I remember now. There was someone else there. They made the days a little less...terrible. Ah, I remember snow white hair, yes. Long. Silver eyes...a kind smile. A woman. Maybe married to the man? I'm not sure.

"Smash!" Deku slams his empowered fist into the nose of the stunned dragon, a loud crack resonating from the beast as he's sent rolling back many feet, cracking through trees and sliding against the ground. He slowly pushes himself off his side and shakes his head. He winces as blood drops from his nostrils.

Izuku pants heavily as he lands on the ground wincing at his broken arm. He grits his teeth and stares down at him. "Okay...I have to rely only on my fingers from now on."

Shoto takes off into the air. He roars, shaking the skies and earth. He flies overhead, in a circle around the human. He notices his broken arm. "Did he break his arm after that attack? What sort of destructive magic does he have?" He opens his mouth, shooting a stream of fire towards the barbarian.

Izuku raises up his uninjured arm and holds back his index finger with his thumb and flicks it forward, dispersing the flames and sending the dragon tumbling in the air.

She would hold me in her arms as I cried after hours of training. She...was nice. Treated me like her own child. It was some form of comfort in that hell hole.

He spreads out his wings and shakes his head. He growls and swoops down, landing on the ground. Ice begins to form under his right side. Spikes of ice make a b-line straight for Izuku.

He stands his ground and flicks his middle finger, gritting his teeth and stiffing a scream. It cracks the ice apart, sending shards back at the dragon, only to shatter against his thick hide.

"You're doing far more damage to yourself than you are to me." Shoto roars.

"I know." He laughs halfheartedly. He nearly falls over before catching himself. Blood drips from his head and stains the ground below. "But...I just need to hold out. Until you're not so angry."

He growls. "We're suppose to fight until one of us can't move. Do you honestly think you can win?"

He wipes the blood from his nose. "Not...really. But this should...be enough to calm you down...at least for a little while."

"You realize if I win, I get to kill you and do what I want, right?" What's wrong with this human? Why is he doing so much? He only had two more fingers he can flick. Is he seriously trying to help him? With a puff of smoke, the dragon turns into his human form, clenching his fists tightly.

"What are-"

"Shut up. There is no way you can defeat me with just your fingers alone. By the looks of it, you need another good punch, which you're not getting like that. It won't be a fun beating you at such an uneven playing field."

A chuckle erupts from his throat. "Got it." He grins. He charges at him full speed.

Shoto quickly sends out ice to stop him. Izuku flicks his ring finger towards the ground, sending him flying up and a large cloud of dust and dirt to spread out in the air. Shoto coughs and closes his eyes, stumbling back a bit. His ice breaks apart and he looks around. A fist slams into his left cheek, making his eyes go wide. He stumbles over and a kick lands in his stomach. Spit flies out of his mouth as he's sent back a few feet tumbling and sliding.

The dragon wheezes and coughs heavily, slowly pushing himself up. His cheek begins to bruise and he tries to look through the dust cloud. "He's so light on his feet and I can't smell anything with this cloud. Not to mention it's stinging my eyes." He slams down his right foot, encasing the area around him in ice.

Izuku curses as he slips on the slippery surface and groans. He slams into the hard surface. He grasps when a hand grips his neck, pinning him down. He pants heavily and clenches his fist tightly. "I don't understand." He slams his fist into his face. "Just...give up. I'm a lost cause." He slams his fist into his face once more. "I'm a monster!" He didn't realize it, but tears begin to well up in his eyes.

Izuku takes each hit. He spits a little blood out to the side. "You're...not a monster." He says between pants. "No matter...what that...that man did or...told you...you're good. I...know you are. You're...just angry and sad...but most...most of all you're lonely. Just need a friend." He slowly reaches up with his trembling hand, nearly all his fingers broken. He cups the side of his head, closing his eyes and giving him a gentle smile. "You can be whatever you want. It's not too..late to change."

The dragon bites his bottom lip and tears stream down his face. A chocked out sob leaves his mouth. He let's go of his neck as his hand drops from his face. He's out cold. Shoto leans his head back and screams as loud as his lungs will let him.

Right, that's what she told me. She told me nearly the same thing. How could I forget something so important? It meant so much to me.

~o~o~o~

Shoto sniffles and his little body shakes as he grips the front of her shirt. "I-I don't want to do this anymore! I don't want to be a m-monster!"

She sets a gentle hand on his head and smiles softly down at him. "Shoto. One day you'll be able to escape. Then you'll make your own path. Find your own destiny. You'll make plenty of friends and have many adventures. I'm sure of it."

He looks up at her, wiping his face as he takes a shaky breath. "R-really?"

