Journey to the Past
Author's note: Hope you guys are enjoying the fic. As you may have noticed I've taken some extreme liberties with the story line, but kept the core criteria. I prefer it when a fic isn't so predictable even if it's based on similar media.
Enjoy!
Chapter 3: His Royal Highness, Prince Izuku
"WAIT KACCHAN!" Deku panted as he rushed after the small blur of yellow fluff. "Geez even when you're tiny you're faster than I am." He bent over heaving breaths as Bakugou barked and scratched at the doors to the theater. "They look closed."
"Yeah, no shit," Bakugou snorted and ran a tongue over his nose irritably. "Lights aren't even on… that old woman said this is where they've been all day so where the fuck is everyone?"
"It's getting late so they probably went home." He sighed heavily. Feeling the chill of the evening snow he bundled his scarf at his face and breathed into the fabric trying to stay warm. "We need to find someplace to spend the night too or we'll freeze out here."
"Are you here for the auditions?" A woman's voice spoke up behind them and both their heads turned to see a young maid in all green carrying a basket. She had an expressionless face, but wide curious eyes. "Gero?"
"Auditions?" Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. "Umm well… i'm here to see someone named Kirishima. I was told I could find him here."
"Oh, Kirishima-kun and the others have already left for the day." She pointed down the road. "They stay at the old Toshinori Palace. If you tell the gatekeeper you're there for volunteer work they'll let you in."
"Really? Wow thanks, for your help!" He bowed to the woman, catching her by surprise, before picking up Bakugou and hurrying down the street.
"Did he just bow to me? What a strange boy, Gero."
~TOSHINORI PALACE~
Kirishima slumped onto the old couch, and sighed with relief as Iida got the fireplace going.
"Man what a day…"
"Tell me about it… spending all that time in a flea infested theatre and we've still got no lead on the young prince." Kaminari sighed heavily.
"We can't give up now, you two!" Iida waved his arms around. "Lord Shoto is depending on us to find the prince, and we must spend every moment available to us." He paced the floor. "If he's not in Aldera he may be in one of the neighboring villages where the underground isn't as active. They're also pretty cut off from the hub of the city."
"Hey yeah, there's an idea." Kirishima slapped a hand to his palm. "I've got a friend who lives out in the boonies, I'll go pay him a visit first thing in the morning and see if he can get us a lead."
"Perfect, it's settled then. Tomorrow Kaminari and I will continue to search the town, whilst Kirishia will meet with his friend." Iida set the pot of stew onto the fire to let it cook. "In the meantime let's eat, and settle for the night."
"Great idea, let's-" Kirishima trailed off as the phone on the side table rang. He picked it up and held it to his ear. "Kirishima here… Hmmm? You spotted someone at the rear gate? Yeah sure I'll check it out." Kirishima hung up, and kicked his legs up in order to hop off the couch. "We've got a possible breach. You guys finish getting dinner going, I'll go check it out."
"Aright, be careful! Give us a holler if you need us." Kaminari waved and took Kirishima's spot on the couch in order to lounge and wait for his meal.
~Courtyard~
"All the gates are locked…" Deku wandered along the stone wall sighing. "I don't want to hop the fence, that'll just make it look like I'm breaking in. I wonder if there's a way to let someone know we're out here."
"There better be, I'm fucking freezing my tail off. I hate the cold!" Bakugou growled in complaint.
"Yeah..." Deku paused and held his head as it started to pound. The bitter cold and surroundings brought him back to a harsh blizzard, stumbling through the snow and crying. "Me too…" He collapsed against the wall and slid down. Bakugou halted his steps at the sound of Deku collapsing and he padded back.
"The fuck is wrong with you?"
"My head…" Deku shut his eyes. "It hurts…" He saw more flashes in his mind… raging fire and shifting brick.
"We're almost there, sweetie. Hold on tight to mommy's hand…"
"I think I'm gonna be sick…" Deku held his mouth and he rolled over ready to toss his cookies from the sudden shock to his system. His hand pushed up on a stone and the wall gave way, sinking down into the ground to reveal a staircase.
