(super)stition

by badtzumaru

She's not here to make friends. She's always been the misfit anyway, and the only thing sharper than her temper and words are her claws. But Class 1-A has a funny way of making the best out of the worst of things. Either way, Akatsuki Rei is going to need a bit of luck on her side if she wants to survive.

13. (un)lucky: Chapter 13 (Bonus)

Chapter 13

Somewhere, in an alternate universe...

---

I cannot be awake for nothing looks to me as it did before,

Or else I am awake for the first time,

and all before has been a mean sleep.

.

- Walt Whitman

---

A strange dream she had had, filled with a marvel of colors and glistening square castles whose walls were made of the stillest lake surfaces she had ever seen. It was a strange place in which to get lost, with sights she could never have imagined on her own in the waking world. Breaking out from her sleep in the shoddy room at the tavern she had purchased the night before had never been so sweet. The worn and poorly cared for walls were a welcome sight after the bizarre nature of her dreams that had haunted her during the night. Perhaps it was a sign that she should sleep in the forests from now on, the comfort of a bed too much for her body and mind to handle.

But as her waking mind began to collect itself the dreams began to fade from her grasp, leaving her with a renewed sense of refreshment and only a sliver of a remnant of the feeling of unease. No, sleeping in a real bed was probably the best thing that had happened to her in the past week, let alone the past month. Sitting up on the edge of the aforementioned furniture Rei stretched her arms high into the air, a languid movement that was soon accompanied by one final yawn to dismiss the final tendrils of sleep from her mind. Blinking blearily she simply sat for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light that a single window provided, harsh sunlight filtering in through the pane. It was well into the morning, if not almost afternoon at this point. But she had deserved a good night's sleep; her last mission had been a rousing success, and her buyer had even pitched in an extra lump of coins for her haste. Splurging on a real room to rest in was well within her budget right. Perhaps she would go to the market and buy breakfast as well.

It was a luxury to buy things that Rei could do herself, but just for once, she would treat herself.

Over the past five years Rei had built a career for herself that had skyrocketed her mysterious persona into near fame across the lands. She had begun by running simple errands in villages large and small; a note delivered here, an escort to the neighboring village over there, whatever it took to rake in the cash she needed to survive. But there was only so much money to be found as a delivery girl. Even if everyone pretended that it didn't exist, the real money came from the underworld, the underbelly of society that dealt with the dirtier jobs that remained out of the light of day, often quite literally. Rei wasn't picky. She couldn't afford to be; money was money, and money was what was necessary to survive. There wasn't anything wrong with living out in the woods and foraging for supplies, but there were some things that only money could buy; clothes, a new waterskin, a whetstone for sharpening weapons.

So she gave in. The years passed. Whispers began to run amuck, even outside of the underworld. Rumors of an assassin whose face had never been seen by her enemies, striking them down with nary a witness to protest, a silent whirlwind with such precision that even the most surly warriors shuddered in fear of someday crossing paths or swords with her. She had never failed any mission, one of the most reliable and the most quick in the business. She was the death that her victims never saw coming. The only distinguishable feature about her was the fact that she carried a rapier with a black blade, and even that was a rumor that most people were uncertain about. No one even knew what gender the assassin was. What did it matter? All that mattered was that she was the best, and being the best meant that she could charge the most exorbitant prices.

If they could find her.

With no name known, and with people that doubted that she was a real person, people had assigned her an identity: the Black Whirlwind.

There was a legend that said the wind could not be contained, that people could only pray for its blessings and its favor. Similarly, people prayed that their heads would be saved from this torrential gale that could whip through a town in the dead of night, prayed that they would not be misfortunate when she came within range.

She was good at what she did. And sometimes, that meant spilling a little blood here and there.

But now was not the time to be thinking of such things. After the last few missions, she had decided to take a small break. Money was good, and she had been working nonstop for the past two months alone. It was time to take a week for herself, something she hadn't done in years. It was the reason why she had made her way to this coastal city on the far end of the western world, a rather large kingdom that sat under the rule of some king that ruled with an iron fist. Not like that last part mattered. All that mattered was that it was a large city, enough for her to just be another face in the crowd.

She would still wear her cloak though, as to avoid unwanted questions about her appearance. Changing into a new set of clothes she secured the cloak over her shoulders, the heavy and enchanted material swirling around her and stirring the dust motes in the lazy morning light. Deciding to keep the gear on her body light, she hid most of her weapons in a drawer, layering what clothes and other items she held in her pack on top of them in order to conceal them. The only weapon she kept on her body was her sword, the holster fastened to her hip and hidden away under her cloak. It was the only thing she would never leave behind, the item too precious and sentimental to leave her sight.

Throwing one last look around the room before deciding that everything was hidden away to a satisfactory degree, she gathered a small pouch of coins and tucked it into her pocket before exiting the room, locking it with a key and tucking it away safely. She stealthily walked down the stairs, her footsteps almost silent as she made her way into the main room of the tavern. The barkeep looked slightly startled at her silent approach, though he nodded rather congenially as she passed. Lifting a hand in temporary parting, Rei stepped out of the bar and into the streets, taking a moment for her eyes to adjust to the bright light before marching down the street.

For a while Rei simply took the time to wander around. This was the largest city she had ever been in, for a handful of reasons she didn't care to think about when it was such a beautiful and leisurely day. Admittedly the city was much more beautiful than what she had been raised to think about human structures, what with their crude, man-made towers of stone jutting into the sky in their hubris and greed for the ostentatious. While there were certainly areas where buildings had been slodged together in a hodge-podge of flurried haste, there was a variety of stone materials used in their craft ranging from austere grey to warm sandy tan. It made for a diverse casting of neighborhoods, and Rei found herself appreciating the variety.

Sooner than later her stomach began to disagree with her leisurely pace, begging for her to turn her attention toward scoping out some lunch. It wasn't difficult to find the marketplace, what with her heightened sense of smell detecting wafts of cooked meats and other more delicate scents that mingled with one another. Enticed by the scent of freshly grilled fish, she quickly found herself munching on a few skewers as she walked through crowded streets, watching vendors and buyers haggling and conversing freely. Golden eyes carefully took in the sights around her beneath her hood, from the layout of the streets to the citizens that laughed and talked amongst one another without a care.

It was strange to hear so much laughter buzzing in the air. Perhaps the city was far enough from Tual that the echoes of dark tidings and rumors of demons appearing on the horizon had not yet chipped away at their security. Still, it was only a matter of time before laughter became muted, before idyllic hope turned to fear. Shaking her head, Rei chased those thoughts away. She was here for vacation, not to muse in the dark. Keeping herself rooted in the present, she continued to wander the city at her own leisurely pace.

Before she knew it, her feet had snaked their way through the mishmash of streets to lead her to stand along a pier, small private boats tied along the docks and floating gently in the lapping waves that sloshed around. The sun sparkled on the water's surface, dazzling her into a stupor as she looked out at the scene before her.

Silence, save for the sound of the water beneath her feet and the occasional cry of the gulls above. It filled her chest with peace, and for a while she was simply content to be.

A middle aged man who had been tying up his boat had turned to look at her, noticing her presence. For a moment he stared, his face a mask as he turned his attention to Rei. She began preparing herself to leave before he could ask any questions, but he called out to her instead.

"Are yeh a visitor?"

Rei blinked in surprise. "Sorry?"

"Must be, what with that response." He seemed rather good natured even with his scruffy face and somewhat gruff front that he had put up, bracing his hands on his knees as he stood up slowly with a grunt. As he hobbled his way over to Rei, she simply stood with eyes trained on him, deciding what to do. He didn't seem to be like any threat that she could discern. For all she knew, he was simply a friendly citizen. The man didn't seem to realize that she was carefully studying him, for he simply waved at her with a motion to follow him. "C'mon ove' here. Got somethin' y'all like."

For a moment she hesitated, but found that there was no discernable reason to not follow him. He seemed like a good natured fellow, and Rei was good at reading people. She fell into his footsteps, watching his lopsided gait as he tottered along in front of her. It brought a smile to her face. What would he think, if he knew that he were leading a renowned assassin around without realizing it?

Their path continued to follow the water's edge, and before she knew it the two of them were walking in the shadow of the castle. Still the dock continued, now laying flat as they crossed over rocky cliffs whose jagged features would surely tear at any unprepared visitors. Eventually it came to a rounded end, a lookout that was raised ten feet above the water and secured to the cliff. It could have easily fit twenty people or more, but it was barren, save for Rei and her leader.

The man gestured to the platform. "Not alotta people come here now. Don't got the time, I s'ppose. Used to come here with my kids 'till they got too old."

For a moment he simply looked out upon the sea, Rei following his gaze. The lookout provided an unhampered view of not only the bay, but also the cliffs opposite of their position and the ocean far beyond the castle, which loomed high above and behind their heads. The man continued to speak, word pouring from his mouth. "Can't have that king takin' up that entire view. A beauty, ain't she?" He jutted his chin out toward the watery expanse. "The sea. She's made for every'un. It's a right shame not everyone can 'preciate that."

"People are selfish," Rei found herself speaking. "They take what they can, and obsess over what they can't."

He nodded sagely at her words, clasping his hands behind his hunched back. "May'beh yer right. Yeh got a right good head on yer shoulders, stranger." He suddenly threw her a look. "Name's Micah. Yeh got a name of yer own?"

An ironic smiled twisted at her lips. "Zero."

To her surprise and satisfaction Micah said nothing, simply nodding sagely as though it were as typical of a name as one could get and accepting her answer without question. The two of them stood there for a moment longer, content to breathe in their surroundings and the peace for as long as they could. The sound of the waves crashing on the cliffs was much louder now, and every so often the ocean's spray would lift onto the platform and mist Rei's face even from under the hood. After a few minutes the man shrugged his shoulders, turning around to face Rei. His eyes peered up into her hood, but after being unable to discern her face he simply gave up.

"Take it from an old man, but this here place got the best view at sunset. Best that this part of the world has to offer. I ain't a traveled man, but I'd stake my life on that much." Offering a small smile to his mysterious companion, his eyes twinkled. "Maybe someone like you can decide."

