Journey to the Past

Author's Notes: I included some geeky references, see if you can spot them all. :3

Chapter 2: Deku and Kacchan

"Why is it when something happens, it's always you two?" Aizawa crossed her arms glowering at the young man of 18 and the dog at his feet. "You've been a thorn in my side since you were brought here. Always acting irrationally, picking fights, causing chaos, and getting injured. This...however... is the final straw!"

"I'm really sorry, Aizawa-sensei. We were just trying to help." The boy pleaded his head down, the mop of curly green hair hidden under a wide blue hat.

"I know that, Deku, but at some point in your life you need to stop and consider what's best for you and those whose lives you affect. You're18 now… and by law I can't harbor you here for free anymore."

"You mean...you're kicking me out? Gwah!" Deku caught the bag with his limited belongings inside and fell backwards into the snow. "Sensei!"

"I'm sorry Deku… but I have kids who are far younger than you who need my help. In order to keep them fed I need you both to learn to live on your own." The elder man flowered at the front door, the heat and hearth of the house behind him, and the bitter cold in front.

"Both of us?" Deku's eyes suddenly widened and he sat up on his knees. "You mean you're kicking Kacchan out too?"

"Yes." Aizawa glared down at the dog at his feet. It barked ferociously despite its small size. Aizawa picked him up and shoved him at Deku. "He's your responsibility from now on. Now go, and be grateful you've got each other."

He started closing the door and Deku panicked.

"Wait, wait, wait! What about Kacchan's condition?" He lifted the dog up. "How am I supposed to-"

"Go to the fish market, they're always looking for some young hands. You may even find a suitable wife who likes dogs." Aizawa shut the door. Bakugou howled and growled wriggling free from Deku.

"Damn it, Deku, this is all your fucking fault!" He barked and pounced around in the snow irritably.

"I'm so sorry Kacchan. I didn't think Aizawa sensei would do something like this." Deku clutched his head and bowed low. "I can't believe he kicked us out so suddenly."

"Its because you don't know when to mind your own fucking business." Bakugou yapped and whacked him on the head with his hindquarters. "You always gotta help someone and put yourself in danger. If you hadn't run after that thief none of this would have happened!"

"He stole money from that poor family, what was I supposed to do? Just let it happen? Besides I didn't know he could use magic." Deku got to his feet sighing. "At any rate, you're the one who called him a skeevy thieving prick and pissed him off."

"Only because he was getting ready to pound you into the pavement. When are you gonna learn not to pick fights you can't win?" Bakugou growled and Deku hung his head, unable to argue that point. "Now, thanks to you I'm the stuck in this stupid four legged body! The only person I can even complain to is you, because you're the only one who can understand me. So prepare yourself, Deku, because I'm gonna complain until your ears bleed, you damn stupid nerd" he huffed and kicked snow on him.

Deku sighed heavily again and looked down at his bag that was half buried in snow. He picked it up, going through it to see what all Aizawa had tossed inside. His heart twisted when he pulled out his prized possession… a half burnt journal. It was the only possession of his that he'd been carrying the day he'd been found and brought to the orphanage.

"At least he remembered to give me this." He brushed the cover affectionately and held it to his chest. "Come on, Kacchan. We need to find someplace to sleep tonight."

"Don't tell me what to do, nerd!" Bakugou complained, but still trotted after him. His paws were already numb from trudging around in the snow. "Why couldn't that asshole wait til spring to kick us out? Tch, be grateful he says… I am grateful…GRATEFUL TO GET AWAY FROM YOU AND THIS STUPID PRISON!" To add further insult, Bakugo lifted his leg and peed on the gates of the orphanage. "Piss off!"

Deku lingered a bit at the gate, watching the windows of the orphanage fill with the faces of the kids he'd come to know, and helped to raise. With tears in his eyes he lifted a hand and waved goodbye to them all.

"Goodbye, everyone. I hope you all find families soon."

"Let's go, Deku! I'm fucking freezing my tail off over here!"

"Coming!" Deku jogged to catch up to Bakugou and the two walked silently together towards the main road. Around midday more snow started to fall and Deku's stomach growled in complaint at having not eaten.

"Hungry… I wish Aizawa-sensei would have at least let us eat lunch before we left." He rubbed his stomach and glanced up as the road started to fork. Looking at the signs one pointed left towards the fish Market, and the other right for the capital city of Aldera. "Looks like we're going left, at least it's not much farther, eh Ka- CHAN!" Deku stumbled into the snow, having tripped over his scarf which Bakugou held in his teeth and was tugging on it.

