I was hoping to get this out before the New Year, but I couldn't manage it, and frankly it's probably for the best. There are parts of this chapter I was already unhappy with, and rushing would have made that even worse. On the bright side, I got to release chapter 11 on EGMD's birthday! As of today, we've had one whole year of tormenting Izuku together. Here's to another!


Izuku was not sure what he had expected from Iida's brother. The nobleman had remained tight-lipped on the subject, even as the day of the meeting came. In fact, he expected that the three of them would have walked into the affair not knowing as much as they did were it not for the information provided by The Unseen.

On the upside, though, it seemed that Iida hadn't seen his appearance coming, either. Nobody present had expected anyone related to him to arrive at the designated meeting point, a private room at the back of a an inn, in shredded rags. Both he and his clothing were caked in what looked like soot, dirt, and grime, but he oddly did not have the bearing or any other physical hallmarks of someone who had gone through a period of strife. The (clearly) senior Iida was well-muscled, uninjured, and smiling widely.

"Tenya!" He called out with glee. "Today could not come quickly enough!"

"Tensei, what happened?" Their friend took a moment to look his sibling over again and confirm that no wounds afflicted him. "Where are your things?"

"Somewhere far to the south, by now. It was The Unseen's idea, and it was quite brilliant! They realized after some time that the vampire was, at least in part, tracking me by scent. We're not sure how he managed to pick mine up or how he knew I was a Godling, but once the method by which it followed was discovered, they proposed that they take the carriage, load it with all of my things, and drive it out of the city in the morning. Meanwhile, I found some despicable clothing in the trash, rolled around in the muck by the river, and burned quite a large fire to mask my smell as best as I could. I've spent the last thirty hours or so in a cellar, and let me tell you, I've never been so glad to see daylight in my life!" Tensei barked out a hearty laugh. "I'd hug you, but I need new clothes and a bath, lest I afflict you with this reek!"

Suddenly, Tenya's caginess about the meeting made complete sense to Izuku. Of course he wouldn't want to talk about it – doing so didn't just put himself in danger, but his brother as well! It was clear that they were quite close, and whatever the reason for their separation, keeping quiet about each other would increase the likelihood that they would be able to see each other again.

A nagging jealously crept at the back of his mind, however. Godhood was far from a lonely prospect; there were two dozen Gods at present, and while there would certainly be at least one less in the coming cycle, that was more than a comfortable number of people. Izuku even liked most of the Godlings he had met thus far, and was certain there were more that he'd be fond of once he came to meet them. No, company was not was he envied, but the prospect of sharing divinity with family. It was a base and ugly feeling, and he desperately wished it would go away.

Tenya reached out and clasped his brother's forearm, heedless of the filth encrusting him. "I'm just glad to see you safe. When we heard you were being pursued by a vampire, I feared for you." He turned to his companions and said, "This is my brother, Tensei. He's Lord Torino's Godling."

"It'll take more than a lone vampire to lay me low!" The taller Iida said confidently. "Even catching me is no mean feat, no matter how ancient the beast! But speaking of 'we,' who's all this with you?" He cast his hand across the three others present. "I was certain I'd be meeting you alone, with how desperate for secrecy you were last we spoke."

"Trust me, we weren't his idea," Mina said. The nymph was less than thrilled at the presence of another Iida, and she didn't make much effort to hide it. "Tenya made it really clear that he didn't want me along, but someone has to take care of Izuku." She glanced at him with a wry smile. "Not like he's going to do it himself!"

Izuku hung his head with an embarrassed flush. "It, uh, it is true that Iida – er, Tenya wasn't very enthusiastic about any of us coming along... but we all convinced him it was best, in the end."

"You convinced him," Uraraka corrected. "At least, to let me join you."

"Nobody convinced him about me," the Godling of Revelry said cheerfully.

"While it is true that I was initially wary of them, each of my companions has proven themselves loyal and capable. Izuku Midoriya," he said, gesturing to the green-haired man, "is only a mortal, but is a rapid learner, a competent ally, and possesses the luck of the Gods themselves."

"I... I don't know about that," he muttered. The shame of his lies and the awkwardness of being praised weighed heavily upon him.

"Ochako Uraraka is the Godling of Magic, and while her spells are somewhat limited as she learns how to shape them with the powers of the divine rather than the arcane, she is exceptionally powerful. Were it not for her, there'd be several more dead Godlings in the world."

Uraraka didn't turn red like Izuku, but she did give an anxious smile. "That's probably a bit more credit than I deserve, but I do my best!"

"Miss Mina is the Godling of Revelry, and has a power with unexpected potency considering the purview of her mantle. She can produce any number of substances derived from the plants of the world. And while you and I may not see eye to eye on many things, I can assure you that I have long since been convinced of your value and intentions."

She looked like she wanted to give a snarky reply, but visibly thought better of it. "I'm not interested in being Queen of the Gods, so I figured that since Izuku and I are being hunted by the same vampire, I may as well stick around. Gotta get to the Palace eventually, might as well do it in good company. Safe company, too."

Tensei's brow furrowed. "This vampire has been following you as well?"

"Different vampire than you," she clarified, "But she's after both of us. Me for my mantle, and Izuku because she..." Mina shuddered. "...Likes the way he tastes."

"The vampire got a taste of you and you yet live?" The elder Iida laughed. "Maybe you do have the luck of the Gods!"

"I-it was only because Mina saved me," Izuku quickly protested.

"Yeah, but that was after you started beating the tar out of her with nothing but a broken chair leg!" The nymph laughed.

"I hit her twice!"

"Two hits on a vampire is no mean feat, Midoriya," Tenya reminded him. "Especially for one so new to the art of combat."

For a moment, the embarrassed Godling sputtered in search of some other way to divert their compliments from him. However, he decided that it was best just to look away and be silent. Perhaps they would move onto another topic.

"And you, Uraraka?" Tensei asked, much to Izuku's relief. "What's this about you saving Godlings?"

"Oh, I just... Right now, I mostly use force magic, and it's useful when people are trying to hurt you, is all." Her humility did her credit, but she was selling herself far short. He wanted to correct her so that Tenya's brother would understand exactly how invaluable Uraraka had been in their fight against the bandits, but an odd feeling settled in his gut, and Izuku wondered if it would be hypocritical to speak her praises while rejecting what others gave to him. It was different, wasn't it? Because they were exaggerating his exploits, while she was diminishing hers.

Fortunately, he didn't have to speak up, because Mina did for him. "What Ochako meant is that she enabled us to assault an old fort outside the city and fight off about two dozen bandits without anyone dying."

"We had been informed that a Godling had voluntarily surrendered to the bandits to save the lives of others, and with her companion's help, we apprehended all but three of them," Tenya added helpfully. After a brief pause, he corrected himself: "Well, four, if you count the one that the captive Godling had killed herself."

