Chapter 9
Pyro Connections
Izuku stayed with Dakota while Haruka left to go talk to Inko. Izuku still felt unsure of Haruka's intentions, but also knew that he did not have much of a choice and so he waited with his dragon while the therapist went to talk to his mother about taking Izuku to her cabin for some 'extended treatment' on his hand. As soon as Haruka had left the room, Dakota had collapsed a little, her wounds, unable to hold her up any longer and Izuku had leaned down to support her. She was scared and in quite a lot of pain so, despite the fact that she was still uncomfortable with being this close to Izuku, she lay still as he held her half in and half out of his lap. She sighed and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes as she began to tremble. Izuku was shocked, he had always known her to be aggressive and confident and unbroken. Seeing her like this, vulnerable and weak, gave Izuku an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Haruka opened his bedroom door and Izuku tightened his hold on Dakota ever so slightly. Dakota glanced at Haruka and growled low in her throat, the fur on the back of her neck rising so that they poked Izuku in the arms a little bit.
"So, what did she say?" Izuku asked hesitantly. Haruka smiled genuinely and crouched down so that she could hold her hand out to Dakota, palm out.
"She said that it was alright just so long as we finish our therapy session before 10:30 pm at the latest so that she can go to pick you up." Dakota did not lunge forward but she did open and snap her jaws shut as a warning. Haruka got the message and pulled her hand away, her smile fading a little.
"I also told her that I would be taking Dakota off of your hands for a bit since I am a qualified veterinarian," Haruka said.
"What!?" Izuku's eyes widened as he whipped his head around to look at her incredulously.
"You can't take her away! I don't even know you that well! I have no idea what your intentions are, especially since you have made it clear that you know what she really is!"
Dakota snarled from her place against the wall and pinned her ears flat against her head, another suffocating wave of fear washing over Izuku.
"She will only get worse if she doesn't see a vet, Midoriya."
"Yeah! Because you made her this way!" Izuku blurted out, placing his hands protectively over Dakota's body.
Haruka's face changed then, her eyes softening and her mouth opening in slight surprise.
"She showed you that memory?"
"What memory?"
"The memory of Dakota when she was fighting Emiko and me."
"Who is Emiko? And what are you talking about?"
Haruka shook her head and smiled at Dakota. The dog just snarled in response.
"You had a quick period of time where you saw something that you have never seen before as if you were remembering a memory that you never experienced, right? That was Dakota, in a moment of really intense emotion, she accidentally sent you a memory that contained the base of that emotion, the origin."
"How is that even possible? What are you talking about?" Izuku asked impatiently, his mind swirling with all of these ideas and realizations.
"Come to the cabin with me, bring Dakota, and I will explain everything. I promise."
"And how do I know that your promise holds any weight at all?"
Haruka hesitated as she thought for a moment.
"Because I have a special creature in my life as well, a dragon who I would do anything for. A dragon who is my whole world and makes me who I am today. I understand your confusion and your fear and even your determination. Please, let me help you," Haruka said, digging around in her pocket until she was able to produce a small bracelet with a keychain on it. A keychain of a white eagle. "Let us help you."
Izuku looked up into Haruka's eyes and saw the bright determination and what he desperately hoped was honesty in there. He couldn't be sure, but it was enough that he was able to make a decision. He glanced down at Dakota who whined a little, but he lifted a hand and stroked her ear gently. He looked back at Haruka and nodded once.
Izuku and Haruka had hurried over to the cabin after that, Izuku carefully carrying a slightly trembling, slightly growling Dakota into the back of Haruka's truck along with her make-shift bed, as it was made out of blankets that she was now familiar and comfortable with. During the entire car ride, nobody spoke and Dakota was too tired to keep up her act of snarling and growling all of the time and so she fell asleep with her chin resting on the door handle of the car door and her tail facing Izuku. Izuku just watched out the window to peer through the thickening darkness as they drove, desperately hoping that he wasn't getting himself into something that was too much for him to handle.
