed in pink sleepwear, had her flamingo wings, resting at her back, honey brown hair out of its customary ponytail, looking wild from sleep. The younger one's raccoon tail, gently swayed about, face devoid of any emotion but her blue eyes looked sleepy. Both young women bowed to their empress, faces towards the wooden floor and hands, resting on top of the other, against their stomachs. Inko got their attention and both girls relaxed, watching the court members enter the hall.
Even though she excused protocol from the tired group, a few did mind where they were and, in their best, half-sleep approach, managed a quick polite bow to Empress Inko before taking their assigned seats below the throne, in order of their duty of importance.
One of the many sleep deprived individuals was the Minister Eraserhead, head of State Affairs. Everyone knew Lord Aizawa to value his time and that the man could get a bit short tempered when his sleep was disturbed. The dry eyes he sported twenty-four/seven, stood out with the redness of sleep. When he's tired, it had become a normal occurrence for a few of his human features to subconsciously transform to show off the animal of his spirit. Human ears, replaced with those of alert, raised black feline ears of a panther and a tail that curled low around him. The end of it, moved languidly from side to side to show his attentiveness, despite looking ready to drop dead into sleep.
Wanting to get this unholy meeting started, he stood up with his best efforts, from his seat on the first platform tier, bowed to the empress, asking for permission to speak. Seeing this, she nodded her head, and Aizawa started, unaware of the growl in his speech, "I hope you have a good reason for holding a meeting this late at night, Chancellor."
Always the brave soul to speak his mind, Lord Aizawa, wrapped up in his trademark bright yellow comforter, flopped in his seat, and miraculously missed crushing his tail. The black panther's bloodshot stare zoomed in onto the shortest member of their group, sitting across from him on the opposite side of the first tier. The small chancellor smiled pleasantly without taking offense to the minister's crass words. Aizawa's dark eyes turned red, emphasizing his already irritated eyes and his ebony hair raised, signs of his quirk being active, "We don't have all day, the only reason I haven't torn you to shreds for this out of the blue meeting is by her majesty's grace."
The irritated panther purposely ignored the tension in the room that grew from his words. Humans still considered themselves cut above normal creatures for their reasoning skills but the animal spirit could take over, depending on the circumstances and the individual affected.
Honestly, Aizawa already had a long arduous day, dealing with the troublemakers he taught. Shota didn't know when he went from Head Overseer of the State Departments to a humble scholar, responsible for shaping the minds of spoiled young lords but, he only had himself to blame. The past years had given way to creating situations considered unorthodox and if they were going to handle what fate threw their way, the Minister didn't trust anyone to be serious enough to do the job.
The bright side to his extended workload? He could dump all of his extra paperwork on Deputy Fukukado. It's the least the crazy, kea deserves for all her bad attempts at wasting his time, trying to make him laugh. Regardless, the man was not thrilled being awakened at the hours of the rat and ox. He needed his sleep.
"Don't mind Shota my lord! You know how he is when he's not getting his rest! Deputy Fukukado already has her beak sunk into his tail, you're just unfortunate to be on the receiving end of the big cat's ire!" The majority of the room, who sat at the ground level of the three layered tiered steps, groaned at Deputy Present Mic's loud volume. The cockatiel's bright yellow tail feathers ruffled about with playfulness. Lord Yamada seemed to be the only one not bothered by the late hour, despite being a creature of the day. He smirked, looking unbothered by the glares thrown his way. Or the fact, he completely disregarded using titles of address when talking about Lord Aizawa.
The she-wolf, Minister Midnight glared over her glasses at the sheepish blond, a low growl emitting from her voice, "Do you mind not being so loud you damn cockatiel, some of us have acute hearing!" Dark gray-blue canine ears twitching in irritation. It never mattered what hour of the day it was, the Deputy of Foreign Affairs always had a perchance to be boisterous, showing his tail feathers.
She rubbed her temples, glasses resting low on her nose, face void of make-up and hair looking wilder and more unkempt than normal, "I have to agree with Lord Aizawa, it's one in the morning Lord Nezu. Even, I'm not finding your irony of the time humorous, and the night is my forte," Nemuri covered her yawn, disregarding propriety by resting her head on her arms.
The short mouse-bear hybrid rose from his seat to address first the empress and then the room, "I do apologize for calling this meeting on such short notice, but we have a serious situation to consider, I wish you all to give me the courtesy to listen with an open mind. Especially you, your majesty."
Empress Inko Midoriya feel a light tap on her right shoulder and snapped her tired eyes up at her head maid, Zofukuki. The flamingo smiled, nodding her head in Nezu's direction. Inko covered her mouth trying to stifle a yawn. She gave the white furred man a tired smile and nod to continue.
"I think now will be a good time to propose marriage for the young prince."
All gathered in the meeting room, gawked at the mouse-bear man with varying degrees of shock. Minister Midnight was now sitting up straight in her chair, wolf ears alert. Deputy Mic's wing feathers fluffed up, you could hear a gruff neigh sound from Lord Snipe in the room. Minister Eraserhead, frowned further, rubbing his face in disbelief, his tail stood up straight.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Leave it to Lord Yamada to disregard the chancellor's request to hear him out first. The council tensed in their seats, eyes shifting from the chancellor to the empress.
Empress Inko couldn't hide the overt shock in her face. Now wide awake from Nezu's outrageous idea. Hands shaking and wings spread wide, a few green phoenix feathers slowly falling to the ground. All of this showed her anxiety and growing agitation.
"I assure you, I thought this through with a clear mind."
"My lord, I'm all for going along with your eccentricities but even this is…extreme!"
Zofukuki could feel her lady's ire. The amplifying quirk user knew how sensitive the subject of the crown prince was to Inko. The flamingo turned with a soured expression, nose upturned to the small hybrid, "You better explain yourself to her majesty chancellor! Just because my mistress holds you in high regard does not mean your above reproach!"
The head maid felt a soft nudge of fingers halt her from saying more and the young woman, bow shortly to Inko. The empress chimed in, "I too would like to hear why you thought deciding my son's future was a good idea?"
Everyone's inner spirit could pick up on the growing tension in the room and if it weren't dealt with, some members present were going to get agitated.
Lord Nezu bowed low to the phoenix before him, "I understand very well that what I'm suggesting goes against what we previously agreed to. I also know that the last thing you wanted to do as the young prince's mother was insert more control over his life."
The chancellor looked to his empress with regret. It was true that he, and all the heads of state, agreed to allow her majesty to care for her family as she had done before in the past. Empress Inko never thought she would ever had need to sit in the highest seat of all her past ancestors. The woman in spite of her noble upbringing, lived a peaceful normal life away from the imperial palace many years prior. A wish, the late dowager empress wanted carried out to protect her niece and remaining family.
