Seraphim

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia.

Warnings: Violence, Blood/Gore, Death

Pairings: Amajiki x Midoriya, Togata x Hadou, Midoriya x Shinsou, Midoriya x Todoroki, Midoriya x Bakugou, Bakugou x Kirishima, Kirishima x Kaminari

Plot: Amajiki is cast into the abyss.

Ch 01: Abyss

Amajiki screamed as the switch fell across his back, jerking violently against the post he was bound to, wailing and trying to break free from his binds once again. The switch streaked across his skin like a hot brand, leaving stinging trails of blood in its wake, Amajiki clenching his fists and hunching his shoulders, tears pouring down his cheeks as each lash fell rougher than the last. Hadou stood quietly nearby, her hands pressed over her mouth, trying to muffle her sobs as she watched the scene before her, Togata trying desperately to pull her away, to quietly disappear into the surrounding crowd.

"There's nothing you can do. It's too late, Nejire. He made his decision. We have to go."

"Mirio, we can't leave him!" Hadou whimpered between hiccups of breath, shaking her head, her eyes never leaving the bright red blood spilling down Amajiki's flayed back.

Togata tugged at her arm more forcefully, whispering anxiously against her ear, "He did this to save you. He did this so that you could live. So that we could be together."

Hadou whimpered and nodded, closing her eyes and turning away, allowing Togata to pull her into the crowd, to usher her through the village and far away from the central square. After everything Amajiki had done for them, there was little they could do except accept his gift and flee. He was sentenced to death, to be offered up to the Seraphim. He had taken Hadou's place as the village sacrifice. There was nothing either of them could do now to prevent his death. It broke Hadou's heart, leaving their childhood friend behind to be torn apart piece by piece in ritualistic sacrifice. She couldn't begin to imagine the pain he would endure, the pain he had spared her from. She prayed the old gods would grant him a swift death. She prayed the Seraphim might somehow recognize his selfless act, that they might have mercy on his soul.

Amajiki screamed in agony as the final lashes fell, collapsing to his knees and resting his forehead against the worn post, retching to the side and gasping for air as he fought to remain conscious. He felt arms around his chest, lifting him enough to cut loose his binds without slicing through his skin, letting him collapse to the cobblestones to bleed freely upon the ground. He lay against the rocks and dirt for what felt like an eternity before he was forcibly moved again, ushered forward through the winding streets to the hills above the village. Dimly he recognized the pathway beneath his trembling feet, a path he had traveled many times before in his childhood. He had played here with Togata and Hadou, had explored the mouth of the caves together with them time and time again, recalling the stories passed down to them from the village elders. Tales of monsters residing in the darkness, living in the deep far beyond the realm that humans tred.

Stories that fascinated him as a child. Stories that had never been real, only fantasy in his innocent mind.

He never imagined this. He never thought he would be offered up as a living sacrifice to the beasts that dwelled within. The old gods that the elders called Seraphim.

He was condemned to die alone, afraid, bleeding out against a cold cave floor.

The thought of Hadou suffering such a fate, of her beautiful body broken and bleeding, waiting to be eaten by some terrible thing emerged from the deep...Amajiki couldn't handle it. He had offered himself without a second thought, he had thrown himself before those who had come to claim her, and had accepted her fate.

He would do it again. A thousand times again. As long as she lived, it was worth it.

It was the only way he knew of to show her how much he loved her, despite having chosen Togata instead.

The dirt beneath his bare feet turned to cold, unforgiving stone as he was dragged into the mouth of the cave, carried towards the bottomless pit in the center of the first cavern. It sunk down into the earth to unknown depths, a seemingly endless drop into pitch black nothingness. He was ushered forward, left to stand on his own two feet. The sacrifice must be made willingly. He must cite the prayer, and jump to his death. Into the gaping jowls of the underworld. He surrendered himself to death.

The sooner he jumped, the sooner the pain would end.

He closed his eyes, stepped forward, and felt himself begin to fall.

Weak as he was from being beaten bloody, he tripped a little as he stepped forward, the sudden rush of being turned over and over again twisting mid-air sending his stomach up into his throat. He clenched his eyes shut, clasping his hands together, his heart hammering in his chest as he waited for the end to come. He thought of Hadou, of her laughter, her smile. The way her eyes lit up in the sunlight, the way her lips curved up against her rosy cheeks. Tears gathered in his lashes, his brow pinched as he fought to breathe. He would never see her again. He would never see either of them again, his childhood friends. The only friends he had ever held. The only family he had ever known.

