I'm With you, Forever, The End

by Katsuki-1x

In the world of quirks 90% of the population has a quirk. Scientists believe that soulmates and quirks are somehow linked. Izuku and Katsuki are training at the beach when Izuku finds a fruit. Izuku eats the fruit and gains a power. On the beach the boys save a group of strangers that have washed up on shore. Izuku finds out what is power is and what it is called when the stranger

60. Chapter 60: In Healing

Izuku spends his day pacing on deck, muttering fiercely to himself. No one attempts to try to understand the storm of words leaving Izuku. Their worry increases as Katsuki does nothing to break Izuku out of his fit. Content to sit against the Mizzenmast with his piercing gaze watching Izuku intensely. Even Ace and Luffy are unfamiliar with this situation and that raises the unease in the pack. Typically, when Izuku is like this Katsuki bops him on the head to break him out. That is usually the case when Izuku is thinking too fast about a new technique, concept, or ability and he needs to explain things to the pack.

The only breaks in the constant flow of letter sounds happen when the ship veers off course due to a random storm. Those few moments Izuku becomes fearful, panicked, as he rushes the crew to get them back on course. When the ship is back on its destined course, Izuku resumes his pacing and muttering. Ace and Luffy try to get information out of Katsuki because even if they tried to talk to Izuku it is not like they would be able to understand him. Katsuki just grunts and glares at nothing in the direction they are sailing. Ace and Luffy exchange looks and decides it has something to do with Izuku's visions.

It is not until night falls after an exciting day of dodging the ocean's relentless attempts to destroy them; that a strange sense of silence falls over the ship. Izuku's pacing, and mutter stop as he collapses into Katsuki's hold exhausted. Even in Izuku's exhaustion, there is still anxious restless energy around him. Izuku's eyes are slightly clouded, evidence of his intense thinking. When dinner comes around Izuku doesn't eat more than a couple of bites. He flashes apologetic eyes toward Sanji, in response to the Chef's concerned gaze.

As the darkness of the night settles around the ship, Izuku transforms into his wolf form. He lays on deck spreading his enhanced senses out over the ocean. He yips warnings of obstacles no one else can see. His nose twitches constantly smelling the air around him, searching for changes in the air and approaching storms.

When most of the chaos settles for the night, most of the pack retire to their rooms. A skeleton crew stays on deck to assist Izuku. Sasuke and Itachi man the crow's nest, as their eyes are capable of spotting the most inconspicuous changes. Asui and Nami take the first half of the night Navigating while Ace and Luffy man the helm. For the second half of the night, Shoto and Kazuha take over the navigation while Sabo and Gaara take over manning the helm.

Some of the pack members curl into Izuku's wolf form to offer a bit of silent comfort to the stressed wolf. Katsuki sits with him a comforting, understanding presence next to Izuku as he gently pets Izuku's head. Naruto hovers with Shikamaru, Kirishima, and Lee waiting for orders from Katsuki or the navigators. And even when Izuku falls asleep with the lull of the ship, the pack members still awake to know that Izuku is not resting.

Izuku wakes from his restless sleep with the first rays of sunlight beating down on him. He observes his surroundings and notices the random packmates cuddled into his form. When he fell asleep last night only Kacchan, Naruto, Shikamaru, Kirishima, and Lee were snuggled against him. But he observes Asui asleep curled under the warmth of Izuku's wing wrapped around Eri and Ashido. Nami and her sisters sleep peacefully under the implanted orange trees, while not directly cuddling with him, they are close enough to absorb his heat. There are several masses curled into his tails and Izuku huffs amused as Ace is used as a body pillow by Kaminari and Sasuke. Zoro leans against the railing asleep with his three swords gripped tightly to his chest. Law leans against the Mizzenmast with his Nodachi leaning against his shoulder. A sound similar to that of a pencil scratching paper forces Izuku's gaze in the direction of the figurehead. Albedo sits against the figurehead with a book and pencil. Every once in a while, the teen glances up and hums, before he continues his focus on his book.

Izuku makes a confused yip as he wonders what their new Alchemist is doing. Albedo looks at him for a while before flipping his book over with a slight pink tint on his cheeks. Izuku looks at the book and discovers it is a sketchbook. The image scrawled on the book is a realistic drawing of Izuku's wolf form curled around the members of his pack. Izuku can tell the teen is not finished with the drawing, but Izuku still finds it impressive. Izuku yips happily at the Alchemist, causing the teen to grunt and return his attention to the sketchbook.

