A Tale of Two Heroes
I got stuck on this chapter, so my girlfriend ended up helping me write half of it. I'm happy with how it turned out with her writing and my editing skills, so we might continue to do that and make it a joint effort sometimes. Go check out her own stuff as CaspertheWitch.
Unfortunately, I started posting these chapters thinking I had already written so far ahead that I would never catch up to myself, but here we are. I'm over halfway done with the next chapter, but I can't guarantee being able to stick to my schedule of one chapter on the 13th of the month anymore. I'll try my best, but I also have other fics I'm working on for events. Don't worry, I will definitely finish this story, and I'm continuing to work on it. Everything's all planned out, and I've worked way too hard on it to stop.
Also, it's my birthday today, if you could leave a comment, no matter how small, that would make my day! Thanks!
Chapter 6 – The Journey to Tartarus
Izuku had experienced many bizarre situations since he'd left his village only a few days ago, but he never would have expected being taught how to ride a horse by the crown prince to be one of them.
"Make sure your knees are turned inward," Shouto instructed from behind the saddle, ready to take the reins if Izuku lost control. "Hug the horse to stabilize yourself but not too tight."
Izuku shifted nervously, correcting his posture. He gulped as the steady thump of the animal's steps reverberated through him, a reminder of the ground below.
In comparison, riding a dragon had admittedly been much more dangerous, yet somehow the exhilaration of soaring through the air had made it all worth it. Izuku hadn't thought of the earth while he'd been flying, only sky. On the horse, there wasn't far to fall, but there wasn't much chance of someone catching him before the impact either.
"Relax," Shouto said quietly. "Touya can sense when you're anxious."
Izuku let out a breath he'd been holding in and refocused his gaze on the path in front of him. He guided the horse closer toward the rest of the group, trotting at an even pace behind them.
Katsuki led their way to Tartarus, stomping ahead of the pack like the king that he was. They followed him past the rice paddies, through the dips and curves of a vast, sparsely-populated area in a region that the Alderaans called 'Tatooin.'
Mina groaned. "Ugh, this is the worst. Walking is so boring. I want to fly."
"Not gonna risk the demon getting away again," Katsuki replied. "If he saw dragons flying straight toward him, he'd run."
"Cause dragonfire can kill demons, right?" Izuku called out to them.
Katsuki glared at him for butting into their conversation, muttering "nerd" under his breath.
"Yeah, that's right!" Eijirou answered cheerfully. "Though Katsuki's the only one of us who has the gift of dragonfire, the demon doesn't know that. Mina and I are just shifters, technically. Katsuki might not look it, but he's more dragon than we are."
"Shut your damn mouth," Katsuki snapped. "You think I would've accepted you as my mount if you were some kinda defective dragon?"
Eijirou gave him an appreciative, lopsided smile.
Ochako stared at Eijirou, mouth open wide in surprise. "You're a shifter?" Unlike Mina, who looked inhuman even in her human form, Eijirou seemed normal.
"Yup," Eijirou said proudly, puffing out his chest.
"That's… that's excellent news!" Tenya exclaimed, trying not to think about how much the king would disapprove of the company they were keeping. "Surely we can interrogate the demon with such power at our disposal. Hopefully, he'll provide us with the information we seek!"
"Good fucking luck," Katsuki muttered. "He's not one to be reasoned with."
"We've got to try!" Izuku asserted anyway, grinning. He and Tenya exchanged looks filled with optimism.
Shouto stared at Izuku's back, saying nothing.
"Whatever. Not my problem," Katsuki grunted. "The sooner that thing is dead, the better off we'll be."
They continued walking like that, chatting idly amongst themselves. Shouto dismounted and let Izuku get used to riding on his own until the sun began to set in the west behind them.
"We should find a place to stay for the night," Tenya announced. "I'm sure everyone is tired from the long day." He looked around, trying to find a good spot to rest. They'd passed by a few cottages and small farms on their way, but there hadn't been a single inn.
"There's not really anywhere to stay near here. People tend to keep as far away from Tartarus as they can," Mina explained. "We should be careful as the sun goes down. There's no telling what kind of creatures we might run into."
Tenya looked thoughtful, eyes scanning the horizon.
"We'll make camp near that hill up ahead. It'll be good cover," Katsuki declared.
Tenya went rigid in surprise. "Uh… of course!" He said after a moment of hesitation. It felt strange taking orders from a king that wasn't recognized by his own.
Nevertheless, the others nodded and murmured in agreement with Katsuki's decision, ready to rest their aching feet.
Izuku finally dismounted from Touya when they reached the hill. "Uraraka, may I have my stuff back?" he asked, eager to document his findings about horseback riding.
"Sure!" she replied, pulling a handful of bags and bedrolls out of her pocket, all barely the size of her thumb.
When they'd first set out from Ryuuzan with three additional members in their party, Ochako had the idea to shrink everyone's luggage. She'd seen it all heaped on top of Touya's back and realized that it had become too much for one horse to carry comfortably.
With a wave of her staff, the items grew back to their normal size, falling into a pile on the ground. Everyone gathered to sort through the heap and claim their belongings.
One after another, they each broke away from the group and chose a spot of their own to settle in for the night. Tenya busied himself with assembling Shouto's oversized tent and canopy, despite Shouto's nightly insistence that he didn't need help. Ochako and Izuku erected their own humble tents nearby.