At least they had one another.

At least they would find happiness after his death.

The wall of the cave sloped towards him suddenly, and he rolled against the icy, smooth rock before vines tangled around his legs and caught him suspended in the darkness, halting his drop into the abyss. He gasped and wrapped his arms around himself, shivering and blinking open his eyes, his breath casting fog into the frigid air. Faintly he could hear water dripping, the warm blood flowing down his back rolling up his shoulders and dripping down his arms, his fingertips smeared with vibrant red. He grunted and tried to pull himself upright, using the last of his strength to grab onto one of the vines snared around his legs and hoist himself into a sitting position, relaxing against the makeshift cradle and sobbing brokenly, his voice echoing off of the cave systems branching out around him. He couldn't see anything, he could only sit and listen to the sounds of the underworld surrounding him. Somehow, strangely, he found he wasn't afraid.

He steadied his breathing, sniffing and breathing against the cold air, shivering and reaching back to feel his way through the darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust. He wasn't certain if he was truly seeing the shapes of the rocks surrounding him, or if his mind was starting to play tricks on him with the amount of blood he had lost, but he managed to wriggle free from the vines and sit on a small natural ledge in the rock, gradually crawling down the side of the pit towards the sounds of water below. Slowly, carefully, double-checking his footing and handholds with each movement he made, he descended further into the darkness until his toes touched the water below.

He knew how to swim, but swimming in darkness was terrifying beyond belief. How deep did it go? Was there truly some monster living within that would devour him whole? He bit his lip, shivering as he sunk into the water, inhaling sharply at the sting against his raw, flayed skin, kicking away from the rock wall and treading water for a few moments before reaching forward and trying to swim to the other side.

He kept swimming for an unknown amount of time, listening to the echo of his splashes resonating off of the cave walls, pausing now and then to listen before continuing forward. There was nothing, no other sound. When he reached the other side, he found more vines to greet him, and faintly, somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard birdsong.

There wouldn't be birds this far underground. It's impossible.

He tilted his head to the side, focusing on the sound, shivering and climbing up to another ledge resting above the water, narrowing his eyes as he saw a faint blue glow emanating from a crevice between two large rocks. He stepped towards it carefully, pressing between them and leaving trails of blood with each step he took, eventually forced to crawl on hands and knees to slide between the boulders before the cavern opened up again, and he was greeted with cool blue light that nearly blinded him with its brilliance. He blinked and held up a hand to shield his eyes, glancing between his outstretched fingers and realizing what he had stumbled upon. It was a gem cavern, giant shimmering blue crystals jutting from the rocks, an underground stream flowing languidly through the middle of the cavern, leading to somewhere beyond. He was inside a giant geode filled with rare, glowing crystals he'd only heard stories of in his youth. Stories he had chalked up to be nothing more that tales the elders told the village children to pass the time, and to fill their imaginations. It seemed the elders had been telling the truth all along.

He continued through the glowing cavern, stepping through the small stream and reaching out to touch one of the crystals, in awe of how the glow transmitted to his skin at his touch, causing his pale skin to glow neon blue for a few moments before fading away once more. He smiled to himself, looking up to the ceiling and then continuing forward, following the water flowing to the entrance of a hollowed out tunnel in the rock, kneeling down and peering inside, wondering how far it would go. He frowned a little, turning his eyes back towards the glowing crystals surrounding him, then decided if he was going to try to survive a little longer he needed light to explore the depths. He found a smaller cluster of crystals, then as carefully as he could he broke off one of the obelisks closest to the water, the crystal humming as it fell to the ground, bleeding ice-blue light into the stream. Amajiki retrieved it, holding it out like a torch as he returned to the tunnel, then dropped to his knees in the water and started forward again. The tunnel dove deeper underground, ending in a small waterfall into a larger pool, the giant domed chamber similar to the one he had first fallen into after being caught by the tangled vines.