Izuku decides to let the teen retreat as he focuses on nudging Katsuki awake. While he enjoys the comfort of his pack, he can feel the familiar sensation of restlessness settling into his bones. Katsuki doesn't take more than a couple of nudges to jolt awake. He spends a fraction of a second gaining his bearings, doing a threat assessment, and scanning his surroundings. He grunts as he starts to wake up the random packmates curled into Izuku so the Nerd can shift.

Sanji makes his way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. And the others of the pack perform their duties. Izuku transforms silently and heads to the bridge with Katsuki trailing behind him. Shoto and Kazuha greet him as he enters their domain.

"How's our course?" Izuku asks straight to the point.

Kazuha hums, "we are making good time. We should see the Island on the horizon in a couple of hours."

Izuku nods and a bit of the tension leaves his frame, "Thank you Kazuha. Were there any problems last night?"

"After you fell asleep?" Shoto smirks teasingly.

Izuku blushes and nods.

Shoto shakes his head, "Nothing serious, it was a pretty calm night."

"That's good." Izuku smiles relieved. "After breakfast, switch out with Asui and Nami.

Shoto nods, not willing to argue with the stressed-out wolf. Shoto understands what is at stake here, even if he doesn't know the full situation. He knows enough to know that someone important is on the next island, and they need to get there as quickly as possible. He can only hope that Mother Nature decides to work with them today so they can get to the island without any more delays.

As breakfast rolls around, Izuku's stomach rumbles in excitement. Due to his stress yesterday, he lost his appetite. His appetite came roaring back with the new information Shoto, and Kazuha gave him. His stress levels decreasing with the hope that he will be on Nanimonai Island in a couple of hours. Izuku eats enough to cause a relieved smile to spread on Sanji's face. Izuku feels a little bad for making his chef worry, but he couldn't help it. He tried to eat as much as he could stomach last night, but with anxiety, and dread churning in his stomach, he was afraid he was going to vomit.

The morning hours pass on quietly, Izuku takes the time to talk with his crew. Their destination is a dot on the horizon and Izuku thinks it is time to fill the crew in on what he learned in the void. He feels bad for making the pack worry about him, but he took to muttering all his options out instead of falling into his habit of panic training. Muttering and pacing is the safest alternative to work out his problems on the ship. If his thoughts got too loud and he started panic training his entire pack would be at risk.

He can admit that the heavyweight of his burdens lessens as he informs the crew of his brother. He explains his theories of the void, Ace, Luffy, and Kirishima get knowing glints in their eyes. Gaara has a guilty look on his face as he looks down at the ground.

Izuku approaches the quiet teen, "Gaara, what's wrong?" Izuku has an idea of what is tormenting Gaara, as the teen's guilt is almost tangible. But Gaara refuses to answer, he just shakes his head and tries to make himself smaller. Izuku sighs, "Gaara none of this is your fault. I wasn't about to let two of my precious people die because of a bug bite. I carried you and Eri up the mountain because that was the only way to save you." Noticing that Gaara is still refusing to look at him Izuku pulls the teen into a hug, whispering into his neck, "I would do it all again. You are mine, Gaara. Something as minor as an avalanche is never going to stop me from saving what is mine."

Gaara sucks in a heavy, emotional breath. Izuku feels a painful twinge in his heart, that Gaara is still shocked at the lengths Izuku would go through for him, or any member of his pack. To Izuku, anything less than giving his life for the safety of those precious to him is unimaginable. And it pains Izuku that Gaara doesn't think he is worth it. It makes him want to bury the Elemental Nations for making Gaara believe he isn't worth basic human kindness. While Gaara has been pack for a couple of months, Izuku understands it is going to take a lot longer for Gaara to accept he deserves this.

Gaara has come a long way since Izuku saved him before he would flinch when Izuku or Katsuki would get close to him. Now, he soaks in the gentle hugs from Izuku, and the forced cuddling from a transformed Katsuki. Gaara accepts the close presence of the pack members but is only truly comfortable with Naruto, Izuku, Katsuki, and Sabo touching him.