When he was finished, Izuku grabbed his journal to scribble a few notes about his day. He only intended to do so for a moment, but by the time he finally turned his attention to the possibility of dinner, he was surprised to find Ochako already tending to a yellow fire that blazed in the center of their camp. The smell of cooking meat wafted through the air and made his stomach gurgle with anticipation.
He looked around for Katsuki, knowing that the dragon king was responsible for the fire, but he was nowhere in sight. Izuku didn't see any of the Alderaans or their tents, which struck him as strange.
Only when he glanced upward did he discover where they had gone. Two moderately-sized tents were perched on the hill above, overlooking the camp. Katsuki stood at the edge, surveying the horizon as the final rays of sunshine began to disappear.
Izuku's confusion was immediately replaced by admiration when he realized that they'd taken the high ground to keep an eye on everyone else while they slept that night.
Katsuki noticed Izuku staring and their eyes locked for a brief moment.
Izuku suddenly felt safe, safer than he had felt in cycles.
"So tell us all about yourself, Izuku!" Mina insisted after she swallowed another piece of freshly-roasted boar. "Katsuki won't spill the details! How do you two really know each other?"
Izuku froze as everyone sitting around the campfire turned to look at him, mouths full. The dark shadow cast by the firelight hid the flush that bloomed across his cheeks.
He glanced at Katsuki, who was laying on the ground and staring at the stars, separate from the rest of the group.
"There's not much to tell," he said with a shrug, looking back down at his food.
"Earlier, he said he taught you how to fight," Eijirou prompted, curious for more information.
"Yeah, that's true," Izuku admitted, "but we just happened to meet by chance. I wanted to learn how to use a sword, so he taught me."
"He just taught a stranger how to fight out of the kindness of his heart?" Mina laughed and shook her head. "That can't be right."
Katsuki finally turned to face them. "Shut up!" he shouted. "Stop talking about your king that way! I'll kill you!"
Ochako's eyes widened at the threat. Tenya quickly looked between Katsuki and Mina, trying to determine how to diffuse the situation.
"I taught him stuff too!" Izuku insisted, ignoring the outburst. "Like how to read and-"
"Read?" Eijirou asked with an innocent, ignorant smile on his face. "What's that?"
Before anyone could answer him, Shouto interrupted. "Did you two know each other long before your injury, then?"
Izuku flinched, but the prince seemed unaware of the effect of his words.
"Uh… no. Not too long before that," Izuku murmured, not noticing Katsuki's eyes fixed on him.
"You were injured?" Ochako asked gently, brow furrowed with concern.
"Y-yeah," Izuku replied. "That's why Sir Iida came to find me. There were false rumors about a demon cursing me, but it wasn't like that at all. It was just an accident, and eventually, I got better."
"Eventually?" Ochako placed a hand on Izuku's arm comfortingly. "How long?"
"About five cycles," Izuku confessed. "My hands just… took a long time to heal." He took another bite of his food, not wanting to talk about it anymore.
Katsuki grimaced and looked back at the sky.
"We met Katsuki not long after that!" Eijirou exclaimed, amazed at the coincidence.
Izuku jumped at the chance to change the subject. "Oh yeah? How did you all meet then?"
Eijirou wilted a little at the question, his previous enthusiasm gone. He glanced at Mina, and she nodded.
"We were both born in small villages in the west near Masegaki town, but Katsuki first came across us while he was training to be king in the Beast's Forest," she said with an edge to her voice.
Shouto didn't notice the sudden shift in mood. "What were kids like you doing there? What about your parents?"
"Well…" Eijirou began, though it seemed like he couldn't find the words, "my parents died a long time ago."
"And my parents… well… they've been dead to me for a long time," Mina hissed.
"What happened?" Izuku asked.
"They were ashamed of me," the pink girl replied, "so they sold me to black market traders, the same people that captured Eijirou off of the street. That's how Katsuki found us: in cages, held down by enchanted chains that prevented us from shifting back into our dragon forms."
Ochako gasped, and she dropped her last scrap of boar meat on the ground, her hands flying up to cover her mouth in shock.
"Human traffickers in our kingdom?" Tenya snarled, enraged at the very idea.
"Not really," Eijirou said. "They were traffickers of magical creatures."
"They didn't even see us as human," Mina spat.
Eijirou grabbed Mina's hand and squeezed, love and admiration evident in the soft way he looked at her.
"They're the ones who weren't human!"
Izuku looked up and saw that Katsuki had finally joined them.
"So you saved them?" Izuku asked him with a small smile.
"They were overpowered in those small cages, yet they still fought to survive. What kinda king would I be if I let that shit stand?" Katsuki grumbled.
"Katsuki promised us a home, a land full of magical people like us," Eijirou gushed with a wide grin. "He was so manly! I vowed to be his mount in return. I may not have dragonfire, but my scales are extra strong. I'll be a dragon that never wavers!"
"So you're both his 'mounts'?" Ochako asked Mina curiously, not sure exactly what that word entailed.
Mina scoffed. "Not me. Blasty may be my king now, sure, but I'm no one's sidekick," she said, shooting a teasing smirk toward her companions. "Though, honestly, these boys get into trouble a lot, and neither can spit acid like I can, so I help 'em out most of the time anyway."
"Acid?!" Izuku nearly choked on his food, awe-struck.
Mina chuckled. She held her hand out, and in a moment, it grew scales and began to drip a viscous, clear acid. "Yeah, it's my specialty."
