***Warnings: Language, Bakugo bullying, fluff

***Please read on and enjoy! ^_^

Chapter 3: Iron Will

Hitoshi did not have time to react when Izuku leaped in front of him and pushed Bakugo out of the thicket while telling him to run away. He quickly got up and glanced around the opening to see that both had turned into their stag forms. Bakugo stomped his hooves and thrashed his head around wildly while Izuku's tail and ears lay flat. To Hitoshi, it looked as if they were arguing but in a language and motion all their own. Hitoshi looked through his things only to remember that he did not bring a weapon. He wasn't sure how well Izuku could defend himself or if he could help Izuku.

Hitoshi became frustrated with how helpless he felt, but he had never fought an elemental before, and Bakugo is clearly a strong one. He quickly put his clothes back on as they were thick material and could protect him from antlers, at least a little bit. Izuku told him to run away, though Hitoshi didn't want to leave him behind. However, he knew he wasn't equipped to fight an elemental, and Bakugo's flaming antlers could set him aflame, not just pierce him. It was a hard decision, but he told himself that Izuku would find him. So, regrettably and feeling ashamed, he jumped out of the thicket and ran.

Bakugo saw the human darting into the trees and turned to follow, only to be blocked by Izuku. 'Get out of my way, Deku!'

'No, Kacchan! I don't want you to hurt him!"

'He's a human! He doesn't belong here! I can't believe your weak, useless ass would get so close to a human! Are you fucking insane?'

Izuku, though frightened of Bakugo's larger, more powerful stature, stood his ground. 'I take responsibility for him. He's a good human! He's not here to hurt us,'

'You were LAYING with him! A human! That is unforgivable!' He shoves his antlers at Izuku. 'Don't stand in my way!'

'No! I won't let you hurt him!' Izuku shoves his antlers towards Bakugo, who reacts by violently kicking him in the chest. Izuku backed away only to feel Bakugo's hooves kicking him again until he fell to the ground. Then, Bakugo jumped over him and ran in Hitoshi's direction. 'No! Stop, Kacchan!' Izuku chases after him, but Bakugo's speed was unlike any other. 'Please, Hitoshi! I hope you've found a hiding place!'

Hitoshi kept checking over his shoulder for signs of Bakugo following him. Finally, as the coast was clear, he stopped a moment to catch his breath and look at his surroundings. The smartest thing to do would be to hide as if he were hunting an animal. Lay low and stay quiet. But where to hide? The area was open with no signs of thickets. He had a thought, then; stags can't climb! Hitoshi found the nearest tree with the most branches and began his climb. He had climbed trees when he was little and never lost the skill. He climbed as high as he could go, hiding in the heavy canopy of leaves. As a hunter, he was used to sitting for long periods.

'I hope you're alright, Izuku,'

Hitoshi hears the familiar sound of running hooves on the ground, and he peeks through the leaves in an attempt to see who it was; Izuku or Bakugo. The unmistakable flaming antlers told him it was Bakugo. He holds his breath as the stag passes the tree at top speed. Then, a few feet behind comes Izuku. Hitoshi calls down to Izuku, and the stag slides to a stop and looks up.

'Hitoshi! Thank goodness! Quick, get on my back!'

Hitoshi climbed down and leaped onto Izuku's back, grabbing the antlers. Izuku turned and started to run the opposite way.

'I need to get you back to your realm!'

"I don't want to leave you," Hitoshi tells him. "Come with me!"

'No, I can't leave this place! I'm not a human!'

"We can make it work!"

'Your humans would never accept me!'

They ran all the way back to the entrance of the human realm in silence. Hitoshi got off Izuku, and the stag turned into his human form. Hitoshi asked Izuku to come back with him once more, but Izuku declined. Instead, Izuku was urging him to go back. Hitoshi wouldn't budge because he did not want to leave Izuku yet, so he spun around and brought the other into an embrace. He took in the fresh earthy smell of Izuku's hair with a deep breath.

"I'm coming back for you,"

"It's not safe,"

"I don't care. Keep waiting for me," he pulls away to look into those bright green eyes. "We're going to see each other again!"

Izuku's eyes grew moist with tears. "Okay, Hitoshi,"

"Don't cry; like I said before, I'll figure something out," He gives Izuku a kiss on the cheek, making the deer-man blush prettily. "Be safe, and wait for me."

"I will, Hitoshi!"

With one more longing glance at Izuku, Hitoshi passes through the trees, and in a moment, he's back in the human realm. The cold winter air bit at his face, and he remembered how great it felt to be in eternal springtime with Izuku. This land was so cold and unforgiving. He thought about going back to Izuku, but that wouldn't do any good with Bakugo hunting him. Hitoshi regrettably began his long, snowy walk back to the village.

Hitoshi could feel Chief Aizawa's steady gaze on him as he played with his hot meat stew, swirling the wooden spoon around in its contents. After returning, Chief Aizawa asked where he had been for so long, but Hitoshi wouldn't tell him the truth. He said he got caught while out trapping and decided to stay in place until morning before heading back. Hitoshi knew that Chief Aizawa didn't believe him, so it was only a matter of time before the truth was pulled from him. He thinks of Izuku, and the ache in his chest from being apart from him was like an illness.