"Wrong!" Bakugou spit the scarf out and trotted right. "We're going this way!"

"Pfft! Blegh!" Deku spat snow and dirt out of his mouth and dusted himself free of the white flakes. "What? But Kacchan, the sign says-"

"I know what the stupid sign says, Deku, and I'm telling you I'm not going to the fish market, and neither are you! I refuse to be some pet to a fisherman's wife! We're going right, and figuring out a way to change me back!" Bakugou started down the path towards Aldera. "Now come on!"

"Eh?" Deku glanced up, eyeing the road to Aldera. "So, wait… does that mean you want me to come with you? Even after I-"

"Shut up, Deku, don't mistake what I'm doing for any sort of kindness in your regard. Did you forget that you're the only one who can understand what the hell I'm saying?"

"Ah… no but I thought-"

"Idiot! You're going to be my interpreter! How else do you expect me to ask questions and locate Kirishima without being picked up by some random extra and coddled like a helpless puppy?"

"Right…" Deku laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Of course that's the reason."

"Humph!" Bakugou turned his nose up, his small fluffy tail sticking up and wagging proudly, "Damn straight! Don't start thinking I actually give a damn about you." He trotted into the snow. "Now hurry up! I want to get to Aldera before it gets dark!"

"Hold on a minute, Kacchan. What do you expect to do once we get to Aldera? We need to find work, and shelter…" his stomach growled again and made him groan. "Not to mention food."

"Idiot! Don't you think I know that?" He stopped and turned in a circle in order to face him. "I wouldn't suggest we go there unless I had a plan. I've got a friend who lives in Aldera. He's got some connections and can put us up for a few days while we figure shit out."

"A friend? I didn't think you knew anyone outside of the orphanage." Izuku stood up and jogged the few extra steps to catch up to him.

"We met by coincidence about five years ago. The guy insisted we become pen pals or some shit so we've been sending letters back and forth… and why the hell am I telling you all this? I don't have to explain myself to you!" He growled and dashed up ahead of him in order to hide his embarrassment. Not even a few feet down the path the snow built up to the point Bakugou had to start leaping to keep his head above the snow. Deku watched him with a smile on his face and shook his head laughing.

"Kacchan, you're gonna drown at this rate." He gently picked him up to pull him into his coat. "There, I'll carry you until the road gets smoother. It's the least I can do."

"Shut up! I didn't ask for your stinkin help, yah damn nerd!" Bakugo barked with a high pitch garnering the attention of a family of three that was passing them by.

"Aww, the poor cute puppy looks so cold, and cranky." The little girl wandered from her parents to get a closer look at Bakugou. Deku laughed a bit as Bakugou growled in complaint at being referred to as poor and cute. "I think he needs a nap."

"You have no idea…" Deku whispered, thankful the little girl was blissfully unaware that all of Bakugou's bark and yips were actually him cursing the air blue.

"Eri-chan!" The mother called out to the little girl and caught her attention. "I know you want to play with the puppy but it's time to go home now sweetie. The hot chocolate is waiting!"

"Mmmkay!" Eri turned towards Bakugo and Deku and offered them a bright cheery smile. "You guys better go home too! Nothing beats having hot chocolate with your family, right? Bye-bye!" She waved and ran over to her parents, leaping up into her father's waiting arms.

Deku watched the little girl all bright eyed and smiles as she cuddled into the loving warmth of her parents embrace. The small family of three looked so happy and content in their own little world that it left a pang in Deku's heart.

"Our family… huh." Deku sighed, his breath puffing out and he turned back down the road towards Aldera. Bakugou had quieted, sensing Deku's change of mood.

"Wipe that look off your face, Deku." He grunted and shifted his position in the coat to get more comfortable. "It's pathetic."

"Mmmm… you're right." Deku admitted and cuddled Bakugou closer more for comfort than for warmth.

The love and warmth of a family was something Deku had always coveted. He couldn't remember anything of his past. His earliest memories was of wandering alone down a snowy road, clutching his burnt journal to his chest as if it were his only life line. He'd also been burnt, and injured, and had the scars on his arms to prove it. Everyone assumed he'd been some kind of traumatic accident and that's what caused his memory loss.