Now, Izuku and Haruka sat in the warm coziness of her home, watching each other from opposite plush chairs, waiting for the other to start talking. Dakota had been situated on the floor by Izuku's feet, her soft blankets pooling around his ankles. She was no longer growling but the fur on the back of her neck was still raised menacingly and her sharp eyes never left Haruka's.
Finally, Haruka took a deep breath and whistled one low note into the living space. Izuku blinked in confusion and Dakota flicked an ear in annoyance but neither moved nor spoke. Everyone in the room waited for a moment before the fluttering of feathered wings caught Izuku's attention so that he looked to one of the many open windows in the room where a gray eagle had just soared inside. The eagle beat the air around him rapidly with his large wings before he settled down calmly on Haruka's shoulder. Haruka reached up and tickled under his chin, in which the bird raised his wings a little, closed his eyes, and opened his mouth slightly as if he were smiling. He ruffled his feathers before settling down again, replacing his wings at his sides and turning his head to get a better look at Izuku and Dakota. Once the bird saw Dakota though, his joyful demeanor diminished a little and Izuku saw the bird tense, raising his wings just an inch so as to be prepared for a quick getaway should he need one.
"Are you ready to tell me the truth now?" Izuku asked quickly as he felt Dakota tense beside him, her gaze shifting to stare right at the eagle on Haruka's shoulder in an aggressive challenge. He did not want a fight to break out between the animals.
"Yes, I am ready. I want to start off with an apology-"
"Please, save it," Izuku cut her off. He wanted to remain respectful of Haruka since she was older than him but he was tired of the stalling. "Please just give me the answers."
Haruka closed her mouth and nodded slowly before beginning again.
"Remember what I told you that mark on your hand was?"
"Yeah, you said it was a brand, a mark that dragons use to tag their prey for future reference. To survive even in the worst of situations by marking their next meal for when they are safe once more."
Dakota sat bolt upright at that and let out a guttural snarl that reverberated around the room, making Izuku jump and the eagle on Haruka's shoulder to let out a tense squawk.
"Well, as you can probably tell from Dakota's reaction to that description, I told you wrong," Haruka said.
"Why did you lie to me then?" Izuku asked.
"Because your mother was there and it was necessary at the time. I was unsure as to whether or not your dragon was dead due to the fact that you had been out of it at the hospital and you were in a lot of pain every time you came to my therapy sessions, and I did not want you to deal with the negative effects of that if it were true."
"Why would I feel negative effects if the dragon who attacked me got killed in the process? And what do you mean by 'my dragon'? I don't own this dragon, and as soon as she is healed I plan on bringing her back out into the wild to live out the rest of her days as she pleases," Izuku said. For some reason, he felt a pang of sadness both within him and in that weird distant way that he felt sometimes at the thought of parting with Dakota.
"You see, that's the thing young Midoirya. I don't think you remember the night that you were attacked very well because that mark on your hand is not a brand. It is a bond. And no matter the case, a bonded dragon will never attack the human with whom they are bonded to. I wasn't there so I can't be 100% sure, but I am certain that this is not just and open and shut case."
"A bond?" Izuku asked, his eyes widening as he listened.
"Yes. A bond is something that occurs very rarely between a human and a dragon, it is something more precious than anything else in the world, and it can be the best thing that has ever happened to you in your life. But you have to cherish it, you have to nurture your connection and you have to try to understand it. Now, to really define a bond, it is a connection that is forged between dragon and human when one of each matches each other as equals in every sense of the way. This includes in the mind, in the heart, in power, in potential, etc. Despite this, a bond is only forged when they touch each other, in any situation and in any way, once they touch, if they are a perfect match, then a bond is solidified. A human and a dragon could technically be a bonded pair, but if they never touch they would never know, going about their whole lives as normal. But when you were 'attacked' you touched Dakota, and a bond was created, a bridge between your minds and your souls. That bond is signified by a symbol which appears wherever you first touch, which in your case was on Dakota's forehead and your hand."
Izuku felt light-headed. He couldn't believe what he was actually hearing, a bond? How was that even possible? He wasn't equal to this beast, a creature known for its intense physical prowess and renowned intelligence. And her power, the Night Fury is one of the most powerful dragons in the world, definitely the most feared, how did he even come close to her in any way?
