As far as Uraraka could measure, a few dozen maids worked for the Shoto family, cleaning rooms and serving food to the elite household. That night she had spent following those who worked at night, trying to get some posture or mannerism to pretend that she was from around here, which meant that she hadn't slept at all that night. Her encounter with that general had shaken her a bit too much, bringing an uneasy feeling and her chest.
But for her plan to go smoothly she had to keep her identity as hidden as possible. Managing her way thru the nicks and crannies of their guards.
It was already morning when the majority of the maids woke up to do their chores. Uraraka had hidden in the crowd, acting as a new maid and grabbing the usual things they would wear. She tied up her hair in a simple bun and let her fringe cover her eyes slightly, trying to distract the very obvious golden rims. After her wish, she had found that there were a few obvious and less obvious side effects, one of them being just that.
Now she would have to act human, something she had never been taught to do.
Specially with her powers now gone.
She made her way through the small caves down in the slums of the mansion, memorizing the routes in case of any particular emergency. At the doors leading to the main grounds stood a few elder women shouted orders from the exit doors, indicating the things to be done that day.
"Ladies listen! Today will be a very busy day!" The older woman with the long spiky hair and voluptuous body watched the curious eyes of all the girls. "We have a very special guest in our home and we must treat him as such!"
The maids whispered questions of who could it be? Why is he here? What was the purpose? When the older woman let her whip hit the ground acting as a warning for them to remain quiet.
"Shut it ladies! This is the behavior you mustn't hold around our guest! It is very impolite! From now on, no whispers or comments beyond these doors! Any rumor of our guest will get to my ears! Are we clear?!"
Uraraka gazed at the frightened maids around her, seeing their bodies shivering with that woman's every word.
They all chanted in unison. "Yes lady midnight!"
The woman smirked at the fear of the girls, proud of her doing. "Good. Now leave my sight and go and do your work!"
The small Uraraka watched as the others spreaded out, grabbing plates and cleaning supplies from every corner, and leaving the slums. She followed behind the maids and made her way to the grand entrance of the house.
Her eyes gazed upon the giant arch that led them to the center of the mansion, its stone colored in white and marble details. It was something Uraraka had never seen in her life.
It was the opposite of what Kirishima had informed her about. "It is an awfully ugly place, I bet that you would want to get out of there as soon as you see it!"
Uraraka laughed under her breath. Oh silly dragon! It appears our taste in design is very different!
They went under the arch and spread out into the center of the mansion. Pillars of white, bronze and marble adorned it's sides, marvelous paintings of past representatives adorned the antique walls, pots and sculptures sat on top of ceramic posts in exposure, luxurious tapestries with the family's symbol hanged from the ceiling... it looked more like a castle than a mansion.
"Hey goggly eyes, keep on moving!" An elder female voice shouted behind her, shocking Uraraka slightly.
The girl bowed in apology. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interv-"
"Just move it!"
The woman hurried by with a cart, pushing Uraraka to the side. She soon found that the respective people who worked in that mansion were not taught to be kind.
Rude delinquents...
Uraraka made her way through the elaborate halls, searching for the thing of most importance: The heir's room... Todoroki Shoto's room.
She passed many doors, all of them with no indication or sign telling what or where it leads to. Uraraka even stumbled upon a room with an unlikely couple doing unlikely things, yet apologized and kept on moving.
Where is that damn forsaken room?!
From the distance a familiar figure made way through the halls, a familiar pink skinned girl following behind. Uraraka's eyes widened in horror, hiding as quickly as possible behind a pillar.
The unlikely pair walked at a hurried pace. The pink woman spoke first. "Momo I don't think you should bargain into such fragile matters. Besides, the heir can take care of himself-"
"According to his actions, Todoroki Shoto can not take care of himself in any way! He has not listened to the advice of Shizenji and continues to venture out with his broken arm!"
Uraraka listened as closely as she could.
"Even more so! It is his body, not yours! Why do you worry of such things?"
Momo turned around and made a halt, facing the pink woman. "It is my duty as the general of this house to take care of the heir. I am his guard, Mina, and that even means taking care of his health!"
Mina sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well if it is of duty then go along and follow that track... I won't stop you."
The general maintained her scowl. "Good, now let me attend these matters on my own."
Uraraka peeked from her hiding spot and watched as the pink woman walked off, leaving the general.
The black-haired woman turned towards another hall down the line. Slowly but surely, Uraraka sneaked out of the pillar and followed the general's moves, being careful of not being caught.
The general knocked on a simple white door at the end of the hall, then entered the room upon being granted permission, closing it behind her.