Fate had other plans, "Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury. The prince has been eighteen for some time now. It's already been two years since his sixteenth birthday, and he has not shown any signs of being the ninth inheritor. Other than yourself, your son and the Minister of War, who is not present here with us, there are no more descendants left."
Inko's face fell, subtle stress lines had begun to appear on her round face. Her family had nearly been wiped out by the ruthless Tyrant King, All for One. No matter how much she tried to fight it, tried to make life in the palace, not feel so suffocating for her son, there are some things that cannot be ignored.
"Izuku is a carrier and you want to use him as insurance to keep One for All alive."
"Precisely."
Green wings expanded, flaring with displeasure. She glared at the chancellor, actually scoffing and turning her eyes away from the short mouse hybrid. Tension grew, some of the council sweated, others looked at the woman worried. Inko's shoulders shook, doing her best to reign in her anger. Now was not the time to be irrational and emotional over her only child.
It didn't stop her from telepathically, pulling the paraphernalia in front of her, close to the edge of the table. Or the tight pull she gained over any small accessories someone was unfortunate enough to have on their person. There was a squawk from Lord Yamada, who settled on removing the beaded jade earring from his ear and watching it float mid-air, over to the angry monarch.
Their empress is a mild mannered woman. There never was a day, one didn't catch the woman being sweet, kind, and sensitive to others. Now though, they were seeing the hidden fire of the green phoenix. The warming embers that could explode in a fury of passion and righteous anger to protect what was dear to her. Unable to hold it in any longer and releasing her telepathic pull on the objects in the room, which fell to the floor, she shouted.
"I won't pretend that I'm okay with using my son like this! I never wanted for Izuku to think people only cared about him for what he can provide for them! If I didn't fully understand the position me and my son are in, I would have already dismissed your foolhardy idea!"
Lord Nezu immediately got on his knees and hands to bow low, "I never meant to offend your majesty!" Sweat began to trickle down the chancellor's face, matting his white fur to his body.
Some of the council gulped while others watched more objects float then dropped and crashed to the wooden floors. Definitely the work of the empress' quirk at play.
The woman exhaled, looking back to the man, kowtowing, "You may rise."
Silence reigned, the chancellor nodded and rose back up, while everyone sat quietly, deep in thought.
Another shiny feather floated in front of Inko and she grabbed her large dark green to ocean blue and pink feather. She sighed, fingers playing with the edges of her own phoenix feather, "I know what's at stake. Nori-I mean…the retired emperor and current minister of war, All Might hasn't been the same for years since his battle against the Tyrant King, All for One. It doesn't help that my husband's decision to venture out in the world, leaves all of you on edge."
She continued, eyes looking down at her lap, sadness in her voice, "I'm not blind about my shortcomings, I know our nation is plagued with uncertainties and I am not the greatest person to lead but I'm all you got until Izuku is mature enough to become emperor."
Determination reflected in her gaze as she raised her head to look every court member in the eyes, "I'm still terribly angry with you for bringing this up without my approval! I know that I allow you all permission to make decisions without me but when it concerns my son, I expect to be notified ahead of time!"
The empress's shoulders sagged, averting her eyes away from the reason for her outrage. There was a shifting of bodies in their seats, a few coughs, and even some animalistic sounds. A feeling of shame washed over the thick tension already in the room by Inko's words. It was clear to all that she was upset and rightly so. Right now, was not the best time to try to placate her anger over Nezu's error. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of Inko's quirk evolving to phoenix fire. None present had ever seen the empress use her animal's natural element but it was a fierce sight to behold if All Might's words were anything to go by.
"We will enact Chancellor Nezu's idea but as the prince's mother, I retain my parental rights to have the final say, is that clear?"
There was a unanimous reply of, 'yes your majesty' from around the room. Feeling that he was nowhere close to getting back to his quarters, the black panther, blinked his eyes and shot the chancellor with an unnerving stare, "I'm assuming you have some candidates already?"
A chorus of tired groans and various animal sounds was heard when everyone saw Nezu with a calculating smile.
Why do I even bother? The governor swore he was going to let loose his inner panther on the poor soul that tried to wake him from his slumber for anything other than assassins trying to harm the royal family once he went back to bed.
The empress gave a weak smile, Inko was doing her best to calm down, hoping she could ease the tension in the meeting hall. Her dear chancellor wasn't making it easy, however. The stack of scrolls being brought before him by two eunuchs made the corner of her mouth twitch from annoyance.
She knew that most if not all of the heads of state wanted to return to sleep, herself included but if she didn't allow the small man to share his ideas now, they would have to deal with this later and she already had a huge job in front of her as it were.
Besides, Inko would rather Shota not kill anyone from sleep deprivation. The same could be said for Nemuri whose canines were elongated and Snipe, with equine ears giving away how done he was with Nezu's shenanigans even if the empress couldn't see his face under his mask.
Inko looked to her left at her young maid, the poor girl looked on the verge of passing out while standing, "Yui dear, you're free to leave and go to bed. I'll be fine with just Furiko here."
The raccoon girl shook her sleepy head, face as expressionless as ever. Instead of saying anything, she straightened up, blinked her tired eyes once and looked ahead. Inko huffed, "You're insistent on defying me too now?"
Yui's eyes widened a fraction, whole body frozen before she lowered herself to her knees to bow before the empress. She shut her eyes tight but instead of being reprimanded or yelled at, she felt a feather light touch on her head. Blue eyes looked up to see the monarch giving her a tired smile, feathers caressing the young girl's head.
"Please for me, go to bed Yui-chan."
If she didn't know better, Inko swore the girl frowned for a split second before acquiescing to her demand. Yui bowed to Inko, taking a few steps back before silently making her exit.
While her maid left, the small chancellor had two eunuchs carry over a large tray, covered in bundles of colorful silk scrolls, threaded in gold, gently placed on top of his table, looking through each one, "It's quite amazing the number of families that nominated a daughter!"
He sounds way to happy. The shared thought of everyone there. Inko watched the governor, meticulously go through each scroll until he found one that caught his interest, "As agreed, your majesty will have the final say, but I must insist, this first young maiden I feel would make an excellent match for his highness."
One of the eunuchs began to carefully hand over a large scroll made of dark red and gold thread but Inko just waved him away, using her quirk to pull the roll of decorated paper over to herself. She unfolded the parchment, revealing a young beauty, dressed in the finest red and white silk. Her hair like shimmering onyx and eyes just as dark, a beautiful contrast to the colors of her dress.
A pleased smile adorned the monarch's face, taking in the familiar appearance of the young lady in the picture. For a moment, her mood changed, finally getting that relaxed feeling she aimed for earlier. It was also to note that the council felt relieved as well, being able to feel the changes in her moods. Inko smiled the more she perused the entire scroll, from the young lady's credentials to the ever familiar crest of the Yaoyorozu family. Next to the girl was a drawing of her spirit animal, a regal mountain lion, almost identical to the family crest.