Izuku's previous line of thought was completely stopped by the mention of the dead bandits, as he was working very hard to keep his mind from plunging back into the dark delusions it held to regarding that day. Hoping not to draw attention, he didn't close his eyes as he had been doing previously, but envisioned the pinpricks of light in the stars all the same. Partway through the process, he was distracted by a hand on his shoulder. Mina had stepped next to him and wore a soft, encouraging smile. He wasn't sure what had given him away, but finding the rest of the stars in his mind was easier after that, and Izuku found himself smiling as well.

The conversation had continued while he was distracted, and he picked it back up towards the tail end of a brief retelling of their exploits at Fort Ekko and their encounter with Yaoyarozu and Hatsume.

"It's a shame they weren't keen on joining you," Tensei said at the tale's conclusion. "Both of their mantles sound extremely potent, and they sound like good people." The nobleman leaned back in the chair he had taken. "I'll be happy to work along side them as Gods, I think."

"Speaking of which," Tenya asked, "What brought you and The Unseen together? I can't seem to place their motivation, from what little Midoriya has told me about them." After a brief hesitation, he added, "Moreover, are they a man or a woman?"

"I couldn't say. I've never seen their face, and their voice sounds like a whisper at any volume."

Izuku nodded along with that. His encounter with The Unseen had been brief, but it wasn't any stretch of the imagination to think that they would always be as such. They were the Godling of Secrets and Deception, after all, and anyone the Council of Shades chose to succeed them would naturally be the type to hide behind layer upon layer of obfuscation.

"But, as for how we met – It was during my time in the capital, while I was searching the royal libraries for clues. I couldn't tell you how they found me or knew that I was a Godling, but they approached me during my research with a proposition." Tensei shifted his posture to now lean closer to the gathered Godlings. "The Unseen has no aims to the throne. In fact, they actively reject the concept of being the monarch. 'Too visible,' they said. 'The God of Secrets can't very well do their job if all eyes are on them.' However, they also made it entirely clear that they had no interest in who does win the Game. Ultimately, they only want the freedom to do what they feel their duties entail. So, the terms of our agreement was that The Unseen would aid me for a time in whatever manner I required. In return, should I win the Game, I will leave them to their devices. Win or lose, however, I do owe them a favor."

Tenya's voice was troubled. "A favor is a dangerous thing for the King of the Gods to owe."

His brother nodded. "Yes, which is why I didn't accept right away. I asked them to give me some time to consider. After dwelling on it between my studies, I decided that the favor was not the point of concern. I would not do anything that violated my principles, and would insist that a different favor be asked if it would. No, the thing that was most concerning to me was that a mercenary Godling would take what I found and spread it to the competition. On their word that they would not spread any discoveries made during the term of our agreement, we entered into a partnership, which ended when they took the carriage to lead the vampire away."

"So we won't be –"

"Hang on," Mina interrupted. "So Tensei is the one who's going to be the King, then? Not Tenya? Because you two are talking like he's going to be the King." She didn't seem upset by the idea, but she wasn't very fond of Tenya, either.

The brothers looked at each other, but said nothing.

"That's not a problem if it's true," Uraraka added. "I'm a bit confused about that, too."

Both of the noblemen remained silent as they stared at each other, having some unheard conversation. Izuku looked between them, a battle raging in his mind. On the one hand, he obviously couldn't support either of them in truth. The All Mighty had all but outright commanded him to win the Great Game and become the next King. If he had to pick one, of course he'd pick Tenya, but the choice wasn't even his! But then, on the other, part of him wondered whether it was all worth it. The lies were going to catch up to him eventually, he was sure, and who was even to say that his vision for the world was superior to anyone else's? Moreover, what even was his vision for the world? What was he going to do as King? How could he continue lying to his friends when he had no idea what he was doing?

Tenya finally nodded, but it was Tensei that broke the silence. "We're both going to be Kings," he said.

The confusion was evident on the faces of each other Godling in the room. "What?" Mina asked. "How – What are you going to do, open the Palace door at the same time?"

"Yes, actually," Tenya replied. "And I haven't gotten anything from my mantle that suggests that it wouldn't work like we expect it to."

"How will that work?" Uraraka asked. "I'm not exactly clear on how being the King of the Gods works anyways, but what would change if there were two?"

"We don't know," the younger brother answered. "But we were together when we were chosen to be Godlings, and we'll be together when we open the doors."

The siblings looked at each other fondly, determined smiles on their faces. Tensei smacked Tenya on the shoulder and said, "Besides, I've lorded my age over my little brother for long enough. It's well past time he had some say in how things are run!" They shared a laugh while the others in the room processed this new information.

The jealous feeling from earlier started sneaking back to the edges of Izuku's mind, and he worked diligently to crush it. Unfortunately, this resulted in him feeling even worse about the inevitable betrayal he was to unleash. Now, it wasn't just Tenya he was stabbing in the back. It wasn't even just the two of them; it was their entire brotherly bond that he'd be spitting on when he tried to take the throne for himself. At this rate, Izuku thought, he may very well wind up the Godling of Self Loathing.

Before the former scribe could continue too far down the river of that thought, Tenya continued. "I believe, at this point, it is best we determine what information we've gathered so that we may decide on our next course of action and begin working towards it. There will be plenty of time to catch up while we travel."

"That seems wise, little brother. Why don't you start us off? What information did you gather from Wizard Nighteye and his library?"

Several pairs of eyes fell on Izuku, if only for a moment, while his found the ground. "Not much, I'm afraid," the younger brother replied after a moment. "I was given access to the library for a full week, but on the second day, he ejected myself and Midoriya – his scribe – unexpectedly. Within an hour of that happening, the Godling of War had arrived and burned down the whole manor."

A horrified look crossed Tensei's face. "Gods' blood," he swore. "Why?"

When the nobleman – well, the other nobleman – didn't reply, Izuku looked up and realized that everyone was looking at him once more, and they weren't stopping. "Um. I... I was friends with him, when we were younger. He had a grudge against Mas – er, Wizard Nighteye. And... I guess the power of the mantle went to his head and Kacchan decided it was worth killing him over."

"...To think, we may be sharing in our divinity with such a man."

"Indeed," Tenya agreed. "But we did gather some information. The Palace is physically accessible without having to attempt to venture into another plane of existence, so we won't require any great magics to enable that travel. Besides that, we know that it is hidden from mortal eyes, unless they are accompanied by a God, and that it lies somewhere to the east."

Tensei bellowed in mirthful laughter. "All that in two days, little brother? Your mantle must have been invaluable! I found scantly more than that in all the three weeks I spent in the capital!"

"Well then, don't keep us waiting. What have you learned?"