Izuku pinched his lower lip between his thumb and forefinger thoughtfully, unable to look away as the ground below began to bubble.
"But since he became king, our little fiery boy is all grown up now," Mina continued affectionately, feigning tears. "I was skeptical that such a brat could be any kind of ruler, but somehow he's gotten good at it!"
"Fuck off, raccoon eyes!" Katsuki snapped back. "Think you can do better? I'd like to see you challenge me!"
"Maybe I will! Queen Ashido has a nice ring to it!" Mina cackled. "Everyone in Aldera would call me 'Dragon Queen.'"
Eijirou looked genuinely thoughtful. "That doesn't quite have the right ring to it," he said.
"More like Queen Pinky!" Katsuki shouted.
"I've been meaning to ask," Izuku interrupted shyly, "is that how Kacchan became king? He challenged the previous ruler?"
Eijirou nodded. "Yeah, anyone who passes a Trial of Strength is eligible to challenge the current ruler to a duel."
"That sounds… so barbaric!" Tenya sputtered.
"So… anyone can be king if they win?" Shouto asked, intrigued. "Even if they aren't nobility?"
"No one gives a shit about your 'nobility.'" Katsuki rolled his eyes. "What's the point in having a ruler if they're not the absolute strongest?"
Shouto nodded thoughtfully.
Izuku beamed. "What was your duel like, Kacchan?"
Katsuki glared at him. "Why do you wanna know, you shitty-?"
"His fight against Queen Rumi was so epic!" Eijirou shouted, waving his fists in the air.
Mina squealed at the memory. "He went against her Miruko sword with only his bare hands. It was insane!" she cried.
"It was amazing to watch," Eijirou agreed. "Such a close call! She jumped around the arena so fast that we could barely see her, but Katsuki caught her off guard when he finally hit her with his dragonfire!"
Katsuki smirked. "Damn right, I did. As if I'd lose."
"So did you… kill her?" Ochako asked in a small voice.
"Kill her?" Eijirou's head tilted to the side, confused.
"In the duel?" the witch clarified.
"No need," Mina said. "She conceded, and she's back with her family in Mandororu now."
Izuku gaped admiringly at his long-lost best friend. He'd spent so long wondering what had happened to him after they parted ways. He never could have imagined the truth.
"As fascinating as this cultural exchange is," Tenya interjected after a break in the conversation, "it is getting rather late. Perhaps we should all tuck in for the night."
"I would've already been in bed by now if you losers had shut the fuck up sooner," Katsuki huffed.
"Sleep sounds good," Shouto said, standing up with a stretch.
There was a murmur of tired agreement.
Izuku turned to ask Katsuki another question before they parted ways, but the king was already gone.
Days passed, each similar to the one before it. They traversed through Tatooin, following alongside a winding river that carved through the thick, lush landscape. It was a long journey, but eventually, they left any sign of civilization far behind them and came upon a strange, eerie place.
Metal frames of forgotten buildings, similar to those they'd seen in the Beast's Forest, came into view, tangled in with the foliage as far as the eye could see. Izuku frantically looked around, taking it all in, but Katsuki continued to lead them, unphased. He ducked and weaved through the ruins as if he'd known the path all his life.
They passed under what was left of a massive stone structure that wound through the trees like a snake. Greenery completely covered parts of its body that lay abandoned on the ground as well as the dozens of pillars that still endured and held it aloft.
As they approached, Izuku noticed that skeletons of metal carriages could be seen atop the flat stone, long overrun with vines. It must have been an immense sky bridge at one point, bustling with activity. Nevertheless, time had conquered and nature had taken its due, slowly dismantling all that remained and returning it to the earth.
Debris scraped against the ground nearby, drawing Izuku's attention. Katsuki kicked at it as he walked, a simple way to pass the time.
Izuku sighed, wishing he could talk to him. With nothing but time to chat amongst themselves as they went, he was eager to hear more of what he had missed during the five cycles that they had been apart. However, each time that Izuku attempted to speak to him, it became more and more apparent that the king didn't return the sentiment.
Izuku knew that Katsuki didn't want anything to do with him. He knew that he should leave his old friend alone. But still-
"Kacchan!" Izuku panted, jogging to keep up with Katsuki's long strides before he realized what he was doing. Katsuki's pace quickened, and Izuku frowned. "Why are you being like this? I'm just trying to talk to you."
"I don't need to justify myself to the likes of you," was Katsuki's simple reply.
Izuku pouted. Had Katsuki's opinion of him really fallen so low?
A moment passed, and the sound of their friends' laughter far behind them filled up the silence. Though they were quiet, both of them refused to slow down.
"You remember when we first met?" Izuku tried again, chuckling softly at the memory. "You were mean to me even then, always insisting that my stories about Sir Yagi were wrong."
Katsuki's eyebrows scrunched together as the remnants of a long-forgotten argument resurfaced in his mind. "They were."
Izuku smiled. "I think we were both a little wrong. It seems like every time I hear a song about him, it's different."
"Tch. All from a bunch of idiots that wouldn't know a real hero if they saw one," Katsuki grumbled.
There was a soft ache in Izuku's chest. He wished he could tell Katsuki that he'd already learned the truth of those stories from the knight himself.
Instead, he rambled on and on about other things, reciting useless facts about different heroes and legends he'd discovered since their last meeting.
Katsuki finally gave up and let him speak. It was subtle, but his steps slowed as they spoke. He shook his head exasperatedly at Izuku, who barely took a breath, but he listened with rapt attention until the sun began to disappear from the sky.