"Lady Yaoyorozu would make a fine princess consort. I would still like to see the other young women before making a decision," Inko laid the scroll down, holding her hand out. She waited until one of the eunuchs, placed it gently within her grasp.
While the empress silently went through the scrolls, the rest of the council, sat, either drinking or feasting on a light late night snack. With prompting from her majesty, the scrolls were soon shared around the room with the rest of them. Conversation started up, each governor, giving their opinions of each young potential candidate.
Lady Kayama smirked, noticing that once the Yaoyorozu heir's scroll had returned in one piece within her majesty's hands, Inko had become reluctant to lay it down for another, "You don't have to hide your apparent like for the young heiress, we can see the affection you have for Lady Yaoyorozu, your majesty."
"This child is very sweet, and she does get along well with Izuku. I don't have any objections to Lady Yaoyorozu being confer the title of princess consort."
"Don't you have a niece you could nominate as well?" Nemuri frowned at Hizashi, she did well to rein in her desire to maim the deputy.
Hard to resist every time he opened his mouth, "I'm sure, the little Lady Yaoyorozu isn't going to be Prince Izuku's only wife. If the goal is to continue passing on One for All to the next generation, it'll be easier to do that with a harem."
Lord Yamada yelped from a surprise kick to the shin, while Lady Kayama looked almost pleased, sharp canines on display, "My niece is a spirited child, hardly worth wasting her majesty's time. Even with a decision to create a harem for the young prince, my niece wouldn't be a good fit."
The councilwoman sweated, it wasn't that the she-wolf didn't want to help in any way she could, it's just, imperial harems, more often than not, turned into a mess. Little Setsuna really was a free spirited child, not fit for the customs of the imperial court. She also wanted to keep her niece safe. Keeping her from stepping a foot near the imperial palace was for the best. Then there was the young prince himself. Sweet kid but not someone she could trust to protect someone, in more ways than one.
Thankfully, the empress didn't take offense to that. Instead, Inko busied herself pouring over the other scrolls, though she was listening to every word said. She smiled towards Nezu, though it was a smile that showed her annoyance, "A harem, of course this was your plan the entire time, always a few steps ahead, aren't we, chancellor."
For the first time in his life, Nezu actually shuddered. Wow, was he feeling sweat matting his fur to his head again or what? "Yes, what Deputy Yamada suggested, mirrors my thoughts as well."
"I see," Inko remained quiet for a long while, face neutral. She continued to go through many scrolls and then shared them with everyone else. The familiar embroidery on a deep blue scroll, sitting on the chancellor's desk, caught her attention. The forced smile widened, Inko didn't wait for a eunuch to bring the scroll that was growing her ire. She pulled said royal blue scroll into her hands and unrolling it, staring at the face there, rolling it back up and slamming it down on her desk, catching the attention of all present.
"Chancellor, If I had doubts of your loyalty and your allegiance to my family, you'll be hanged."
The atmosphere in the meeting hall went still, Aizawa never thought he'd live to see the day, Nezu shook with slight fear, "I am aware your majesty."
Inko tapped her fingers rhythmically against the blue silk parchment of the Todoroki family, "Good, as long as you know."
The cockatiel looked around at everyone, feeling a little lost at the exchange between the chancellor and the empress, but feeling the tension was back, "Is someone going to explain what just happened?"
Minister Midnight kept her lips shut, ears lowered, pretending she didn't hear Deputy Present Mic. The same could be said for the others sitting around the table. Tail swishing in agitation, Aizawa decided to do the honors of clueing in the deputy, Inko could have a temper when she wanted and Nezu did screw up, being too fast in carrying out his plans.
Perhaps they had gotten too used to a monarch that allowed them the fluidity to do as they pleased when it came to governing the country? Maybe all it took to get the empress to take a directive stance as the current head, was involving others deciding her son's fate. Either way, she wasn't too happy with the furry governor right now.
"It means, Lord Nezu got in over his head when he planned this, presumably, weeks ago and that gave the general of the army, ample time to nominate his daughter."
For once, the deputy remained quiet. It was clear to see, her majesty wasn't pleased with Lieutenant General Endeavor's push to elevate his status. The master of the Todoroki family already had great merits; he didn't need to use his daughter to further his career. But you would be a fool to think that were not true of every family that selected their daughters for a chance to marry the prince. Present Mic was sure the empress understood this well.
Inko moved the blue scroll over to a corner, out of her sight, "Lady Todoroki would also match well with my son, she's strong and loyal, but that is a union I will have to decline," her eyes traveled back to the red scroll of the Yaoyorozu heiress. Tense silence as the empress stared at the paper, fingers tapping, feathers ruffled and anger growing.
A tight rubbery band finally snapped and things that were floating towards the empress caught on fire before crashing to the ground without her realizing, "Do you think me incompetent!?"
A hand slammed down on the desk in front of her, making everyone jump. Without a word, they all immediately got on their hands and knees, "Don't just kowtow at me, answer me! I am so incompetent at my job that once again someone had to go behind my back without my say so and make decisions about my son on my behalf as if I'm insignificant!"
Before the cockatiel could speak and incite the angry phoenix further, Minister Cementoss, who had been silent this entire time, cut him off, "No your majesty! It's our fault for taking you for granted! We meant no disrespect!"
"Really! Because it surely feels like it!" Inko began pacing back and forth, wings spread out behind her. The pink tips glowing hotly. The gray armadillo just bowed lower, ears flickering. Nemuri whimpered lowly in her throat and Aizawa's tired face held shame.
"Rationally, I get it, I do! I don't know how many times I must tell you that I understand more than anybody the urgency of making sure One for All is passed down to the next generation and that Izuku has to bear that responsibility! And I've tried this entire time not to get overly emotional on the matter!"
No one dared to look up from the floor or speak and the masked stallion, Lord Snipe kept hitting his brown tail against the cockatiel's back to keep him from speaking.
"I'm not the strongest, I wasn't trained to sit in this seat-I thought I could have your trust to do your jobs just as long as I'm notified, just so long as I'm aware! I trusted all of you to help me, but this isn't the first time one of you have done something like this to me! I've never tried to ignore your worries about Yuuei's uncertain future but this disrespect will stop here!"
"Your right your majesty," Aizawa spoke up, "We deserve punishment for our deception."
Inko glared at the panther who didn't dare to look up, then she looked over to the chancellor, "Nezu!"
"Yes, your majesty!"
"Since you love to do things on your own without needing my approval, you can kowtow in front of my palace quarters until you think I'm no longer angry with you before you can move!"
The small man, bowed as low for his head to touch the ground, "Your faithful servant obeys."
"As for the rest of you, the next time someone does something behind my back, it won't just be sitting on your knees until I say you can move!"
Without a glance to her groveling subjects, Inko walked out of the meeting hall in a fury of sleep robes and falling feathers, her head maid, Furiko pacing quickly behind her.