There were plants growing here. Giant plants beneath the water, Amajiki's eyes wide as he looked down at them through the crystal clear depths, holding the glowing gem out before him as he dove down beneath the surface of the icy water to get a closer look.

He'd never seen plants like this before, never read about them in any of the sparse scrolls the village elders had possessed. He dared not touch them, for fear they might be poisonous, carefully keeping a watch on the tendrils beneath him as he continued across the lake. The last thing he wanted was to be eaten alive by some giant plant, or drowned in an underground lake. He explored the domed cavern for a while, swimming long after his limbs had gone numb, his fingers and toes turning dark blue the longer he was exposed to the elements. His bleeding seemed to have stopped for the most part, and though he was feeling light-headed he was unsure if it was due to lack of oxygen or blood loss, or perhaps the low temperatures of the sunken caves. He circled around the lake twice before finding a path to take, carefully climbing up the wall of the cavern with the glowing crystal clenched between his teeth, his jaw aching from the strain of clamping down against the resonating gem.

The upper ledge led to another winding cave system that started to branch upwards, and he continued to climb as much as he could, stopping to rest only for the briefest of moments before starting to climb again. Somewhere in the back of his mind he held the tiniest hope that somehow he would find his way back to the surface. Somehow he would manage to see daylight again. He had been falling for such a long while before becoming ensnared, was it even possible to ascend from such depths? He closed his eyes, breathed in the icy air, and found his next handhold.

He didn't want to give up. Not yet. Not until his body stopped moving.

He wasn't afraid of dying now, but just laying down and accepting his fate seemed like such a waste. What were the odds that he would have been caught mid-air before slamming into the water below? Or cracking his skull against one of the cave walls? There had already been several times that he could have met his death, but still he had lived. What was the purpose? The reason? Surely there was more to this life than suffering and death. Surely there was something.

He froze in place, his heart hammering as birdsong filled the air, echoing off the cavern walls and out across the water somewhere far below, Amajiki freezing in place. He heard movement above him, craning his neck and nearly falling backwards as his numb fingers lost their grip, gasping and effectively allowing the gem to fall from his mouth, the crystal tumbling and humming with each impact against stone before splashing into the water, sinking with a dimming glow. Suddenly surrounded by darkness, Amajiki could only cling to the cave wall and try to find the closest ledge to rest against, listening carefully as he ascended, shivering at the sounds of growling, breathing. Something moving, something living in the darkness.

He crawled onto the ledge, and his eyes fell upon a giant mound of feathers and fur, rising and falling rhythmically as if in sleep. All he could see was red, vibrant, crimson red, the creature emitting some sort of unearthly bioluminescent light as if fire itself was trapped within each massive plume. He jerked his head towards the sound of birdsong from further within the large cavern, carefully pressing back against the stone wall and making his way around the mound of feathers, his heart fluttering as he tried not to scream.

Monsters. Old gods. Seraphim. They were here, they were real. Nesting far below ground, far away from the humans that still believed in them to this day. If these creatures were here then that meant there must be a way out. If he could find it before he was caught in their den, then he might actually be able to-

He tensed at the sensation of eyes on him, shivers creeping up his spine as he hunched his shoulders, clenching his eyes shut. He tried to remember what the elders had taught them about Seraphim, about how to interact with them should they ever find themselves before one. Avoid their eyes, don't look at their face. Keep your head down, bowed. They are powerful immortal beasts. They are to be feared, to be respected. Do not incur their wrath.

He felt the earth tremble as mighty paws stepped closer, the breath of a creature behind him brushing over his exposed back, Amajiki bowing his head a bit further before whispering under his breath, "Please be quick. Please make it quick."

The creature let out a low, clicking sound before twittering and clicking in rough staccato, the first Seraphim he had passed stirring and shifting in response, its many wings parting as it rose from the floor. Amajiki inhaled sharply, averting his eyes and covering his face with his hands, holding perfectly still. The monsters towering over him vocalized back and forth for a few moments, Amajiki listening and waiting for claws or teeth to descend, before something warm and wet passed over his back, rough yet soft all at once. He arched against the sensation reflexively, his every nerve on fire, stumbling forward a bit at the force of the creature's touch. Vaguely he recognized the feeling was a tongue. A large, undulating tongue, lapping over his open wounds, tasting his blood. He felt faint.