This time Rei smiled under her hood, grateful that she had decided to follow this benevolent stranger. "Perhaps I can offer my humble opinion on the matter."

His smile was jaw splitting, the brightest thing she had seen all day. Chuckling, he nodded. "I'm down by the docks every day. Come say hello, ya hear?"

As he began to disappear around the corner, Rei offered a small farewell before turning her attention back to the scene before her. Standing still for another minute, she listened for any other intruders before throwing her hood back, relishing in the way the ocean's spray hit her face fully.

Her messy black hair was already a mess before the ocean's breeze caught hold of it, tousling it around even more. Near the top of her head, a pair of black cat ears finally sprang up, the weight of the heavy hood smashing them against her skull finally lifted as they twitched in anticipation. On her cheekbones near her temple, two white arrows glowed gently on each side of her head. Golden eyes blinked at being exposed fully to the bright afternoon light, pupils sliding into slits.

Walking toward the edge of the pier, she sat down carefully. A slender black tail moved out of the way, curling to the side of her leg and dangling over the pier along with her legs. Swinging her limbs back and forth almost childishly, she breathed a sigh of relief at the freedom of being alone.

Freedom to be her, even in a foreign land. She would cherish it, no matter how small the moment.

She stayed like that until the sun had disappeared over the horizon, until the gold had all but disappeared from the sky and only a crimson splash was left in the heavens. Still the brilliant warm spectrum of colors would be forever engraved in her mind, the way that they were reflected on the choppy surface and beamed back up into the heavens as silky clouds drifted high above her head. Even then she continued to wait for a moment longer before pulling her hood back over her face and standing up. Long after her face dried, she could still feel the way that the ocean mist hit it in a cooling fashion, salt particles clinging to her skin. She was loathe to leave the edge, but she had time. She would be back tomorrow.

Perhaps she was right to choose this city. It was a reminder that there were some things in this world that she had yet to see, and they were worth it.

---

be careful of a woman like me.

.

i am true the way rain is true.

i am pure & vanishing.

when the thirst of brittle leaves is quenched

when the land is a screaming emerald

it is clear. i am no longer here.

.

i breathed heavy in the bed of my enemy

so i could overturn the twist of the sordid fist.

i oiled the gears of my mind like a pleasing machine.

you should be careful with a woman like me.

.

- Brooke Axtell

be careful with a woman like me

---

The next day began almost as leisurely as the first. Leisurely in the sense that she still took her time, but today she had a bit more direction. After grabbing another breakfast of grilled fresh fish from the market, she strode down to the pier, half in wonder if she had imagined the man from the day before. Much to her satisfaction he was still there, sitting on the pier and working at mending his nets while whistling an unfamiliar tune that caught the morning air in a happy manner. It took him a few minutes to notice her approach, even as she made sure her footsteps were loud enough to hear. He threw her a grin, motioning for her to come to him.

"And?" He was clearly a man who did not care to hide his emotions, instead throwing them out to the world. It was rather refreshing, in Rei's case, and she found her own lips twitching up into a smile from beneath her hood. "Is it not the most beautiful thing ya've seen?"

"In all my travels, I've never seen a sunset quite like it," Rei agreed amiably. "Truly, it is a wonder of this world."

He guffawed, hands working quickly over his task as his eyebrows furrowed. She could see the satisfaction on his face as clear as day. "'Course it is! I told yeh, did't I?"

"That you did."

He smiled, turning his head to look back up at her. But something in the distance caught his attention, and his face paused in uncertainty for just a moment too long. Frowning, Rei turned her head to follow his line of sight, stiffening at what she saw at the base of the docks.

Royal armed guards. For the past couple days Rei had barely seen them around. Most of them seemed rather amicable with the citizens, and while they were clearly on duty they also were not above mingling with the very people they guarded. But here six of them stood, a seventh without a helmet and clearly of higher rank leading the charge. To his credit he also looked rather friendly, but Rei was wary of their sudden appearance. Smiles could quickly hide a darker secret. Their appearance here couldn't have been a coincidence, not when Rei and Micah were the only ones within sight.

The captain stepped forward, clearing his throat. "Traveler. What is your business here?"

She stepped away from Micah, taking a few steps forward toward the guards but keeping enough distance so as to not unnerve them too much. She could feel the strange look that the older man behind her was throwing at her back, but she dared not return the look. "Simply passing through on a vacation. I assure you," she gestured with her hands in a placating manner, "I do not seek trouble."

"That is indeed good to hear, although you misunderstand us." The captain lifted his head, narrowing his eyes momentarily in scrutiny, as though a simple look could discern if she was telling the truth while her face was still obscured. "Word has reached our ears that a certain… individual," he conceded, keeping his words intentionally vague, "has taken up temporary residence in our city. I seek to confirm that this appearance is true, and not a regular breeze or wind passing through."

Rei's eyes narrowed at his emphasis on the word wind. No matter how neutral he tried to keep his words, it was clear that he was looking for her. Perhaps she had underestimated how ellusive the Black Whirlwind truly was. After all, rumors could be picked up with a stir of a breeze, and even the strongest tempests began in mild tempers. She had been found, and surprisingly fast. The only trick now was to see what the intention was behind these men in front of her.

"That depends," she slowly began, "on who is asking, and for what purpose."

The captain smiled. It was neither menacing nor a look that Micah wore freely on his face, rather something lingering in between. It was more political than anything, diplomatic and controlled to a tee, and it filled Rei's gut with unease. "The King is in need of such a person's services. If you are who you say you are, then you will be rewarded properly and accordingly."

Turning back to look at Micah, she could see the confusion in his face, the wonder at the strangeness of the conversation and of the individual that stood in front of him like some guardian angel or protector. With a sigh, she turned back to the captain. "I am who you seek. I will listen to your King's request."

"First," the captain demanded, "can you prove your identity?"

Rei glowered from beneath her hood. It was no secret that everyone around her was curious to know what she looked like underneath the cowl. But that would not help him. Instead she reached beneath her coat, unsheathing her sword in one fluid motion. The rapier glistened in the light, its cobalt surface sparkling and almost seeming to emit a light of its own. The men both stiffened and marveled at its appearance, whispers breaking out. Rei could sense Micah's astonishment and awe, and she turned to look at him. "I am sorry for deceiving you." He had no response, mouth open like a fish. Instead Rei turned back to the captain. "This will suffice."

Her tone assured everyone that it was not up for debate; they would have to take her without seeing her face. If anything the sword had spoken louder than words, the tentative rumors now proving true. The captain realized this, and simply nodded while swallowing hard. "Then we will go now, if you will."

Boots softly padding on the wooden docks, Rei refused to look back. For some reason she felt guilty that she had not told Micah about her identity, an emotion that confused her. What did she have to feel guilty about? Perhaps it was because she knew of the nightmares her name evoked, even in the common folk and the few upstanding people in this world. She did not want to frighten Micah; in fact, a part of her was rather fond of the older man with his ungainly limp and rough manner of speech. But wasn't that who she was? The living nightmare, manifested from the darkest shadows? Perplexed at her own mental state, she simply settled for stewing in her thoughts as she followed the captain, the six armored guards forming a protective unit around her as they began to make their way through the city.

For some reason, she felt more like a prisoner, her free will and choice slipping through her fingertips in an instant. Dread filled her gut.

Who knew what this turn would bring?

They moved at a bright clip through the city, drawing the attention of many civilians as they stared after the procession. Fortunately no one spoke, and her rapier was safely tucked under her cloak. To the innocent bystander, it was simply a strange procession of guards securing a mysteriously cloaked stranger, something that incited curiosity but nothing else. Rei watched as they began to make their way through larger city streets, the crowds growing and staring with wondering eyes, trying to discern what sort of person was so important to warrant a six man escort.

If only they knew.

The moment that they passed through the main gates to the castle, the hum of the crowd began to fade. Gone were the peasants and the beautiful chaos of the main city. The castle was intimidatingly quiet, an oppressive silence that spoke volumes of the tone and precedent that had been set. Though Rei was a quiet person and knew how to sneak around even more silent spaces than this, even she felt unwelcome and bulky as she bumbled through the corridors, kept in place by her contingent.

It was a kind of darkness that she had never experienced before. It was unlike the beautiful darkness of night guided by the moon in the midnight sky, the kind that brought a cool reverence and peace to one's mind when one could not find sleep. Neither was it akin to the darkness that had overtaken her homeland, the one that ravaged the land of Tual, led by dark demonic forces. Perhaps it was somewhat closer to the despair found in nightmares, in the dark that covered one's senses and made them feel lost in the world.

Despair. It finally came into her mind, appearing out of nowhere. That was a word that she could use. Not even all of the grandeur of the castle and their looming, magnificent tapestries could rid themselves of the stench of angst and wistful memories of times long past. There was a coldness in this place that could not be scrubbed from one's bones, no matter how long they sat in front of the fire. Rei was no stranger to darkness, but she wondered how one could live in such a place as this.

Who lived here, aside from the king? Rei couldn't imagine that very happy people could tolerate this space. It only made her hair stand on end in anticipation of what she would find when the met the king himself.

She didn't have to wait long. Eventually their trek through the long, snaking corridors came to an end as they approached a pair of massive doors that loomed over Rei's head. A herald announced their approach from the inside, voice muffled but picked up by Rei's alert ears, and the doors swung open all too quickly for her to process before their group was swiftly marching down the center of the throne room.

Stately. Ornate. And yet, with all these grandiose decorations, it still felt empty. Hollow and devoid of something Rei couldn't quite place. But her gaze couldn't look around for much longer as they drew closer to the throne and the figure sitting upon it.

Rei had heard rumors about King Endeavor. He ruled with an iron fist, an indomitable will, and with the flames of victory on his side, often quite literally, he had established a monarchy that would surely live on in memories through the ages. At one point his love for his people was unparalleled, but something had happened over the years. There were few answers, only speculation. It was why Rei had avoided his kingdom for so long, not wanting to get caught up in the affairs of such an entangled and complicated realm. Work was plentiful in other areas, so why get involved with such a tense atmosphere?