"Your majesty!" Everyone cried in unison still bowing to the floor until they could no longer hear rapid footsteps and the heat in the room begin to fade. They all gave a collective sigh, slowly getting up off their sore legs.
"I've never seen her majesty so pissed off!" Yamada wiped at his brow, feeling a bit nervous.
"You really went overboard this time Lord Nezu," Nemuri added, getting up and stretching her tired limbs.
She glared at the short man, trying to calm her nerves by running her hands through her tail. If she were being honest, the empress scared her, just the thought of what the woman could do if she had every tried to apply herself as a warrior sent a chill through Nemuri's spine, "And then to let the Army Lieutenant General offer up his daughter on a silver platter, no wonder she's mad. I thought it was well known that 'Enji Todoroki' was a trigger for her imperial majesty?"
"I must confess that I might have been a bit hasty about that one," the small man chuckled nervously, "She really has no love for that man, although she adores his daughter. Shame that Lieutenant General Endeavor is the reason his daughter was rejected. Lady Todoroki would have also made a fine princess."
"You call that being a tad bit hasty?" Minister of Personnel, Vlad King spoke up. Lord Sekijirou Kan had been another minister who remained quiet through most of the conference. The bat was the few members not really affected by the late unconventional meeting, but he did wish it had been for something far greater than playing matchmaker for the young prince.
He looked at the chancellor with an incredulous stare, "You managed to make her majesty use her phoenix fire, unaware. That's not a tad hasty, that was dangerous! Hope your little knees can withstand the long hours ahead of you in front of the empress's palace."
The chancellor sweated some more, watching the tall, broad man exit the room, "I deserved that."
Aizawa walked past the group, heading back to bed, "Lieutenant General Endeavor has only shown to care about status and reputation. I think we are well past the point of miscalculating her majesty's intellect. She's right to be wary of that man's one tracked mind to gain power. With the prince consort away, taking care of business on the outside, the empress is handling everything by herself. You all should try giving her some credit, anyway, I'm tired and going back to sleep. If there's no emergency, don't wake me up."
The remaining three council members shuddered or cringed at the panther's sour attitude. Midnight rubbed the back of her head, sighing as she walked out the meeting hall, gray-blue wolf tail swaying with a sort of seductive flair that matched her hips, "I wasn't the one that got the lieutenant general to offer up his daughter as tribute. I didn't make decisions concerning her majesty's child without speaking to her first, and I certainly didn't schedule an emergency meeting at one in the morning that lasted for well over an hour!"
"Maybe next time you should try being less witty about scheduling your meetings so late?" Present Mic suggested, following after Nezu.
"You're right," the short chancellor smiled, now looking unfazed by the earlier situation in the meeting room, "Aizawa-kun might appreciate a meeting during the hour of the dog!"
The cockatiel just laughed, "Shota would just love that chancellor!"
"Indeed, but I do believe sleep calls…for you that is, I on the other hand shall walk to my punishment to allay my empress, goodnight Yamada-kun." Hizashi watched the short man leave, making him now the only one left standing in the middle of the vast corridor.
He chuckled, heading to his own section of the palace housing quarters for dignitaries and their families, "No matter what happens, things around here are going to get interesting."
The early morning rising over the imperial palace was accompanied by the signature sounds of something hitting wood, hitting a hundred pound bag of swinging sand and the occasional scratch of a quill pen, moving rapidly on parchment.
Crown Prince Izuku Midoriya sat down under the veranda in the back courtyard of the prince's palace, half clothed and covered in sweat. His top outer robes had been discarded, save for his white under robe for his daily regimen of training. He was taking a quick breather from taking a hundred well placed punches and kicks to the sandbag hanging from a tall pole in the courtyard. His top knot loosened, releasing some of his wild, unruly hair and the curly mess that was his bangs were matted to his forehead.
In between his training sessions, he put in time for his lessons. There was no time of the day that one wouldn't catch the young prince hard at work in either training his body or training his mental, except for when he needed to sleep or bathe. Since he was little, Izuku always had dreams of joining the emperor's imperial army. There was no country, quite like his own, that had a history of their rulers, putting their own lives on the line to protect their home.
Yuuei was a fairly safe country to live, unlike most of it's neighbors, where crime was higher, but small skirmishes and civil unrest near the country's borders arose from time to time. However, it was also the duty of an imperial officer to rescue and defend the weak. Not just from petty villains but also from natural disasters.
To Izuku, nobody was more brave and strong, than his majesty, Emperor All Might! The tales of heroic duty, the honor in self-sacrifice to save another life, these were the stories his mother regaled to him as a young boy that inspired Izuku to follow in his idol's footsteps. And then, one day his dreams were crushed. At such a young age, Izuku was told by the physician who made frequent visits to the village where he used to live; that he was among a small percentage of people that did not have a quirk to speak of.
Izuku simply didn't have enough spiritual energy to call forth any special powers, like most people with quirks. His spirit energy was just enough for him to connect with his spiritual animal and call on the abilities of the creature, not that many expected much out of someone with a spirit that manifests as a weak black cottontail. Refusing to be discouraged from his dream in spite of people's opposition, Kacchan and his cronies being a regular pain in the ass and his mother, walking a fine line between trying to support his dreams and be realistic with him, Izuku's drive to become a great imperial soldier grew and so did his obsession with famous lieutenants, captains, colonels and even low ranking garrison officers, part of the royal army.
As he got older, Izuku spent every precious silver coin, painstakingly collecting every book, every scroll, recording the great feats of the mighty emperor! If there were cheap imitation robes created of the emperor's many heroic royal armors, Izuku was there, first in line to snag the latest edition of Emperor All Might merch! Collectible trading cards, a hot commodity that was shared from the lands of the west and hard to come by? You better believe Izuku was going to scavenge the ends of the earth for every new set that came out. He even haggled an officer once to get his hands on an edict, written by the emperor himself, calling for all eligible young men and women to join the royal academy to be certified for the imperial army!
So what he had been seven at the time! It wasn't every day, Izuku, a regular child at the time, got the chance to see the official handwriting of the Emperor! A lot of the edicts were actually written by his majesty's advisors, with him only given his seal to approve them. Izuku had been happy with his prize and delighted that the words written there had been just as boisterous and larger than life as he imagined the monarch to be!
That had been one rare, Emperor All Might collectible he never shared with Kacchan. Knowing the explosive German Shepard, Bakugou in a fit of childish jealousy would have tried to take it and if he couldn't take it by force, he would've ripped the announcement to shreds or watch it burn…or both. Izuku, the powerless rabbit he was, would've been forced to watch the edict burn in front of his face. Izuku counted his luck, that he had been venturing around the town square by himself that day.