Birdsong and a guttural growl sounded from further into the cavern, and that tongue drew away, the two Seraphim watching him returning the call and shifting around him, one of the creatures knocking him off of his feet. He cried out sharply as he fell backwards, expecting to be slammed back against the cave floor, but soft downy greeted him instead, Amajiki rolling over and curling in on himself, shivering and fighting not to panic. He was lifted, and then tucked against something soft and warm, Amajiki reaching out and gripping the fur beneath his cheek, breathing shakily against the creature holding him in place. He was carried through the darkness, hiding his face against the thick, warm fur surrounding him.

He lost consciousness.

When he awoke again, it was daylight.

He was outside again, a bright blue sky spanning out high above, wispy clouds drifting peacefully overhead.

He pushed himself up from the warm grass, inhaling in disbelief and looking around in a wide circle, not recognizing the countryside surrounding him. He shakily stood to his feet, noting the mouth of a cave nearby, barely peeking out of the tall grasses. It looked just big enough that one of those large, winged creatures might be able to crawl through. Had they returned him to the surface? Had they chosen to let him live?

He gasped and reached back to touch his shoulder, then drifted down his side before touching the other side. His back didn't hurt, he wasn't in any pain. He was tired, and hungry, but otherwise he seemed unharmed. Overwhelmed, he let out a broken laugh, shaking his head, reaching up and covering his face with his hands.

"Thank you. Thank you." He looked to the mouth of the cave, calling out with a relieved smile across his face, his chest twisting. "Thank you so much for saving me. Thank you for giving me back my life, Seraphim. Thank you."

He heard a snap, felt the impact of a rock against the back of his skull, and instantly passed out.

There was pressure against his side, a hand wandering over his bare back, then the sensation of being lifted, slung over a strong shoulder and carried away from the cave. Away from danger. Away from death. He faded in and out of consciousness, listening to voices surrounding him, more hands moving over his exposed skin, prodding, examining in detail. He was lifted again, then laid down against something soft and warm, the familiar sensation of sunlight dancing across his forehead and cheeks. He blinked open his eyes, glancing up at the girl hovering over him, her brown eyes flitting across his features as she spoke to another girl at her side, whispering softly back and forth, a tall shadow falling across the sunlight and directing his attention to a tall, masked figure blotting out the sun.

The language they were speaking was not one Amajiki was familiar with. The village where he had grown up had been sheltered away from the rest of the world, high atop a mountain, cut off from the mainland by unforgiving terrain and impossible heights. The girl hovering over him reached out, pressing a hand over his sternum and tracing down his chest, Amajiki inhaling shakily and blinking up at her, trying to understand what she was saying, the meaning behind her questioning words.

"I don't understand. I'm sorry." He flinched as the shadow looming over him shifted, drawing closer, eyeing the masked figure warily as he crouched down beside him, the girls watching the interaction quietly.

"Why were you so close to the dens?" A low voice rumbled, his accent thick and coarse. Amajiki watched the boy as he shifted to lift his mask, the dark feathers shifting up and resting over his head as he looked down at Amajiki, his red eyes burning in the shadows cast by his carved mask. "Answer."

"I don't…" He hesitated, looking from the boy to the girls at his side. "I don't know how I got there. I was underground. They...they saved me."

"Who saved you?" The second girl asked, her dark green hair cascading down her shoulders in silken waves, her dark eyes glinting in the sunlight. "What did you see?"

Amajiki blinked, reaching up and pressing a hand over his eyes, his brow pinching as he searched for the words. "I saw them. The Seraphim. There were two, maybe more. I didn't-"

"You're a cultist." The boy said, clicking his tongue against his teeth and standing up once more, adjusting his mask to conceal his face and stepping out of sight. He said something in his native dialect to the girls he left behind, the brunette nodding and replying in kind before returning her attention to Amajiki, offering him a hesitant smile. She didn't speak as she returned to examining him, the girl at her side who had spoken before letting out a heavy sigh as well.

"You came from the mountains?" She asked, Amajiki nodding and inhaling sharply as the girl prodding at him found a large bruise, tracing the edges of it before drifting lower, down his stomach.

"Yes…" He watched them, curious and apprehensive, reaching down and stopping the girl's descent when she reached the edge of the damp cloth clinging to his pelvis, shaking his head and looking back up at the second girl. "Where am I? Where did you take me…?"