"Yes. Always remember that you can be whatever you want." She leans down and gently kisses his forehead. "Even if you do bad things down the line that you regret. Always remember, it's never too late to change."

He smiles softly and rests his head against her warm chest. "Okay...I'll always remember. I promise."

~o~o~o~

Not too long after that, the incident happened.

~o~o~o~

Shoto pants heavily, blood dripping from his mouth and hands. His eyes stare wide at a shredded fox. Guts spilled out over the ground, stomach torn open, and head ripped off. The young boy sniffles a little bit. He didn't mean to. He was just so angry and tired from the training. He just attacked the first thing he saw, hoping to let out all of his anger and frustration on it. He just saw red and couldn't control himself.

"I'm so sorry..." He whispers as tears well up in his eyes. He looks back towards the house. The nice lady is standing by the door and he smiles, but it quickly fades.

Her eyes are as wide as saucers. He has never seen fear in her eyes before. No, that's not true. He's never seen this level of fear before. He wonders if she's afraid of him now. Did she see him hurt the poor fox? He didn't mean to. She quickly turns and head back inside.

Shoto slowly stands up. He goes to wash himself up, keeping his eyes on the ground. When he walks inside, he goes to the washroom and cleans himself off. He goes to his room and puts on a new change of clothes. He walks toward the kitchen and hear someone inside. He grips the entrance way and peers inside.

"Hey..." The timid boy smiles softly. It's the nice lady. But, she seems off. "M-mom...?" Yes, she said I could call her that.

She stops moving, a tea pot whistling softly as the water boils inside. She slowly turns to him, eyes wide and filled to the brim with sheer and utter terror.

A lump forms in his throat and something in his mind is telling him to run, but he ignores it. She'd never hurt him. She isn't like that man. She's good. "A-are you...alright?" He asks shakily.

The teapot whistles louder. She begins to tremble, staring at that wide, sky blue, predatory eye of his, staring at her. She needs to protect himself. But with what?!

The teapot whistles louder and her eyes snap to it. That's it.

Shoto gulps and whispers. "Mom?"

~o~o~o~

She poured boiling water on my face that day. Then, I never saw her again after that. I know he sent her away somewhere. I don't blame her. How could I? I tore apart some innocent fox. She was terrified and stressed from living in that home.

I pushed away all memories of her, up until now I didn't even remember what she looked like. But, thanks to him and a few simple words it's all coming back.

~o~o~o~

Izuku slowly opens his eyes and groans softly. "What...?" He says softly. He hisses as he tries to move.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Izuku blinks slowly and glances around. "Where am I..?" His hands clutch soft furs and what looks like moss covers the walls. The crackling of a fire is brought to his attention as well.

"You're back in my cave. It's a special little alcove I made when I want to get really warm." He pokes the fire with a stick.

"I see..." He looks down at the bandages around his body. "You...bandaged me?"

"Yep."

"But, you won? You could have eaten me or...left me for dead."

"I know."

He chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. "I knew you weren't all that bad."

"You're still really stupid. What if you were wrong?"

He starts to scratch his cheek. "Well, if I was wrong, then I would be dead right now wouldn't I? That would be awful. I'm just really glad my intuition was right."

"What do you plan on doing now?"

"Well, are you going to stop destroying villages?"

"Yeah." He says softly.

"Then when I'm well enough to stand and move around I'll be on my way and out of your hair."

Shoto stares at him. "I see. So, you travel alone, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"I bet you could use someone to try and keep you from dying or doing something stupid."

"I...well I guess?" He furrows his brows. "Are you asking to come with me...?"

"No! I just-" He clears his throat. "I owe you one is all. Since...you helped me, I thought I should return the favor. We dragons don't like favors going unreturned. So, I'll follow you for awhile until the favor is returned. Then I'm leaving."

Izuku blinks a few times and smiles. "Well, alright. If you're sure. Then I'd be happy to have you tag along with me."

~o~o~o~

Shoto roars standing protectively over Izuku. The young barbarian grits his teeth, holding his shoulder. A group of six men stand a few feet away.

"Where did the dragon come from?!" One yells and aims an arrow at it.

Shoto roars once more, slamming a forepaw against the ground, shaking the earth.

"It's okay, I'm okay." Izuku says softly. He grips the arrow tightly. "I just need to pull it out...then stop the bleeding."

Shoto snarls as smoke rises from his nostrils. He inhales deeply and releases a stream of fire at the small group.

They yell and scramble back before making a run for it, dropping their weapons.

Shoto snorts a bit and quickly moves in front of Izuku and tilts his head a bit. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She chuckles and reaches out, setting his hand against his nose. "Yeah...I'm fine. I promise. It's just a flesh wound."

With a puff of smoke, Shoto turns into his human form. He walks over and carefully looks at the arrow. "What should I do? I want to help."