These days, Izuku showed that edict proudly without fear, hanging on the wall, facing the doorway to his public family room, reserved for guests. Years later and it still was a small joy, watching the face of his tormentor, somewhat rival, and now one of his personal bodyguards, turn into an agitated scowl, over the fact that Izuku managed to hide something from him all these years.
Izuku really shouldn't feel a sense of joy over, purposely getting Bakugou in trouble, every time he snarled and barked at Izuku, making Izuku's rabbit spirit, shake in fear of its life. It wasn't like, getting young master Iida, the head royal guard of his bodyguards to order Katsuki to clean the horse stables for a week was a harsh punishment. But it was the small things that counted.
He snickered at his own thoughts. Who says, you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Because Katsuki unknowingly was being trained by the prince to get better control of his anger. Either that or Bakugou was maturing, like they all were.
Izuku put his quill down, resting his wrist, to prevent hand cramps. He looked over his notes, making sure he didn't miss anything. Green eyes looked over to the opened book in front of him with a neutral expression. A history book, exclusively about the royal imperial family…a family that Izuku belonged to by blood, through his mother.
Back when he been eleven, Izuku, still naïve and innocent in many ways of the world, still remembered the day, his life took a sudden turn…
Flashback
The small, secluded village, hidden in the wooded valley didn't see much activity. Ever since the day it was discovered that he had no quirk, Izuku got his excitement by traveling out to the nearest town squares when he heard word from gossiping crowds that famous and powerful soldiers of the army were taking down villainous criminals in the area. Much to the consternation of his mother.
Izuku came prepared to take notes with blank scrolls made with special parchment and a set of three feathered quills, handmade from his mother's feathers he received as a birthday gift. His hand, moving at lightning speed to record every moment his eyes witnessed. With his warrior analyst hobby, Izuku created a skill where he was able to write neat calligraphy while his eyes focused on other things. The new recruit, Private Mount Lady had just made the final blow on a villain with a gigantification quirk, similar to her own.
Satisfied he was able to capture the moment, Izuku left the aftermath of Mount Lady's victory as the citizens crowded around and cheered her on. Still feeling giddy, Izuku hurried home to tell his mother all about what he saw today.
His excitement as he got closer to home was short lived. What appeared to be a large handful of imperial soldiers surrounding his modest home, stopped him in his tracks. His footsteps grew tentative once he saw his mother.
"Mom, what's going on?"
The soft question was loud enough for everyone to hear, heads turning in his direction. Normally, Izuku would have been ecstatic to meet troops in the king's army. But all he felt was his rabbit shaking in fear. His face grew red from embarrassment that he could feel his fluffy tail flutter about.
"Izuku, everything's alright sweetheart," he could tell Inko was just trying to assuage his fears with the smile she forced upon her face.
However, her acknowledgement of him seemed to work, the army of about three hundred gave the boy a wide berth so he could walk up the steps to his home. The stares on him, made his tail flicker wildly and long ears turning this way and that, ignoring the silent soldiers, finally standing next to his mother.
"What's going on? Where's dad?" he decided to ask again.
This week was one of those rare times in which, his father, Hisashi had been home. Seeing the man had not come out with his wife, made Izuku frown. Figures his old man was away when something bewildering happens to he and his mother. The troops were starting to cause a commotion among the whispering villagers who kept a distance.
"I'm not quite sure why they are here but your father went to collect some spices for me, he'll be back shortly."
An army man decked in armor and colors of a captain came up to the front of the troops. Seeing Izuku's mother however, elicited an immediate response to then, Captain Kamui Woods. He unfurled a scroll made of bright gold and yellow silk, colors of the emperor, reading the royal decree, "It is henceforth from this day onward, that his Imperial Majesty, Emperor All Might, lord of our realm has abdicated the throne and confers, Noble Lady, Viscountess Inko Midoriya, Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Inko Midoriya!"
Lowering himself on one knee and bowing low to Inko, the rest of the troops under his command, followed suit, all shouting unanimously, "May my Empress reign and live for ten thousand years!"
For her part, Inko stared out in front of her, stunned. She slowly made her way down the steps, walked up to the captain, speechless as her face scrunched up, unable to hold back the sadness. Silent tears fell from her eyes as she paused in front of the still kneeling Kamui Woods, head bow to the ground and hands offering up the royal edict. Inko took the imperial decree, dropping it to the ground, placing her hands on the captain's shoulders, willing him to look her in the eyes.
The captain looked up into her face and Nishiya felt his own face fall behind his wooden mask. The now conferred imperial empress only whispered three words, "Alive or dead?"
"Alive…your majesty."
She nodded her head, trying to force a smile on her face and helping Nishiya to his feet. His troops following after their leader. It was a lot of unsaid words within that exchange and Inko was glad the captain knew what she meant.
Taking a deep breath, she wiped her eyes, picking up the dropped edict and headed towards her little boy. She stood over Izuku, only reaching up to her neck. Inko was already a very petite woman, she gave his shoulders a comforting squeeze with a smile that belied her worries.
"Izuku, something very important has come up that involves our family…"
"We're moving away, to the palace where Emperor All Might lives."
The matter of fact way, Izuku spoke, shocked Inko, making the boy chuckle, "I can't exactly ignore the unified shouts of 'her imperial majesty' or the reading of the royal decree."
He frowned, not missing the subtle tear tracks his mother tried to clear from her face, "Does this mean that…is, I mean-"
Inko cut him off before Izuku could spiral into thinking the worst, "Alive but we have to soon get ready to move to the capital in order to help the emperor the best way we can."
Somehow, 'help' and 'emperor' were the magic words to refuel Izuku's excitement. Forgone was the realization that his mother was an empress or that his father was a prince consort or even the fact he was now a prince. Izuku's only thought was getting to the downtown square to share and possibly brag to Kacchan that he was going to be living with All Might!
Ignoring his mother's shout of "Izuku!" He hopped and ran, black rabbit ears moving to his excitement to see the Bakugous. Maybe he'll even meet the Uraraka family while there. The few times he's met the nice couple's daughter, she had been the only playmate of Katsuki's that treated him nice and brushed off most of Kacchan's childish tantrums.
Inko gave in, watching a mop of green hair and black ears disappear over the horizon, she looked to the captain, "Captain Kamui Woods, please come in."
"You! You're in charge of keeping watch, you two, follow after the young prince!" Once the sergeant and two privates under his command, saluted him and accepted their tasks, the captain followed after the newly crowned monarch. There was much to be discussed
As for Izuku?
It wasn't until he got near the Bakugou residence that the thought of the Emperor All Might possibly, mostly, is a distant relative, finally dawned on the fanboy.
Wait…If the emperor made mom an empress does this mean- "Holy crap! I think I'm related to All Might!"