"Ha! A secret passage! Works for me! Get up, Deku! You can vomit inside. I'm not spending the night out in the snow!"
"W-Wait for me…" Still queasy, Deku stumbled after him and into the dark corridor. The passage closed back up once they were both inside, and Deku had to slide his hands on the wall to guide himself. He could hear the padding of kacchan's paws on the stone, and made sure to keep pace with it so as not to lose him in the dark.
After a solid ten minute walk, Deku spotted the first sight of candlelight up ahead through a grate. He pressed up on it, trying to look up and down the hallway for signs of life.
"If there's candles there has to be people, right?" He pushed up on the grate, grunting when it took some effort to make it move. Kacchan scooted through the opening first, then waited for Deku to follow him. The fit was a tighter squeeze for him, and Deku grunted and muscled his way through. He stumbled to his feet, nearly knocking over a vase in the process. "GAH!"
His voice echoed through the halls, in the opposing wing Iida glanced up from eating his food. He knew the castle was prone to noises due to the emptiness of the halls… but still.
"Did you hear something?"
"Hmmm?" Kaminari paused his eating, straining his ears for a sound. "No."
"Hmmm…" Iida frowned over it, and jumped only slightly when he heard the ringing of the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey it's me." Kirishima spoke on the other end, shivering a bit inside the gate station as the night settled in and dropped the temperature down. "I circled the perimeter and didn't find anyone, but keep an eye out. I found some footprints that halted halfway around, the guy may have jumped the fence or something."
"Let's continue the search inside. I believe I may have heard something, but I wasn't entirely sure. I'll start a patrol through this wing. Meet me in the ballroom to report any findings."
"Rodger that, and take Kaminari with you. If we leave him alone with the food he's just gonna eat it all."
"Very well." Iida hung up and shrugged his jacket back on. "Come, Kaminari-kun. Sustenance will have to wait until we do a patrol."
"Aww man…" Kaminari set his food aside. "Just as I was getting comfy."
~meanwhile~
"Oh wow!" Deku trotted down the first set of stairs to look out at the grand open space of the ballroom. "This place is amazing! It's so big, open, and-"
"Friggin gross." Bakugou complained, shaking cobwebs and dust off his feet.
"Could you just imagine what this place looked like in its prime? The chandeliers all lit up, the floors clean and glimmering… people mingling, and dancing." Deku pulled out his notebook and started to sketch. He wandered down to the center of the ballroom, lost in a kind of trance.
Bored and tired from all the travelling, Bakugo lay down on the floor, watching him. He knew once Deku got into this kinda mood it was hard to break him out of it. His eyes started to droop and he carelessly let himself doze off while Deku finished his drawing.
The picture Deku worked on spanned both pages. The intricate artwork and architecture of the room inspiring him. In his head he could see it so clearly… Could see the exquisite gowns and dress robes of varying colors and styles, could smell the rich food emitting from the kitchens and spread across elaborately decorated tables. He could even hear the intricate waltz the band was playing as people danced all around the floor.
As he sketched a group of girls spinning across the floor, each of them got more distinct in looks. Sisters, he imagined, all laughing and playing with a small child that came up about waist high.
"Dance with me, little brother!"
"Hey, Irina, is it true papa's setting you up with Lord Touya? Lucky!"
"Nah, I'd rather have Natsu. I hear he's far more gentle than his elder brother."
"All the Todoroki brothers are so handsome. Just wait until Sho-"
"Hey you!" Iida shouted from atop the opposing staircase. Deku snapped out of his daze when the demanding voice boomed across the ballroom. He slapped his book closed, and jerked his head up at the direction it came from. Iida was already rushing down the staircase and Deku felt panic bubble up in his throat.