"Where were you really?" Aizawa finally asked, breaking the silence. "When you came back, you did not have the appearance of a person who huddled in the cold all night long. Did you find another tribe in your hunts?"

Hitoshi scooped up a piece of meat only to plop it back in the stew. "I met someone."

"Hm? Someone? Who are they?"

"...would you believe me if I told you?"

"I would."

Hitoshi releases his grip on the spoon. "I found the elemental forest. I've experienced it, and I met a powerless elemental person there. He was caught in a humans' trap near the entrance of our realms. I've spent time with him, and we…share deep feelings for one another." Hitoshi had to look away in fear of seeing a look of shame or disappointment on Chief Aizawa's face. After all, he had met another male, not a woman.

"I see. You said, 'a powerless' elemental?" Hitoshi nodded at him. "Hm."

"Do you know something about that?"

"Not sure if it's true, but there are old, old legends of humans and elementals having babies. The problem is, they are half-bloods and are rarely welcomed in either realm. They can have the features of an elemental, but they can be as powerless as a human."

Hitoshi's tired eyes widened slightly. "Are you saying that… it's not unheard of for a human and an elemental to be together?"

"Don't you listen to all the stories? There's at least one or two that say it, only they aren't pleasant stories,"

"I can't remember every story,"

"Now, let me ask you this, what do you plan to do with this…elemental man you found?"

"Well, this is how it goes," Hitoshi tells him about Izuku and the challenge they face with the powerful elemental, Bakugo. "So, as you can see… he's guarded by Bakugo…who won't let him go."

"Hm."

"...what should I do? How can I get Izuku away from Bakugo?"

"You'll lose in a one-on-one fight," Aizawa tells him. "But there is a way. It's going to be hard, maybe even impossible, but if you want to have Izuku for your own, then you'll have to trap Bakugo; Bakugo is bound by the laws of the ancient truce and must grant you a wish. You already know where I'm going with this?"

'Trap Bakugo?' Hitoshi has trapped many animals but never an elemental. "What human trap can hold a strong elemental?"

"You're going to have to use your wit to figure it out," Aizawa tells him. "Just a trap alone will not be enough. You'll have to outsmart him as well."

Hitoshi stares down at his stew, his mind suddenly going blank with the new information he had just received.

"But there's something else," Aizawa added. "You're the next chief of this tribe. Chances of the tribe accepting a half-blood elemental, who is also another man, will not be accepted. If Izuku were a woman, it would be a little easier."

"Most of the tribe members don't even want me as chief anyway. What's to stop them from rising up against me after you're gone? It won't matter if I have an elemental deer-man as my mate."

Aizawa sighs while breaking a piece of bread to hand to Hitoshi. "First, I want you to eat. Second, you'll just have to do your best to win their support and respect. If you're concerned about that, then maybe taking Izuku as a mate is a bad idea. Try to forget him if you can."

"I can't, though," Hitoshi countered. "I'm in pain just being away from him like this!"

"Hitoshi, I want you to think about this part as well. If you bring an elemental to live in this world, they lose their immortality. And they won't be able to return home. The fact that Izuku was accepted at all is…surprising. But if you take him from that, and should things go wrong, you've ruined his life."

Aizawa didn't flinch when Hitoshi shot up from the table and stormed to his room. Instead, he finished his dinner and put Hitoshi's back in the pot to keep it warm. Then, going over to Hitoshi's closed curtain, Aizawa waited a moment before speaking.

"I didn't say all that to discourage you. But you are in a tough situation, and I want you to look at this from every possible angle and make the best choice. Of course, any chief would have to do the same to find the best solution for their people. Goodnight."

Hitoshi lay on his bed, hands folded behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. All he could see was Izuku's smiling face, the fawn-like freckles, and those green eyes. Damn, those eyes! The more he thinks about Izuku, the more possessive he begins to feel and now views Bakugo as a threat to Izuku's affections. Izuku is already caught in a trap, and that trap is named 'Bakugo.'

'So, I have to trap Bakugo by outsmarting him. When I do that, he'll have to grant me Izuku's hand. Whether or not Izuku will come with me remains in the dark. Maybe I should take this one step at a time. First, win Izuku, and then deal with the issues of the tribe.' But, what kind of trap can hold an elemental? For some reason, Chief Aizawa was making a lot of noise in the hut, and it was hard for him to concentrate. He couldn't face him right now, so he stuffed his head under the pillow.

"You're not allowed to this herd ever again!" Bakugo shouted at Deku from inside the thicket. "I should kill you for running around with a stupid human! So there won't be a third chance, got it?" Bakugo snorts and snarls at Deku.

Izuku shies away from Bakugo but nods in compliance. What was he going to do now? What will he do if he can't leave to see Hitoshi? Would Hitoshi forget about him? Or will Hitoshi go on waiting for him? Bakugo has him trapped here, but maybe he can think of a plan to slip away without notice. It won't be right away, though, because Bakugo will stay alert and watch him closely. He will have to give it a few days or wait for an opportunity to present itself.