The shock was so intense, the poor child transformed into a tiny rabbit, helplessly laying on the Bakugou family's front porch. Izuku was feeling too many things at once that day to care about whatever Kacchan was yelling about…
Only now, thinking about it, the prince considered he had been rather foolish. What the outside world knew and what he's learned after six years behind these grand walls was nothing is as it seems. Seeing his idol, the man he thought undefeated, the man he had learned, shared a common ancestor with him, broken and beaten, close to death's door had shocked him.
Back then he was aware enough to know something was wrong, history often recorded the lives of kings and queens. Most monarchs only got out of their position by death and a new monarch will take the previous one's place. Izuku had no idea the extend of just how bad things were. His mother was conferred imperial empress in a rush because she was the emperor's only living next of kin with a child, an heir to keep the dynasty from total collapse.
What good it did them anyway. Not that he'll ever admit it to Kacchan, the reality was, in all the ways that mattered, Izuku was useless. After learning the truth of his origins, instead of being excited, Izuku had become despondent. There had been hope, at first. All the past monarchs who wielded the royal family's prized inheritance, One for All, came into their power by the age of sixteen. For five years, the prince had waited with anxious energy for his sixteenth birthday in hopes of becoming the ninth successor. In that time period, he had taken to his general and diplomatic studies and requested to be taught basic combat training with the other young men enlisted in the royal guard.
When his sixteenth birthday came and went with nothing to show for it, Izuku was upset for a while but still hopeful, he was a late bloomer and he'll soon be able to call forth One for All.
Two years later and the crowned prince couldn't deny reality anymore. It was not in his fate to inherit great power. All wasn't lost, he still participated in training his body enough that he could handle low level opponents and he's become very proficient with the little his animal spirit afforded. Besides, without a quirk he was still helping the empire. He was the heir apparent and where he was lacking in physical prowess, he was excelling in diplomacy. There was no way he was going to become a puppet monarch in the future.
"Good morning, your highness," a soft familiar voice brought him out of his musings. The ever present tick he got when around those with predatory spirits, made him involuntarily take a step back.
The young man, having taken a long enough break from his regimen, greeted his mother's personal maid. The expressionless raccoon girl, Yui Kodai. She stood still in the same curtsy, waiting on him for orders.
"Good-good morning!" Izuku could feel the heat covering his face already. Eighteen years, about seven years of basic combat training, and most of life being around someone like Katsuki, and he was still a right mess when it came to girls.
Girls in general made him nervous, girls with predatory spirits put him into panic mode, but the ones that made him want to run for the hills were the ones his own spirit saw as a natural enemy. Suffice to say, raccoons and rabbits did not get along.
Yui had not move, remaining quiet and Izuku stared at her, feeling nervous and the need to get away from her grow. The silence was getting to him and he had no idea what she wanted until it dawned on him that she was probably sent by Inko to summon him.
He mentally kicked himself. You idiot! "Y-you can relax now, Miss Kodai!"
Her face didn't show it, but her body showed she was relieved to relax. He didn't understand why her face grew warm or why she was avoiding looking in his general direction, "Are you alright, M-miss Kodai?"
"You might want to not be underdress when you meet her majesty, she wishes you to visit her in her palace." Both of their faces burned at that, Izuku hastily put on his top outer robe, facing the dark haired girl.
He took a breath, Miss Kodai wasn't going to eat him, Miss Kodai is still a human with reasoning skills. She's just doing her job, "Lead the way, please."
Yui curtsied once more, turning the way she came with Izuku following behind her. Green eyes couldn't help latching onto the languid sway of a thick two toned fur tail. His face was blazing as he diverted his eyes from her backside while simultaneously freaking out that the raccoon girl was taking him somewhere to sink her little claws into him for dinner.
Miss Kodai is just doing her job, Miss Kodai is just a human who happens to have a raccoon for a spirit animal. Nothing is going to happen, don't look at her tail, keep your eyes up front! Izuku mentally chanted to himself as he followed the girl to his mother's quarters.
It was silent between them, Yui did not try to talk to the prince and Izuku was trying his best not to freak out for being so close to one of his natural enemies. A few more minutes passed by the time both young adults reached the empress's private quarters.
On his way in, Izuku raised an eyebrow at the small chancellor who kowtowed in front of the teal colored building. Lord Nezu looked like he been there for hours, fur and sleep robes dirty and dark eyes more bloodshot than Lord Aizawa's on his good days.
"Do not worry about Lord Nezu your highness, it is what he deserves," a soft sharp voice broke his thoughts. The prince just looked up from the mouse-bear man to see the back of long black hair tied into a top knot and ponytail, waiting for him to follow. The slight tinge of anger in the maid's voice threw him but he didn't argue.
If there was one thing, Izuku knew is that loyal servants only spoke and shared the weal and woes of their masters. Whatever the chancellor did this time to challenge his mother, he was finally paying for it.
"Your mother is waiting for you," Yui continued her brisk walk into the building with Izuku following after.
Inko's morning had been busy, despite her smoldering feelings from last night, she couldn't ignore the truth Lord Nezu spoke of. Her only child was needed to pass on the royal family's inheritance very soon if the empire had any chance of surviving.
A fully awake, Head Minister of the seven departments stood by her side, while her head maid, Furiko stood on the other, quietly setting Inko's paraphernalia on her desk in order.
Inko rubbed her fingers against her temples, hoping to quell an oncoming headache, staring at the letter she received from her husband.
"What does it say?"
Inko looked up at Lord Aizawa, looking fully human. She summoned him here to help her, being the only other person, she could trust to be upfront with her at the moment.
Without saying anything, she gave the folded piece of paper to Aizawa. The minister took it and began reading, "To my dearest Inko-I hope I'm not being conned into reading a love letter."
Inko covered her snort, glaring at Minister Eraserhead, "I wouldn't give you the pleasure."
He stared unimpressed at her a minute more before going back to the letter.
To my dearest Inko,
I hope this letter finds you well. Patrols around the borders have been the same, nothing but low criminal activity happens that is easily taken care of with Lieutenant General Endeavor here by my side. You have no need to worry about my safety, the best of the imperial army is here with me, though I do feel rather guilty that these fine men's efforts are wasted on me and this quest.
There has been no signs and no stirrings of the Tyrant King's assumed revival. I believe it's safe to say at this point that Yuuei even without the retired emperor's presence is still safe.
However, I promised that I would not slack off in my duty in exchange for All Might to stay there to look after you and Izuku. Even with the little clues I've gather, leads nowhere, I won't stop. It's the least I can do.
This letter may find you two months from now after I've responded to the last letter you've sent me so it maybe too late to try to talk on Chancellor Nezu's behalf. I've heard from the lieutenant general that he was going to offer up his youngest daughter's hand in marriage to our son. I can only pray that the small lord spoke to you about his grand plans to marry off Izuku for an heir to One for All.
I know the life in the imperial palace was thrown onto our family, you and Izuku most of all. Our son may not get to choose like we did but I'm sure you'll do the best you can do to choose a nice young girl that matches Izuku.