It was also assumed that whatever accident he was in killed his family. Thus he was taken in by Mr. Aizawa who headed an orphanage. There he made his first friend in Kacchan, and the two of them formed a deep seeded bond.

It wasn't easy getting to this point though. Kacchan was naturally gifted in anything he tried. He was smart, confident, physically fit, and capable. Whilst he on the other hand was clumsy, meek, and soft spoken. Deku had some talents such as drawing and academics, but anything that revolved around physical motions took him a great deal of time and practice to perform well. Still that never stopped him from trying.

He admired Kacchan a great deal, and the two were practically inseparable… for a time at least. Then one day, after a couple came in looking to adopt, Kacchan had gone in for an interview… and came out looking upset, and angry. The parents had denied him and chosen a different kid, because they saw how close he and Kacchan were and felt bad about separating them.

"It's all your fault, Deku! Why can't you ever do anything on your own? I hate you! From now on leave me alone!"

It had hurt a great deal, not because Kacchan's words were harsh, but because they were true. Deku clung onto Kacchan, because he was afraid to lose him just like he'd lost his memories and his family. It was his fault that Kacchan grew distant… and his fault that his poor attitude grew and prevented him from getting adopted.

For a time their relationship just got worse and worse, to the point they were even getting into fist fights. Aizawa scolded them constantly for it… but he just didn't understand that it was the only way the two of them could communicate and express their feelings. Little by little, their animosity towards each other vanished and was replaced by an emotion neither of them expected. They weren't friends, nor enemies, and they knew each other too well to be strangers.

What they were, funnily enough, was family.

They were brothers: bickering and fighting one minute, then bonding over games and stories the next. Kacchan liked to scold him, and critique him very much the way an older brother would. Kacchan would get irritated with him the way an older brother got irritated when his little brother followed him everywhere.

Kacchan was his family, and he was Kacchan's family. Mr. Aizawa was right about one thing: the two of them had each other… and Deku was grateful for it.

Smiling now, Deku lay his chin atop Bakugou's head and started to hum a song.

"Idiot, you're thinking something sappy, aren't you?" Bakugou growled.

"Maybe…" He giggled. "I'll never tell."

"Grrrr I can't wait til I'm full sized again so I can knock you around." He huffed.

"Mmm, me too, Kacchan. Me too!"

~Sometime later~

"Oh wow!" Deku set Bakugou back down as the two of them stood atop the hill looking out at the city of Aldera. "This place… look at all the tall buildings, and the people! It's amazing!"

"Aldera is supposed to be one of the largest cities in the world. It's gonna be a real pain finding that shitty hair bozo in a city this size, but I've at least got an inkling where he might be.

"Mmmm, are you sure this Kirishima guy can help us, Kacchan?" Deku adjusted his hat and pulled out his notebook, using a stubby pencil he did a quick sketch of the cityscape.

"At the very least he can give us a place to stay and some food." Bakugou grunted and was already hopping down the steep hill. Deku quickly put his journal away and carefully went after him, turning sideways for better balance. "I haven't seen him since we were kids so I don't really remember what he looks like. According to his letters though he's got a job working with the future King of Aldera."

"Eh? Really?" Deku's head shot up in surprise, the sudden movement causing him to tilt and slip. "WAHH!" He fell backwards into the snow, and slid down the rest of the hill like a sled. Bakugou laughed, practically bouncing the rest of the way down.

"You're such a loser, Deku." He jumped up on the pile of snow Deku had created, giving a smug look with his adorable puppy face.

"Ow, ow, ow… not funny Kacchan. I could have really hurt myself." He slowly sat up shaking the snow out of his clothes. His hat fell off and he ran fingers through the fluffy green tresses of his hair.

"Are you kidding? It's hysterical! You're popping up out of the snow like a friggin daisy! Must be the first sign of spring!" Bakugou laughed and jumped off him.

"So says the barking dandelion." Deku muttered and retrieved his hat placing it back on his head.

"What'd you say?" Bakugou growled at him and Deku waved him off.

"Nothing, not a thing." He snagged his bag from the ground and hooked it around himself. "Come on." He picked Bakugou back up. "Tell me which way to go. We'll get there a lot faster if we don't lose each other in the crowd."

"Fine by me," his feet were getting cold anyway, not that he'd tell him that. "I enjoy using you as my pack mule."

"Pack Mule?" Deku muttered, tempted to drop Bakugo back in the pile of snow and leave him there."