Uraraka watched closely, waiting for her cue to continue with her plan. Soon enough, the door opened in a rush, a man with peculiar colored hair stomped out, the general following behind him.
"Todoroki Shoto it is my job to do this not yours!" Momo shouted, following behind the man.
Uraraka hid behind a near cart full of disposed plates, watching and hearing the conversation from her new hiding spot.
"Todoroki-"
"Stop the nonsense, Momo! It is my job to fulfill my father's commands not yours!"
Uraraka couldn't take her eyes off the handsome man.
"Todoroki Shoto.. heir to the Shoto's fortune! His room is where you are meant to find what you seek, Uraraka!"
The girl maintained herself in the hiding spot. I hope you are right, Kirishima.
The flash of sadness that crossed the general's gaze was surprising for Uraraka, shaken away in an instant. "Of course... whatever you decide is best..."
From there, the pair walked down the hall, opposite of where the young girl hid. It was finally her cue to keep moving forward.
Slowly, she tiptoed her way towards the half open door and entered without a trace.
Inside, she wondered about the lack of decoration, the simple bed in the center and a brown vanity on the side. The place was... bland, compared to the rest of the heir. Uraraka tried to maintain her focus on her main purpose.
She ventured her way towards the vanity, prying open every drawer in search of anything that could lead her to her parents.
"Where is it?" Uraraka changed her search to the bed, under pillows and linen, finding only solitude. "Not even a single key or map?! How does this boy live by here?!"
The girl parted away from the bed, putting everything back in its place and sighing.
"Change of plans..."
Beyond the windows, the same valley he had stared at the day before became distant, the flowers only dots on a plain green mountain. It looked like a painting made of the finest paints he had ever seen. And he had not seen that many in his life.
Besides the random stay at the guest room in the luxurious mansion, Bakugou felt like a king with how well he was being treated. All the food he desired delivered at his door, pretty maids wondering the grounds, clothes of silk and leather... he barely missed the towns people.
Yet, something in his mind felt missing.
"Uraraka…? Why does that damn forsaken name still linger in my thoughts?" The beast paced his fancy room. "Who does it belong to anyway?"
His memory from any of the events that he was supposedly involved in were still rocky. He still couldn't remember any bits of the fire he had "saved" the townspeople from, nor he could remember how he had gotten there in the first place, the last thing he was certain off was that he had never known how to get back to the town in the first place.
His hand met his spiky hair, scratching away the confusion. "Geez... what a mess."
Before he could linger in his thoughts any longer, a loud knock came from the guest room's door. Bakugou looked at it strangely, still unfamiliar with the sound. "W-who goes there?!"
A male voice responded from the other side. "Sir Bakugou, It is Todoroki!"
The beast rolled his eyes, not wanting to speak to that boy-prince. "ugh..Come on in!"
The boy with the hair of fire and ice walked into the room, a woman with metal armor following behind. Bakugou stared at the girl, admiring her beauty.
But she did not admire the beauty in his room. "Oh my! Have your piers not taught you the way of keeping your own room clean?!"
Bakugou's pretty image of the girl suddenly went down the drain. "Shut it! I have lived in a cave my entire life, not a shabby guest room in a fancy mansion!"
Todoroki stared at the man like he had grown a third eye. "A cave?"
"Yes!" Bakugou became desperate "What are you going to bother me about, prince-boy?"
The heir maintained his cold composure and spoke. "Well, my fath- I mean, the master of the house wishes to meet you in his quarters if it's not of much bother?"
The beast stared at the man from head to toes. "Why?"
The warrior-girl urgently spoke. "Because he wishes to thank you on his wife's rescue!"
Todoroki glared at the girl behind him and returned his stare towards the beast. "Yes... like my guard has said... So, are you willing or not?"
Bakugou gave it a quick thought, but found that there was no other way. "Fine. I'll go."
Just like Uraraka, Bakugou had found that the mansion was adorned in a rather luxurious manner, staring prominently at the high banners on the walls, his eyes fixated on the name.
The beast was far to slow wondering around for Momo's taste. "You musnt stare at those too long, we have other things to attend... then, if the master allows it, you can venture with guidance through the grounds. Is that clear?"
Todoroki glanced behind him watching as the beast kept staring at the banners.
"Yeah... mjm.."
"Are you even-?"
The prince-boy spoke before his guard. "Those are the banners of my family... but if you could please move forward with our journey."
The beast stared back at Todoroki. "Yeah, let's go!"
The guard gritted her teeth at the beast's incompetence, asking herself why the heir had brought such a man to the mansion. "Ugh!"