When you hear about Lord Todoroki's marriage offer, try not to harm the chancellor too much, dear.
I wish to be back home with you and Izuku, I… (A whole blotted out paragraph, seeped in ink scratches filled the paper. Aizawa couldn't make any of it out.)
Soon, I'll come back home soon.
Hisashi Midoriya.
Aizawa handed the letter back to Inko, "Well that was the driest love letter I've ever read."
"Not as dry as your enthusiastic tone, minister," Inko quipped back. She sighed, "I worry, Hisashi shouldn't be out there, but we can't have No-the minister of war out there either."
"It is suspicious that All for One has been quiet all these years. Unless something has happened that we aren't aware of yet, it's unlike the Tyrant King to go into hiding."
Inko hmm, putting away another bridal selection scroll.
"Have you decided what you're going to do with Lord Nezu?"
Inko smirked, putting the letter down and taking out a purple scroll, "The chancellor being right or not wasn't the issue and you know it. I'm still angry about what he did to me."
"Noted," the panther's eyes roved over the face of a young girl playing the zither on the scroll, "This one is, the Jirou heir?"
The empress nodded, "I unfortunately don't know much about her other than what I hear from Lady Yaoyorozu."
"You decided on the Yaoyorozu heir after all. This young child, is being considered for the harem selection then."
"I plan to just start small, a princess consort and maybe two or three imperial concubines."
Aizawa caught the spirit animal painted near the girl on the large scroll, "A mountain lion for a princess and a domestic cat for a concubine."
Inko blinked at the minister, obviously he caught onto something she didn't. He almost sounded sarcastic about her choices, "You have a problem with that?"
The man actually smirked at her, "I don't have a problem with it. This palace could use more felines in it. Your son however might not be very accommodating to your choices."
Inko frowned, not at her thinking Aizawa knew Izuku better than she did but at the thought that she may have to keep searching and getting to know girls in this vast collection of potential brides if her son didn't like Yaoyorozu and Jirou!
She really wished she had been more demanding with Izuku about socializing with children his own age that weren't Bakugou or junior royal guardsmen.
When Inko still struggled to figure out what Aizawa meant, he sighed, "You really have no clue about what I mean?"
"No, I don't."
He bowed, "Excuse me, I don't mean to offend but his highness's spiritual animal is a rabbit. If I recall, He's a special case when dealing with those that have predatory animal spirits. He tries his best to hide it, probably from you so you don't worry about him. But for whatever reason, unlike other people born with prey animals as spirits, your son tends to be on high alert by anyone baring fangs and claws."
Inko's eyes widened, "You mean to tell me, even if Izuku blindly allowed me to marry him off to Lady Yaoyorozu and Lady Jirou, it'll be doomed anyway?"
"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss such a union, his highness does try his best to quell his…rabbit urges. However, mountain lions and domestic cats seem to be natural enemies of rabbits, that may cause some problems."
When it rains, it pours. The empress groan, sliding Kyouka Jirou's scroll aside. She wanted to bang her head against the table, she could already feel a headache coming on, no sense in delaying the inevitable.
"I've come back with his highness, your majesty."
Inko and Aizawa looked up to see Yui bowing and Izuku coming through the opened doors.
"Royal Mother, good morning!" Izuku bowed to his mother who nodded towards her son with a sort of awe look in her eyes.
Izuku stood up and have a curt nod to Lord Aizawa who returned it. Izuku's nervous smile returned, looking from the panther to the phoenix and wondering what in the world was going on.
As much as Shota wanted to stick around and amuse himself with what was about to come, he took his cue to dismiss himself from the room, "I'll be taking my leave now, your majesty."
"Uh! Yes, you…do that! I-I'll," she coughed, "I'll speak to you later Minister Eraserhead."
An awkward silence engulfed the room as Aizawa left and Izuku, nervous of the panther walking by, stood on shaky legs, waiting for his mother to speak. Instead of talking to him directly she looked at Furiko and Yui, "You two are dismissed for now, I need to speak to Izuku privately."
The two girls bowed before seeing themselves out of the room and closing the double doors behind Izuku.
The petite woman looked up at her son. Izuku had finally grew into his body, standing just a little close to a foot taller than she. She gestured for him to sit, "Please sit down sweetheart."
He scratched the back of his head, finally feeling like he could relax. Seven years of imperial palace etiquette and he was struggling between when to be formal and casual with his own mother, "Right."
Izuku sat down in a cushioned seat to his mother's left. He looked his mother over, her signature phoenix wings were not present, and she looked calm and as regal as ever in the pale blue and pink dress, "Miss Kodai said you wanted to speak with me?"
"Yes! I-I lots-I…"
"Mom?"
"Are you really afraid of girls?!" Feathers burst all around Inko like green confetti, wings exposed.
"Huh!?"
Wow that was not how she wanted this conversation to start. Inko thought she was going to get through this hurdle with the finesse she practiced and her simmering ire with Nezu giving her the courage to go into this ordeal head on.
Izuku's green eyes were staring at her like she grew a second head. Okay, take a breath, try this again, "Excuse me that was rude of me son."
"No, no, it's, fine…you're not completely wrong," he shifted in his seat, suddenly feeling embarrassed. The rabbit ears were back, and they were twitching.
"Do you want to tell me about it? I mean, I think we should at least try to discuss it, because well…"
Izuku looked towards his mother once she trailed off. One of them had to be the braver person here or they weren't going to get anywhere with all this stalling, "You know whatever it is you have to tell me, can't be nearly as bad as I'm imagining," he was a young man, who was letdown by fate. Looking for the silver lining in things, kept him reasonable.
Feathers were appearing around Inko's head and silently falling to the ground. His mother was anxious and that was going to make him anxious. He coaxed her to say something to him, walking over to her, he placed his large hand over hers, giving a light squeeze, "Mother, please talk to me."
"Last night, Chancellor Nezu called for a meeting…about you."
An uneasy feeling twisted in his gut, but he ignored it, focused on alleviating his mother, "Yes, what about me?"
"You know how the vast majority of descendants to the founder of the Yuuei dynasty are genetic carriers of One for All even though only one in every generation has the power?"
"Yes…" That queasy feeling was beginning to double over. This conversation was going exactly where he thought it was. He let out a breath, "Who is she?"
"Wait, what?"
"Mother, which family's daughter is it?"
"How did you know?"
Izuku looked at his mother cheekily, "Seven years of dealing with the heads of state, always having to hear of it about descendants and heirs and keeping the royal lineage alive. Also, I'm eighteen now."
He looked away, neutral expression and deep in thought. It was Inko's turned to comfort him. Her boy was a good child, always thinking and putting others before himself. Feeling the squeeze on his fingers, he returned it, looking at her now, "I'm not thrill about it, but I also expected as much. No use being upset, I'm not going to avoid it anymore, I can't."