"Like you, I found evidence that suggests the Palace exists on our world. I also came across a mention of sheer cliffs surrounding it, so I believe it resides in some manner of valley." He grinned widely. "Combined with knowing that it's to the east, that should let us greatly narrow down our options, so that was information well found. As for the last of what the king's libraries yielded to me, I found a cryptic message that seemed significant. It was in a tome that recounted some of the earliest records historians have found. This particular passage was found in a collection of miscellaneous translations that were found in various ruins: 'The blood of the Gods shall always guide them home.' I'm not sure exactly how it's helpful, but..." His voice trailed off as his eyes found their way past his brother and to Uraraka.

Izuku followed his gaze, as did the others, to find the Godling of Magic staring at the head of her staff. The stars within its bounds were giving way to the milky clouds it held when no portent was revealed.

"That seems important," Tensei said in the silence that followed. "Something I should understand, perhaps?"

"My staff shows me portents in the stars," she explained. Her voice was small and disbelieving. "The orb clouds when a portent has been fulfilled."

"Which means that that message had something to do with Hatsume," Tenya said.

"What's the blood of the Gods have to do with 'forgefire'?" Mina asked.

The room was silent. "I don't know," Uraraka finally answered. "But whatever it was, we missed our chance to learn." She looked down, disappointment and shame covering her face. "I'm sorry..."

"Hey, you... You didn't do anything wrong," Izuku consoled. "None of us were able to figure out what your portent meant."

"Yeah, and it's not like we didn't try to keep them around to find out," Mina added, wrapping an arm around her friend. "So what if we didn't get this one? There'll be more portents, and I'm sure we'll get those figured out! They'll probably even get us to the Palace first!" The nymph wore a wide, encouraging grin, and her unoccupied arm was cast out, fingers splayed, in the direction of the future. It got something like a smile out of the Godling of Magic.

Tensei, meanwhile, turned to his brother. "Well. I suggest we begin preparations to leave. I'm going to avail myself of a bath here. Being that all of my belongings left on the carriage yesterday, could I trouble you to get me reequipped?"

Tenya grimaced. "I doubt I'll be able to find armor to your liking on such short notice, but I'll gather what I can."

The siblings clasped each other's arm before the elder turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him and muffling his call of, "Innkeeper!"

With Uraraka approaching a more normal point in her mood, Tenya approached the three. "Midoriya, could I request your assistance in browsing the market? I'd like to resolve that as swiftly as possible, so an extra pair of hands would be appreciated."

Before Izuku could answer, Mina spoke. "Oh, sorry Tenya, I actually really need Izuku's help. I talked to him and Ochako earlier about giving me a hand with some of the people who were following me around yesterday."

Izuku blinked. Mina had mentioned no such thing to him, and he raced to figure out what she actually meant. Clearly, there was something she wanted him around for, but she didn't want to tell Tenya the truth. What could that be? Moreover, why? He knew that she wasn't fond of Tenya, but as far as he knew, she'd never outright lied to him before. Lacking any sort of motive, he wanted to consider the ends she was trying to achieve, but he was acutely aware that if he thought on it too deeply, he'd start muttering whether he wanted to or not. If that happened, their leader – former leader? – might suspect something, which could drive a further wedge between him and the nymph. Izuku wasn't sure whether he wanted to deceive his friend like this, but he wanted another fight to begin even less. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, Iida..."

The nobleman looked surprised and, to his credit, suspicious. "What situation would require both of them?"

"I threw a revel last night and if I don't get it cleaned up, the city is going to arrest me or something. And I think humans don't like it when you say no to being arrested?"

He risked a glance to Uraraka. Her face bore only the slightest apologetic smile, so he could only wonder if she was as surprised as he was at how easily this lie seemed to come from Mina. Her eyes did dart over to him, but betrayed nothing in the brief moment they met his.

"... I... See." The disappointment was evident in Tenya's voice. "Well. Best you'd resolve that, then. I don't want to leave the city in poor standing with the guard."

"We'll send Izuku towards the market once we're done. Or maybe earlier, if we think we can." The pink-skinned girl smiled earnestly, despite the distinct lack of earnestness in her story. "We'll be in the Gardens until then."

With a heavy sigh, he said, "Very well. Best you have Midoriya return here, first, however. I'll be coming back promptly upon completing the shopping I need to do, and I'd rather not need to gather us from opposite ends of the city before we leave."

"Sure thing!" Mina chirped. "We'll all head back here afterwards." To the two who would follow her, she said, "Come on, let's get moving. That garden isn't going to clean itself!"


"So this is bullshit, right?" The Godling of Revelry asked once they were a healthy distance from the inn. "This whole thing with Tensei?"

"That's why you lied to Iida? Er, Tenya?" Uraraka asked. "Why not just be honest with him?"

"Pfft." She waved her hand dismissively. "It's not like he'd listen to anything I had to say, I'd just cause a fight, and then you and Izuku would be upset."

"I'm a little upset now," the wizard said. "This could have waited, and Tenya probably has a lot of shopping to do. He could have really used Midoriya's help."

"Yeah, but we need to make sure we're all on the same page. Sure, he's our leader or King to Be or whatever, but that doesn't mean he can just do whatever he wants and expect us all to be okay with it!"

"Well... No, but there's no reason we couldn't have had this conversation later."

"Later when? When we're all traveling and right next to each other?"

"I... I guess that's fair," Uraraka finally relented.

"What about you, Izuku? I know you..." Mina paused and delicately chose her words. "...Feel indebted to Tenya. But springing this whole thing about his brother also going to be King was bad, right?"

Izuku took a moment to respond. He was trying to sift through his feelings on a couple of matters. Firstly, of course, was Mina's lie. It would be wrong for him to be upset at her for being untruthful. In fact, it'd be hypocrisy of the highest order. Her lies aside, it wasn't as though Uraraka's points were without merit, but Mina's assertion that there wouldn't be a later to discuss this was also valid. Thinking on that lead to nothing but circles, so he discarded that line of thought to be picked up later if it became important again – as it stood, his friend hadn't done anything he wasn't guilty of himself, so Izuku couldn't be too hard on her for it. As for the situation with the brothers...

"I don't know," he said honestly. "I get why he didn't say anything about it. I mean, even keeping it all a secret, Tensei got found out by a vampire and another Godling... If Iida – well, Tenya had been truthful with us from the beginning, maybe he'd have been attacked by someone else, too. Or maybe someone would have followed us until they got a couple Godlings in the same place and then... I don't know. Did something. It's definitely safer for him and his brother this way. Maybe for us, too?" He shrugged, uncertainty clear in his voice and body language. "But... I also don't know how I feel about the idea of both of them being King." That was a lie, of course. He knew exactly how he felt about it: deeply conflicted and like the worst kind of traitor.