If she had wondered about what the king looked like, she wasn't far from reality. He was a large, muscular man, whose frame alone was intimidating enough. There seemed to be a permanent scowl engraved into his face, displeasure radiating all the way from across the room. Brilliant red hair was underscored by sharp cerulean eyes that had immediately latched onto Rei's figure, suspicion clashing with vague interest as he attempted to discern exactly who she was. It was after a few moments that Rei realized that the cold atmosphere of the castle radiated from one place and one place alone.

What a king, that would allow his domain to become the loneliest on earth!

But she wisely kept her lips shut, following the lead of the guard and bowing along with them as a sign of respect. She was often considered brash and temperamental by her people, but she at least knew when and how to curb her desire for rebellion. Now was not the time, not when the man sitting in front of her could decide to hold her life in his hands and wring her out to dry. King Endeavor was not a man to be trifled with. She already felt as though she was impeding on his time, and that he was ready to cast her aside at a moment's notice. No matter what the captain had told her to get her to come with him, Rei was almost certain that the king's decision could change in an instant.

So engrossed in her thoughts, she missed the fact that the captain had spoken with the king and that the guards moved to the sides of the room. It was only when cerulean eyes turned on her figure, completely focused upon her, that she snapped out of her reverie and embarrassingly brought her attention back to the fore. The king was leaning to the side, cheek propped up on his fist in a disinterested manner as he stared down at her. Thankfully, no one had yet spoken, a weighty silence pressing down on everyone.

Then, the king spoke. "Remove your hood."

Rei stiffened. "Pardon, your highness," she spoke quietly and in a lowly tone, "but I keep my identity hidden for a reason. My face-"

"Do you not realize," he thundered above her, cutting her off mid sentence, "that I can have you thrown in the deepest dungeons for the rest of your life?"

It was a warning enough. Rei sighed, taking a moment before slowly removing the hood from her face, golden eyes coming to light. She saw the captain stiffen at the king's side, but her eyes were trained on the monarch. Much to her interest, she only saw a flicker of mild interest before it was obscured by boredom.

"I assume my captain here informed you of why I have sought you out?"

She was surprised that he made no remarks on her race or her appearance, but she let it slide. Eyes flickering to the side, Rei contemplated her answer. "Only the most general of ideas, your grace."

At least her answer this time seemed to appease him. Satisfied, he sat up straight, hands and arms resting on the sides of the throne. "Good. Then let me enlighten you. My son," he grimaced at this, "has gone missing. I need you to bring him back to me. Alive."

Rei blinked slowly, twice. A missing prince? "May I ask some questions?" The only response she received was a wave of a hand, which she took as confirmation before pressing forward. "Is there foul play suspected?"

"None so far." This time the captain spoke, stepping forward from the shadow that was cast by the throne. "A report came from one of our guards who was stationed at the kuzumochi grove across the bay. Three strangers were eating from the tree. Before he could do anything, the prince had arrived and dismissed him, stating that he would take care of matters."

"And that was all?"

The captain nodded solemnly. "That was the last we heard of him."

"These strangers, were they capable of taking him by force?"

"My son is more than capable of fending off three peasants on the borders," Endeavor cut in, his voice booming almost too loudly in the space. Rei winced as the sound echoed off the stone chamber, but maintained her composure. It seemed as though the king grew irritated with her question, Rei tucking away that piece of information for later. A prince and a son, but she had the distinct feeling that those two identities weren't always cohesive. If the prince had run away, she didn't blame him, but it did make her more curious as to what the boy was like.

So instead Rei simply nodded at the king's statement. "Then it is assumed that he is alive."

"That is your job to find out. I grow tired of useless questions and statements." Impertinent and impatient, the king took the reins of the conversation once more. "You will be properly rewarded upon the successful completion of your mission, so much so that the Black Whirlwind may choose to vanish from the realm of men. I do not care about the details, simply that you bring him back."

Rei lifted an eyebrow, but refrained from further questions. It was unlike her buyers to not impose a deadline, especially if such an exorbitant reward was on the line. After all, she was known for delivering even in the most tight of time frames. The mission was growing stranger and stranger by the minute, but now was not the time to unpack everything. Instead she bowed at the waist, dipping her head. "Consider it done."

"Good." With a flick of the wrist he dismissed her, two of the guard stepping forward to escort her away. Taking one last look at the king, she followed them out of the throne room and into the hallway.

Was dealing with royalty always this quick? Or was it simply because King Endeavor had zero tolerance for small talk and small fry?

Before the doors had even opened, Rei had slid her hood back on, ears flattening under the weight of the hood. Consumed in mystery once more, she looked to the guards as they escorted her out.

"The prince," she began to one of them, earning a toss of a head in her direction with curiosity. "What does he look like?"

"Much like his father, my lady," one of them began rather politely, "but half like his mother. Quite literally, I must say."

Raising an eyebrow, she crossed her arms under her cloak, the movement hidden from everyone else. "I am no lady," she mused half to herself, "but thank you. What do you mean, by 'literally?'"

This time the other guard spoke, similarly cordial and polite as his compatriot. "Half of his head is the red hair of his father and cerulean eyes. The other half with hair as white as snow, and brown eyes."

"And a scar on the left side of his face, though we suggest avoiding mentioning it. It's a delicate topic."

Half and half of a head, with a nasty scar. Just what kind of boy was this prince? And where was he now? Rei wanted to pull at her ears with the details that were unfolding; she hadn't been able to get the best read on what the captain and the king had believed to be true. Had the prince been kidnapped? The king didn't seem to think so. Yet why would he leave so suddenly, on such a whim? And was he even with those three that the other guard had mentioned?

She had the feeling that she would begin finding answers as soon as she got on the road and began tracking the trail. But simply thinking about that had her gut stirring. Hadn't she come here to find some peace and quiet for a while? All she had found was a city with the most beautiful sunset and a king who seemed intent on ruining her day. Rubbish, all of it. A scowl had made its way to her face as she contemplated the details she had received.

The first guard continued on. "If we might suggest, the kuzumochi grove is quite literally on the other side of the bay. There are usually guards patrolling that area. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them as well, although they might not know much more than us here."

They had come back to the gates of the palace, and Rei had never felt more ready to leave a location in her entire life. She never wanted to return to the castle, what with its desolate and lonely corridors and an unshakable sense of grief. Deep within her, she found the smallest piece of sympathy for the prince she was meant to find. Opening the gate for her, the two guards motioned for her to leave, spitting her back into the central plaza. Fortunately, most people did not seem to notice or care about the mysterious hooded figure now that she was unaccompanied, although some did stare. Rei shrugged them away, looking one final time at the guards.

"The prince," she started, "what is his name?"

"Todoroki Shouto."

Rei wanted to snort. A fitting name for royalty. But she stifled herself and instead bowed. "My thanks."

"Please bring him back to us. The king has been rather out of sorts lately. More than usual. We fear he will only grow worse."

Was that even possible? Rei thought he was bad enough. But she nodded her head before parting from the guards, making her way through the square and down the streets. There was enough for her to process, to think about on her way back.

But now she was on the move again. A bit of her heart tightened at the thought. At least this time she wouldn't have to kill anyone. Or so she hoped so far. Who knew what the future would bring?

---

Look at this stanza. In the orange sun

She is combing the dust from her double wings.

.

As you finish this sentence to the end, she hurries away,

Head lowered, the practiced wires of her body

Disappearing with the alacrity of the very small,

Over the edge of the broad evening dune.

.

- Pattiann Rogers

The Literary Adventure

---

She had been on the road for weeks now, the fiery sunset reflected on the waves a distant memory now that she was surrounded by the familiar forest of green. If she closed her eyes she could conjure the memory of salt air as it accosted her nose, the tender spray of the waves breaking on rock caressing her face. But with every inhale only came the familiar scent of tender greens, of warm dirt and rotting boughs, of cold shade of the towering pines that loomed above her head in a comforting manner. Familiar, yet foreign after the things she had seen.

She would go back some day. Of course she would have to, after her mission was completed and she delivered the prince back safely. But she wanted to linger under the towering stone walls along that pier once again, to drown herself in the sounds of the ocean. She wanted to forget everything, to be at peace once again and feel nothing but the setting sun on her body.

That was now a memory, tucked safely away in the corner of her mind. It was time to get back to work.

The shift had occurred instantaneously. As soon as she had returned to the tavern room that she had purchased, as soon as her fingers touched the familiar hilts of her twin kukris, as soon as her body was laden with weapons that would make a warrior weep, her mind had shifted. The assassin within her had awakened. She had a job to do. Gone was the easygoing attitude that she could don as she walked through the streets of the city. Her mind had shifted in a heartbeat, returning to suspicion, clarity, and cold instinct. In the world she was on her own, with no one to watch her back. There had been a time where that had not been the case, but it was the reality now. Her hand twitched at her side as she walked along the road, eyes scanning everything around her.

Alone. The rogue assassin. It was the role she embraced, that she had made her own. She was the Black Whirlwind, and she would carry out her role accordingly, no matter who stood in her way.

The initial work had been difficult in order to get herself going. By the time she had reached the aforementioned kuzumochi grove that the guards had mentioned, the sun was beginning its descent through sky. The guards stationed at the point had been less than welcoming to the latest stranger that inspired nothing but suspicion with how their face was completely obscured, but after she stated that she was on a mission to find the prince they had at least relaxed a touch. They had shown her the tree with trepidation, but other than that they had no new information to give. Rei had been close to clocking someone over the head with the hilt of her rapier from sheer annoyance and a lack of details when her luck turned up, just before the sun had set. A bit of a ways away from the grove, she had found a trail of hooves. Upon confirming that the prince had a horse, she had rejoiced at her final stroke of luck, sending a prayer to the gods above that it would be a successful lead.