"B-But b-but-"
"I know it sounds confusing and impossible," Haruka cut across him. "I felt the same way about things when I first bonded to Cassian," Haruka reached up and stroked the eagle's head, one of his feathers sticking up as her fingers brushed over the soft material. "You are probably asking yourself, how does that work? How am I worthy? How am I equal to this creature in any way?"
Izuku couldn't hide his slight surprise. He was impressed but also still very afraid and confused so he remained silent and let her continue.
"Trust me, Cassian in his full dragon form is huge, he is made of large bones that cover him all over his body and he is very powerful, especially since his skin and muscles have remained unharmed due to the protection his bones provide. It has allowed him to mature and grow, providing for his body in a way that has given him what is basically dragon super-strength. I bonded to him when I was about your age, I was at a friend's house and this dragon was out hunting. My friend's father was a dragon hunter and had a bunch of snares and traps set up around their house, which led to Cassian being caught in one of the wing snares in their backyard. Thankfully, his bones protected his wings from being destroyed, but he was still stuck. My friend's father was very willing to go out and kill him, he was even showing me where to strike when I accidentally touched him on the snout and felt the impact of the bond. Despite his dedication to his work, my friend's father was close enough to me to be almost like my own father, and let him live for my sake."
Izuku nodded as Haruka paused to take a drink from her water.
"The friend I am talking about is someone who I am still very close with, her name is Emiko, and she was the other woman who you saw in your vision, the one when we first met Dakota."
Dakota bared her teeth but otherwise did not act.
"Emiko has a dragon too but they are not bonded to each other. Not all humans have a bonded pair and it is not a bad thing to not bond with a dragon. Just because you are not bonded does not mean that you can't be close with a dragon, it just means that you are not as mentally involved, I guess. She has a female Hobblegrunt by the name of Kamereon, but we call her Kame for short." (AN: This means chameleon in Japanese for those who don't know!).
"So, what does that mean for us? Does this affect us physically? How does this relate to the visions that I've been having?"
Haruka smiled at the onslaught of questions and popped her knuckles.
"Well, some things you have already experienced. For example, the visions that you have been experiencing lately are what I explained earlier. They are memories that she accidentally sends to you when she is experiencing a very strong emotion. This is only possible because the bond forms a bridge between your minds, what she has experienced is something that you now have access to, and vice versa. I would not be surprised if she has also experienced these strange visions just with your own memories instead of hers. This ability will grow and develop until you can control which memories you send over as well as being able to convey present images rather than just past events. This ability is one of the most incredible as it is the most intimate between you and your dragon. Eventually, you may even be able to talk to your dragon using that bridge between your minds, and she may be able to respond back."
"Wait, what? She will be able to speak Japenese?"
"Well not quite, she won't be able to articulate those words physically as her vocal cords are physically unable to form words, it would be like a mouse learning to speak French, but she will be able to speak to you through that link in your minds. In other words, you will be able to speak and understand the dragon language, but you will only be able to do so mentally so that nobody around you will know. For example, in the future, you may be at the park with your friends, and you could be talking to them about some homework while also talking to your dragon right beside you without them ever even knowing. Of course, you would have to really practice the art of partial multitasking, as that is technically not possible, but you get what I'm saying, right?"
"I think so… God, this is insane…"
"I know, it is really hard to wrap your head around. I still can't believe it sometimes, but you've been taking it really well so far. Would you be comfortable hearing some more?"
Izuku glanced at Dakota and she looked back up at him, her eyes glimmering slightly. He watched her for a moment and saw her just barely perceptible nod. He looked back to Haruka and nodded as well.
"Alright then. There are both benefits and deficits to being bonded to a dragon," Haruka said. "For one, a deficit is that you can both feel everything about the other one. This includes pain, which is why you have been feeling so terrible lately. You have been feeling the pain of all of her injuries as well as her mentally depressed state which has been affecting you almost as much as her. This happens both ways though, if you injure yourself, such as break a bone, she will feel the pain of such as soon as it happens. The only reason that hasn't been happening to you as severely lately is because of the medication I gave you which is designed for people who are bonded to dragons. I had to get it from a private holder though, as this society does not support people who are bonded to dragons. Picture it this way, Midoriya," Haruka said, standing up abruptly and running around the couch to rummage in the closet that broke off from the main living space.