"You fucking kidding me?" Katsuki shouted. "Then what happened?"
"Then, Lady Takeyama kicked the villain in the face, knocking him out cold!" Izuku cried. "It was her first mission as a knight, she didn't even have access to her weapon, and she still gave Sir Nishiya a run for his money!"
Katsuki cackled. "Bet he was pissed."
"Yeah, at first, but they're actually married now," Izuku said. "She got promoted to a higher rank than him after the birth of their first child, so Sir Nishiya stepped down to run their household. I heard that they're still doing well."
Katsuki's expression soured. "All that and you're telling me he just 'stepped down'?"
Izuku shrugged. "Some people make sacrifices for their family, I suppose."
"Sounds like a damn quitter to me," Katsuki growled. "You want something hard enough, then no one should be able to stop you. Anything else is a waste of time."
Izuku laughed, his heart growing warm from the familiarity of Katsuki's passion. "You really haven't changed, have you?"
Katsuki's head whipped around, caught off guard. "The fuck you talking about? I'm king now, leagues ahead of that little brat I used to be!"
"Yeah, but you're not just a king," Izuku said. "You've always been an amazing person."
Katsuki huffed. "Of course someone like you would think so."
"Though you do look a little different now. You never used to wear jewelry," Izuku said thoughtfully. He studied the talons that pierced through both of Katsuki's ears as well as the rows of beads and fangs that hung from his neck.
Katsuki opened his mouth to reply, but Izuku kept going.
"You must have some fine craftspeople in your tribe. Are those beads actual rubies? What about the teeth? What animal are they from? Oh yeah, and what's with that tattoo? It looks so cool on you!"
Katsuki's face darkened; his hands clenched into fists.
"I bet any tattoo would look awesome on Kacchan, though," Izuku continued. "Does it mean anything special?" He turned to look at Katsuki and realized that the blonde was suddenly yards ahead of all of them.
"Kacchan, wait up!" Izuku cried, confused.
Katsuki turned, fire in his eyes and in his hand. "Shut up! You're slowing us down with all your questions," he roared. "Unless you're planning on handing over my sword, go the fuck away! I don't want anything from you."
Izuku halted in his tracks, stunned. He had thought that they were finally getting somewhere toward becoming friends again. What had suddenly changed?
After Katsuki turned his back on him, Izuku fell behind, sulking. Eijirou and Mina eventually passed him. They were curious about what had happened, but they knew their king's temper well, so they didn't ask. No one said a word to him until a few minutes later when he heard the steady clomp of hooves.
"Are you doing okay?" Ochako asked from her seat atop the horse, brow knitted with concern. "Where'd King Bakugou go?"
"He just… wanted some alone time, I guess," Izuku mumbled.
"His people seem to like him, but I'm not sure why. He seems unreasonable." Ochako sighed thoughtfully. "I guess all kings are hot-headed, huh?"
"That's not it," Izuku insisted. "He and I just… have history."
"Is that why he calls you 'Deku'?" The witch asked skeptically. "History?"
Izuku smiled. "Yeah, actually, there's a funny story behind that. I was-"
Suddenly, he was interrupted by a cry of surprise from Tenya. Metal clanged against the knight's armor.
Izuku and Ochako spun around to see him groaning in pain in the grass.
A creature twice their size had emerged from behind them, its large, blue hand snatching Prince Shouto into the air. It had dark, wild hair, tangled around two tall horns protruding from its head, and a pair of smaller tusks that burst forth from between its lips, sharp as swords.
"An oni..." Izuku breathed out in amazement.
The oni stomped toward Izuku and ferociously brandished its kanabo club, determined to maintain a grip on its catch.
"Let me go!" Shouto demanded, defenseless and struggling in the oni's strong grip, arms pinned to his sides.
The words had barely left his lips before Izuku rushed forth, sword in hand. He swung at the oni's knees, narrowly missing the rough, indigo patches of skin.
Frustrated, the oni growled and whirled its club toward the brave adventurer.
It was then that Mina finally realized what was happening behind her. "Katsuki, an oni!" she shrieked.
For a short moment, Katsuki was pissed to have his tantrum interrupted. "What the fuck are you-"
Then, he saw the oni's club swinging down toward a grassy mop of hair, and his heart pounded in his chest.
He jolted into action. "Deku, you idiot!" he growled, using the fire shooting from his hands to propel himself forward. "Eijirou, go! Now!"
Immediately, Eijirou's skin was overtaken by thousands of red scales. His spiky locks lengthened into pointed horns, and two expansive wings sprouted from his back, lifting him into the air.
Katsuki landed on his mount's head just in time, the dragon's tail slapping at the earth as he took off.
Izuku tried to dodge the oni's strike at him, but he wasn't quick enough. Pain exploded through his left arm as iron spikes pierced his flesh. He cried out at the impact and steadied himself, twisting his grip on his sword to slice open the oni's knee in retaliation.
The creature groaned and fell back on its good knee, releasing the prince.
Shouto fell to the ground with a harsh thud, knocking the wind from his lungs.
Izuku cried out when the oni freed the club from his shoulder with a wet squelch.
The creature reeled back at full strength to smash the one responsible for releasing its meal.
"Move, Deku! You're in my way," Katsuki shouted from his place between Eijirou's horns.