"Well, you definitely sound like you aren't happy about it," Mina said, crossing her arms. "Even if you won't say it."

"That's not fair, Mina," Uraraka said. "Just because he's confused doesn't mean he's not happy about it!"

"He's not even looking at us. He never looks at us when he's upset."

That startled him. Was that right? Did he always look away when... Well. Somehow, he doubted it was when he was upset that this happened. More likely, he averted his eyes when he was lying. Though that would technically make Mina's statement correct, since he was always upset when lying, but she was mistaking the effect for the cause.

Well. Small blessings, he supposed. At least she didn't know he was a liar.

"Sorry..." he muttered.

With Izuku's opinion aired, Mina turned to press Uraraka further. "So, come on, Ochako. Tell us what you think about this. We need to know if we're all on the same page here!"

The Godling sighed and looked away from the others. Her eyes rested on the orb capping her staff. "I think that the Iidas will make good Kings," she said after a moment. "Or at least, Tenya will. If Tensei is like his brother, he will too, but I can't say because I don't know him. I don't like that we were kept in the dark for so long, but I understand why he did it and agree that it was probably necessary." Uraraka bit her lip. "I also think you're... overreacting to this because of your dislike for Tenya."

Mina huffed. "Of course I don't like him, he acts like he's King of the Gods already. Frankly, I'd never have stuck around if it wasn't for you and Izuku. But I'm hardly overreacting."

Izuku felt it wise to keep silent on the matter. He wasn't sure how best to handle this subject and worried that, should he say the wrong thing, he would only further incense her. Even given any tacit support of her idea (beyond what he already had in giving the most honest opinion he was able to give) may further expand the gap between his friends.

"You are, though, Mina. You're upset because you're worried that Tensei will be too much like Tenya and that you're going to chafe under both of their yokes, and you're choosing this as your outlet because it's an easy way to get us on your side." At the stunned silence of both of her companions, Uraraka continued. "And it's okay that you're upset, but you shouldn't try to turn this into a bigger issue than it is. If having both of the brothers present makes things hard for you, we can talk about it with them then and see if the problem can be resolved, but you shouldn't be driving wedges between everyone to preempt an argument."

An uneasy silence fell between the three of them as Mina began to stalk forward. Her arms uncrossed and her hands balled into fists while her face flushed a strange dark purple. The confidence Uraraka held when she spoke drained away as she watched her friend grow angry with her, and the change in the mood of both women made Izuku anxious at the developing tension. Despite her increased stride, he did note that Mina didn't outpace them. The change in distance held along with the quiet until they were nearly at the Gardens, when she finally whirled on them. Izuku had expected her furious expression, but not the tears in her eyes.

"Why do both of you always side with him?" she yelled. "He's awful to Izuku, and all he does is boss the both of you around! You've said it yourself!" She threw an accusatory finger at him. "You said that he didn't want you or Ochako to come with him! That you had to convince him to let you! Like he owns the damned Game! So why is it that I'm always coming and helping the two of you feel better any time something has you upset, even when he's the one who caused it, especially when he's the one who caused it, but you still pick him every. Single. Time?"

People around, previously as noticed as a drifting leaf in the wind, began to take gather and watch as the outburst continued. It made Izuku almost as uncomfortable about the conversation itself.

"Is that what this is about?" Uraraka asked quietly. "You think we're picking him over you?"

Mina said nothing, but a tremble in her lower lip betrayed her.

"Mina, we're following Tenya's lead. We're not picking him. We chose to support him to be the King, so of course we're going to listen to him. But that doesn't mean we're going to stop listening to you, or that you stop being important to us."

The nymph wiped at her eyes before glancing at Izuku again for the briefest moment. "You just finished telling me all about how he's right and I'm overreacting! How is that listening to me?"

"There's a difference between –"

He didn't mean to interrupt, but something in his mind decided that the middle of Uraraka's sentence was the best time to blurt out, "I came for you first!" At the confused looks he received from both Godlings, Izuku swallowed his embarrassment and elaborated. "Yesterday, um. When I woke up, everyone was gone. And then the innkeeper told me Iida was out drinking, which was weird since it was so early, but when she told me about you looking for another Godling... I was worried about him, sure, but... it was never a question that I was going to find you first." He looked away, his face burning. "Because, you know," he fumbled, "I'd... be really upset if something happened to you. Especially if I could have done something. N-not that I don't think you can take care of yourself or anything! I don't mean to imply that you aren't capable, just... I was worried..."

The stares of not just his friends, but all of the onlookers they had gathered rested on him heavily enough that Izuku could feel them. The silence was agony. Finally, Uraraka broke it. "Well. I think that's a pretty clear choice in your favor, don't you think, Mina?"

There was a loud sniffle. "I... Yeah. I'm... I'm still not happy with how you – either of you – let Tenya treat Izuku, but..." The sound of several measured steps swiftly found him in the nymph's embrace, which did nothing for the fire in his cheeks. "Thanks, Izuku. I'm glad you were worried. Even if I was fine."

"I didn't know..." he mumbled awkwardly, unsure if it was okay to return the hug. He settled for rather pathetic half hug, half pat on the back with a single arm.

Mina let him go and wiped her eyes again. "Well. Let's kill a little time and then send you to the market, I guess." She turned to go deeper into the Gardens before seeming to notice the crowd around them for the first time. Mina swept her gaze along them, took a deep breath, and authoritatively (if a bit shakily) asked, "What are you all looking at?"


Helping Tenya with shopping had mostly amounted to carrying what he had already purchased by the time Izuku had arrived. It was a sizable bundle, containing many of the things that he himself had purchased in Shizuoka when he was first preparing to set off. Beyond that, there were fine clothes, a tent large enough for two people to shelter within, and a spear. At first, he had thought that this was a replacement for a sword, but then he had noted a blade nearly twice as long as his own (the thought caused a shiver to run down his spine and forced him to screw his eyes shut briefly) buried in the prodigious bundle he carried.

Upon receiving the items purchased for him, Tensei took startlingly little time to get ready. Compared to the rest of them, even Tenya, he gave the impression of a veteran traveler when he emerged into the common room of the inn. With the filth washed off of him, the resemblance between the brothers was even more clear, but where Tenya came off as well-learned and merely physically fit, Tensei radiated an aura of power and proficiency. The backpack he wore and the equipment lashed to the outside sat perfectly on his back. His clothes clearly indicated his wealthy status and, while the fit wasn't perfect, he had tied the extra cloth off in such a way that there wouldn't be any hindrance on his movement. They even looked in place with the leather breastplate Tenya had purchased, a match for his and Izuku's. The sword sat in a comfortable position on his hip and the spear would have looked for all the world a perfectly sized walking stick if it wasn't for the leaf blade and crossguard on it.