The brunette pulled back her hands, standing up and walking away, leaving Amajiki alone with her companion. The girl hesitated, then responded carefully, "Someplace safe, away from wandering eyes. Your injuries are not severe." She turned away slightly, casting her eyes towards the sunlight filtering in from the break in the boughs high above them. "Rest here a while. We will take you back up the mountains when your strength returns."

Before Amajiki could protest, she stepped towards the other side of the platform and jumped off, leaving him alone in the treetops.

-x-x-x-

"Tokoyami!"

He paused his steps, looking back at Uraraka as she approached, the brunette panting softly as she fell into pace beside him. He didn't speak as they continued walking, and it wasn't long before Asui had caught up to them as well, the three companions walking between the towering trees in relative silence. It was a while before anyone opted to speak, and it was Asui who spoke up first.

"He doesn't seem like a cultist."

Tokoyami snorted softly, glancing down at her from behind his mask, the carved bone shadowing his eyes so only a hint of ruby shone through. Uraraka spoke up next, glancing between them nervously as she asked softly, "Do you really think he came from the den? Would the Dragons have allowed him safe passage through the underground?"

"I don't know." Tokoyami replied, lifting one of his hands as they reached the edge of the treeline, halting Uraraka's steps. Asui continued on with Tokoyami, the two of them walking together towards the entrance of the cave, the masked boy shivering at the hint of cold lingering in the darkness.

Asui stepped into the cave first, glancing around slowly, padding further into the depths away from the sunlight. Tokoyami followed after her, reaching up and brushing his fingertips across the damp rock until it arched away from him and widened into a large dome. They continued on together, further into the darkness, Asui's skin lighting up with bioluminescent freckles as she cupped her hands around her mouth, letting out a shivering twitter that echoed through the hidden chambers beyond. Tokoyami waited, listening, wondering if they would respond. It had been ages since anyone had seen them. They had not emerged since the last Dragon had been slain, years ago. When he had still been a child.

When the hunters had come to their forest after the closest village had been slaughtered, and had raided the den to exact revenge.

Tokoyami still remembered them dragging the body to the surface, carving off the wings, slicing up the scales and fur and disbursing it amongst the hunting party to barter and sell for profit. It had been horrifying. He never wanted to see anything like that happen again. There were only a few Dragons left in the entire world. They had to be protected.

Asui called out again, twittering and chirping softly, trying to draw the attention of the beasts somewhere within, Tokoyami stepping closer to her, catching her eyes as she looked up at him with a small frown.

"What should we do? Do you want to go further?"

Tokoyami hesitated, then shook his head. "No, let's leave them in peace. If they wanted to be seen, they would have responded by now."

Asui nodded, glancing towards the darkness stretching out before them one final time before turning away, beginning back towards daylight. Tokoyami lingered in the dark as her glow faded away, his skin prickling as he heard the sound of faint scraping. Of claws and scales dragging against cold stone. He lifted out a hand, about to call for Asui, when a series of bright green eyes appeared in the darkness, causing him to inhale sharply. He'd seen those eyes before, many years ago.

"Deku?" He called hesitantly, backing away a step, the creature continuing forward and growling deep within its chest.

Behind him, he heard Asui twittering softly, returning slowly to Tokoyami's side, the green glow cast by her freckles illuminating the darkness, revealing a hint of the monster that resided within. Five massive eyes stared down at them, the rustling of wings flooding the cavern and overwhelming all other sounds. Asui bowed her head, and Tokoyami ripped away his eyes, closing them and ducking his head as well. The creature shifted closer, warm breath huffing across their shoulders and tussling their hair, before finally the Dragon spoke.

"Where is he?"

Asui glanced towards Tokoyami, then tilted her head up ever so slightly, avoiding the massive eyes watching her, responding softly, "The boy that was here before? We took him to the forest."

"Why?" The beast called again, his voice resonating off of the stone surrounding them, echoing deep and reverberating through their bones.

Asui hesitated before responding, then replied cautiously, "He was injured. We took him somewhere he could rest."

The creature growled low and deep, a torn, frustrated sound. "Bring him to me. I must speak with him."