The first week had been the most difficult. The tracks were starting to wear from the earth, since it had been over a week since people had trod in this area. In some places the hooves were clear, along with three other sets of footprints joined by a fourth at campsites, the areas open and definitely showing signs of settlement. On other days when she was less lucky, the trail would become lost and she would wander the forest for days on end trying to pick up a lead. She had been close to ripping her own tail off of her body in frustration, but somehow, some way, she would eventually pick up the trail and be off on her way once more.

Now that she was gaining traction, the trail was becoming more and more clear. Week old prints turned into a couple days. By her estimation she was about two days or so behind the group, putting her both into high spirits while also setting off conflicting emotions. How was she going to convince the prince to come back?

Rei had convinced herself that the prince had left willingly. She hadn't dared say that to anyone out loud, especially around the king, but she had felt a twist in her gut from the start. It didn't sound as though he had anything tying him to his home, save for a nice title and the promise of an even nicer one upon his father's passing. The only thing she hadn't been able to figure out yet was the reason why he continued pressing on with the group. Companionship? That couldn't have been it, or at least it couldn't be the sole reason. Perhaps the group had something enticing. But what could be enticing to a prince who seemingly had everything?

It was a problem that only seemed to grow bigger and bigger with each step she took, even as she physically drew closer to the source. She was conflicted at heart, no matter how much she denied it at face value. She needed the money. She wasn't so dishonorable that she would forget about her mission because she didn't want to take it. Yet how was she to resolve these things that were most likely beyond her? Sometimes, killing people was a lot easier. No talking, no convincing, no arguing, no persuasion. Get in, get out, get paid, move on. Unfortunately, that was not the case here.

By the third week of following the trail she was within a day's travel of her intended targets, and no closer to finding any solutions. But a new drawback had settled upon her travels, something that sent shivers down her spine.

One day she had emerged from the forest line to find herself on the border of the volcanic region.

Rei like to think that she was many things, but a fool was not one of them. She had only ventured through the volcanic region three times, all in order to hunt her assignments after they had fled into the most desolate area in hopes of losing her. Growing up in the safety of the forest, she knew how to hide in the shadows of trees, to muffle her footsteps even across a path of dried autumn leaves. She knew how to scale even the most slender boughs, how to use her surroundings to her advantage. In the volcanic region there was none of that, save for rock, ash, and arid temperatures that slowly became increasingly unbearable.

In addition, there had been rumors of a new inhabitant settling the area. A lord of sorts, riding a crimson dragon. One of those things, Rei was certain she could handle. And it wasn't the dragon. But dragons themselves were temperamental creatures that were seemingly untameable, and the rumors of someone who had managed to force a dragon to succumb to his will had Rei instinctively wanting to turn around and head in the opposite direction. What kind of monster was capable of that, in addition to living in one of the most unforgiving landscapes the world had to offer?

Rei didn't want to find out. She was half tempted to set up camp under the boughs and contemplate an alternative plan. But deep down, she knew that this was her only shot. She had fought this hard to come all this way and to catch up to her mission. It would be a completely waste and disgrace for her to stop now.

With a loud groan and a stamp of her foot, Rei pushed onward. A fool indeed. But her pride wouldn't allow her to stop and forgo her mission. What would happen if the prince was injured in this place? Precious cargo indeed. It was what kept her putting one foot in front of the other, no matter how much she wanted to turn back.

After another five days, her targets came within sight. She had breathed a sigh of relief, but all too soon. Successes always came with downfalls.

The dragon lord appeared.

She watched from a distance as the lord himself and a small squire looking boy had dueled, with the fight going in the lord's favor. He was a strong looking man that looked rather animalistic from his face and persona all the way down to the way he dressed. A fierce fighter all around, Rei found it in herself to feel sorry for the green haired boy that had been chosen to be his opponent, though he did hold his ground for a while. The only fortunate thing was that Rei was able to pick out the prince from the group, but from what she could discern, he was indeed with them willingly.

Her shoulders slumped even as she continued to watch with interest. To her surprise, the dragon lord seemed keen on joining their group after a short discussion, which Rei was unfortunately unable to hear. Even with heightened hearing the distance proved to be too great, and she had to settle for her keen vision. With the dragon prince (and his dragon) joining the group, this would only complicate matters further. How was she to complete her mission now?

For the next few days she continued to follow the group, keeping considerable distance especially now that they had a dragon on their side. It was a difficult task, considering that she was navigating terrain upon which she was uncomfortable in addition to trying to remain incognito as much as she could in this barren landscape.

It was only a matter of time before she was found.

From the moment that the dragon lord and his steed launched into the air one late afternoon, Rei knew that her luck had finally run dry as the sinking feeling in her gut made her stomach fall to the ground. For most of the journey thus far she had been able to hide under outcroppings of rock and molten stone, concealing her location whenever the two of them took a joyride into the skies. But in the next stretch there was nothing but flat land and hollow shells of wiry trees that had their bases covered by a sludge of lava that was now hard and unforgiving. She had been faced with two choices; to remain behind to maintain her cover and risk losing the trail once more, or to skulk close and risk being found by the scouts of the sky. Exhausted as she was of having to find cold trails, she had opted for the later.

As the red giant snaked its way into the sky, Rei began steeling herself. There was no point in running; the creature could outpace her any day, no matter how swift she was. Beneath her coat she placed her hands on the hilts of her kukris, arms crossed over her torso as she simply waited, biding her time. Let them come. She was good at hiding, but the thrill of battle was beginning to surge in her ears as her heart beat wildly, anticipating the fight. Both terrified and thrilled, even she couldn't figure out if the look on her face was a grimace or a grin.

She knew that she had been spotted when the dragon suddenly dove in her direction, a roar unleashed from its mighty throat as it dive bombed for her position. But her eyes tracked it carefully, noting how its body twisted in order to land near her, not on top of her. A strange decision, but one that Rei took in with stride as she readjusted the grip on her kukris. Golden eyes watched as the dragon lord leapt from his steed's back, slowly striding over toward her in confidence. His demeanor oozed of superiority, teeth bared in a feral half smile. She could feel his deadly intent, his fierce aura.

If anything, it made her even more excited.

He finally came to a stop when there was a little over fifty feet between them, enough for them to watch for their opponent's next move. The two of the sized one another up in silence, Rei taking in glittering crimson eyes for the first time. Red, like blood. Beautiful. He laughed, as though he had heard her internal thought, crossing his arms.

"Who are you, scum? Here to challenge the dragon lord himself?"

Clearly cocky, his brash and bold attitude was enough to earn a smile from Rei. Finally, a challenge. It boosted her confidence, borderline arrogant as she lifted her chin up defiantly. "My mission is my own. I apologize if not everything is about you."

Her saucy reply was enough to ignite his temper further, as he glowered at her. "Hah? Who do you think you are? You think you're hot shit?"

"I have no name."

"That's rich," he scoffed, rolling his eyes at her. "Though it doesn't matter once I defeat you, huh?"

"I'd like to see you try."

He needed no more enticement, leaping forward with a battle cry as he brandished his own sword. Rei had mere seconds to bring up her defense, whipping out her own swords as she pushed back, deflecting his onslaught. To his credit he didn't even seem phased, instead looking rather pleased that she was putting up a fight. Renewing his attack he pushed onward in a flurry of blows, Rei was forced to keep on her toes as she carefully watched every jab, parrying at the right moments.

It wasn't to say that she was completely overwhelmed, as in some moments she caught him off guard, particularly when she used her flexibility and mobility to her advantage. In one particular moment he had swiped at her head, swinging full force. Unable to bring her sword up in time, she had bent over backwards and rolled away, sweeping his legs from under him. Her movement had only riled him further, his maniac grin slipping for a moment in concentration as he bared his teeth in a feral manner. Rei had only stood up again, preparing for the next onslaught.

To her surprise, they were better matched than she had expected. If she were honest, she had expected him to use brute force in order to overwhelm his opponents, but his moves were calculated and precise, keeping Rei on her toes. His fight style was intelligent, yet furious. It was exhilarating, to finally be able to fight someone who fought back properly. Enthralled in their glorious battle Rei pushed onward, getting more and more into their fight.

"Bakugou!"

"Kacchan!"

The voice of one of the other party members broke through, much to the dragon lord's anger. "Shut up, damn Deku! This is my fight!"

Taking advantage of the distraction, Rei looked over to the group. It was clear that the boy that had cried out was the green haired boy from before. He was leading the charge, though the dragon was now holding him back and out of the fight along with the others. She didn't have time to look for long, as her opponent moved to slash at her cheek, taking advantage of her momentary distraction.

"Oi! Focus on fighting me, idiot!"

Rei snorted, twirling her kukris in her hands. "With pleasure."

The fight continued on for what seemed like forever. The minutes dragged on. Eventually Rei began to tire and slow, as did her opponent, but neither wanted to give up, both too stubborn to acknowledge their exhaustion and pushing onward. But there was only so far that Rei could push.

It was after one particular attack where she had lunged at his chest that he had ducked under her arm, sweeping her legs out from underneath her. Instinct took over, and although she hit the ground hard with her breath leaving her lungs she rolled to her side in order to move out of the way. But she was slower than before, and her opponent blocked her movement. In an instant he had pinned her down on her back, one foot on her wrist and a hand on the other, sword hovering in the air. Much to Rei's surprise he tossed the sword aside without much regard for the object, a feral look still on his face even through his exhaustion that he was trying to hide.

"Let's see who you are, 'no name.'"

The fight was over. Rei didn't bother to push him away as he grabbed the fabric of the front of her cloak in one hand, bringing his other hand up to move the stubborn hood from her face once and for all. Instead she lay there in her exhaustion, doing her best to sneer back up at him once the fabric fell away. Much to her surprise, his face morphed from confident victory to surprise in an instant, red eyes wide as he stared down at her face.

It was clear the others didn't know what to think either. In the silence that ensued, Rei could hear the green haired boy from before as his voice burst out from the side of the battlefield.

"A Miqo'te?"

---

What is it rippling across the deck?

What rising? What memory of ocean?

What is it ripples and rises?

The drowned heart, lifted a moment

answers clearly. Here it comes.

.