Izuku rolled out of the way, back toward the rest of the group. The girls were carefully tending to Tenya and Shouto, but Izuku was too enthralled by the scene in front of him to notice.
He stared, amazed, as Katsuki engulfed the oni with his dragonfire. It exploded from the king's mouth, dousing the creature entirely in bright, scorching flames.
The cry of the oni could be heard for miles, dying out as the tiger pelt tied around its waist caught ablaze, and its flesh charred to a crisp. The acrid smell turned Izuku's stomach. He needed no confirmation to know that it was dead.
"Are you okay?" Ochako knelt beside him, her staff drawn, ready to assist.
He looked up at her, gripping his torn sleeve. Blood had trickled from the many gashes in his shoulder, pooling into the fabric of his glove and staining it a deep red. When he pulled his hand away to check the damage, he found that there were a dozen new, healed scars across his skin. Somehow, the pain was gone.
"I'm fine," he mumbled more to himself than her as the cogs turned in his head, searching for an explanation.
Katsuki hopped from his perch atop the dragon, leaving Eijirou to morph back into his human form.
"The fuck were you thinking?" the king howled, stomping closer to Izuku. "Oh, wait, you weren't, were you?"
Izuku flinched. "I was just trying to help," he explained. "My legs moved before I knew what I was doing. Prin- I mean… Shouta just had this look on his face and I-"
Katsuki shook with fury, towering over Izuku. "You've got no business trying to save someone else when you can't even save yourself!"
"It worked though, didn't it?" Izuku shot back. "Shouta's fine now."
"So what? You traded one injury for another," Katsuki snapped. "If you'd left it up to me, no one would've gotten hurt."
"I'm fine," Izuku insisted, voice heavy with exasperation. He stood up and brushed himself off. Though his white shirt was a little bloody, it was clear that he wasn't bleeding anymore.
Katsuki's eyes narrowed.
"Whatever. Just shut up and stay the fuck out of my way, Deku!" he yelled. "I didn't need your help back then, and I certainly don't fuckin' need it now! I'd rather lose than be helped by someone like you."
Izuku seethed, drawing himself up to his full height, sword still in hand. "Don't you dare say you'd rather lose! Didn't you tell me once that you wanted to be a person who always wins, just like Sir Yagi?"
Katsuki glared right back at him, contempt in his eyes.
Eijirou placed his hand on Katsuki's shoulder, refusing to pull away when the blonde snarled at him too. "Katsuki, it's okay. We're all fine now, bro. Maybe we should stop here for the night."
"Yeah," Mina agreed with her husband, frowning at her king with concern.
Katsuki ground his teeth and scoffed, wrenching his shoulder from Eijirou's grip and marching away from the group.
Mina shot them all an apologetic look, shrugging. Without another word, she and Eijrou followed after Katsuki obediently.
Once they had determined that no one had any serious injuries, Ochako and Tenya went to find Touya. He'd wandered away from the fight and stood near a stone arch where the Alderaans were busy making camp, neighing softly.
Izuku and Shouto followed after them at a leisurely pace, weary from the day's events.
"It may not have happened quite the way that the King of Aldera had planned, but I appreciate your assistance nevertheless, Izuku," Prince Shouto said when they were finally alone.
"O-of course. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing." Izuku's cheeks pinked a little, not used to accepting praise.
"I understand." Shouto nodded gravely. "Your actions were very brave but stupid. I see what King Bakugou meant. He may have taught you how to fight, but your grip is terrible and your movements lack control. You should focus more on your defense instead of throwing yourself around like an animal."
Izuku choked on his breath at the prince's bluntness. His grip had never quite been the same after his injury. Toshinori had tried his best to correct some of his bad habits during their short time together, but in the heat of his first real battle, Izuku had forgotten everything that he'd been taught.
"You're… a really honest guy, aren't you?" He rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand, embarrassed, but couldn't find it in himself to argue.
Shouto shrugged. "Perhaps, but it looks like I need practice as well. I wouldn't have needed saving in the first place if I hadn't allowed the oni to catch me off guard. Sir Aizawa would be so disappointed if he knew how his lessons were wasted on me." He sighed a little, his normally placid face sporting a small frown.
They came to a stop at the luggage that Ochako had zapped back to normal size. All but Izuku's had already been claimed. Tenya was already hard at work setting up Shouto's royal tent.
"Maybe we could train together?" Izuku asked thoughtfully as he bent down to grab his satchel. "We could teach each other about the different fighting styles we know on days we have some free time after dinner."
Shouto was clearly surprised by the suggestion, but if Izuku hadn't known better, he might have thought that the prince was smiling.
"That would be nice," Shouto agreed. "It might be silly for a prince to admit, but when you mentioned Sir Yagi to King Bakugou, it made me remember how much I admired him when I was younger. I also want to better myself during this quest to become more like him."
"You like Sir Yagi too?" Izuku croaked in disbelief.
Shouto chuckled softly. "My mother used to read me his stories before my father found out. I loved his sense of justice. I actually wanted to be a knight instead of a king for a little while."
Izuku laughed at the absurdity of it. "But isn't the king the leader of the knights?" he asked. "You could make even more of a difference as a king."
Shouto was dumbstruck for a moment. "W-well, yes, I suppose." He'd never thought of it that way before.
Izuku smiled brightly. "We'll do our best to get stronger together, then," he said.
"Indeed." Shouto looked back toward his tent. "For now, though, I must go help Sir Iida with my things. You should relax tonight."