Tokoyami glanced up at that, looking to Asui, then asking hesitantly, "You want us to bring you the cultist? It isn't safe-"

The temperature surrounding them dropped dramatically, ice filling Tokoyami's veins as the creature stepped closer again, massive claws raking across the cave floor and sending piercing noise shrieking through the cave, Tokoyami's voice caught in his throat. When the air settled once again, there was another sound, soft footsteps, Tokoyami inhaling sharply at the sensation of a hand pressed to his shoulder, the strange warmth of scaled skin drifting across his arm, encircling his wrist and tugging lightly before pulling away.

"I must speak with him. If you will not bring him to me, then I will go with you."

Tokoyami looked up carefully, meeting Deku's eyes, the creature before him blinking down at him steadily, the small wings on either side of his face fluttering and fluffing a bit to shield his cheeks from the cold. He was holding something, a crystal of some sort, pale blue and glowing with ethereal light. Asui had turned towards Deku as well, taking a step closer, examining the obelisk he was holding. "Is that…?"

Deku looked to her briefly, his bare feet padding quietly across the stone and he stepped past them and headed towards the surface, the glow from the crystal lighting the footpath cut into the stone. "Take me to him. I will not ask again."

Tokoyami shivered and followed after him quietly, Asui stepping up to Deku's side and looking up at him in awe, barely able to hide the smile twisting up her lips. It had been decades since one of the Dragons had been seen in their chrysalis form, it was something they had only heard about in legends passed down from their clan leaders, before their villages had been wiped out. When he stepped into the sunlight, his scales glittered with prismatic rainbows before smoothing into something soft and pale, resembling human skin. He looked to Tokoyami, blinking over at him and tilting his head slightly, the wings surrounding his face opening and fanning out, gesturing towards his mask.

"Show me your face."

Tokoyami hesitated, then reached up and lifted his mask, letting it rest atop his head as the creature stepped closer, searching his red eyes. Tokoyami watched him in turn, marveling at the sight of his two sets of horizontal eyes, then the fifth eye set vertically at the center of his forehead. His emerald irises glimmered like jewels, and he blinked slowly, tilting his head again, reaching out with his free hand to touch Tokoyami once more.

"I know you. I've seen you before. You were there that night. When Shinsou was killed."

Tokoyami inhaled softly, but nodded, bowing his head. "Yes."

"We both were." Asui said softly, Deku turning to her next, his eyes flitting across the freckles highlighting her skin, his clawtips tracing between them slowly.

"You're a hybrid?" He asked, meeting Asui's eyes, the girl smiling and nodding, looking to Tokoyami as well.

"We both are. We were part of the villages that were destroyed in the uprising. When the hunters…" Her voice trailed off and she glanced away, Deku watching her closely. "I'm sorry. It must be painful to think about…"

Deku was quiet, then cast his eyes towards the treeline, stepping out across the thick grasses of the plains, his large malachite wings shifting with his movements. A set hovered overhead, shielding his body from the sunlight, while a second set curved over his shoulders and brushed against his bare chest, a third set fanned out and curved around his lower back and waist, brushing against his muscled legs as he walked. His remiges fluttered on the passing wind, Tokoyami and Asui standing back and admiring him for several long moments before the girl moved to quickly follow after him, easily catching up to his languid pace, Tokoyami trailing after them. He looked down to where Deku had touched him before, tracing over the scar that he had held since childhood, the twisting, gnarled remnants of his first and last encounter with a hunter. The same hunter that had dealt the final blow to Shinsou.

Now, Deku was here, walking amongst them, seeking out the cultist that had descended from the mountains.

Tokoyami had never expected this, and had absolutely no idea what would happen next.

-x-x-x-

Amajiki winced, his stomach muscles flexing beneath the sharp nails that drifted up over his bruises, tracing over his ribs before pulling away. He gingerly opened his eyes, slowly returning to consciousness, blinking up at the emerald eyes shining down at him. The boy above him was watching him curiously, his dark green hair curling against his forehead and cheeks, his skin covered in freckles similar to the girl he had spoken with before. The boy watched him for another long moment before lifting his hand, showing him the crystal he was holding. The crystal he had dropped while he was climbing, just before reaching the chamber where the Seraphim dwelled. He tensed immediately, looking up at the boy again, his breath escaping him in a hushed whisper, "Where did you-"

"Tell me where you found this." He said, his voice deeper than Amajiki had expected. He let out a shaky exhale, trying to sit up, shifting slightly and wincing as pain echoed through his bruises and the back of his throbbing skull.