"Are we ready to depart?" He asked, taking up a position over the rest of the party, who were seated at a table. It was striking to Izuku how heroic Tensei seemed. Anyone else, he may have considered their stance to be looming, but the way the Iida stood over them was comforting in a way he didn't fully understand.

"We are," Tenya answered. "Miss Mina and Uraraka had the foresight to collect the remainder of our things from our inn while we shopped, so we can leave immediately."

"Good. Let's head to the eastern gate. Before the Unseen departed, I purchased two horses and had them stabled there. We should be able to purchase a few more, or maybe get a carriage of some sort."

"Where are we going?" Uraraka asked as she stood up.

"East," Tensei said simply. "That's all we know for now."

"All you know, or all you're telling us?" Mina glowered.

The hostile tone in her voice put the elder Iida off. "I apologize, have I offended somehow?"

Tenya looked about to say something, but Izuku cut in to prevent anything from being said that would start a fight. "It's just, uh, Mina wasn't really happy about the way we weren't told what was going on before. I think she's just worried that's going to keep happening." He rose during the explanation, shouldering his bag.

The nobleman nodded. "I see. In the interest of transparency, then, that is all we know. I want to put distance between us and Hosu before the vampire can realize he's been duped by The Unseen. Once we've put it well enough behind us, we'll stop and find some maps of eastern Atara to see if we can locate a likely valley to head towards."

The nymph stared at him for a moment before she sighed and stood. "All right. Let's go, then." She sent a grateful look towards the green-haired man before turning and heading for the door.

Izuku let out a breath he had been holding. With a glance and a smile at Uraraka, who seemed similarly relieved, he made to follow his friend into the streets. "So," he began as they traveled to the gate, "Tenya said you're the Godling of Speed. What, um, sorts of things does your mantle let you do? Besides being fast, I guess?"

Tensei chuckled. "Yes, speed is certainly among my my merits. That's not all, however. I am, in fact, heightened in all physical regards. You see, Lord Torino selected me not only for my character, but for my outstanding physical condition. I have been invited to participate in the Royal Games for the last five years, and I have won multiple events each year for the last three."

While duly impressed with this impressive feat, Izuku's primary interest became how Tensei's mantle may have changed during its transfer from Lord Torino. He said that all of his physical traits had been improved upon, but perhaps a bit more information...

"That's amazing!" Uraraka breathed. "Multiple events? That's got to make you one of the best athletes in Atara!"

Tenya glowed with pride at the praise given his brother. Even Mina looked impressed, though she attempted to hide it behind a mask of indifference.

"What events do you compete in?" Izuku asked.

"My favorites are races – I'm best at sprints, though I did win a marathon in my second year. Besides that, I've done jumping contests, throwing games, and I make sure to participate in at least one of the swordsmanship tournaments each year. Our father ensured we had excellent tutors, and I've been learning since I was six. It'd be a shame not to exercise the talent I've developed all my life."

As Tensei spoke, Izuku's initial thoughts on the nature of his mantle solidified. Knowing both its effects and the background of the man it was granted to, it sounded more and more like rather than a focus on speed, he was the Godling of Competition or Athleticism or something to that effect. The difference between the two had the potential to be significant, but in either case would be exceptionally helpful. As much as he wanted to consider how he might suss out the true identity of their new companion's mantle, to do so now would invite him to begin mumbling, and to be caught with the knowledge that mantles changed as they were passed on would be tantamount to revealing his secret – at the very least, one would lead to the other. He resolved to ponder when he was alone in his tent, before he went to sleep.

The conversation continued to surround the Royal Games for some time as they made for the edge of the city. The Iidas happily spoke of Tensei's accomplishments and told stories about close calls, good competition, and close losses. Uraraka was enthralled and asked the most questions of the group, curious about the other competitors and the events they participated in. Even Mina chimed in from time to time. Izuku's questions were more in the realm of polite interest, not because he did not find such things impressive or praiseworthy, but because his thoughts were persistently occupied by curiosity related to a different Game. He had to work diligently to prevent himself from drifting off down the river that lead to and accidentally outing himself.

Due to the relatively pleasant atmosphere, Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin when a familiar voice growled from a side street, "What the fuck?!"

The group as a whole was surprised, but they couldn't have been as much so as he was. It wasn't that he had forgotten about its owner; far from it, in fact. No, it was more that he had never expected him to turn up again, or at least, not without significant fanfare. "K-Kacchan?" he squeaked, turning to the source of the voice.

Bakugou was dressed differently than last they met. He wore a metal breastplate over a burnt orange tunic with dark pants, but the most immediately eye-catching (and alarming) addition to his ensemble was a pair of thick leather gauntlets with metal studs embedded over his knuckles. Somehow, those gloves were more intimidating than the sword at his hip, which seemed almost an afterthought in comparison.

His old friend's appearance, both physically and geographically speaking, wasn't the only thing to worry about, however. Behind him was another man, roughly the same height, with bright red hair. Unlike Bakugou, he wore no armor and bore no weapons. His expression was also curious, perhaps even confused, compared to the Godling of War's raw fury.

"Don't you 'Kacchan' me, what the fuck are you doing here?"

Tensei, clueless to the context of the situation, moved to take a warding stance between Izuku and the aggressive blonde. "Midoriya is not bound to any lands and may travel where he wishes."

"L-listen, Kacchan, we don't need to–"

Bakugou ignored Tensei and moved to where he could better see Izuku, cutting off his sentence. "I killed you, how are you not dead?"

After he said that, Izuku's friends tensed up. Tenya grabbed the hilt of his sword, Uraraka put her staff out defensively before her, and Mina actually made to move forward. The green-haired Godling's heart leaped into his throat and he reached out and grabbed her before she could move too far towards his old friend. Images of Nighteye's burning library came unbidden into his mind, but with her body pinned beneath the crossbeam. She looked back at him, furious, but her face mellowed into concern when she saw him. Maybe it was because of the wide-eyed terror he felt that surely reflected on his face.

"So you're the Godling of War," Tenya said, an uncharacteristic hardness in his voice. "I will admit, since I carried Midoriya out of Nighteye's manor, I've had a strong desire to meet you and educate you on the way in which an honorable man conducts himself."

Something about this caused a wide smile to spread across the face of the stranger following Bakugou. "Heeeyyyy, yeah! I like this guy!" He clapped his fist to his chest in a reasonable impression of a military salute.

"All of you shut up!" A series of pops punctuated the statement. Now that Izuku was seeing it outside of the context of the middle of a building fire, he noticed little sparks bursting in the air around Bakugou's clenched fists. "Just get out of my way." He started moving forward. "I'll just correct this mistake and we can all go on with our lives." With a dark chuckle, he corrected himself. "Well, all of us but Deku."

"We will not–" Tensei began.