"Oh Izuku…"
"I know you wished I had more of a choice, like you and dad but it's okay, really it is. I'm not the ninth inheritor but I'm still a carrier, we just have to hope any children I have can inherit One for All!"
Inko stared at Izuku with a wry smile, "You're taking this a lot better than I had last night."
"So that's why the chancellor is kowtowing in the granite walkway outside!" he laughed.
When he didn't hear anything from his mother, he looked at the empress. She took out a pale blue handkerchief and coughed a few times, unable to hide the embarrassed flush on her cheeks. Izuku stared at his mother with surprise, when she remained silent, he started laughing again, his nose twitching, and her face turned rosy, "I bet he won't dare underestimate the empress again!"
"It's not really funny! I sort of felt bad about it afterwards. He did anger me more than once during that meeting and I used my phoenix fire unintentionally, I could've hurt someone! No one is allowed to bully me or my baby."
His emerald eyes still sparkled with mirth, "Thanks for having my back, mom. So…Which daughter drew the short end of the stick?"
"Izuku."
His mother could pout at him and be in denial all she wanted; he was aware he wasn't winning any popularity contests. Royal bloodline or not, he was as plain as they come and he didn't hang around a lot of young men around his age, young ladies even less.
Sure, there was Kacchan, Iida-san and Todoroki-kun but they were more like subordinates that were hired to babysit him most of the time. Kacchan and he had a long standing feud that went back to childhood, Iida was too by the book to attempt any sort of friendship, and Todoroki…If they weren't having the occasional spar, which he was always getting his ass handed to him, Todoroki ignored him and everyone else with a chilling stare that felt as freezing as his ice quirk.
Other young lords, he barely spoke to. Even as a prince, Izuku was being isolated. He didn't get it, he was just like everyone else, even lived a life as a commoner, regardless of his parents' noble status. Try as he might, they stayed away.
As for girls? There had been Miss Uraraka on very few rare occasions. She would visit the palace whenever her parents allowed her to come as long as she was here with Bakugou. She had always made him extra nervous and shy as they got older and he could hardly form sentences together. She never teased him about it, which he was grateful for, sadly he hadn't seen her in a few years.
He greeted the female servants whenever he crossed paths with one of them but that was the extent of it. Miss Kodai, well, he already made his feelings about her known. He doubts she thought anything special of him. The raccoon girl probably thought he was spoiled and coddled.
And then there was Lady Yaoyorozu. The graceful Yaoyorozu heiress was a frequent guest of the palace. Her family was well connected, owning lots of farmland, some shipping ports, and a few ore mines. Her parents were kind people who stayed out of politics and created many donations and charity work.
Their daughter, whom decorum permitted he tried to speak to her…without being forced to by his mother…and trying his damn best, not to run and hide, was actually a polite young woman. Intelligent, beautiful, and easy to talk to. She also proved to be quite strong, possessing a powerful quirk…
Qualities he would like in a wife if had a choice to choose. Except…except the noble maiden had the spirit of a mountain lion.
She didn't mean to, but she scared the crap out of him!
More to say, mountain lions are one of many natural enemies to rabbits. And yes, it was true, he was better at not jumping at the presence of every predator within a mile radius. He was too young to die of cardiac arrest because his animal spirit fretted at anyone it felt wanted to eat him! Bakugou still made him nervous, Uraraka whenever she came around, had him unable to talk and Todoroki, tried not to intimidate him…much.
He was human and rationally knew that humans, regardless of their spirits didn't fall victim to baser animal instincts. But sometimes those mannerisms and instincts just came online, mostly subconsciously.
But there was just something about his natural enemies that turned the prince into a nervous wreck. Lady Momo Yaoyorozu trying to start a conversation with him? He's either stuttering up a storm, scaring the poor girl into thinking he's a complete idiot or he's backtracking away from her around a corner. Then there have been the situations where just being around her was so bad he fully transformed into a black furred cottontail, hiding in an unused utility closet until his nerves settled and he could revert back…
"…rozu…Izuku? Izuku, are you listening to me?"
"Sorry, I got lost in thought there for a moment, you were saying something?"
Inko pointed to a red and gold embroidered scroll, trying to look excited and failing, "This is the young lady I decided to arrange a marriage for you!"
Izuku took the offered scroll, curious to stare at the face of his betrothed. When familiar ebony hair and dark obsidian eyes looked back at him, he gulped. He was silent for a long while, taking in the image of Momo Yaoyorozu dressed in red and white.
"Lady Yaoyorozu…"
"Is something wrong?" his mother was looking at him, a bit afraid at his reaction. Thanks to Aizawa's advice, she was now aware of her son's problem. She was a little hurt and disappointed that Izuku was going to try to please her even if he hated the thought of marrying a girl with a spirit animal that conflicted with his own.
"I'm…processing, mother," this was his betrothed, the mountain lion was his betrothed. He was going to die young and it was going to be by the hands of his own mother.
Inko took the scroll away from him, laying it down on her desk, she walked over to him, patting his shoulders, "Izuku, you don't have to lie to make me feel better. Lord Aizawa told me about your problem."
Izuku's ears drooped, shame on his face. He was unable to look his mother in the eyes, "I…"
"We can choose another young lady. I didn't know. It's just, I don't see you speak much with other children your age and Lady Yaoyorozu is always so kind. I didn't want to just create a union with a young woman you barely know and you two seemed to get along quite well."
Izuku nervously smiled at his mother, eyes back on the painting. If by get along she meant, running, hopping, or stuttering the second he felt Yaoyorozu's presence, then yes, they got on swimmingly!
He didn't want to upset his mother about her choice in bride. He was also glad he didn't have to hide his apparent fear of people with spiritual predators. Fears aside, Lady Momo Yaoyorozu was the closest he ever got to having a semi decent conversation with. She was familiar ground and his mother liked her. He'll just have to find a way to overcome his crippling anxiety, "All right, I accept."
"Are you sure you want to do that Izuku? There's really no rush! We-"
"Don't worry about it, it'll be fine!"
He wasn't fine, but Inko didn't need to know that.
"You're not lying to me, are you?"
"Not at all!"
I am going to get marry…to Yaoyorozu…it'll be fine! I can do this!
Inko frowned at her son, "So if I were to say that the Yaoyorozu heiress won't be the only young lady you'll marry and that I had also planned to arrange one of your first concubines to be a domestic cat, you'll agree to it?"
Izuku stopped cold in his tracks, "H-h-harem?"
…The queasy feeling, he had earlier resurfaced, his nerves shot just thinking about being close to a girl he physically couldn't get close to.
"Yes Izuku, a harem. With young women who may have predatory animal spirits."
"Harem, haha…heh, right, that's what I thought you said."
I lied…I can't do this!
The next thing he knew, he swayed on wobbled legs, his world went dark and he might have heard his mother scream his name.