Sabo takes the still shocked and slightly shaken Gaara out of Izuku's hold, so the teen can continue to explain the void to the rest of them. He can tell Gaara has zoned out almost completely as he leads him to lean against the railing. It's ok Sabo thinks, he can pay attention enough for both of them.

***POV CHANGE***

A young boy sits idly on top of a cliff. Ever vigilant golden eyes peer out over the expanse of plains he can see from his vantage point. The only peace to be had is in the gentle wind circling around him. Even the crickets chirping an unknown distance away sound demonic and distorted. The land is desolate, the smell of death and decay heavy and suffocating in the air.

Every night the boy sits here, his sole purpose in life is to hold back the corruption that threatens to taint the rest of the world. Every night he bleeds, fights, and slaughters grotesque monsters and darkness that never seems to end. Even after the demons retreat his war is never-ending, he constantly battles within himself to prevent the corruption from tainting his soul.

Every time the corruption threatens his soul, it takes more effort and time to resist being consumed. It is only the thought of a pure young boy's soul that saves him. His sacrifice to endure the darkness is worth it if he can keep the darkness from consuming someone so pure. Every time he is about to be consumed, about to give himself to the sweet whispers of agony; on the brink of madness and despair, his subconscious mind conjures an image of his pure younger brother. The smile on his brother's face is bright enough to keep the shadows at bay.

He can feel himself getting weaker every day, the poison his former master implanted in his body drains him of strength and endurance. Not enough to ensure he die in battle, but enough that he becomes almost too weak to fight the corruption within himself.

During the lull of the night, before the demons begin to mobilize, he reminisces about that night. That night started just the same as every other night he has fought for Morax. He sat on this very cliff, overlooked the same plains, like a hunter waiting for his prey. He waited until the first group of monsters appeared, leaping off his perch in a swirl of black and green wind, he plunges in the middle of the horde. His spear slicing and stabbing demons as he dodges and uses his gift of wind to weave in and out of enemies. His attacks are ruthless, quick, and deadly, already attacking another group of monsters before the last corpse falls lifelessly to the ground.

The bloodlust, torment, agony, and despair from the fallen seep into his skin adding to his already unbearable darkness, threatening to pull him under. 'Not yet' he argues with himself. Pushing himself that much harder to exterminate and purge this wave of grotesque monsters. 'Not yet,' he pleads when the darkness threatens to take his vision just as he is about to reach the last group. But the universe, or fate, or maybe the Gods are not on his side tonight, as another wave of monsters materializes in front of him.

He continues to fight, mob after mob of increasingly difficult monsters. The very ground seems to be against him, the blood soaking the ground beneath his feet make it nearly impossible to weave through the horde unscathed. His body absorbs the corruption seeping out of the land, and while on any other night this is not such a big deal, tonight there seems to be no end to the demons. By the third wave, he is slowing down, bleeding from multiple external wounds, exhausted, and wounded, he pushes himself to finish off this last wave. He can collapse afterward, hopefully, Morax can handle any additional waves of monsters.

His spear punctures the chest of a demon, like butter, he breathes heavily for a moment. As the demon falls off the end of his spear lifelessly, he thrusts his spear into the ground and collapses onto his knees. The weight of his burdens, his suffering is too great tonight he can't move, he can't breathe. The shadows use his moment of weakness to bind him threatening to rip his soul out of his body to join the rest of the damned. His struggles are useless, as the chains of Miasma pin him down. The darkness envelopes him in a suffocating hold, looking for any weak spots to enter his body. They slither and tear into his wounds, ripping him apart from the inside.

He screams in agony.

He can feel the darkness wrapping around his soul, consuming him much faster than ever before. The searing agony he feels as his soul is violated and ripped apart makes him cough up blood. His throat rips with his tormented screaming until he is choking on his own blood and despair. He is going to die here, alone, and in agony. He wishes for a single moment that he can see his brother one last time, he regrets he didn't have more time with his brother.

To his horror the shadows seem to read his mind, they conjure the image of his pure little brother. And for a moment the shadows stop trying to tear him apart, and he can focus as his brother fights to get closer to him. The shadows seem to shiver in disgusting pleasure as his brother calls out to him in a scared voice. He fights for a moment, panic filling his every pore, he needs his brother to run away, he can't bear to see his brother, his pure brother being consumed by darkness.