Izuku interrupted him. "Look out!" He grabbed at the waist of Tensei's pants and jumped aside, pulling both of them to the ground and knocking Mina over as he collided with her. His intuition had been good. Not even a heartbeat later, Bakugou had thrown up a hand and an explosion tore through the air where they had been standing a moment ago. Tensei rose quickly to his feet, and Izuku let go of him to scramble up himself. Mina offered a breathless thank you as he helped her up.

Somewhat surprised that a second explosion hadn't followed, he turned to see Bakugou dodging swings of Tensei's spear. It looked as though the Iida was attempting to strike him with the flat of the spearhead or the bottom of the shaft. The speed at which it was happening was astounding, as was the fact that the Godling of War was somehow avoiding the blows.

"You sure we need to fight them?" the stranger asked. "They honestly seem all right to me."

"Don't ask stupid questions!" Bakugou snarled. He managed to catch an attack that Tensei offered and tried to pull the nobleman in, but instead he released his weapon and came around to drive his heel into the blonde man's kidney.

"Go!" Tensei yelled, grabbing the spear as his opponent dropped it in shock. "I'll keep them occupied!"

"I'm not running from them!" Mina said, having gathered a glob of her purple sleeping Nectar in one hand. "This asshole tried to kill Izuku!" She hurled it towards the still reeling Bakugou, but the redhead stepped in and raised an arm. The cobblestones of the road rose to shield them from the attack.

"Well, suppose I don't have much of a choice," he said cheerfully. "You're the boss!" The stones sunk back to their proper position in the street, revealing a very different looking man than had called them up. Every angle of his body had sharpened and an earthy complexion colored his skin as he gave them all a confident smile.

Bakugou let another explosion rip through the air, but it was stopped short by a wall of invisible force. Mina was gathering more Nectar in her hand, but Tenya grabbed her by the waist and hauled her up onto his shoulder. "Hey!" She protested, her throw going wide by a large margin. "Put me down, Tenya, what the hell!" The nymph started hitting him for good measure, but he didn't respond to the blows.

"Tensei can keep them just fine!" Tenya called back to the rest of them. "Come on!"

Uraraka followed with no hesitation, sending a parting spell into the melee to push back the redhead and give Tensei some breathing room. Izuku didn't show the same conviction and lingered, watching the melee for just a moment, before something wrapped around him and hauled him in the direction of his friends. He nearly fell completely over when the force dissipated and deposited him next to Uraraka, but after scrambling on his hands and knees for a split second he found his footing and kept running. An explosion rang out behind them and, sparing a glance, he saw that Tensei had knocked Bakugou on his back. The traces of smoke and fire lingered in the air above him.


Kirishima grunted as he hit the ground immediately after Bakugou. The guy they were fighting was faster than a cave-in and easily as strong as he was. He pushed up off the ground and saw his leader come up into a roll, dodging their enemy's sweep with the spear to try and keep him down. The combat instincts his mantle gave him were really doing their work.

Normally, he would never attack someone's back. It was a dirty thing to do, something more fitting a back-alley mugger than a real man. However, this guy was experienced. He clearly knew how to fight, and he was good at it in a way that even gave Bakugou's mantle a run for its money. That didn't mean that he had an excuse to act in an unmanly way, of course. What it actually meant was attacking this guy's back wasn't unmanly because he was keeping track of both of them simultaneously, which gave Kirishima a hell of a lot of respect for him above and beyond what he had already earned by sending the others to safety while he kept them busy.

It was almost funny. When he had first suggested that, Kirishima had felt bad for him. It had seemed like the poor guy was about to get trapped between Bakugou's supernatural combat ability and Kirishima's raw strength and endurance in one of the most unfortunate two on one fights he'd ever had the misfortune to witness. What had actually happened was, stunningly, an even combat.

He straightened his hand and chopped at the other man's side like he was wielding an axe. Kirishima could've focused the edge of his hand into a point if he'd wanted, but he wasn't trying to kill anyone. If he had to guess, this guy was probably a Godling himself – normal people couldn't move at the speeds he was reaching. One mantle was enough for Kirishima.

The blow never connected, of course. Blue Hair jumped clear over it, nearly three feet in the air, and tried to plant the bottom of his spear into Bakugou's head. His boss dodged it and grinned, blasting another firework into the air right where the guy was. It even partially connected, but he had followed through with his attack and pushed back off the ground with his weapon, flipping forward and avoiding most of the blast. He was flung aside and Kirishima moved to press the advantage. As Blue Hair tumbled to a stop, he made his feet, looking no more concerned about the fight than he was at the beginning.

"Tell me where they're going and we won't have to beat it out of you," Bakugou threatened.

"Base threats will not dissuade me." Faster than Kirishima could blink, the man disappeared. A dust trail lead off to the right and curved to –

A heavy impact cracked across the back of his head. It didn't hurt very much, but he still was not prepared for it. He hadn't even had time to process that the dust lead behind him. Before he could even give a retaliating strike, Blue Hair was gone again. Bakugou set off another explosion, but he couldn't tell if it actually landed. He didn't seem to think so, because he snarled out a curse and a few of those pops jumped out around his fists.

As much as Kirishima enjoyed a fight, this was seeming less and less like one. "Hey, listen, maybe we just let him go. We can't fight him if we can't keep up with him, and–"

"Shut up!" Bakugou roared back.

So much for that.

He spotted Blue Hair – or at least a blur that was probably him – racing back around them. With a small expression of will, he raised the cobblestones into a waist-high wall in a horseshoe shape. The blur jumped the wall, but didn't completely clear it and hit the ground tumbling. Kirishima clenched a fist and the ground reached up to try and encase him, but it was tricky. If he just raised it all up around him, the guy would smash his head into it and die, which was not in any way something he wanted to be responsible for. Grabbing individual limbs or his torso would probably cause injury, but nothing that a good healer couldn't set straight. However, it was near impossible to grab that precisely at the speeds his opponent was traveling, even when it was in a chaotic roll.

The roll suddenly stopped and the other man was visible and still for the briefest moment. Bakugou shot another firework, causing Blue Hair to jump forward in attack, but it was followed by a second explosion in his intended path. The direct hit sent him tumbling back but he managed his feet once more. His exposed skin was burned, he bled from a bunch of small cuts, and bits of cobblestone were embedded in his skin, but still he persevered. Whoever this guy was, Kirishima couldn't wait to be a God with him. He was manly, principled, skilled, and determined.