"I…" He shook his head slowly, arching his brow. "I don't know...exactly. Deep underground, in one of the caverns…"

"How many?" He asked, his grip tightening on the gem. "How many did you see?"

Amajiki searched his eyes, arching his brow and replying hesitantly, "I'm not sure...there was a whole fissure filled with them, like a giant geode…"

The boy's features twisted, and he closed his eyes, shivering. Amajiki wasn't certain if he was upset by his answer, or if the sigh that left him was in relief. He hesitated only a moment before standing from Amajiki's side, looking back at the others that were watching. He said something in a language Amajiki didn't understand, then stepped away, taking the crystal with him and disappearing into the upper boughs of the tree, the masked boy and the two girls from before standing together and talking quietly, glancing towards Amajiki now and then.

Eventually, the masked boy exhaled irritably and removed his mask, setting it aside and looking towards Amajiki. He paused a moment longer before stepping towards him slowly and flexing his hands, a dark purple glow rising from his shoulders, the living shadow mimicking bird wings. His red eyes were glowing, and his skin shifted in rolling ripples, like rain against a pond. Amajiki recoiled backwards away from him automatically, falling off of the platform he had been resting against and finding himself flat on his back, looking up through the boughs of the towering tree as he fell to the ground far below.

This time it wasn't vines that caught him. It was something else entirely. Something not human.

Massive green wings twisted around his frame, catching him mid-air and lifting him back to the platform, setting him on one of the thick boughs and slowly withdrawing. Amajiki watched as that green wing receded, the boy watching him gripping the side of the tree with mighty claws, his scaled tail lashing the air behind him. The other boy was at his side a moment later, jet-black feathers covering his arms and chest, sprouting from his cheeks and dark hair.

"Idiot. Do you have a death wish? I was trying to help you."

He lifted Amajiki easily, pulling him back into the room suspended in the treetops, the boy releasing him a moment later and allowing him to curl in on himself, trembling. The boy sighed softly, the girls nearby stepping closer again, the brunette reaching out and petting Amajiki's shoulder reassuringly, giving him a smile.

"Safe." She said softly, the second girl standing over his shoulder, meeting Amajiki's eyes as well.

"You don't have to be afraid. If we wanted to kill you, you'd be dead by now."

Amajiki blinked, swallowing thickly, nodding his understanding before looking towards the feathered boy standing nearby. "What...what are you?"

"Hybrids." The girl replied, looking to her companion as well. "You've never seen one before?"

Amajiki shook his head, looking towards her with an anxious expression. "Do you...look like that too?"

The girl arched her brow then laughed, shaking her head. "No, we are variants from two separate clans. There are many different types of hybrids. Our traits are unique, and drastically different from any other."

"It's caused by a genetic mutation." The boy said, the feathers along his arms flexing with his movements as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm surprised your elders haven't mentioned us. They usually condemn our kind to death upon sight."

Amajiki shook his head slowly, "No, they didn't teach us that…" He looked to the brunette at his side, then asked curiously, "What...what do you want with me? Why does that crystal matter?"

"We don't know. Deku told us to bring him to you, so we did." The boy replied, approaching him once more, crouching down beside him and reaching out to press a hand over his ribs, that purple glow returning to his skin and seeping into Amajiki, slowly flowing through him, thick and dark. It settled over his bruises, drifting up the back of his neck and cupping his tender skull, and this time when he flexed his abilities it sent a soothing sensation through Amajiki, taking away his lingering pain.

When he withdrew, Amajiki pushed himself up into a sitting position, brushing his hands over his abdomen and exhaling shakily, the boy beside him looking at his back with mild interest.

"Were you beaten?"

Amajiki met his eyes, nodding lightly, glancing away. "They flayed me before they…"

The boy's eyes widened, and he pinched his brow in confusion, looking to the girls nearby before focusing on Amajiki again. "Wait, what? What did you say?"

A shadow passed over those settled on the platform, Amajiki looking up at the boy standing in the boughs above, the wings and tail he had seen before nowhere to be found.