But he doesn't listen, the shadows writhe against him in sick glee as his brother takes shaky step after shaky step. And even if he knows this is an image conjured up by the shadows to break him, he can't deny that it works. He witnesses the shadows clawing at his brother, slithering into his brother's skin forcing his brother to his knees just out of reach. But still, his brother fights, even as a hallucination his brother is strong, resilient, unbendable, and unbreakable. He watches as his brother cups his cheek, a sad, worried, broken expression on his face. He hangs his head in shame, his brother doesn't recognize him, and he is guilty because for a single moment he really wished his brother was here in the darkness with him.

Suddenly, a soothing warmth envelops him shielding him from the icy fingers of agony. The shadows tear themselves from his skin, and he looks up in shock because this has never happened before. His brother has always given him the strength to fight back, to resist corruption. But he has never been able to feel his brother's gentle warmth, he has never directly interfered or physically helped him. His brother has never touched him before. His shock muddles his brain, makes him believe his brother is really here, and he freezes in shock. Calling out to his brother, and unlike every other time he has called out to his brother, he responds. His brother's eyes glaze over as he recognizes the old nickname, and a moment later, his brother is shakily reaching a hand out to him, his voice breaking, and he seems so small as he begs for confirmation.

He can feel the dread settling in his bones with his shock and confusion because somehow the shadows have really called his brother here. And he can't bear to witness his little innocent brother being consumed by his corruption. So he lashes out, tells his brother to get out of here, to leave him to his punishment for all the terrible things he has been forced to do. But his brother is persistent, refusing to let him suffer alone, and perhaps a bit selfishly he smiles peacefully as he feels the warmth of his brother's skin under his fingers. He whispers his regrets into his brother's neck as he welcomes his last moments.

He is about to let his mind go, about to stop resisting the corruption, finally free himself from the constant pain and suffering. A gentle warmth surrounds him, flows into each pore, cleansing him from the inside, and he thinks if this is dying, he can welcome it. He slumps bonelessly in his brother's arms, happy he doesn't have to die alone. He doesn't know how long he lingers, soaking in his brother's presence and warmth, before he finally lets go and welcomes the embrace of death.

Except, he doesn't die, death doesn't free him from his suffering. He expects to wake up wincing with the aftershocks of pain ripping into his body, but instead, he feels energized, reinvigorated, alive. He can feel the corruption and darkness in the back of his mind, but it's ignorable. For the first time in his memory he can breathe, he can move without pain. He takes stock of his body, remembers the night before, all the wounds he accumulated from his never-ending war with corruption. He figures he has the energy to treat himself, as he carefully gets his first aid kit.

But as he inspects the spots where his clothes are ripped and dried blood stains his skin, he notices his wounds are completely healed. Confusion fills his being, he has never healed so fast in his life, he wonders if he has been unconscious long enough for his wounds to heal. He panics because if that is the case, Morax had to deal with the corruption on his own for who knows how long.

With panic filling his body, he calls upon his wind and spear and darts through space and time to reach his master's side. He would never be able to forgive himself if Morax was injured because he couldn't do his job. He berates himself for being too weak to stave his own corruption long enough to fulfill his duties. Morax's domain is across the plains, he guards the only exit from the Island. He looks around and realizes that the remnants of demon hordes are fewer than he expected.

He spears through the groups, unconcerned with the blood spraying onto his clothing as he dashed through the field to reach his master. As he draws closer, he can see his master, pristine, strong, and elegant, standing tall with his own spear at the ready. He slows down cataloging his Master for wounds and injuries. The piles of corpses by his feet are smaller than he expected, and confusion fills his body.

His master looks at him, amber eyes shifting from fierce, to worried as he looks his servant over. "Xiao?"

Xiao tucks his bottom lip between his teeth, eyes painfully wide, "Master."

His master's eyes turn soft as he chuckles sadly, "Xiao, call me Zhongli." Zhongli knows this is a losing battle for him, and he wishes Xiao would stop seeing himself as a slave. Zhongli sighs as his charge adverts his eyes from him, "What's wrong, Xiao?"

Xiao pulls himself into a bow, misinterpreting the sigh as disappointment, "I apologize for my failure, Master." Xiao stiffens as Zhongli makes his way to his prostrated form, he braces himself for a painful punishment, even if he knows Zhongli is too kind to discipline Xiao for his incompetence.