"You're so worthless," Bakugo said to Deku and walked away.

Izuku sighs and curls up in his thicket, letting his memory of Hitoshi's fife and its music lull him into sleep.

The following day, Hitoshi had overslept, but no one came to wake him up. He knew he overslept because he was too well-rested. But, when he opened his curtain, something was blocking his path; a small stack of Chief Aizawa's iron tools. Hitoshi looked curiously down at the tools, wondering why they were directly in front of his room. Was Chief Aizawa trying to tell him something? Giving him a hint? Iron is tough to come by and takes a lot of work to make.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Chief Aizawa asks from the doorway.

Hitoshi turns to him. "Are you telling me I should build something?"

"You want to trap the elemental named Bakugo, right?"

"Yeah,"

"Not just any kind of trap will catch something like that and hold it,"

Hitoshi wasn't sure what Chief Aizawa was trying to tell him at first, but then it occurred to him. Iron is said to burn the flesh of elementals if it touches them.

"Chief...I can't have these melted...they're your tools."

"I'm giving them to you," he says. "Bring them to the blacksmith and have him craft a new trap. It might take a few days,"

Hitoshi was touched by Chief Aizawa's kind offer to help him win Izuku, even if it will cause issues here.

"Thank you."

He gathered up the tools and went to the village blacksmith.

A few days later, Hitoshi received word that the iron trap was completed, and he picked it up from the blacksmith. He had it strapped to a small sled along with a small sack of food and water. He also brought his bow and arrow, his fife, and a hunting knife. Hitoshi planned to be gone for a few days. Some tribesmen asked where he was going, but he wouldn't tell them. Instead, he would say he was going on a 'small adventure' and leave it at that.

Hitoshi said goodbye to Chief Aizawa and, pulling the sled behind him, began making his way to the elemental forest.

Izuku was sick with desperation at being separated from Hitoshi. It has been too long since he's seen the human. He missed Hitoshi dearly. The man was constantly on his mind, affecting his daily life. Sleep was difficult, and he didn't have much of an appetite. Bakugo had noticed and yelled at him on occasion to 'get over it,' but he just couldn't. He would pretend to eat, or at least eat what he could. To make matters worse, he still could not find a chance to sneak away. Izuku thought it hopeless until that chance came in the form of a unicorn.

Shoto Todoroki had come passing by, as he sometimes did to check on the status of all the herds, flocks, packs, and clans. Izuku loved looking at Shoto in both unicorn and human form because he was so handsome. Aside from the scar on his face, Shoto Todoroki was perfect. AND- this was the PERFECT time to slip past Bakugo.

As predicted, Bakugo focused on Shoto, doing everything to prove to the unicorn that he was the better alpha male in the forest. Izuku checked to make sure no one was watching, and he snuck off, leaving the herd.

Grinning to himself, he transformed and ran towards their meeting place, hoping to see Hitoshi there. If he wasn't, then Izuku would wait for him. If he has to hide from Bakugo, then he'll hide from Bakugo.

Sadly, Hitoshi was not at their spot. So, Izuku folded his legs under him and waited.

Hitoshi finally reached the elemental forest and walked through, pulling the sled behind him. Instead of meeting in their usual place, Hitoshi went a bit further. He wasn't sure how Izuku would feel about him setting a trap to catch Bakugo, even if it was to help them be together. Izuku isn't the type to want to hurt anyone.

While traveling here, he thought of a plan to lure Bakugo into the trap. He would have to use Izuku, or himself, as bait. Bakugo is quick to anger and short-tempered, so finding a way to infuriate him will be easy.

Hitoshi set up the trap, locking it in place, and lightly covering it with leaves and dirt. With the right amount of luck, Bakugo will come running this way and step right into the trap, which will snag a leg and render him helpless.

"Hitoshi?"

Hitoshi spun around to see Izuku.

"You're here!"

He didn't want Izuku to find out about the trap, so he ran to Izuku instead and embraced him.

"I've missed you!"

Izuku blinked the tears from his eyes. "I've missed you, too! I don't want you to leave anymore!"

"Wait, where is Bakugo? Is he following you?"

"No, I snuck away!"

Hitoshi frowns. "Then...he'll be out looking for you,"

"We can hide!" Izuku offered.

"No. We can't keep hiding forever," he pointed out.

"But, when Bakugo comes searching for me-"

"Then let him come," Hitoshi said, taking Izuku's hand. "I'm going to fix this,"

"But...but Bakugo is so strong!"

"I'll figure out something. But, for now, I just want to hold you." He pulls Izuku back into the embrace, taking in the fresh scent of moss.

Izuku smiled and nuzzled Hitoshi's neck, glad to be back in the man's arms. Then, he let out a little squeak when something was poking against his lower belly.

"Oh...I think you want more than just to hold me," Izuku teased.

Hitoshi blushed darkly, and his eyes could not meet Izuku's in fear of embarrassment. Izuku would never mock him, but still...he was too old to still be a virgin. He always said he would wait until he found the right person, and that person was in his arms right now.

Izuku pulls away from the embrace and takes both of Hitoshi's hands in his, guiding him away from the current area.

"I know a nice little place,"

TBC