- Muriel Rukeyser

Adventure at Midnight

---

An hour later, Rei found herself sitting down at a campfire with the odd squad that she had been tracking down for weeks. Strange, to be sitting in the company of her prey, and for the first time to be completely at their mercy, not the other way around. But dinner had been served to everyone, a soup that had been cooked and seemingly appeared out of nowhere after Rei had turned her back. Suspicion still lingered at Rei's appearance, but she didn't let the nerves and strain over the campfire dissuade her, since she was still wary at their willingness to let her move around unbound. Part of their suspicion was most likely due to the fact that her hood was now down in the company of these strangers, and their eyes were constantly moving from her golden eyes to her ears, down to her facial tattoos that glowed gently in the night, and back to her ears again. She had experienced worse looks. She could handle a few curious travelers.

Eventually the witch looked as though she couldn't handle the tense atmosphere any longer, like a balloon about to burst from the pressure. "Um, my name is Uraraka! What are you doing wandering the wastelands?"

Rei blinked slowly, taking the girl in. She had a round face, and seemed rather… innocent. Naive wasn't necessarily the right word, but she was good. Rei could feel the honesty radiating off of her, the most truthful and open out of everyone else in the group. Setting her spoon down in her bowl, Rei considered her question. Should she lie? As her gaze shifted around the group, her eyes landed on a familiar head of red and white hair. Red like his father, white like his mother, the half and half prince…

Looking away at the ground for a moment, she gathered her wits about her, steeling herself for what was about to come. She was never great at lying anyway. "I've been hired to bring the young prince back home."

Todoroki stiffened, pausing in eating his food. The rest of the group did the same, slowing at her honest and unexpected words. Rei only blinked a couple more times before resuming eating her meal, blowing on the hot liquid before sipping it carefully.

It was the green haired boy who shook his head, as though trying to clear it, thinking that he heard wrong. "Wait, what do you mean? You've been hired, as though someone…"

The prince's eyes narrowed. "My father." He turned his austere and cold gaze upon Rei. It was in that instant that she recognized the similarities, no matter how much the prince claimed to be different than his father. "You're on a fool's errand if you think I'll go home now."

To her credit, Rei merely shrugged. "Job's a job. I go wherever I get paid."

"And now you're here?"

Rolling her eyes, she gave the prince a half hearted glare. "To be honest, you lot were difficult to track down. The trails had nearly gone cold by the time I got there."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Depends." Jabbing her spoon in the direction of the prince, she raised an eyebrow. "All depends on what you do next."

"Me?" He looked rather surprised at that, but he quickly schooled his face into something serious. "I'm staying with them." He nodded to the trio to his side, the ones that had initially met him back in his kingdom. "And I'm not going home until we're finished."

Rei only shrugged, as though disappointed by his answer. "And what is this task that's so important that you jump at the slightest opportunity to leave your kingdom and responsibility behind?"

He flinched at her attack, but turned his eyes to the green haired boy. He looked rather nervous as Rei turned her sharp, golden eyes onto him, jolting to a start before stammering out a response. "A-ah, well, we're investigating the reason why a bunch of heroes like All Might have gone missing, and why the darkness and demons are coming back."

At this Rei looked up, attention ensnared. The boy seemed to shrink under her close scrutiny for a moment before she relaxed. "And your name?"

"M-Midoriya!"

The knight to his side raised a hand in greeting. "I am Iida Tenya, a knight of the Iida clan! I have been sent on a mission to discover why-"

"What does it matter?!" Bakugou, as Rei had learned his name, interrupted the incredibly formal yet loud introduction of the last member of the party. All eyes on the prince himself, he snarled ferally. "We find who's taking them, and I get to beat him up! The strongest against me!"

Rolling her eyes, Rei snorted as she began to gather up another spoonful of soup. "Good to know that that part's taken care of."

"Um, Zero, was it?" Golden eyes turned back to Midoriya, who jumped and squeaked at receiving her attention again. It was the name she had given them, keeping her true name a secret still. At least if they saw her face, they wouldn't know her true name and accidentally or intentionally give it away. She patiently blinked, waiting for him to continue. It took a moment for his brain to function again, realizing that she was waiting on him. He stuttered, clearly embarrassed. "I mean, well, not to intrude, but I was wondering, um…" His hands played with one another, fidgeting under the pressure. "You're a Miqo'te, right? Aren't you far from home?"

Home. Just the word itself sent waves of longing through Rei's small frame. Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly, but it was clear that the others sensed her unease. To their credit, they patiently waited for her to explain.

Still hunched forward, she rested her forearms on her legs, staring into the fire that burned away happily in the landscape. "Funny, that you mention the darkness. No one believed me, back then. That you are willingly investigating…" Trailing off, she slowly shook her head.

"My tribe lived deep within the mountains of Tual. We were happy. But one day, the demons came and murdered everyone."

"Murdered…" Uraraka's eyes met Rei as she lifted her head for a moment before shaking it again, lowering her gaze.

"My sister was able to distract them while I ran away. I never found out what happened to her."

"What about your guardian spirit?" Midoriya piped up. "Surely you could have them communicate with…" He trailed off, seeing Rei's face darken even further.

"Haru. That was my guardian spirit. She was killed trying to protect me." When she looked up at the group again, her face was haunted, worn from the years of wandering, from living with what had happened. "The first village I came to, I tried to tell them. No one believed me. The Miqo'te never really interacted with anyone. They couldn't even believe that I existed, let alone an entire colony."

"So, you've been alone, this entire time."

Rei nodded. "I went back once, to my village. It was razed to the ground. No survivors. At least, there was no way to identify anyone."

A quiet hush fell over the group. Even Bakugou fell quiet, although there was some emotion bubbling underneath his visage. Midoriya bowed his head. "I'm sorry. For bringing such sad thoughts up."

Shrugging her shoulders, Rei stood up and walked toward the campfire, pouring herself another bowl of soup before returning to her seat and stirring the concoction. For food on the road, it was rather filling, much to her surprise. "It's been years," she said, dismissing Midoriya's apology with a wave of her hand. "I've had much time to reconcile."

"So, what have you been doing since then?" Uraraka shifted the conversation, clearly trying to steer them away from dark and sad topics. "I mean, Miqo'te aren't really known in these parts, or any parts…"

"Yes! I had thought that the Miqo'te were simply legends, as my family had told stories when I was a child!"

Rei raised an eyebrow at Iida's strange and abrupt statement, but she nodded her head. "True. We never used to interact with anyone aside from our clans."

"So, what have you been doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Bakugou could no longer keep silent, barking at the rest of the group. They appeared startled, although Rei and Todoroki kept their composure, never really bothered by anything at this point. Red eyes blazed in anger, but only at his traveling companions' inability to put two and two together. Pointing a finger at Rei, he grinned. "She's a mercenary. Why else would she be following prince kid over here through the wasteland?"

Todoroki muttered something under his breath about Bakugou's crude name calling, but Rei sat up with interest. "Very good," she purred. "At least someone's paying attention."

"That brings us back to my question." The prince looked back at Rei, a look of severity across his face. Even though he was attempting to be intimidating, Rei simply matched his gaze in fierceness, refusing to back down. "What will you do now, that I won't go back to my father?"

"To your fortune, highness," she said with a slight hint of mockery, "I was not given a time frame. Whether or not you decide to go back in a day or a year does not matter to me. If the price is right, I'll forget the whole incident as well."

A frown crossed his face. "My purse was left back at home. I didn't carry it with me when I left."

"Then to that end, we can simply postpone such talks. In the meantime," golden eyes glinted in the fire as she turned her attention back to the whole group, "let me come along with your group. If you are searching for the source of darkness, I would like answers as well."

To her surprise, the group seemed to brighten at her offer. "Of course!" Midoriya was the apparent leader, smiling brilliantly at Rei. "We could always use more help!"

"And Zero is a good fighter!" Uraraka cheered.

Bakugou scoffed, tossing his head to the side and rolling his eyes. "Hah! Not as good as me."

Sipping another spoonful of soup, Rei grinned from over the rim of the bowl. Her eyes glittered playfully in the dim light, joy coming back to her for the first time in a while. A worthy opponent had finally emerged. Even in her defeat, she was confident that she could best him soon. "We'll see about that."

"Huh? You wanna go again?"

"So eager to lose?"

"Oi! Watch your mouth, brat!"

So dysfunctional, but still the group somehow made it work. Looking at their seemingly ragtag team, Rei couldn't help but feel a warmth in her chest as the group began bickering away, Iida yelling something about courtesy toward a woman while Bakugou picked away at the rich young knight. As the fire burned in brilliant reds and oranges, she couldn't help but feel at peace for the first time in weeks, something she hadn't felt since she witnessed that grand sunset in the city that dwelled on the water's edge.

Familiarity, comfort. Longing. But they could only last for so long as their group began to delve into the secrets of the dark.

---

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

.

- Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken

---

Traveling with their odd group came with surprises each day. Rei quickly learned that Uraraka had been a mage hired by Iida's family to accompany him on his voyage across the lands, her family being trained in the magical arts for years. However, the key to her powers was in food; if the mage went unfed, her powers were essentially equal to zero, barely able to produce even a small puff of flames to light their campfires. Still, the bubbly girl remained undeterred even in the most abysmal circumstances, a constant ray of sunshine that cheered her companions on and provided a source of constant conversation if one listened in.

Iida was the youngest of his family, a knight still seeking acclaim. His eldest brother was highly successful, but too busy to make time for such a quest as this, no matter the importance. His duty was to the people he protected on a daily basis, leaving the younger eager to prove himself. To Rei's distaste, he was rather loud and ungainly in some aspects, showing his greenness all to often. Yet he was intelligent in his own right, and noble.

But if it came down to booksmarts, there was none brighter than Midoriya. His knowledge of the Miqo'te came to Rei's surprise, and once he got beyond his stuttering shyness he continued to ask all sorts of questions of Rei's people. She always responded in a good natured manner, unwilling to say no to the second ray of sunshine of their group. He as well was green, but upright and with a strong heart. Of all the people in their group, Rei considered Midoriya to be the most intelligent conversationalist and the most enjoyable.