He shot forward again, and Bakugou fired a defensive blast, but Blue Hair had adjusted course before his boss had even finished leveling his hand. With an impossibly quick movement, he turned and came towards Kirishima. The redhead raised a full-height wall of stone this time, but all that did was cause him to be blindsided when his enemy took the curve around the obstacle impossibly tight. He tried to raise a hand to block the spear, but a ring of steel made him realize too late that the spear wasn't the intended attack. Blue Hair's sword, paired with his high speed and respectable strength, managed to bite through his stone-hardened skin and violently impact his ribcage. The blow wasn't going to be lethal, or even particularly debilitating during the fight, but the force of it knocked the wind out of him, set his ribs screaming, and made him hit the ground.

"Sorry, but you're a bit too tough for me to pull my strikes." It almost seemed like an insult that he had stopped to say that to Kirishima before jumping up and landing neatly atop the six foot high wall that still stood guard over him.

"Up top–!" he gasped out, trying to warn Bakugou. His reflexes would probably protect him from any attack, but there was no reason not to try and help.

He couldn't see what happened next, but he heard two more explosions and a clatter of cobblestones, and then his wall fell. The sharp pain in his chest started to go down as the shock of the blow faded, replaced by a dull throb. One of the fringe benefits of turning your skin to stone is that it didn't hurt nearly as bad as it normally would, but he was going to regret that when he returned to normal. That was a problem for later, though. He pushed himself back to his feet and took stock of the situation.

Blue Hair wasn't in sight, and Bakugou didn't seem sure where he was either, based on the way he was looking around. The street had pretty much cleared of anyone else, and there weren't any bodies anywhere that he can see, so his boss hadn't gotten too careless. Still, he was concerned about the length of the fight. It'd only been maybe a minute, minute and a half since the guy Bakugou wanted to kill had run off. Long for a fight, especially one of this size, and one where this little had happened. The worrying part was that other people had left, though, and any number of them could be alerting the guard and sending them to help wrap things up. He did not want to be here when that happened. Or rather, maybe he didn't want Bakugou to be here when that happened, because he honestly wasn't sure that the other Godling wouldn't just detonate anyone who tried to take him in for starting this brawl.

"Bakugou, if we keep fighting this guy, the guards are going to show up and it's going to get a lot worse! He's not going to tell us where they are, let's cut our losses and get out of here!"

"No! I am not letting Deku get away!"

"He already got away! For all we know, Blue Hair left too, it's been almost half a minute since we last saw him!"

He spotted the man peeking out over a rooftop, but didn't look at him too long and tried to avoid any indication that he'd noticed.

Bakugrou growled and then yelled, "FUCK!"

Taking that as a sign, Kirishima grabbed his boss by the bicep and dragged him down a side street. There wasn't any resistance. They ran and ducked down multiple other alleys until he felt sure that they were far enough removed from the scene of the fight. He leaned against a wall to take a breather and un-harden his skin. Even bracing for the hurt, he nearly doubled over when it kicked in and reawakened the pain in his ribs.

"Man... Why do you even want that guy dead so bad?"


They were a decent way out of the city before Tensei stopped them. It was the first real breather they'd taken since they had started running, unless you counted a minute or two of rapid haggling with the horse seller.

"Midoriya, I'd like an explanation of what happened." He didn't look angry, just... confused. Uraraka had used magic to pick bits of cobblestone from his face and Mina had sealed up the cuts and treated the burns with Nectar.

"I... I don't really have one," he said lamely. "I don't know why Kacchan – Um, his name is Katsuki Bakugou, I... I called him Kacchan when we were little. I don't know why he wants to kill me, though. I stood up to him at Master – uhm, at Nighteye's manor, but... He seemed like he was going to try to kill me before I did that, too."

"There's nothing at all you can tell us?" the nobleman insisted.

"I mean... I can tell you what I think the powers his mantle gives him are. Or, um, I could tell you about who he used to be, why his family left Shizuoka. Just... not why he wants me dead."

"Why did he call you Deku?" Mina asked. "That's not, like, your real name or anything, right? I know humans sometimes use fake ones."

The question was surprising, but he took it in stride. There was no reason not to tell them, and he treasured any opportunity he could find to be honest with his friends. "No, it's... It's just an old insult. Back when we were kids, he started learning how to make fireworks with his parents really early, and the other kids all had things they were kinda good at, and I didn't, so... Some of them started calling me Deku. It was a way to, I don't know, call me useless or something. Just... make me feel bad about being me." He frowned at the sadness the memory of that called back. "I had... actually forgotten how awful it felt. I didn't interact with most of them after Kacchan moved away, so... It's probably been nearly a decade since I've actually really thought about it."

"Kind of a weird thing to use as an insult though," Uraraka mused.

He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well... It's just that it sounds kind of like 'dekiru,' doesn't it? You know, kind of like 'I can do it!' or something?"

It was... a different way of looking at it. He'd definitely never considered that before. He noted the nod of agreement from Mina as he pondered this new angle on his childhood nickname.

"The point stands," Tensei said, "that this Godling of War will be a continuous thorn in our side if he seeks your death."

"You had better not be suggesting we leave Izuku behind," Mina warned.

The elder Iida put his hands up in a placating motion. "Not at all. I am merely suggesting we be vigilant, as we have an enemy who will harry us."

"Enemies," Tenya corrected. "He has an ally with him."

His brother frowned. "No, I don't think we have enemies. He was attempting to encourage Bakugou to stop fighting and leave, and I believe he saw me while I was covertly assessing a new angle of attack, but he said nothing."

That was an odd thing to hear. Izuku wasn't sure what to make of it, especially when put up against the odd behavior the other man exhibited before the fight started. With the information Tensei provided, he seemed like a positively decent man, which begged the question of what he was doing with Bakugou. He felt guilty, having thoughts like that about someone who used to be such a close friend. He had a mess of unpleasant things to consider from today at this point, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop himself from doing so until that night.

There were several minutes of silence as the horses were allowed to catch their breath and graze. After that, they began moving again, albeit at a more sedate pace than they had set when leaving Hosu.

"You said that you have thoughts on what his mantle lets him do?" Tensei finally asked.

"Let him be," Mina said. "His ex-friend just tried to kill him for the second time."

Uraraka voiced her agreement. "There's no reason we can't have him tell us about that another day. Honestly, with everything that's happened this week alone, I think Midoriya could use some time not being stressed out."

"I tend to think so as well. You haven't been present for it, Tensei, but Midoriya has had a very trying week. A day or two of not needing to consider recent events will be good for him."

As Tensei lifted a hand in assent, Izuku bit his lip. The support of his friends meant more than they knew. The consistent care they showed for him, as always, was simultaneously uplifting and heartbreaking, considering the lies he constantly told, but he needed to not think about that right now. They were right. Enough had happened this week, and while he'd have to mull it over (there was no way his mind would give him the same reprieve his companions did), being able to set it aside for a time would be a blessing.


"Iz-z-zuku?"

The voice startled him awake. He bolted upright in his bedroll, sweat still dripping down his face from the nightmare he knew he'd been having. He blinked to try and make sense of his surroundings.

