The flicker of torch light did nothing for his gaunt frame. The waning flames cast deep shadows on his cheeks and veiled his eyes. She would have mistook him for a phantom if he didn't look so entirely defeated.
His glowing green eyes moved to the corner Ochako was standing in and she saw them widen. "The sword is here." His voice no longer held the triumph it once had; although it was still deep, it was like it was missing a grand horn in its undertone. Raspy. Powerless.
She didn't know she was moving until she was hooked around the arms and held back by two guards. She strained against them, growing more aware of the anger in her chest. "The sword?" she spat. "How dare you. Do you… We thought you died. Everyone did! Do you know how long he spent mourning you!" She was getting louder, causing a scene, and she didn't care.
He raised a skeletal hand. "Ocha-"
"No. We were lost without you. He was lost without you! All this time and you never sent word, never gave a sign. And now that we're here again the first thing you ask about is that sword? Did you ever even care about Izuku?"
"Of course I did!" Toshinori snapped, standing to his now hunched, meagre height. "I do. I trained him, fought beside him. For months he was like a son to me." He sighed, seeming to sink under the weight of his robes. "When the darkness came, I could not stop it, and we were all scattered. As far as I knew, you and Izuku were dead. I would have been too if it were not for a few survivors of the battle."
Ochako had stopped resisting the guards, backing away and peering at the fallen hero between their pauldrons. She could still feel the frown creasing her forehead.
There was a silence.
People shifted and shuffled, drawn into a conversation they had no place in hearing. It was Shoto who broke the silence, stepping up to the huge table that took up most of the room.
"What was it you wanted from us, General?"
Ochako and Toshinori shared one last glance before the general slumped into his chair. "My apologies. We can continue this conversation later, Ochako. As for why I've called you here," he waved his hand and a map was rolled out on the table, "we have new intelligence on the Dark Lord's movements. Unfortunately, it is not good news."
"Have they found us?" Momo asked, her baby absent.
"No, but they have word of our new allies in Mustafu village. Their patrol is on a direct course to them. A whole platoon, mounted, armoured, and touting whatever beasts the Darkness has made for them." Toshinori laid the facts out clear and coldly. Ochako was suddenly aware of the fact she had never been in a war room, despite how many battles she'd been in. She felt small and slightly disgusted at how surgical it all was. These were people.
He pointed to the map, where several circles were drawn. "Since the people of Mustafu destroyed the bridge into town, these are all the possible points the enemy could ford the river. Of course, this is assuming they will not have some sorcerer with them. With the forest on both sides, these are possible ambush points."
"Foolish," a deep voice spoke from the shadows. "I told you before, we don't have the forces or resources to deal with this." The shadow stepped into the light. It was a man dressed in all black, except for the dirty scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. Ochako assumed it was white at some point. His hair was long, scraggly and fell past his shoulders. A deep scar ran beneath his left eye, resting just above his rough beard.
"Then what do you propose we do, Aizawa?" Toshinori countered, sounding like he already knew the answer.
"We leave them."
Exclamations and murmurs rippled and spiked through the war room, none of them approving. A few people stayed quiet. The General raised his hand and the noise ceased. "We can't just leave them. We promised them protection, and we have a duty to help those in need."
"And I agree. But how many will we lose to save that small village, if we even can? It'll take all our combatants to stand against them, even in an ambush." The room seemed to sink as reality outweighed morality. Aizawa closed his eyes. "There's another factor to consider: they know our location. If the village is taken, the Darkness will find us."
"You think we should relocate?" Shoto asked in the neutral tone she hadn't heard in years. It was comforting, in a way.
Aizawa nodded. "We have two options: Relocate and survive to fight another day, or make a suicide mission that will cripple us forever. Even with your power, Shoto, there's no guarantee of victory. They've been adapting, and those anti-mana amulets have been showing up more often." He sighed. "Our hands are tied."
The people pondered. Inko had moved over to a woman who was sobbing quietly, taking her into an embrace. She must have had family in the village.
Toshinori hummed, resting his chin on bridged fingers. "Is evacuation possible?"
"Too slow. If we held them off we could buy some time, but by that point the enemy would have a fresh trail to follow. Again, if we were to fight, it'd be a pyrrhic victory at best. Unless we have some means of holding the enemy back, it's hopeless."
"I think I could help with that."
Ochako's heart skipped. Metal tapped against stone. Tap by tap he got closer until he was there in front of her, shirtless and leaning heavily on his sword, silhouetted against the light of the hallway.
"I mean, I guess I could. I don't want to presume-"
He was almost tackled as Inko latched herself onto him. Ochako felt a strange sense of jealousy that she hadn't done it first.
"Izuku, my baby! It's been so long - I - I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I wasn't there for you!"
He still looked a bit dazed, but his eyes glistened as he recognised the person holding him. "M-mum?" Inko nodded against his chest. His arms came around her and held her tight. "You're alive…"
And then they were both crying. Ochako could see where he got it from. She reached out over Inko's head and cupped his cheek. His wet eyes locked onto hers and she smiled, which turned the stream of tears into rivers. She choked up, ready to launch herself onto his side when Aizawa cleared his throat.
"So you think you can hold them back by yourself?"
Izuku's face changed from caring to focused, like she'd seen so many times before. She wondered how fast his mind worked, being able to compartmentalise so easily. "Not entirely by myself, but I can deal with the big threats."
Aizawa raised an eyebrow and tugged at his scarf. There was a twitch, a primal part of her that kept her alive. Her hand tightened around a staff that wasn't there and her brain tripped, panic stabbing through her chest. She blinked.
Three pings of metal on metal. Her hand channelled what little mana hung in the musky air. And she opened her eyes.
Izuku was in front of her, sword horizontal. In his left, a throwing dagger was held between bleeding fingers. There were three clangs as more knives fell to the floor.
Aizawa moved back from a throwing position, a strange look on his face. "You have experience fighting the darkness?" Izuku nodded. "And in the state you're in, you really think you can turn the tide." Izuku nodded.
"Then I believe another position is available to us." When Izuku turned to Toshinori, she couldn't see his reaction to his old mentor. "Izuku." She did, however, notice his tenseness and put a comforting hand on his back, careful to avoid the new cuts. "Would you be willing to be part of a team of our heaviest hitters and skilled soldiers to face this platoon?"
He nodded again and Ochako could feel his heavy swallow. He was close to falling apart. "I'll come too." She said. He relaxed at that, although he was still rooted.
"Me too," Shoto said. "It'll be an honour to fight beside you again, Izuku."
Others were still sceptical, she could see it on their faces. They didn't know about the legendary sword her partner wielded, nor his skill. Alone he was a force to be reckoned with. Together they could take on anything. At least, that's what she believed. What she had to believe.
Toshinori stood, his shadow casting across the table. "Then we will recess. There are things to discuss. Lieutenants, Aizawa, remain. Everybody else, dismissed. Thank you for your time."
A/N: It's been a long time. I'm sure a lot's happened for you as it has for me. I had to write something, and I found myself coming back to this old story. Was thinking of dividing it up into two separate ones: one being all the prequel stories and this one being the current timeline. Anyway, it's late, thank you for reading :)