With every passing day, Rei came to understand more about the young prince she had been tasked with finding and returning home. Most things that she had guessed about him were proven right; he detested his father, and sought to prove himself in his own way. On the other side, she never would have guessed that he was so curious about the world; this had been proven on the fifth night of their travels, when he finally asked if he could touch Rei's ears. His question had caught her off guard for a moment, but after recovering she had let him feel her tail as a compromise. She hated it when people touched her hair or her ears, but she neither did she have it in her to completely deny and shoot down the gentle prince's request. It was one of the ways in which he had proved he was not his father, with a gentle curiosity and genuine soft side that sometimes peeked out from his composed exterior.

Then there was their token hot head, bristling with more anger than his body could contain (or that Rei imagined could even exist in the entire region). But Rei found that she enjoyed Bakugou's little tantrums, often indulging herself in goading him on in order to see how fired up he could get. The rest of their group seemed horrified that Rei was so willing to bicker on and on with him and risk receiving his full wrath, but it never seemed to happen fully. It was fun, Rei found, to have someone match her more witty and dryly sarcastic side, a verbal sparring partner that livened up her days.

But the biggest surprise had yet to come.

It had taken them nearly another week to come to the edge of the forest where the volcanic region finally ended, sputtering out its black and crusted rolls and halting a hundred feet from the forest line. Rei had to resist running into the forest and climbing up the first tree she found, letting her hand twitch at her sides in anticipation as she remained with the rest of the group. Home, or as close as she could get at this point. Under the protection of the forest she had grown, and she would always long to return to it, no matter how far she traveled.

Suddenly, as though the whole group was struck by a thought simultaneously, they turned to Bakugou and the giant red creature that had been following them this entire time.

"Um, how is your dragon going to follow us?"

Uraraka perked up at Midoriya's statement, nodding her head furiously. "Right! He can't fit in the trees with us. He's too big!"

The only response she received was an eye roll from Bakugou, who glared up at the hulking creature. "Oi, make yourself useful, won't you?" He stalked into the forest, leaving the rest of the group to glance between him and the dragon curiously.

Standing at the back of the group, Rei circled around to stand in front of the dragon, looking up into its face with curiosity. Peering up with golden eyes, she blinked a few times before speaking quietly. "Are you… a shapeshifter?"

To her surprise, the dragon seemed to bark out a laugh. Suddenly its form began to rapidly shrink, dropping to the ground faster and faster until a single, man-like figure was left. With brilliantly red, spiky hair that was reminiscent of flames and jagged ridges of a cliffline, Rei found herself staring up blankly at a face that grinned back down at her.

"Nope! I'm just half-dragon, half-human!" He reached over and grabbed Rei's hands, holding it between their bodies as he shook them vigoriously. "I'm Kirishima! Say, you're really manly for fighting Bakugou. I'm impressed!"

Rei was well traveled, and had seen many sights, many people, both beautiful and ugly. She had looked into the most beautiful eyes before they went dull, had glossed over the poor and downtrod with pity before pressing a small stack of coins in their hands before vanishing. She had stood before proud men with haughty eyes and watched as she ruined their lives right before them, seen their faces morph into horror from her actions. She was no stranger to handsome men and women, and she liked to think that she was mostly impervious to their looks.

Yet standing before a changeling, and a handsome one at that, who had suddenly imposed himself inside her personal space and was grinning at her like she was a goddess herself descended from heaven, made her brain short circuit for a moment as she stared breathlessly into crimson eyes.

Her cheeks flushed.

"Oi! Shitty hair idiot!"

Bakugou's yell snapped the two of them out of their moment, Rei's head turning to watch as Bakugou fumed from his position far ahead of the group. His own red eyes pierced the two of them, and Rei suddenly felt embarrassed at her closeness with the dragon boy, pulling away from him and putting a foot of distance between them. The ash blonde only sneered, whipping his cloak dramatically over his shoulder. "Don't forget who you're indebted to!"

"Aw, don't be like that!" Clearly nothing could put a damper on Kirishima's spirit as he clapped a hand on Rei's shoulder, moving the two of them closer toward the group. The grin was still plastered on his face, and looking like it wasn't budging any time soon. Turning his head to Rei, he winked, lowering his voice. "Don't mind him. He's not so terrible as he seems."

"I heard that, idiot!"

"Then explain why he has the worst attitude I've ever seen while walking this planet," Rei muttered half to herself, rolling her eyes as the group resumed their pace, Bakugou taking the lead and Rei and Kirishima bringing up the rear.

The latter barked out a laugh at Rei's dry statement, finally removing his hand from her shoulder and placing both hands on his hips. "I like you! Let's be friends."

Lips twisting up wryly, Rei's eyebrow lifted in amusement at the boy's straightforwardness and bright attitude. He was clearly someone that she wanted on her good side; changelings were few and far inbetween, and Rei had never even met one until now. "Zero," she offered as a formal introduction.

"Nice to meet you officially! Say, I've never met a Miqo'te until now."

"Neither have I met a changeling."

"Great! I have a question, actually…"

Now that the group had gotten over the initial shock of the giant red dragon's true form, they began to relax and talk in their various groups. Rei and Kirishima continued to linger on in the back, trading information about their respective races and Rei letting Kirishima ask the questions he couldn't earlier while in his other form. She found that she rather enjoyed his company, similarly bright like Uraraka while maintaining a fighter's spirit that she simultaneously respected and felt slightly intimidated by. At least he was on her side.

As their voyage continued, Rei couldn't help but notice that Bakugou was sending somewhat discrete glances back in their direction. Well, really, they were more like glares that dared Kirishima to keep talking, but the redhead didn't seem to notice anything, leaving Rei in a rather awkward predicament. Should she bring attention to his master's indiscrete glaring? At the end of the admittedly short internal debate, she decided to ignore Bakugou as well. He wasn't her mother, and she was curious to see what would happen if she continued to ignore him, and how long it would take his temper to explode.

A rather rude thought, but Rei was no lady.

To his credit, Bakugou said nothing for the rest of the day. Frankly, he said little all the way through their evening meal as the rest of the group continued to chatter away. It was only when the rest of the group decided to practice sparring with one another that he made his move.

The rest of the group had broken up, with Kirishima and Iida taking on Midoriya and Todoroki. Uraraka had elected to practice spells and continue reading up on some of her spell books, and Rei had opted to simply watch the four boys take one another on. She had been intent on watching Kirishima fight in human form, admiring his obvious skill and craftiness in battle.

But her head managed to look to the side for just a moment, in time to watch Bakugou slip away from the camp. For a moment he looked backwards before disappearing into the shadows, red eyes barely visible in the dark. But with Rei's pristine vision she could see them looking back toward her, and their eyes locked for a moment before he vanished. Curious, she snuck off a minute later, taking off in his direction in wonder at what he wanted.

After a minute of weaving through the forest, ducking under low hanging branches and carefully treading over thick, gnarled roots that were raised from the earth, she finally came into a clearing. The moon was high above their heads, a full orb in the sky that offered a gentle blue tint to the inhabitants of the earth. Bakugou stood on the side of the clearing opposite of her, a dark glare on his face. It was similar to the look that he had worn on their trek all day, immediately making Rei cautious as she stepped into the ring, watching his every muscle move with anticipation.

For a minute they simply stood there, sizing one another up. It was the first time since their first battle that Rei had a moment to simply take all of him in, the tattered and torn edges of his blood red cloak, the beaded and toothed necklace that fastened it around his chest and added a flair of fierceness to his already jagged features. Wild, like an animal, like no man that Rei had ever seen. And yet in him, she saw a piece of herself; a creature that few had ever lain eyes upon, a curiosity, oddity, and marvel stitched together in one piece. Filled with bitterness and pain, layered with the masks they wore to keep themselves sane.

It was in that clearing that she realized that they were more alike than they initially seemed. She wondered if he thought the same.

The silence stretched on and on. Finally Rei shifted, leaning her weight to one leg as she tilted her head, a single eyebrow raised in anticipation and curiosity. "Well? Get on with it."

The only reply she received was the unsheathing of a sword, its steely blade gleaming in the moonlight and singing for battle. Standing straight up once more, she narrowed her eyes as she watched her opponent slide into a battle stance. "What is this?"

"Fight me."

It was a demand, not a request. And yet for some reason it was only half tinged with the anger she had been expecting, his tone coming across instead as somewhat reasonable. Confused, she hesitated for a moment before reaching for her kukris. She had left her cloak at the campsite, all her motions easily readable and making her feel bare before her enemy.

The moment her hands touched the hilt, he came barreling toward her position, leaving no time to think. Instinct taking over, she ripped the blades from their scabbards and crossed them over one another, bracing against his downward slash. Red eyes glittered with a barrage of emotions, while gold only narrowed in determination. If it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight he would get.

Like before, it was a furious dance of blades as they wove between one another, using their speed and various odd angles and twists to try and catch one another off guard. Most of their moves would work to a stunning degree on any other classically trained person that was raised in the upright forms like Todoroki and Iida most likely were, but against one another it only pushed them to get more creative. Their blades clashed with one another, the metal singing out in the clearing as the song of the night drew around them, with little other noises made save for heaving breathing and their steps as they moved around one another in circles.

She could feel his anger seeping through this time. With every blow there was an emotion sitting right behind it, pressing up against her and trying to push her down into submission. But she refused, matching blow for blow. Occasionally they would back off from one another, pacing in circles as they watched their opponent before someone would inevitably dash back into the fray, starting the dance over again. A deadly dance, one with frightening and lethal intent.

Then, it happened. For a moment her concentration slipped as she prepared for an attack, barely realizing in time it was a feint intended to distract. She attempted to draw her blades up in time to defend, but her grip weakened for an instant, enough for Bakugou to take advantage. With a spin he sent her blades flying into the air, red eyes gleaming. Much to her surprise he pushed onward, continuing to send jabs in her direction even though she was unarmed.

For the moment, at least. She ducked and dodged every jab he thrust in her direction, but she knew that she wouldn't last for much longer. Backing up quickly and creating a breath of space, she placed her hand on the hilt of her rapier and drew it with one fluid motion, meeting her opponent's sword with a peal that rang out into the silent space.