Izuku nodded excitedly. "I will." He bowed low as Shouto walked away, amazed at himself for having the courage to be so friendly with the heir to the throne.
When he was finally alone, Izuku realized that he'd been holding the Deku sword for the entire time that they'd been talking. He let go, and the next moment, it was back in its sheath.
His left arm began to feel cold. Turning his eyes to the left, he saw fresh blood leak from the scars that he thought had healed. Leaning against a nearby boulder as he slid down to the ground, he inspected his injuries and winced. They bled slowly, like a scab that had been peeled up.
It was then that it hit him just how exhausted he was. When he had charged at the oni, he felt invincible. It could have been the adrenaline, but the pain in his arm had quickly subsided after the kanabo club's spikes had been removed.
Izuku called the sword back from his side, and it instantly appeared in his hand, clean as ever. Checking his arm, Izuku found that his scars had healed once again, the blood disappearing along with the ache of his muscles. Perhaps the invincibility he felt in battle was caused not by his stupidity but by his sword.
He remembered the warning that Toshinori had given him about the eventual cost of using the legendary sword. Even with the evidence in front of his eyes, he still wasn't worried. He knew what he'd been getting into when he agreed to take One For All as his own.
Izuku looked over toward Katsuki, watching him as he began cooking dinner, and set his face, suddenly determined. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and focused on the ritual of setting up his tent.
He would make Katsuki accept him, no matter what it took. If they had any chance of getting answers from the demon in Tartarus, they would have to work together. No matter how much Katsuki would fight it, Izuku vowed to make him understand. In order to do that, first he needed to get stronger.
Izuku only lasted through half of the next day before he couldn't contain his excitement anymore and approached Shouto again. "Hey, do you have a second?"
The prince swallowed the drink of water in his mouth and nodded. They'd only just stopped for their midday break.
Izuku motioned for Shouto to follow him away from everyone else, leading him into a lush clearing nearby.
"You remember how I asked you about training together?" Izuku began bashfully.
Prince Shouto nodded. "Of course. How could I forget?" He pulled up a sleeve and showed Izuku the bruises on his arm, a clear imprint of the oni's fingers.
"Right." Izuku's smile faltered a bit. "So, I was hoping that we could start now. It looks like we'll arrive in Tartarus tonight, and we'll reach Mount Tartarus itself tomorrow. I need to prepare as much as I can before we get there. I can't disappoint Kacchan again."
Shouto nodded. "Of course. It looks like we have a little bit of time before we start moving again." He pulled a katana of blue-tinted steel from its place on his belt and held it tightly in his right hand.
Izuku watched him closely.
"The first thing that you're doing wrong is your grip. You should hold your sword like this." Shouto flexed his fingers, grasping his weapon tightly. "Do not treat it as if it's a club you swing through the air. Think of it as an extension of yourself… because that's what it is. It extends your range of attack and makes you all the more deadly."
Izuku held out his hand to instantly arm himself but stopped short, remembering that Prince Shouto was watching him. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and brandished it the old-fashioned way, adjusting his crooked fingers to mimic the other's.
"Though, keep in mind that your sword is more than just a tool for you to deal damage with." Shouto moved into a defensive stance and turned his hands as if to block a few imaginary attacks. "Just as if it was your own arm, you could use it to shield yourself or even to..."
Before the young adventurer could blink, Izuku was pulled flush against the prince's blue, embroidered doublet, the flat side of the blade pressed firmly against the back of his green vest.
"...get them right where you want them." Prince Shouto looked down into bright, green eyes and brought his other hand to Izuku's neck, a small dagger between them.
Izuku gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing dangerously close to the blade. He blinked and the prince stepped back, stuffing the small knife back into a pouch on his belt.
"Any questions, Izuku?" Shouto asked.
"N-no, um, I think I understand what you mean," Izuku stammered, clearly flustered. "I've gotta be less predictable, alternating between offense and defense." He fumbled with his sword before taking a deep breath, readying himself to lunge toward the other.
He halted when a derisive laugh rang out from a nearby tree.
"Stop wastin' your breath on him, half and half. He's just a useless fucking Deku and isn't gonna remember any of the shit you tell him anyway." Katsuki sneered as he jumped down to their level.
Deku scowled right back. "How do you expect me to get better if I don't try to practice?"
"Did I fuckin' stutter?" Katsuki shouted. "I've seen how you handle a real fight. It's like you threw everything I said to you out the window! You'll never win that way."
"I wasn't just trying to win, Kacchan," Izuku protested. "I was trying to save Sh- Shouta. He's my friend."
Katsuki snorted. "Tch, real strength isn't about friends, Deku. It's about taking down your opponent before they can even react. You gotta have such explosive power that no one could even stand a chance." His palms began to glow like embers as he slowly crouched into a fighting stance.
"If that's what you think, Kacchan, then you have no idea what true strength is," Deku spat back.
"Haaa? You dare say that to me, Bakugou Katsuki, King of Dragons, the youngest king in the entire history of Aldera?" Katsuki's red eyes reflected the intensity of the fire in his hands.
"Perhaps too young!" Deku trembled under Katsuki's intimidating gaze but continued to stand his ground. "You're acting like a brat, like when I first met you. You aren't always right, you know."
Katsuki's palms sparked, small flames dancing across his tanned skin. He shook with anger. He wasn't used to people talking back to him.