"Damn it, don't just stand there! Run Deku!" He heard Bakugou barked, having been startled awake from his nap. Deku immediately got up, "I knew that broad was messing with us, just our luck we're gonna get thrown in prison!" He growled and yelped when Deku scooped him up into his arms. "Idiot! Don't worry about me! Run for it! Hurry your ass up!"
"I can't just OOF!" Deku turned to dash up the next flight of stairs but ran straight into what felt like a brick wall. He started to stumble backwards, his hat falling off his head and bakugou had to latch onto his scarf with his teeth to keep himself from falling. Two strong hands reached out and gripped his shoulders, preventing him from falling over completely.
"Whoa! Careful. Just where do you think you're going there, bud?" Kirishima took the next two steps so that they would be on even ground, but Deku was already on his knees bowing his head in apology.
"I'm sorry! Please don't arrest me!" He got all the way down, Dogeza style. Bakugou, The scarf still between his teeth, growled as Iida and Kaminari came bounding up the stairs from behind surrounding them. "I was told to come here, I didn't realize I was trespassing! Please forgive me."
"Whoa, whoa, slow down. No one's arresting you." Kirishima crouched down to pick up Deku's hat and he dusted it off. "I got buzzed by the gate that someone was walking around, but no one was there. I'm kind of surprised you made it inside. The only way in or out is locked and I have the only key."
"Eh? Oh… well I found a passageway near the courtyard… I think it led into the servants entrance and from there-" Deku started to ramble about his wanderings through the castle. Meanwhile Denki whispered to Iida.
"That's a first. Those secret passageways are extremely hard to find especially with all the snow. I wonder how he stumbled upon it."
"I really didn't mean to cause so much trouble." Deku slowly raised his head to look up at Kirishima. "I was told I could find a man named Kirishima here… is that one of you?"
"You're looking for… Me?" Kirishima trailed off as Deku's face came into view. He blinked, double blinked, and leaned all the way in. Deku's face went beat red. "Whoa… am I seeing things?"
"Excuse me?" Deku stumbled to his feet and Kirishima took his shoulders again looking directly at his face. "Is there's something-"
"What is it, Kiri? Oooh you like what you see?" Denki bounced his eyebrows. "You dog."
"Bro! That's not…" Kirishima blushed as well then turned Deku around. "I mean look at him."
"I dunno... he's kind of plain looking if you ask… Holy Shit, no way!" Denki punched Iida and hugged his side. "Dude! Do you see what I see?"
"Not really…" Iida took off his glasses, rubbing away the dust and then readjusted them on his face. It was then he, too, got a good look at Deku's face and he fell to one knee. "Oh my!"
"So it's not just me right?" Kirishima poked a finger into Deku's soft cheek. "He's totally it, right?"
"He's perfect! Oh man, Shoto is gonna be so stoked!" Denki did a little jig.
"Well now hold on, before we take him to see Lord Todoroki we should get to know him first right?" Iida cleared his throat and rose up. "Forgive our behavior. My name is Tenya Iida, it is a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh, It's a pleasure to meet you too, Iida. My name is Deku, and this is-" he started motioning down to Bakugou but tensed up again when Kirishima and Denki started to circle him. "Uh… what are you doing?"
"Hmmm? Oh sorry, forgive us, you just look an awful lot like…" Kirishima started to motion towards the portrait, then thought better of it. He cleared his throat. "At any rate, you said you came here looking for me?"
"Ah, yes…" he picked Bakugou up and held him out to Kirishima. "Do you recognize him?"
"You mean your dog?" Kirishima took the dog and looked into his eyes. "Not, really, though I've never seen a pomeranian with red eyes before."
"Well he's not really a dog. This is my friend Kacha I mean, Katsuki Bakugou. He said the two of your were friends and could-"
"No way!" Kirishima held him back up. "Baku Bro, is that really you!?"
"About time you recognized me you idiot!" Bakugou growled. "Do you have any idea the trouble we went through to find this place?!"