"Well, if you could pull it out, that would be great. I can handle wrapping it." He smiles softly. "You need to do it quick."

Shoto nods and grips it. He looks at Izuku with a weary look.

Izuku just smiles back at him, trying to reassure him it's going to be okay.

His grip tightens on the arrow and he yanks it out, making Izuku scream and tears quickly pool in his eyes. His body jerks, but he quickly tends to the wound as best he could despite the pain surging through his whole arm.

All Shoto can do it watch, much to his disdain. He's too shaky and angry to hold his hands still and treat his wound.

Not too long after, Izuku is lying on the ground, panting softly and resting on the ground. Inhales deeply and sighs in relief. Shoto stands guard, looking around for anyone suspicious.

"Does this mean your debt to me is fulfilled?" Izuku asks in a soft voice.

Shoto looks down at him and furrows his brows. He's a bit confused at first until he remembers. "Oh. No, this...doesn't count. You still got hurt on my watch."

"Oh. Okay." He smiles softly. "Good..." He mutters before drifting off.

Shoto stands up and takes a few steps back, changing back into his dragon form. He curls up around him, draping his wing over him and breathing out a soft gust of warm air, keeping him nice and warm.

~1 Year Later~

Izuku pokes the fire with a stick and looks over at Shoto lounging on his side and yawning and stretching out his limbs, wings included.

"You know, sometimes you act like an overgrown house cat." The barbarian chuckles and smiles softly.

Shoto simply groans and rolls over on his stomach and puffs out a cloud of smoke towards him.

He coughs and waves his hands. "Come on, it's a joke!" He walks over and hugs his snout. "You're my overgrown house cat."

The dragon simply enjoys the hug and nuzzles into him a little bit. A soft purr rumbles from the back of his throat.

"You know. We've been together for a little over a year now. I know you said you'd stick with me until we were even...but..." He starts to trail off and moves back.

He tilts his head a bit to the side. "But?" Is something troubling him? Does he want him to go? He lifts up his head.

"If...that day does come...do you think you can maybe...stay with me anyways?" He pokes his fingers together. "I don't want to force you to be with me or anything!" He waves his hands. "I just really like your company and we've gotten closer to each other, so."

Oh, that was it. Shoto was worried for nothing. He lightly nuzzles him with his nose. "If I'm being honest, we have been even for a very long time. No, even more to the truth, I never needed to repay you anything. It was but an excuse to spend some more time with you. After our fight you opened my eyes. Made me remember something I long forgot. I figured, if I stayed with you, I might learn more about you. Maybe even learn more about myself."

His eyes go wide and a light blush coats his cheeks. "Really? You're making me feel all embarrassed."

"I don't want to leave you side. Ever. Can I be your dragon. Forever?"

"No." He shakes his head. He sets his hand against his snout. He closes his eyes and smiles almost as bright as the fire roaring behind him. "You can be my friend. Forever."

Shoto's eyes go wide and he poofs into his human form and tackles Izuku into a tight hug. He rubs his cheek against his and starts to lick it a few times. "Perfect. Utterly perfect."

Izuku laughs and wiggles a little bit under him. "O-okay! Shoto, get off! Come on. It's weird when you lick me when you look like this."

"I don't care." He nuzzles him and makes a soft purring noise. He closes his eyes, feeling a weight lifting off his shoulders. Yes. His friend. His first friend. His best friend. His beloved. His heart flutters a bit. He will protect him. To his last breath.

"You're so silly, Shoto." He smiles and cups his face with both his hands and gently pulls down his head. He lightly kisses him on the forehead. "We'll be together. Always."

~o~o~o~

Izuku stares up at the ceiling of his small house out in the country side. He sits up and reaches over, grabbing his cane. He grunts softly as he stands. His once fluffy and soft green hair, now grey and lay limply on his head. He walks over to his coat wrack and takes off his green cloak. The ends are bit tattered and some of the fur is falling off, but he wraps it around his shoulders none the less. He walks outside and smiles.

Shoto lifts up his head from the ground and his tail thumps against the ground.

Izuku waves and grins. Even with some of his teeth missing his smile is still brighter than the sun. "Shou! You don't have to guard my house like this every night you know." He rubs some of the grey stubble on his face.

With a poof the dragon turns into his human form. He doesn't look too much different. Older, a bit taller, more fit, but pretty much the same. Dragon's do live longer than humans after all. "I just want to make sure no one tries to break in."

"I don't really live out where people can just break in." He chuckles softly. "But I appreciate the concern."

"You should lie down. You know straining yourself isn't good for you." He sets a hand on his shoulder.

"I know I'm an old man, but no need to treat me like I'm so-" He begins to cough in his hand violently. "Fragile..." He pouts a little.