"Kirishima's got some kind of hang out in the middle of town." He lifted his paw up. "Let's start there and ask around. Forward march, yah nerd!"

"Yes sir, commodore fluffy paws!" Deku replied dryly and gave a mock salute.

"Shut up and walk, yah nerd!" Bakugou growled at him.

"Yeah yeah," Deku obediently walked straight ahead into the city. "I hope whoever this friend of yours is, is a lot nicer than you are."

~Meanwhile~

"No good, NEXT!" Kirishima shouted, shooing the actor off the stage. Beside him Shoto was face down on the table, his hands in his hair, scrunching it in order to nurse a splitting headache.

"Ugh this was a bad idea. We're never gonna find him at this rate." Shoto groaned and slowly sat up. "Izuku's looks are very plain. There are tons of guys who fit his description, but there's no real way to tell how much he's changed."

"He couldn't have changed, THAT much, right?" Kirishima browsed through a few pictures, shuddering at one of a mossy green haired farmer with severe acne and a smile with missing teeth. "Woof…" He tossed the pictures behind him.

"It's not the looks I'm worried about, but the personality. Izuku was so pure, honest, and giving. He was willing to sacrifice himself to protect others and there's not a lot of other people who would do that, especially in today's society." Todoroki spread the pictures out again, eyeing each man with a scowl. Each of them could pass off for an older Izuku, but there was something in there eyes… a bitterness and greed that came from living in today's economy. "They're all the same… greedy, selfish people who are just after Inko's money. There's no way Inko would believe any of them are her son."

"Don't give up hope yet, Sire." Iida waved his arm in his traditional stagnant motion. "We still have two days before you leave the capitol to go to Tatooin."

"Yeah, we can call it for a day if you're tired and pick this up tomorrow." Kirishima agreed.

"You guys will have to continue the search on your own then, because I can't give you any more time. The moment I return home my father will have me under lock and key." Shoto sighed heavily, looking down in the dumps. "I was really hoping we'd find someone… so I could have some closure of my own."

"Closure, your highness?" Iida questioned with an inquizitive brow.

"It's nothing, Iida, never mind." Shoto stood up and dragged fingers through his dual colored hair. "I'm calling it a day. You guys may want to return to the palace too before it gets too dark."

"I guess you're right." Kirishima sighed and rolled up the roster of names they'd gone through. "I'll tell Kaminari to let the remaining auditioners know to come back tomorrow."

"Thank you for your efforts today, gentleman. The next time I see you will be at the train station. I'll make sure your tickets and passports are ready."

"Don't forget to make one extra…" Kirishima placed a comforting hand on his back. "We'll find him, Shoto. I promise I won't rest until we've figured this whole Izuku thing out."

"Your comfort is appreciated, Kirishima." He nodded his head. "Goodnight, my friends."

"Man…" Kirishima rubbed his stiff neck as he watched Shoto slump out of the room. "I hate seeing him look so defeated like that. I wish there was something more we could do!"

"I do too, but there's nothing we can do… at least not right now." Iida took off his glasses in order to clean them. "Let's do as he asks and return home for tonight. We'll regroup and reconvene first thing in the morning."

"Okay… Oi! Kaminari! We're packing it in!" Kirishima jogged backstage to break the news. Once the theater was closed and everything packed away, the trio of friends headed to the old Toshinori mansion.

"What a bust!" Kaminari sighed heavily. "What are we gonna do if we don't find someone?"

"We'll just have to be supportive. I know being King isn't something Todoroki wants but maybe it's his destined path to live out the dreams of his old friend." Iida rationalized.

"I don't know... I'm not saying that Shoto wouldn't make a good king, but to live your life for someone else's dreams? That's just not right in my opinion. What about his own dreams and happiness?"

"Nevertheless it is his duty and responsibility. We will continue our search for the young prince… but we have to go in with the notion that he may very well be dead." Iida trailed off mid sentence as he bumped shoulders with a young man chasing after a blonde dog.

"Kacchan slow down! Wait for me!"

"Kacchan…" Kirishima glanced back watching the boy disappear around a corner. "Huh… what a weird name for a dog."

~Ask Briry~

Bri: I'm really enjoying writing this! I have so many twists to the tale, and character dynamics I want to play with. *Laughs Maniacally* Mwahahaha! So thrilling!

Next Chapter: His Royal Highness, Prince Izuku