He was in his tent, of course. They'd made good time down the road and set up camp – nothing unusual about that. From the sounds outside, it was raining pretty hard. He was surprised that it didn't wake him up, considering the whisper of his name was enough to draw him back to consciousness. The thought bothered him for reasons his still-waking brain couldn't quite comprehend, but the sound of chattering teeth kept him from arriving at any reasonable conclusion.

Wait. A whispering voice, the sound of teeth. For him to hear those over the rain, the source would have to be incredibly close.

As his eyes finished focusing, he saw someone just inside of the flap of his tent. His mind made the connection without much difficulty – not only had the voice called him 'Izuku,' but he could see two horns... or rather, two branches sprouting from her head.

"Mina?" he asked, confused.

"C-can I come in?"

"Yeah, what's... Is something wrong? Why are you..."

She moved closer and he could see that she was soaking wet, her arms wrapped around her body. "I'm s-so cold," she said.

He would later consider that he must have still been partially asleep for not taking action at this point, but as tired minds do, his couldn't quite place the urgency of the situation. "I thought nymphs didn't get cold? Or at least, not cold enough to be a problem?"

"Y-y-yeah, we c-can't. I d-don't know what's hap-p-pening. I'm j-just so c-c-cold." Her teeth continued to chatter.

He looked at her for a moment before what she said finally settled. The thing that finally drove it home was realizing that her tunic/dress was as soaked as she was. "Oh! Oh. Right, u-uh, let's..." He swallowed to prepare himself mentally for what he was about to say. "Um, if you c-could... Well... Your clothes are all wet, so... we can't dry you off until you... aren't... wearing... them." The thought that he could dry them (and her) with the heat coming from his face briefly flitted across his mind, which ultimately only added to the mortification he felt at saying that.

Much as he expected, Mina wasted no time in shedding her garments. He busied himself with digging through his things and looking for his towel.

"W-what should I do with them?"

"Uhhhhhh." Gods, how was he supposed to answer that when he knew that she was naked right behind him? "I don't... Um, just... set them aside. Near the flap. We'll... dry them tomorrow."

There was a squelching noise as she, presumably, did as he said.

"Here, take... You can dry yourself off with this." Izuku extended the towel towards her without looking, and when she took it, he continued his search through his backpack.

A moment later, she spoke. "Uh... t-this is going to sound s-s-tupid, but... Can it dry my hair, too? I've... n-never used a t-towel before."

"Yeah, uh, kinda. It's still going to be a little, er, damp, but..." He waited for a moment longer for some kind of confirmation that she had finished with the towel, but none came. "Uh, when you're done... Um... I have a spare outfit you can wear. It'll be a little baggy, but... it'll help you stay warm.

"Oh. Ok-kay. Should I p-put the towel by the flap, too...?"

"Sure. That's, um, that's fine."

"...Okay. Uh, the cl-clothes?"

"Yeah. Here you go." Izuku still hadn't turned around, but he was feeling better by the moment knowing that she was currently becoming progressively less naked.

"So... w-what now?"

"Uh. So, we need to warm you up so you don't get sick... You can, um... My bedroll is right there. It's a pretty good one, and... and I've been sleeping in it, so it should, uh, already be... pretty warm..." What an awkward thing to say. Should he not have said that? He felt like not saying that he'd been sleeping in it would have been the preferable course of action.

"W-what ab-bout you?"

"Oh, uh, I'm... I'm plenty warm, it's... fine."

"No, come on, it's..." He heard her shuffling closer, onto the bedroll. "I... W-we could both probably fit under the b-blanket."

Gods, did he hate that she said that. It wasn't even that it was embarrassing – which it was – but it reminded him of something he had read once about traveling during the winter or in the far north. One of the most effective ways to stay warm, according to the book, was to huddle together, chest to back, to preserve the natural heat of your bodies.

On the one hand, this would be the right thing to do. Mina was cold and clearly scared, as she'd never had to worry about that before. Helping her stay warm was the best way to take care of her and be a good friend, much less to repay all of the care she'd shown him in the past.

On the other hand, Mina was a nymph. Not that that implied anything in and of itself, it's just that she was exceptionally attractive. Even for a nymph. Maybe one of the most beautiful women he'd ever laid eyes on. And she was currently in his tent. On his bedroll. Ask him to join her under the blanket. Not for anything untoward, but his overactive imagination was not his friend at the moment...

"Iz-zuku?"

He shut his eyes and took as deep a breath as he could without making any noise. "...Yeah, okay. It's... probably for the best, because... Um... well, being, uh, close makes... it makes staying warm easier..."

"Ok-kay. H-how do... how do you want to...?"

If he had been anyone else, he might have cursed Lady Midnight and her clearly twisted sense of humor for placing him in this situation. As it was, he merely asked what he had done to deserve such treatment. "Uh. Well, I... If... if, um, we... with my chest to, uh, to your back... I could, um... I mean, o-only if you were okay with it, but... With my arms, I could... It might help... Spread out the warmth, and..."

"S-sure. That's... Warm is good. I w-want to be warm, so... just... do what will m-make me warm."

"Um... yeah. Okay. I'll just, uh..." Izuku got under the blanket, heart hammering like a hyperactive blacksmith. He reached an arm up and over Mina's side, wrapped it around her, and pulled her close to him. His eyes were screwed shut and his mouth was pressed in a line the whole time. Her body was quaking with the cold, and he did his best to think very hard about how this was helping her warm up and absolutely nothing else.

"Th-thank you," she whispered. Even though he'd pulled her in, she tried to move herself closer. "I don't know wh-why I'm cold... I didn't know w-what to do. So... I just... came to see you. B-because..." She paused. "I thought y-you'd know."

"Well... I don't know why you're cold, but... Y-yeah. I did know what to do, so... that... was a good idea."

Mina didn't say anything in response. Over the next... Well, Izuku wasn't really sure how long it was, but over time, she shivered less and less until her breathing evened out and she fell asleep. Somehow, the life-ending embarrassment he felt failed to stave off his own tiredness, and he drifted off shortly after.

He wouldn't realize it until morning, of course, but he didn't have any more nightmares that night.


That last scene is one that I've been looking forward to since I first conceived of this fic. I'm really happy to get it out and on paper.

The only other thing I want to leave you guys with tonight is an update on the side project for the other Godlings I mentioned back in, God, probably chapter 6 or 7. I haven't forgotten about it, it's just really hard to get off the ground because when I feel like writing, I feel bad working on that stuff and I want to work on this or VIP, a fic I released the first chapter of back in November (check it out if you haven't yet!). I will be getting the first side story out sometime soon, and hopefully that'll get me feeling a bit better about doing more of them and get you guys some more information about the other Godlings and the Gods that sponsored them. See you next time!