Silence. Then Bakugou pressed down harder, forcing Rei down to her knees with a grimace. He was much stronger than she was physically, but she refused to give in. Their eyes clashed again, a violent swirl of emotions passing through.

In his eyes she saw recognition and satisfaction.

Her own eyes narrowed. "You knew?"

"I had my suspicions, oh mighty Whirlwind. But your sword talks louder than you ever could, a weapon rumored to be made of the heart of a comet."

"Strange. I wouldn't think a lord of dragons would spare much of a thought to a lowly wanderer such as myself."

Rolling to the side, she escaped from his onslaught before standing up again a few paces away. He only twirled his sword in his hand, a new gleam taking over his eyes. "Finally, an opponent worthy of my time!" Laughing maniacally, he readied himself once more. "Show me the skill of the black assassin!"

Rei's eyes glittered at the challenge, strength renewed once more. "With pleasure."

With renewed vigor Rei took charge of the next offense, speeding toward Bakugou at an unearthly pace that would have most common folk wetting their pants in fear. But he only cackled and swung his sword down with exuberance, matching her blow for blow in exhilaration. The thrill of finding an equal had overtaken both their minds, and while their fight was dark and almost dirty neither could deny the sinister spark of joy they found blazing in their chests.

The rumor of the Black Whirlwind was not without foundation; Rei's skill was truly something to behold. Years of training with her kin and surviving in the wilds thereafter had sharpened her senses and made her get creative in order to survive. She had many tricks up her sleeve, gleaned from her expansive travels, and a lesser man would not have been able to keep up with her skills as well as her heightened abilities as at Miqo'te. But Bakugou was no regular man himself, keeping up with Rei readily. His own skills were nothing to blush at, and he readily showcased every bit of them as the two dueled. Pushing their skills to the absolute limit, they were pressed to survive every twist and turn that their opponent threw at them.

But in terms of weaponry, Rei had the upper hand. Her rapier was swift and true, and after a while she sent Bakugou's sword flying through the air and across the clearing, landing in the dirt a ways away. She had thought it to be the end, letting her guard down for a moment before realizing that her opponent had thought otherwise. He lunged for her throat, teeth bared and hands coming for her regardless of the sharpened weapon in her hands. Caught off guard, he knocked her wrist out of the way, forcing her to release her weapon in shock as she tried to stagger away from him, to no avail.

They crashed into the ground, Rei landing on her back as the wind was knocked out of her. With one of her hands already secured in his grasp, Bakugou sought to capture the other one, but was too slow. Nails bared and sharpened she scratched his chest, drawing a small bit of blood and earning a groan from Bakugou as he rolled away, clutching the wound. Taking the time to recover she backed away, still in a low crouch as she watched him carefully.

He pressed his own hand to his wound, checking the depth before realizing it wasn't as severe as he had originally thought. Attention turning once again, he grinned ferally at Rei, who shuddered at his expression. "What? Are you done already?"

If she wasn't so exhausted, she would have rolled her eyes at his antics. But she was still engrossed in the moment, head in battle mode as she looked him over. "I never said anything."

"Then fight me, if you're not scared."

Never one to back down from a challenge, Rei flexed her hands, wiggling her fingers as to ready herself for the next attack. It seemed as though neither had any intent of picking up their discarded weapons, settling for a straight up brawl. Rei knew she was at a disadvantage through and through, but her pride wouldn't let her turn away from the fight. She wanted to see this through, no matter if she ended up losing. A defeat was more honorable than cowering away from the fight. So she stood on the balls of her feet, waiting for a moment longer before dashing onward and back into the fray.

It was like watching a housecat fight against a mountain lion, what with the way Rei had to dance around Bakugou's towering, muscular figure and avoid taking direct blows. To her fortune she was lithe, and having a tail meant that she could change her direction much more easily in order to throw her larger opponent off. There were multiple occasions where she had changed directionality at the last second, making him stagger from the sudden change. But her tricks could only last so long.

Having a tail was beneficial, but also another downside. Just as Rei was certain she had made it out of another close call, a firm tug on her tail stopped her dead in her tracks. A shudder ran up her spine at the sensation as she grunted. The next thing she knew she was face down on the dirt, with someone sitting on her back as they held down her arms next to her. She resisted for a moment, trying to throw him off before giving in, flopping into the ground. Defeat. She had lost.

The moonlight was still high above their heads as the two of them panted, trying to catch their breath, the only sound in the clearing. At least her opponent had the decency to not sit on her upper back, allowing her to breath in fully, although it didn't help the awkwardness in that he was now straddling her waist. She could feel her cheeks flush, although she convinced herself it was simply from the exertion, nothing more. They had been fighting for a while now. She wondered if the rest of the group had noticed that they were missing by now.

Head turned to the side, she could barely see a piece of his outline as he sat above her triumphantly. He lowered his head slowly, until he was right next to her ear, whispering.

"I won."

With a sigh and one final shudder she relaxed beneath him, pressed into the ground in submission. "Fine."

"As victor," he pressed on, much to her surprise and almost amusement, "I demand a prize."

This time she couldn't help the groan that came from her throat, closing her eyes. In her conversation with Kirishima earlier he had mentioned that he had come into the service of Bakugou after losing a duel. What would he demand of her? Her free will? Her sword? That was one thing that she would never give up; someone would have to kill her and pry it from her cold, deadened hands.

She didn't have to wait long. To her surprise he backed away from her, pulling off of her back and sitting down next to her in a cross legged position. Blinking in surprise, she slowly pulled herself up, mimicking his position and facing him head on. His face was schooled into a neutral expression, making it difficult to get a proper read on him. What would he demand? Something outrageous? Would she be in servitude to him from here on?

"What is it?" Her words came out frostier than she intended, but so impatient she urged him onward. He didn't even flinch at her icy attack, red eyes instead appraising her for a moment longer before speaking.

"Let me touch your ears."

"Why?"

She couldn't help her knee jerk reaction; of all the things she had expected, this was not one of them. Gold eyes watched as his face morphed into one of childish annoyance, arms crossing over his chest. "Why what? I'm the one making demands here, idiot!"

Snorting, she mimicked his action, crossing her hands over her chest. Tossing her head to the side, she refused to look at him. "Fine."

She hated it when people touched her hair or her ears. But it was more than just convenience or that she didn't like other people getting in her personal space; it was personal as well. Her sister had been the one to hold her as a child and sing her to sleep, running her hands through Rei's hair in order to comfort her and pull her into slumber. It was her sister who twisted complex braids with flowers and ribbons before they went wandering through the forest, pretending to be heroes in distant lands on various quests to save the city. Touching Rei's head was sacred, and she didn't want others defiling those precious memories that she now guarded with fierceness.

She could sense his fingers approaching slowly, as though with caution. The moment that they touched her skull she was surprised at the softness, the carefulness with which they proceeded as they caressed the outside of her ears gently. Instinctively, she closed her eyes, almost leaning into the feeling as they scratched the part where her ears met her skull, still moving slowly as though worried that she would snap out and bite his hand off. Even though she had been tempted to do so at the mere mention of touching her ears, she found that she felt quite the opposite now. As soon as his hand left her head she felt almost empty, as though something had been taken from her that she hadn't realized was missing in the first place.

Gold eyes opened to meet crimson, the later glittering with some unnamed emotion that Rei couldn't place. But his face backed away as he moved to stand up, walking away to gather his discarded sword. Reluctantly Rei copied his motions, gathering her weapons and dusting them off before putting them back into their scabbards. With a sigh she turned around, almost smacking into Bakugou's chest at his unexpected appearance, apparently having snuck up behind her while she was distracted. Since when was he so stealthy?

Looking up into his face, she found her mouth opening up. "Why?"

An eyebrow arched upward. "Why what?"

"Why make that your request? Why not force me to follow you too?"

He barked a laugh, openly grinning at Rei. "I wanted something that you wouldn't give. Besides," he added, turning his back toward her as he began walking back toward camp, "I've no interest in keeping you around."

She was surprised that he had remembered how Todoroki has asked to touch her ears and how she had refused. But the latter statements had her scowling as she stormed after him, managing to eventually keep up with his longer legs. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"You don't have someone to spar with on your level. Even if I let you go, you'll come back for the fight."

Rei snorted. "Cocky and conceited to a tee. What makes you think that you know me?"

"You're not denying it, idiot."

She had to admit that he predicted her correctly. A scowl still plastered across her face, she rolled her eyes, sniffling. She hated being beaten, through and through. It had been a while since she had been bested, and it came with a surge of emotions. Irritation, anger, a bruised ego. Yet simultaneously there was a bit of her that longed for the next rush, the next time they would clash swords. He was right, even if she hated to admit it. "Prick."

"Idiot."

Her nose wrinkled at the scent of iron, eyes dashing over to his chest as she glanced at the wound. "Hurry up and wash off that blood. They're gonna think I pulled you out to beat you up."

"Who the hell just lost?"

"Shut it and go clean yourself up."

"Maybe you should take your own advice. You're covered in dirt."

"Because you smashed my head into the ground!"

"Well then maybe you should've done better!"

"You're an incomparable asshole!"

"Look who's talking!"

---

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

.

- Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night

---

For months their entourage traveled the lands, meeting other voyagers along the way and forging bonds with them. Some had joined their party, others had left along the way. But no matter what, the core seven remained together, fighting their way through demon hordes as they sought answers for the mystery behind the disappearing heroes.

It was only time until their travels took them to the badlands in furthest corner of the lands, a place deserted and barren after the infamous final war against the demon lord himself many eons ago. But instead of finding a wasteland devoid of life, they came face to face with a new horde of demons, eager to break their skins and devour them from top to bottom, ready to tear them apart.

Calling on all their companions that they had met along the way, they joined forces for one final battle.

It had begun.