"Kacchan and I were chasing down a thief in the Market near our orphanage. Turns out the thief was a wizard and he cast a spell on him. Shortly afterwards we were kicked out since both Kacchan and I are of age. So we were hoping we could stay with-"
"Say no more,bro! You're more than welcome to stay!" Kirishima bounced the dog in his arms, though he didn't understand the barks and growls, he immediately recognized Bakugou's aggressive behavior and believed every word of Deku's story.
"Really?" Deku sighed with relief. 'That's great. I was worried we'd have to sleep out in the cold tonight."
"I don't think you have to worry about that ever again, my friend." Kaminari slung a shoulder around Deku. "So… Deku, right? Is that short for something?"
"Eh? No… not really…" He scratched his cheek nervously. "I don't remember my real name, or where I come from. Deku is just what Kacchan and the others call me."
"Wait so… you don't…" Kirishima set bakugou back down and gripped Deku's free shoulder. "You don't remember anything?"
"No… my earliest memories are of me walking around in the snow when I was about eight years old."
"Huh… I see… excuse us one minute." Kirishima grabbed both iida and Kaminari and pulled them away from Deku to whisper. "Okay, so… problem. If this IS the real Izuku, then has no memory of Shoto or his life as a royal."
"Well that would explain why he's never revealed himself to the public or tried to contact his family." Iida rubbed his chin.
"So it just adds truth to the fact he's the real deal. What's the problem?" Kaminari shrugged.
"Shoto's thought about this guy for years. If we introduce them as is, it could really hurt him." Kirishima glanced back. "Especially if it turns out we're wrong."
"You're overthinking this, Kirishima. The whole point of us having auditions in the first place was to find someone who COULD be Prince Izuku. There was never a guarantee we'd find the real deal, so I say let's go for it."
Deku fidgeted nervously, as the three conversed. They seemed to be in hot debate about something… but soon the three turn around and grin suspiciously at him.
"Um… is everything okay?"
"Yes… Come with me, my friend." Kaminari hooked his arm around him and led him up the steps. "I've got something to show yah."
"Oh… okay." Deku obliged, and walked with him. Iida and Kirishima followed, with Bakugou trotting up the steps two at a time to keep up.
"Just out of curiosity…" Kaminari got the ball rolling. "What do you know about the Todoroki Family?"
"Uh, not much. I know that they're the eldest noble family in Aldera, and are now considered the royal family." Deku admitted.
"Do you know why though?" Kaminari huddled in closer, poking his cheek with an index finger. Deku squirmed from the touch.
"Well... the previous royal family was killed off in a big siege, weren't they?" He glanced down at Kacchan for affirmation, but the dog just huffed and walked a few steps ahead.
"Most of them anyway. Actually the Queen survived, and it's been said that her only son did too. The problem is that there's no evidence of his death; like a body, or a witness. No one has seen or heard from him since the attack so they all just assumed he died too." He explained and turned down another hallway.
"Oh, that is a mystery." Deku puzzled over it. "Did he escape, I wonder, or maybe he was captured?"
"No one knows… but my friends and I have been tasked by Shoto Todoroki, the future heir, to find the young Prince." He stopped at the end of the hallway. "He's fond of the queen and very much wants to reunite her with her son."
"Well that's very nice of him." Deku smiled. "I'd like to help in any way I can."
"Oh you don't know just how happy I am to hear that…" Kaminari slapped his shoulders. Kirishima cleared his throat and took over the conversation by coming to the otherside of Deku.
"Shoto is one of very few people who remember what the prince looked like, and the only visual aid he could give us was this portrait." He extended his hand out. All four men, and the dog, look up to the family portrait. "There's one other in the grand hall, but this is the most recent portrait."
Deku eyed the portrait with wide eyes. He stepped closer, dusting off the face.
"He… kinda looks like me."
"We think so too…" Iida nodded. Deku turned around, glanced at the picture, then back at them.
"Wait a minute, do you guys think that I'm the prince?"