"Come on. Let's get you something to eat, then you can take your medicine." He puts his arm over his shoulder and leads him back inside.

Shoto sits him down and begins to make something light. "Porridge sound good to you?"

He chuckles. "I use to hate the stuff. You'd always make me eat the stuff whenever I got a hangover." He smiles fondly at the memory. "Now a days I love the stuff. Sounds perfect."

"Anything for you, Izuku." He smiles softly and turns back to his cooking.

Izuku smiles softly and looks over at the many pictures hanging on the wall. Treaty signings, pictures with his friends and family, wedding pictures, all cherished memories. He accomplished so much as the leader of Beast Valley. Life is much better for everyone. But it's in the hands of a new generation now, so his generation can enjoy their final days in peaceful retirement. A tear wells up in one of his eyes and he wipes it away.

Shoto sets down his breakfast in front of him. Izuku glances at the gold band on his finger. "Breakfast is served."

"You're the best." He picks up his spoon and takes a slow mouthful. "Perfect. You always did take good care of me. I'm sure taking care of an old man isn't what you thought you'd be doing though." He chuckles.

He shakes his head. "None sense. I don't mind the least bit."

"I just...feel a bit bad is all. I'm not as handsome as I use to be and all. I'm sure you're just waiting until...you know."

Shoto frowns. He hates it when he talks like this. He walks over and cups his cheeks, bringing his head up to look at him. He presses a kiss against it. "Together forever. That's what we promised. At that campsite. At our wedding. Every single day since then. You're still as beautiful as ever, Izuku. I love you."

That made the old man blush. He chuckles softly. "You're still much to sweet for me, you know. Do you...think we can go to the place?"

"Of course we can."

After breakfast, Shoto turns back into his dragon form and helps Izuku climb on his back. It's much harder for him now a days. Shoto makes sure to fly nice and sly for him. Izuku smiles and closes his eyes, spreading out his arms, imagining he's flying. Shoto lands a few minutes later to Izuku's favorite spot. The retired barbarian slides off and sits down.

Shoto curls up around him and enjoys the beautiful view of Beast Valley atop a high cliff.

Izuku chuckles and relaxes against the dragon. "Such a beautiful view..." He smiles softly. "Shoto...I wanna be buries in this spot."

"Izuku-"

"Come on, I'm being serious. I want to be buries right here. So I can admire this view forever." He smiles softly.

"Alright, if that's what you want." The dragon gently licks his cheek a few times. "I'll make sure to protect your grave until my last breath."

He chuckles and pats his nose. He begins to cough violently again into his hand. He wheezes and a little blood splatters on his palm.

~o~o~o~

"I kept my promise...Izuku..." Shoto thinks to himself as he curls up a bit tighter on the cliff Izuku loved so much. He watches the sunrise for the 730th time.

The dragon lies there, Izuku's grave close to his body. A small arrangement of flowers next to it along with their wedding photo. The dragon lifts up his head and roars before flopping back down. His body a bit malnourished and heavy bags can be seen under his eyes. He slowly starts to close them, feeling so very tired. "Until...my dying...breath." He breathes. Once. Twice. Nothing.

"Shoto?"

His eye snap open and he lifts up his head, staring at Izuku who has his arms open and grinning big. He looks exactly how they first met. "Izuku..?" He stands up in his human form, looking exactly how was when they first met.

"It's so good to see you again. I missed you so much." He sniffles and laughs but that quickly turns into sobbing.

Shoto runs toward him and tackles him in a hug. He notices they're in an open field that almost looks like gold. Even the sky is a golden tint. "Izuku!" He begins to sob as well and rubs his cheek against his.

"I know...I know." He holds him tighter and grins big. "Now...we can really be together forever." He cups his cheeks in his hand and kisses his forehead, tears streaking both of their cheeks.

"Perfect." He sobs. "U-utterly perfect." He grins and gives a soft chuckle.

The next day a grave is made for Shoto, put right next to Izuku's. Some say Shoto died from starvation and lack of sleep. But those who really knew him know it was from a broken heart.

Their is a legend that says if you come find the two graves on this far off cliff, on a foggy morning, you just might get a glimpse of the two holding hands and looking off at the amazing view of Beast Valley.

Heyo! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! I mean, I know it got all sad at the end because I was crying while writing it while listening to a sad song, so...yeah. It got me in the feels.

I just wanna say! If you ever draw fanart for one of my fanfics let me know! I'll love it and cry and I'll share it on a tumblr blog thing I now have.

If you ever want updates on any of my other fics or news about new projects I'm working on, follow my little tumblr blog! It's a bit empty now cause it's kinda new, but still! Follow at .com