"You were a sacrifice." He said softly. "That's why you were underground."

Amajiki was quiet, glancing between the sets of eyes watching him, shivering under their gaze and drawing his knees against his chest, eventually nodding. The boy exhaled through his nose, his green eyes drifting over the platform before settling on something in the distance.

"Bring him to me tonight. I must go."

He stepped between the boughs before letting himself free-fall out of sight, those left behind exchanging hesitant glances before all eyes focused on Amajiki once more.

"What's your name?" The boy asked, Amajiki gingerly meeting his eyes.

"Amajiki Tamaki." He whispered, searching his piercing red eyes. "What's yours?"

"Tokoyami Fumikage." He nodded towards the girls at Amajiki's other side, "Go on then. If he was thrown into the abyss as a living sacrifice, he's not a cultist. We can trust him."

The freckled girl nodded, then looked to Amajiki with a small smile. "Asui Tsuyu. You can call me Tsu." She looked to the brunette beside her, saying something in their native tongue before the other girl nodded and smiled brightly.

"Uraraka Ochaco." She said, reaching out and patting Amajiki's side. "Good. Friend."

Amajiki felt relief wash over him, hunching in on himself slightly, a choked sob escaping him as warmth dripped down his cheeks. Safe. He was safe. They wouldn't return him to the mountains to be cast down into that pit again, they would shelter him, protect him. One day they might even become his friends.

"Thank you." He whispered brokenly, feeling Uraraka's hand on his shoulder, petting back and forth against his mended skin soothingly.

Asui spoke up after a moment, "Let's find you some clothes, and get you something to eat. You must be exhausted. You'll need your strength before returning to the den."

Amajiki's eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat. "What…?"

-x-x-x-

Midoriya padded into the mouth of the cave, listening to the sounds of irritated growling within. "Kaachan." He called, hearing the other Seraphim drawing closer, his red eyes flashing with fire in the darkness. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you." He replied, his voice echoing off of the cavern walls as he approached, his massive paws sending vibrations trembling through the cave system. "Why are you wearing that? Did you actually hold an audience with them?"

Midoriya nodded, lifting the crystal he was holding in his hand, the other Seraphim quieting his growls and stepping closer, his voice soft as he spoke.

"Shouto…?"

"I don't know." Midoriya whispered softly, holding the crystal tightly between his fingers, bringing it closer to his chest. "The human Kaminari returned to the surface, he said there was a whole chamber filled with them."

The other Seraphim sighed deeply, padding closer towards his companion, his golden wings curved around his naked frame. He reached out and carded his fingers through Midoriya's hair, tilting up his face and nosing against his forehead affectionately. "I don't want you to get hurt getting your hopes up again, Izuku…"

"I know." Midoriya whispered, tilting his face up and nuzzling against Bakugou's jaw, his lips trailing over his scaled skin. "What if it's real this time? What if he's been reborn? We have to find him…"

"Shh…" Bakugou whispered, tugging the smaller Seraphim closer, Midoriya hiding his face against his shoulder, his fingers curling against Bakugou's chest.

"If Shouto has been reincarnated, then Hitoshi might-"

"We don't know that, Izuku. We can't possibly know that…"

Midoriya pushed away slightly, the glow from the crystal casting blue light between their frames, reflecting off of Bakugou's golden wings. "Will you help me look for him? Please?"

"Izuku…"

"Please?" Midoriya whispered, a soft twitter caught in his throat, his brow arched and his features torn. "If there's a chance, if there's the faintest hope, we have to find him. Please, Kaachan…"

The other Seraphim sighed, bowing his head, breathing against Midoriya's crown and closing his eyes. "The humans are coming here?"

"Yes." Midoriya whispered. "I need to know."

Bakugou snorted softly, backing away a step, turning away from the other Seraphim and gradually fading into the darkness. As he padded away his steps returned to what they had been before, massive, thunderous things that vibrated through the earth, trembling the rock that surrounded them. His voice was deep and quiet as he called through the dark, "Do what you must."

Midoriya lifted the crystal resting in his palms, tracing his fingers over the curves of the obelisk, shivering and clenching his teeth.

"Shouto. Please. I miss you. I miss you both so much."

Thanks for reading! More to come!