Bakugou smirked at the woman. "Heh."
Before they knew it, they had made it in front of a grand door guarded by two silent statues. Bakugou stared at both, snickering in their presence. "What is this? I thought such an important man would be guarded by people?"
Todoroki and Momo looked at each other for a second, amused by the beast's naivetes. The boy-prince spoke first. "Well yeah, he is a very... strong man of honor."
The guard spoke with a bit of cockiness. "Maybe stronger than you."
The beast reacted to her phrase in an angry fit. "What?! No one is stronger than the beast of the forest Bakugou!"
Both the prince-boy and the guard laughed slightly. Bakugou gritted his teeth and stomped his way to the door.
The pair behind him, changed their expressions from amused to slightly frightened, both screamed in unison. "Wait!"
Before he could even touch the door, the still guards of the door made their move and collided two swords in front of Bakugou, blocking his way. The sudden scene made Bakugou fall to the ground. "What the-?!"
But a deep voice spoke from behind the doors. "Let them pass, the man doesn't mean harm to our grounds."
The statues returned to their original position, whilst the grand doors opened for the three. Todoroki's eyes lowered, preparing himself for the encounter.
Momo approached the beast, still shocked on the floor, and pulled him up to his feet. "Move it."
Bakugou let himself be guided by the female guard for the first time that day, following the prince-boy in his pace and into the large room. Like every other section in the mansion, the room was filled with antiques and fancy linen, the difference being the large bed that adorned it's center, where a man with his back facing the door sat. Besides him lay someone covered in a blanket to which he graced his fingers over it's face.
Bakugou and Momo heard the heavy sigh emitted from Todoroki at the sight. "Father... I have brought you our savior: Bakugou… the "beast" of the forest."
The beast smirked proudly, happy for the prince-boys vulnerability.
The man who sat on the bed didn't turn. "Todoroki, my command to bring our guest was for our general not for you..."
The beast stared with confusion at father and son, landing his gaze on the heir's tightening fist.
"Still, as heir to your power and fortune I must attend the duties my pier requests-"
The man spoke again. "Well, that isn't an important matter..."
Slowly but surely the large figure stood from his place, showing off a handmade uniform with intricate embroidery. "The matter of importance here is that we have to greet our guest. The savior of my wife...and my son."
Bakugou walked past Todoroki with pride, ignoring the furious prince and shoving him away. "It is I you speak of sir...?"
The man turned around, revealing a beard of fierce fire, shocking the beast. "Enji Todoroki... preferably call me Endeavor."
Bakugou regained his composture, trying to be impressive in front of the intimidating man. "Endeavor... I've heard your name before..."
"Everyone has, sir Bakugou! Why he is the strongest being in our land." Momo spoke behind him, walking towards Todoroki's side. "All who doe not is just being an ignorant."
"Why thank you General, I can always count on your compliments!" Endeavor smirked slightly with the same pride as Bakugou. "Now, I must thank you for your brave service, which in any case I wish for you to stay here as long as you desire. Besides, living in a cave must be of an awful home... You can even receive teachings from our fellow general and heir. They are very good teachers!"
The pair of heir and general questioned the Master's offer in shocked unison once more. "What?!"
While Bakugou wondered of one thing only. "How do you know I lived in a cave?!"
Endeavor approached the beast, placing a burning hand on his shoulder and grasping it tightly. "I know of many things young man..."
Bakugou felt what seemed like a familiar shiver of fear going down his spine, but he didn't let it confuse his determination. "Heh... I see."
Like a stormy weather, the serious man suddenly turned vibrant, letting go of the beast and smiling with audacity. "Hmm, now that I think about it... Should we also hold a thank you banquet or masquerade? Masquerade sounds better."
Bakugou stared up at the man, still processing the words from before. "Whatever you say... Endeavor."
Todoroki and Momo stared with a hateful passion at the grand master.
"You two. Change your expressions and give a very well deserved tour of the mansion to our new hero, I'm sure he will enjoy every bit of it."
The heir turned away first, rushing out the grand doors. Bakugou nodded as a thanks to the master and followed Todoroki, Momo on his pace.
The grand master waited for the big doors to shut behind the trio before letting his scowl fall right back on to his face. "I hope that the little show has pleased you..."
A demonic voice spoke from the dark corners of the room. "It has been of good entertainment, Enji…"
"Now, is my wish getting closer to it's core?"
Something slithered on the ground, grabbing on to every tile and reaching Endeavor by his back. "Patience king... wait a few days and your throne shall be granted... Just get that little beast closer to me, he owes me a big dept..."
"I will do as you please, Tomura…"