"You can't just stomp and yell to get what you want, whatever the hell that is. Just…" Izuku sighed and relaxed his posture. "Please, just let me try to learn what I can from Shouta before we face the demon. You wanted me to leave you alone, so I am. Is there anything else you need from me, your Highness?"
Katsuki crouched there for a moment, ready to attack. Finally, he decided against it, his cape swirling around him as he turned on his heel. He shook his hands, dispelling the fire. "I don't need anythin' from a Deku like you."
Prince Shouto watched as Katsuki hurried away. After a moment, he turned to look at Izuku and asked, deadpan, "... is he mad at you?"
Izuku sighed. "Who knows what he's thinking?"
He rubbed his glove down his face, exasperatedly, before turning back to the task at hand. He faced the prince, ready to fight again, leaping toward him with renewed vigor.
Their swords collided, then clanged together again and again. The two swordsmen fought back and forth across the small clearing, taking advantage of the time they had to themselves before their journey continued.
While they were busy, Katsuki marched his way past where Ochako and Tenya were quietly resting and made a bee-line for the other Alderaans. As he approached, he scoffed at the way that Mina sat in Eijirou's lap, kissing her husband fervently.
"Can you two at least wait until we make camp tonight before y'all start rubbin' up on each other?" Katsuki barked at them. He slumped down onto the ground nearby, stretching out one leg and propping his elbow on the other.
The couple pulled apart. Eijirou looked a little flustered, his lips red from overuse. Mina, on the other hand, had no shame.
"Aww, what's wrong Blasty?" she cooed, turning around in Eijirou's lap to face the king. "No luck making up with Freckles over there?" She jutted her thumb in the direction of the small clearing occupied by Izuku and Shouto.
Katsuki's head snapped over to her, daggers in his eyes. "Zip it, Pinky, or I'll zip it for you," he huffed. "These outsiders just piss me off is all."
"So, why are we helping them then?" The pink girl asked, her dark eyes narrowing suspiciously. "We could just defeat this demon on our own. I mean, that was the original plan before the Frecklesquad invited themselves to the party."
"Are you stupid enough to be questioning me right now?" Katsuki screamed at her.
Eijirou and Mina shared a look, clearly taken aback by Katsuki's attitude.
"Are you okay, bro? You're really on edge," Eijirou asked, brow furrowed with worry.
"Shut up! I'm fine!" Katsuki ground his teeth together, glancing back toward the clearing where Izuku and Shouto continued to spar.
At last, a look of comprehension dawned on Mina's face. "Oh, I get it. You two were close, huh?"
"As if!" Katsuki spat. "I don't care about any of them, and I don't care about their shitty mission."
"Then why-" Mina began, but it was no good.
Katsuki immediately jumped back onto his feet, determined to avoid any further questioning. "Let's just hurry up and get this over with so we can go home."
He stormed off, not caring who followed him.
Mina slowly slid off of Eijirou and sighed, brushing herself off before trailing after her moody king.
Eijirou hung behind. "Uhhh… I guess our break is over, guys!" he called out to the others.
In the clearing, Izuku had just managed to pin Shouto to the ground, claiming victory. He clambered off of the prince when he heard Eijirou's sudden announcement.
Tenya stirred at the noise but kept snoring softly until Ochako nudged him awake.
"What happened? Why are we leaving so suddenly?" Izuku asked Eijirou. He searched for any sign of Katsuki but saw only trees.
"I don't know," Eijirou admitted, downtrodden. "He's never been the most agreeable, but... I've never seen him like this before."
Izuku frowned, wondering if it was his fault. He didn't regret standing up for himself, but as they all regained themselves and set out on their journey once again, he worried that maybe he shouldn't have been so harsh.
No one was surprised when Mina announced that they'd finally arrived in Tartarus. The landscape drastically changed, overgrown and teeming with life one minute and then withered and barren the next.
As they approached, a cloud of black, volcanic ash loomed overhead, turning the sky dark even though it wasn't nighttime yet. It covered the ground like sand in a desert, sinking under Izuku's feet with every step.
He scooped up a handful, muttering observations to himself, and noted that ash was usually fertile and aided in the return of plant life. However, that didn't seem to be the case in Tartarus. Any attempt of regrowth was smothered out by slow, oozing trails of lava that flowed from cracks in the ground visible across the entire expanse of the horizon before them.
Izuku and Ochako scrunched up their noses as they passed by one of the active pools of lava that bubbled and gurgled in a deep crater. The smell of rotten eggs permeated through the air, and the scent was so strong that they could taste it. Tenya's whole body was stiff with displeasure, nostrils flared, but he refused to show weakness.
"I don't know which is worse, inhaling this stuff or the flavor of it when it hits my tongue." Ochako coughed and waved her hand animatedly in front of her nose.
The prince pulled Touya to a stop and sniffed the air intently. "I don't smell anything unpleasant. What are you talking about?"
Ochako and Izuku exchanged looks of pure jealousy.
"How can you not smell that? It's like thousands upon thousands of eggs that have gone bad," Ochako groaned.
"I-it is rather foul," Tenya wheezed, his eyes watering.
Prince Shouto shrugged. "I don't smell anything abnormal. Although, I can't say that I've ever had the displeasure of smelling eggs that have gone bad." He pulled the reins again, trotting onward and remaining oblivious to the green faces of the commoners behind him.
"I think it smells nice here!" Eijirou exclaimed, walking backward with his arms behind his head. "It's like if a hug had a smell."