Suddenly, she came running back holding two mirrors, one in each hand. She ran back around the couch and placed both mirrors on the table so that they faced each other.
"This, Midoriya, is what a bond would look like inside your brain. Not exactly like this, of course, it is just a metaphor, but picture the bond as two mirrors that have opened up in each of your minds, one in yours and one in hers. These two mirrors are linked by a bridge which allows all of your thoughts, memories, and experiences to move across, but with the mirrors on either side, those ideas, and thoughts get reflected back into each other in a never-ending chain."
Haruka then resituated the mirrors just slightly so that the lights from the lamps around them reflected off of them and bounced around the room.
"Even though this may seem confusing and even frustrating at times, it always shines the light of love and knowledge as you two are the only ones who truly know each other, and it will always be that way. You can become really close to someone, a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a friend, and they will never know you as well as that dragon and vice versa," Haruka said, pointing a loose finger towards Dakota. Dakota growled but it wasn't as aggressive as usual and her ears remained forward despite the signs of encroachment.
"Now I do want to clarify something," Haruka said. "This is not part of her quirk. This is entirely something of nature, it is as natural as hunting or going to the bathroom and it has nothing to do with whatever power she has if she even has a quirk. For example, my quirk is bone manipulation which allows me to break, build and heal bones into whatever form I want. It is specifically called MaliBone but that does not matter for now. Cassian has a quirk called Scorpion Spear, which basically gives him the ability to separate the bone armor from his body and form it into many long bone tails that each contains a spearhead on the top, something that resembles a scorpion's tail. Despite this, we are still able to perform tasks such as talking to each other through the bridge in our minds and allowing each other to see what the other can see. Anybody who hears about this kind of power thinks that I have some kind of telepathy power, which is simply untrue."
"So, wait…" Izuku said as he thought for a moment. "If your quirk is bone manipulation, and you broke Dakota's leg, does that mean you can heal it as well?"
Haruka looked down at Dakota and smiled as the dog immediately stopped growling low in her throat and perked her ears in Haruka's direction.
"Yes, I can. I do want to apologize for hurting you earlier, Dakota, I didn't want to but I panicked when you attacked my dragon. Hopefully, now you both understand why that panic came over me but I understand that it has caused you quite a lot of pain and I did not mean for that to be the case. I will heal your leg, but I can't promise you that it won't hurt when I do so."
Dakota pinned her ears again, but not as aggressively, before she gave a dejected nod in Haruka's direction. Haruka beamed anyway and closed her eyes.
"Alright, I will snap your bone back together again on that count of three."
Izuku placed a reassuring hand on Dakota's head and weakly smiled at Haruka as his way of giving her the okay.
"Ready?"
Both Izuku and Dakota nodded.
"THREE!"
Dakota yelped loudly and Izuku jumped as he heard the bone snap back together, as if it were a rubber band being brought back to its relaxed state after being held taut.
"Haruka! You said on the count of three!" Izuku called out as he leaned down to examine Dakota, her teeth bared at the bone hero.
"Yeah, and I said three! I am sorry, it was a bad joke but I have discovered that apprehension is the worst form of anxiety. When I did it unexpectedly, Dakota didn't have time to build up her stress about the action."
Dakota snarled again but did not advance. She glanced down at her paw and rotated it experimentally. When seemingly no pain struck her, she tested putting some weight on it while still remaining laying down. When she was able to put weight on it without any pain, she gingerly stood up and placed all four paws squarely on the floor. She began to walk around. Then she started to trot. Finally, she was bolting around the house, zipping in between chairs and leaping over tables.
"There you go! Feeling better now?" Haruka asked.
Dakota stopped running around, her mouth parted slightly in a small smile. She looked right at Haruka, her ears raised and straining forward, and then dipped her head with her eyes closed. The small bow only lasted for a moment but it made Haruka absolutely glow with pride.