While everyone remained in the same general vicinity, most of them had broken into groups of three or four in order to fight more effectively as wave after wave of demons rushed upon them. Rei had no say in where she went, as Bakugou had swiftly grabbed her wrist at the beginning of the fight, dragging her up onto Kirishima's back as he morphed into his massive dragon form, the three of them taking off into the skies. As Bakugou raged at the front, slicing cleanly through the horde in front of them, Rei had taken to protecting their back. Rapier in her hands and at the ready, she swiftly cleaved through any enemies that attempted to catch them off guard or aim for the sides with a scowl on her face.

It was rather effective, as they set up a defense on all sides. With the trio in the skies, it was one less thing for the earthbound fighters to worry about. But where their own numbers were limited, the demons seemed to be infinite. For every target Rei took down, another appeared in its place. The hours wore on, with no end in sight.

Then it happened. Rei had let her attention slip from the left side for just a moment too long, a demon with a wicked curved sword taking advantage. Shrieking with a battle cry he dove into the dragon's side, plunging his sword into flesh as it managed to slice through the scales like butter. With a roar Kirishima thrashed, throwing Rei off guard as she looked around in panic. When her eyes landed on the demon her eyes flashed, pupils slitted in anger and determination. Letting a cry rip from her throat she lunged at the demon, leaping off the back of the dragon and colliding with the antagonizer. She pulled him away from the dragon, the two of them sailing through the air and into dead space.

"Oi! Zero!"

Bakugou's cry was too late, Rei sailing through the air. She sliced the demon's head clean from its shoulders, showing no mercy. Down and down she fell, until she landed in a spot all on her own, surrounded by demons. The enemies were surprised by her sudden appearance, turning to watch her as she pulled herself up from the ground, a cloud of dust emanating from where she had collided with the earth like a dark comet streaking through the sky, heralding the end. The long fall wasn't enough to kill her, only sending mildly uncomfortable vibrations through her joints. With teeth bared and rapier ready, she snarled.

"Come and fight me!"

Shrieks rang through the air at the isolated hero, who took in the barrage in stride. Whirling in a cyclone of death, she watched numbly as the bodies fell all around her, cleaved into pieces by the black blade that sang for the blood of their enemies. It was almost picturesque, a goddess of death in a dance to the grave, slaying demons by the dozen.

Another body landed next to her, and she turned in surprise, lips parting as she took in the figure in shock. A familiar tuft of ash blonde hair and a wickedly feral snarl greeted her, blood red cape flickering in the wind.

"Don't steal all the kills from me, idiot!"

Grinning at Bakugou's sudden appearance, she took a moment before the two stood back to back, looking at the enemies sprawled before them. "It's Rei," she offered. "My true name."

"Who cares? Just don't go dying on me!"

"As long as you don't go dying on me either."

"Who do you think you're dealing with?"

Kirishima soon followed, dropping down with the other two who were already on the ground. Knives at the ready, he grinned at the other two people. "Oi, save some for me!"

Rei only raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips. "I think there's plenty to go around."

"Stop talking, start fighting!"

With a battle cry the three launched into battle once again, attacking with renewed vigor. They began to move through the battlefield, taking down their enemies at a much faster pace than before. With the three of them together they moved seamlessly, watching one another's backs while occasionally quipping wittily to keep their spirits up.

The whirlwind intensified, a blazing gale of unstoppable forces that razed the battlefield and left destruction in their wake.

It was only time before their scattered group made their way back to one another. Exhausted and battered, their entourage fought and fought valiantly, until they were ready to collapse. Rei could see it on their faces, could feel it in her own bones; how long had they been fighting for? How much longer would things continue like this?

A roar sounded.

It was different from anything Rei had ever heard before. Even she couldn't deny that she was shaking out of fear from the way it rattled her chest, not just trembling from exhaustion at this point. The demons all around them began to fall away, leaving their group confused at their sudden retreat. But with their retreat came a chance to breathe, and as exhaustion began to take hold of them they let down their guard for just a moment. Rei fell to her knees, using her sword to try and hold her upright as best as possible. Breathing hard, she looked around to their party, seeing everyone in similar states. Only Midoriya still stood on his feet, looking around wildly in confusion as he breathed hard.

Uraraka was the one who saw it first, pointing to the sky. "Look!"

The moment Rei turned her head, she wished she hadn't.

The demon lord himself had appeared.

Rei's hands fell to her side, face upturned in fear. "It's useless," she muttered half to herself. "I can't move anymore…"

To her surprise and horror, it was Midoriya who moved to the front of the group, sword grasped firmly in his hand. His back turned toward the rest of the group, his face was unreadable, but Rei's eyebrows furrowed as she watched his shoulders slowly pull back, his posture grow taller, his stride trembling less and less with every movement. Something was different, something had changed in this boy in a matter of moments.

The red gleaming eyes of the demon lord focused on the small boy, taunting him as it laughed. The sound sent shivers down Rei's spine, and she closed her eyes for a moment, looking away. This couldn't be it, not the end…

Suddenly, a bright light began to emit from Midoriya's blade. Burning brighter and brighter, she almost had to look away from the fierce light, but something in her was so drawn to it. A fiery figure began to manifest behind the young boy, mirroring his every movement and copying his stance as he readied himself to deliver the final blow.

Everyone's eyes widened as the figure began to grow more defined, recognition dawning.

All Might… ?

With a cry Midoriya slashed his blade across the sky, the fiery All Might doing the same motion in tandem. The mighty sword hurled a line of flames that arced through the sky at a hurtling speed, colliding with the demon lord before he had time to react. With a howl that pierced Rei's ears the creature fell, melting into the ground and slowly disappearing from the scene.

The winds whipped around the battlefield.

The clouds stirred.

The sun's rays streamed through.

The battle was over.

Rei, who had been closest to Midoriya at the time, stared in shock and wonder as he turned around, the figure of All Might vanishing with the wind. Green eyes met with gold, and Midoriya offered a smile. "It's alright now."

"Is it over?"

He shook his head, a frown coming over his face. "No. It only wounded him. The fight isn't over yet."

"For a moment, I saw… All Might."

"Yes." Midoriya's fist clenched, a new look of determination coming across his face. "I heard his spirit call out to me. He's alive, somewhere. I need to find him, in order to defeat the demon lord once and for all." He walked forward, offering a hand to Rei. She took it gratefully, standing up on her feet once more as they shared a look of severity.

"So it isn't over."

The boy shook his head, a look of despair coming into his eyes. "No, it isn't."

Heaving a sigh, Rei rolled her shoulders. She turned away, walking back to her sword and cleaning the blade with her cape before sliding it back into her scabbard. With a wry smile twisting her lips, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I still haven't learned what I came along to learn. My sister might be out there, and we won't know for sure until that creature is defeated. The answers are out there, somewhere."

Her words brought a brilliant, jubilant smile to Midoriya's face. "Zero, will you come with me?"

"I suppose someone has to keep you in line, as well as that Bakugou."

"OI! I'M NOT DONE YET! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME!"

She was dirty, exhausted, and hungry. There were smudges of grime and blood across her face. The land wreaked of flayed flesh, and the battle was nowhere near over. She was nowhere closer to the answer she needed; why her village had been attacked and whether or not her sister was still alive or not. But standing there in the badlands, alive and mostly well, she listened as Bakugou, irritable as ever, yelling out obscenities and kicking the demon corpses as Kirishima tried to reign him back in and console him. In that moment her eyes met Midoriya's green, and they shared a secret smile that made her lips tremble.

She laughed, because she knew that, one day, they could finish the fight.

---

"Hope" is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

.

I've heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

.

- Emily Dickinson

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

---

AN: (in the voice of Loki from Thor: Ragnarok) Surpriiiiiiise ~

And I wrote this in two days (plus one day to edit)

I still don't know how I did it.

Thank you everyone who left a bunch of guesses as to what this chapter would entail in the reviews! You've all given me a lot of good ideas for the future; I've actually already started writing about one of these ideas, and I've begun scaffolding for a second. I'll probably be inserting them as bonus chapters when the moment is right, because some of them contain spoilers right now, but look forward to seeing more fun, bonus content in the future! And if you enjoy fun chapters like this, please leave a review to let me know what you'd like to see!

As always, thank you for your reviews...

Genderbend deku: Ah thank you so much! I am glad you've found this story! You are never too late for anything; if anything, it's more fun for you since you didn't have to wait for a bunch of updates up until this point. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

dragontamer64: Hahaha I had so much fun writing the text messages. Honestly I related to that so hard; autocorrect should learn some things at some point, but some things never change...

N3mm: I was going through some of the chapters I've posted, and I saw that! Honestly thanks for being with me since basically the beginning; I'm glad you still love this story, and I hope that you will still enjoy it going forward. I'm a little apprehensive about some of the plot points that I'll be introducing soon, but it'll be an adventure, that much is for sure!

FireFox614: Yes, part of the reason why I can update is because I wrote 22 chapters (about 115k) in about 2-3 weeks back in January. I've returned to beef up a lot of the chapters and do some basic editing, so it's only growing bigger (like, I hit 100k in chapter 11? unreal for me). I am doing my best to continue writing so that I will at least get through the license test in a timely fashion; I've been watching the anime, and I might start reading the manga just so I don't have to wait until October! Which hopefully, will mean more content for you :D

Incognito: Like they always say, "if you don't find the content, make it yourself." But at the same time, "do I have to make the content myself?" Hahaha but I'm so glad you like this story! Also, yes about Bakugou... I want the cute feelings so much too! But I'm trying to contain myself and stick to a logical pace. The struggle is so real...

ansegiel: lol yes they are my cute little idiots that can't handle feels very well! Honestly I'm having so much fun writing their interactions. When I think about Rei and how she'd handle any type of feels, I imagine those pictures of irl bumblebees that are just... head diving into flowers and bumbling (lol pun) around like the lumpy idiots they are. I love my lumpy idiots. Rei is technically not a lumpy idiot but... she's a dork at heart 3

Please look forward to our regularly scheduled content next chapter. We're diving into Hosu City! Will Rei be my lumpy, lovable, punching bag that gets tossed around? ... Probably!

lol poor Rei

Please leave a review telling me what sort of special chapters you might like to see next!