The group shot him dubious looks while Mina chuckled and kissed his cheek. "What he means to say is that we're dragons, so of course the smell of fire and brimstone doesn't affect us."
"Then the King of Aldera probably can't smell it either due to his dragonfire, correct?" Tenya asked.
Izuku shot an inquisitive look at Katsuki, who made a show of inhaling deeply.
"Doesn't smell any worse than your sense of humor, Specs," Katsuki grunted.
The knight looked offended, but the others all giggled to themselves.
Katsuki smirked, chest puffing slightly.
"What about the ash, Ashido?" Izuku trotted closer to her, eyes sparkling. His journal was already out, and his hand scrubbed furiously across the page. "It doesn't seem natural for there to be so much of it."
Mina opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted.
"It'sreallyfascinatingbecausetohavethatmuchvolcanicashintheairtheremustbehundredsofvolanoesconstantlyeruptinginthisarea. Nowondereverythingisdeadandblackandthegroundisunstableifthere'saconstantflo-"
"Shut it with the nerdy shit, or the demon will hear us coming from a mile away, you idiot!" Katsuki yelled back at Izuku, the irony of his own raised voice escaping him.
The green-haired boy jumped slightly, coming out of his mumbling fit with a start. He turned to Ochako. "I did the thing again, didn't I?"
She chuckled nervously and nodded, patting him on the back. "Yeah. Yeah, you did."
Izuku sighed and decided to put away his journal for the time being to focus on the trail ahead.
Mina finally spoke up. "I wish I could tell you why Tartarus is like this, but I can't. It never used to be this bad, but in recent cycles..."
"We think the demon is responsible," Eijirou chimed in. "It seems like the work of dark magic."
Izuku's eyes widened, but he kept his mouth firmly closed, his mind racing with the implications. If the demon was able to make an entire region come apart at the seams, what was it going to do to them when they arrived? The thought made him uneasy but only served to fuel his determination.
When it was finally time to rest for the night, Prince Shouto and Izuku trained harder than ever. Mastery of the sword was an undertaking that lasted a lifetime, but Izuku didn't have that long. In the battle to come, he wanted to prove himself, but more than that, he needed to save his prince. Failure wasn't an option.
Between sparring matches, Izuku stopped to catch his breath and looked toward the glow of lava flowing steadily from the volcano in the distance. He felt something stir in his gut, a dark omen of what was to come. He couldn't explain it, but something told him that once they found the demon, everything would change, and there would be no turning back.
The next morning, Mount Tartarus loomed above them, tall and proud. Every step they took felt like they were walking closer and closer to the gates of Hell. The temperature continued to rise, and the air grew thicker in Izuku's lungs, making it hard to breathe.
The Alderaans kept leading the way, unaffected, but Izuku was determined not to slow them down. He smiled encouragingly at Ochako, who was panting hard with each step. She looked as tired as he felt.
Refocusing his gaze over the crest of the hill, he spotted a trail of smoke. At first, it looked no different than any other, but then his eyes reached its source, and a shot of adrenaline coursed through his veins.
A lone, bleached white dragon skull, as large as a house, sat in the distance ahead of them. Smoke billowed angrily from its nostrils, and its empty eye sockets seemed to glare at them, emanating a ghostly blue glow.
Izuku shivered, but his uncertainties only multiplied when he spotted a drapery fluttering lightly in the wind, covering a gap at the very center of the dragon's fangs. It reminded him of the partitions that he'd seen on Ryuuzan. Izuku's mouth hung open. Could that have been… was that skull… a person's dwelling?
Mina paled at the sight of the skull, suddenly queasy.
Eijirou rubbed at his neck, the very thought of what lay in front of him giving him phantom pain.
Katsuki clenched his fist, shaking with uncharacteristically quiet rage.
Izuku glanced toward them. His heart sank when he realized what they must've been feeling. Someone had taken one of their own and defiled its body, turning it into a crude encampment. However, the skull in front of them was more than just that. It was a declaration of war.
"That fuckin' demon will pay for this," Katsuki muttered. He pulled his scimitar from its scabbard. "Stand your ground. We're going in."
Tenya dismounted from the horse. "Now?" he rasped in alarm. "Aren't you being a little rash? This could be a trap."
"Who cares?" Katsuki grumbled, fingers tightening around his scimitar. "We'll win anyway."
Tenya looked at Shouto, hoping the prince would back him up.
Shouto shrugged. "It's probably fine."
Katsuki didn't bother waiting to hear any more and charged ahead. Everyone in the party followed suit, drawing their weapons silently. Tenya sighed and released the horse's reins so that it wouldn't alert anyone of their presence. They all crept toward the drapery, carefully gathering around it.
Then, at Katsuki's signal, one by one, they stepped over the mandible and charged inside. The creature's maw swallowed them whole.
Two blue torches burned at the entrance of the mouth, leading their way in but leaving the rest of the room in darkness. Katsuki knew something was wrong as soon as they entered. The interior was quiet, much quieter than they'd expected. A moment passed with no sound except for the crackling fire.
They looked around cautiously, confused. Then, without warning, more torches began to light themselves one by one, enveloping the entire skull in flickering sapphire.
A dramatic cackle rang out through the hollow space.
One last ball of fire burst into existence in the back of the room. A lone figure held it in his palm, the light casting shadows on his face from below.
A deranged smirk pulled at the corners of grotesque, mismatched lips.
"Took you long enough, false king. I was just starting to get bored."