"I want to do one last thing for you, Dakota," Haruka said, turning around and moving out of the living room, Dakota tilted her head in the direction on Haruka's retreating back.
Haruka came back moments later with another woman in tow. Izuku recognized the woman immediately as Emiko from his vision earlier.
"Midoriya and Dakota, this is my good friend Emiko, the one with the Hobblegrunt dragon! I told her to come over but I had her wait outside just in case things didn't go as planned. She is here to turn your dog back into a dragon."
"Wait, she can do that?" Izuku asked, his eyes wide with fascination.
"Well, it was my quirk that turned the dragon into a dog in the first place. Hello, my name is Emiko and my quirk is called Metamorphosis. It is simply a quirk that allows me to transform anything I touch into something else just so long as I know the structure of atoms within that object or organism. It helps me build things from scratch. I am sorry for turning your dragon into a dog, we were being attacked and it was the only thing I could think of to make the situation less dangerous for everyone," Emiko said.
"It's alright," Izuku said, reaching down to absentmindedly stroke Dakota's ear.
"Here," Emiko said, leaning down and holding out her hand for Dakota to smell. Dakota hesitated and growled at first, but then slowly approached Emiko after some gentle nudging from Izuku. Dakota sniffed Emiko's hand and then backed away, her ears pinned.
"Let's go outside, I can turn her back out there so that she doesn't destroy the house," Emiko said, standing up slowly and pointing one long, slender finger towards the back door.
Dakota began to trot towards that door, her tail bouncing slightly behind her and Emiko followed. Izuku and Haruka glanced at each other before they too made their way out the door and into the large, unfenced backyard. Dakota had a small bounce in her step as she walked, her leg feeling much better after the bone was rehealed, but she was keeping her distance, snapping her jaws a little when Haruka tried to come near.
Finally, the group stopped near the back of the large field in Haruka's backyard, Dakota sitting down in the tall grass and everyone else forming a small circle around her. Emiko took a step forward and leaned down once more, holding out her hand again for Dakota to smell. Dakota bared her teeth but still leaned forward to sniff the hand before leaning back and sitting up straight, every muscle in her body, tense. Emiko took a shaky deep breath and then stood up and shuffled over to Dakota's side, her palm facing outward and her fingertips glowing a soft golden. Moving very slowly so as to avoid spooking the dragon, Emiko pressed her fingers against Dakota's soft black fur and closed her eyes. The transformation was quick but also very interesting; Izuku watched with almost disturbing fascination as Dakota's body lengthened and widened, her face changing from the narrow face of a German Shepherd to the widened face of a Night Fury. Her sides and back widened, the fur parting and falling off before disappearing into the grass, surprisingly soft black scales replacing the fur. Large, leathery black wings unfolded from her sides and spread out, the joints popping satisfyingly as if they had been cramped for a long time. Once the transformation was complete, Dakota stood up and shook herself, spreading her wings even more and yawning widely so that her white teeth gleamed in the moonlight. Dakota then resituated herself, tucking her wings at her sides and tilting her head so that she could stare right at the people in front of her, her striking blue eyes sharpening on Izuku. Izuku took a deep breath and took one step forward.
"Hello Dakota, how do you feel?"
Dakota watched him for a second longer before baring her teeth and flattening her ears a little. Izuku took a step forward and raised his hand to touch her muzzle.
"Dakota? What are you-"
Quick as a flash, Dakota suddenly raised her wings and forced them down towards the ground, her body rushing up into the air with the impact from the wind under her wings.
"Dakota! Wait!" Izuku said, rushing forward. He didn't know what he meant to do, or even why he wanted her to stay but he ran forward to do something, touch her maybe, but ended up only grasping air. He looked up to see Dakota flap her wings quickly, beating the air around her enthusiastically with a joyful roar before she soared off and away from the group of people on the ground. Izuku watched her fly away, waiting for her to turn around and look at him, or angle her wings so that she could circle back to them. But she just kept flying, faster and farther away from them, from him, without looking back. Izuku watched and waited until she had been swallowed up by the darkness of the deepening night.