"All I know is, is that we've seen hundreds of guys all over the kingdom and not one of them looks as much like the prince as you." Kaminari motioned behind him. "Picture's worth a thousand words."
"Are you guys insane!?" Bakugou barked. "No way in hell, that's Deku! The son of the Almighty King is not some weak-willed, clumsy, nerd who likes to scribble in a journal!"
"Kacchan's right…" Deku wrung his hat in his hands.
"Um.. about what?"
"It's a big coincidence that I look like him, but there's no way that I'm the son of a king." Deku shook his head. "You've got the wrong guy."
"I honestly don't think we do." Iida adjusted his glasses. "You said that you have no memory of your past. You're an orphan, so you have no family that you know of. You were found wandering around when you were eight, and Prince Izuku was lost when he was eight years old."
"Come on, Deku, think about it. If it's true then you're a prince. You have a mother who's waiting to see you. Don't you want to meet your only family?" Kirishima hugged his side and motioned to the woman in the picture. "Queen Inko is one of the nicest and caring women you'll ever meet… and she could be your mother."
Deku didn't respond. He stare at Inko's face, still wringing his hat with a conflicted look in his eyes. Kirishima eyed his friends then pat Deku on the shoulder.
"Just give it some thought. Either way we'll be meeting with Lord Shoto tomorrow. He'll be able to tell if it's you or not." He nods to the others. "Come on guys, let's go finish our meal. You're welcome to join us when you're ready, Deku!"
"Right…" Deku lowered his head, breathing in slow and deep. Bakugou growled and paced a little in front of the portrait.
"You're not seriously considering that, are you Deku?"
"I don't know Kacchan, it's a lot to take in. What if they're right?" He pulled out his sketchbook and opened the page he'd been working on. He compared the figures to the princesses in the portrait and let out a shaky breath. "Something about this place feels so… familiar."
His eyes shifted to the King. Something about the look in that man's eyes, and the bright smile on his face sent Deku's heart thudding. He immediately closed the book and rushed after the others.
"Kirishima-kun! Wait!" He stopped them just as they hit the center of the ballroom. Deku panted from atop the staircase and he held the book protectively to him.
"You said… you said Lord Shoto would know if it was me, right?" He took the steps. When he got a confirming nod, Deku stood up straight. "If it turns out that I am… then what exactly would I need to do?"
"Well we'll leave Aldera to go see your mother in Tattooin. We'll want to clean you up, make you look presentable…"
"...okay, and if I'm not him then there's no punishment right? It's just a big misunderstanding?" He swallowed nervously.
"Of course! No biggie!" Kaminari waved it off, earning a scowling look from Iida.
"Okay… then I'll do it! I'll meet with Lord Shoto."
"Excellent!" Kirishima slapped his hands together then walked out as if to address a crowd. "Ladies and Gentleman may I present to you, Prince Izuku of Aldera!"
"Was that introduction really necessary?" Deku laughed nervously.
"What are you talking about, of course it's necessary. Now come on, let's eat. I'm starving!" Kirishima pulled him towards the common room.
"Me too! Hey Deku, once you're a prince you'll be able to knight us, right?"
"Now Kaminari-kun, that's not why we were assigned to-"
"Yeah yeah, but seriously, could you? It would make my mom so proud and she'd stop hounding me to get married."
"Well-"
"That's not important, you loser!" Bakugou grunted and barked. "The first thing Deku's gonna do is find someone to change me back!"
"Of course we're gonna change you back, kacchan."
"Can you really understand what that dog is saying?"
As the young men laugh and banter, their voices echo up and around the room. Above them amongst the dark and dusty rafters, a lone white bat perched upside down and listened. She slowly unolded her wings, her shiny teeth glinting as a wicked smile spread on her face.
"Oh, I found you, Izuku-kun." She giggled and dropped to fly out a broken window. "Tomura-kun will be so pleased."
~Ask Briry~
Bri: Sorry about the long delay! I hope it was worth the wait!
Next Chapter: Revenge and Regrets