Zhongli plops his hand on Xiao's head, forcing the teen to flash wide eyes up at the gentle treatment. Zhongli gives Xiao a soft smile, "Xiao you fought admirably. Because of your efforts, hardly any demons made it through no man's land."

Xiao stares shocked because he doesn't know how long he has been fighting his own corruption. But he assumes it must have been a couple of days. He voices this confusion, telling his master about the last battle he remembered. He tells Zhongli that he couldn't keep the corruption at bay, that he was wounded as the darkness encroached on him. His voice belies his confusion as he tries to estimate how long he has been out.

Zhongli looks at him confused, before understanding flits in his gaze, "Xiao look at me." The teen obeys, wide panicky eyes settling on Zhongli's form. Zhongli smiles at him, "what happened in the darkness?"

Xiao takes a deep breath, tells his Master about the shadows, the hallucination of his brother. The gentle warmth from his brother seeping into his skin soothed the pain and forced the shadows back. His belief was that he was dying, that death was pardoning him of his sins and crimes. He tells Zhongli that he was shocked he woke up, and all his wounds were gone, leading him to believe he has been unconscious long enough for his body to heal.

Zhongli now understands the panic radiating off Xiao, his charge's relentless pleas for forgiveness. Zhongli hums, "I think I understand what happened. I believe your brother really was in the darkness with you. I believe you are both connected to the darkness, and he must have somehow been pulled into it with you. Whether it was the shadows doing or something on his end, I am unsure."

Xiao expresses his confusion by raising his eyebrow, "What about the golden light? The gentle warmth?"

Zhongli hums again, "have you ever heard of the Void Century?"

Xiao shakes his head, "no."

Zhongli leads his charge off the battlefield, with the sun coming up the demons retreat to their dark caves. In their own cave, Zhongli forces Xiao to sit on a salvaged couch. He explains the history of Morax, Alatus, and Fuji's efforts in the war. "As you know my Devil Fruit is the sealed presence of Morax. Alatus is sealed in the fruit you consumed as a child. The being of Darkness did something to you, that I cannot fix on my own." Xiao nods and glares in a way that makes Zhongli chuckle, "as for Fuji, he was sealed into another fruit. Fuji has the ability to purify and heal broken souls. It doesn't work if the corruption has already fully devoured the soul. But if there is any pureness left Fuji can banish the corruption and heal the Soul back to normal."

Xiao huffs, "What does this have to do with my brother?"

Zhongli smiles knowingly, "I believe your brother is connected to Fuji in some way. Your brother is the only being in the universe that can save your soul Xiao."

Xiao scoffs unbelievingly, no one can save his soul, but as the night starts to fall again, he can't help but release a longing sigh. It's a quiet night, the demons are quiet and that makes Xiao worry. The demons must be gearing up for a massive attack. Even the crickets are quiet tonight, and Xiao is lulled by the peace of it. There is something calming in the air and Xiao cannot place it. When nothing happens for the night, Xiao decides to count his blessings that he didn't have to fight his own corruption and demons tonight. So he takes his time to recoup his strength for the next night.

The next night comes and goes, just as quiet as the night before. The Demons radiate a panicked fear, the few that are brave enough to leave their domain, attack recklessly. Xiao makes quick work of them until some of the stronger demons come out to play. With the stronger demons making a move, the smaller demons gain confidence and follow. Xiao struggles with the mobilizing group, a sense of Deja vu fills Xiao as he starts to slow down.

Every demon that Xiao cuts down is replaced by two more before he can catch his breath. His spear blocks a weapon from slicing through his chest, he winces as he is pushed into a mob of lesser demons. He swings his spear around and dashes through the group. He breaths heavily, darkness and blood blotching his vision. He braces himself for another ruthless night of pain and suffering, he pants breathlessly, hoping to regain a little strength to keep fighting.

Suddenly, a loud fierce growl rips out of the night sky. A flash of gold seems to cut through demons and darkness alike like a vengeful God or spirit. The sea of Demons circling Xiao seems to part down the middle, leading whatever is growling to Xiao. Xiao doesn't know if he is about to be sacrificed or what. With the blood dripping into his eyes, Xiao can't see the golden being clearly.

As the golden glow moves closer, Xiao feels the tension in his body fades away. The exhaustion weighs him down, and he can't find it himself to resist the warmth of sleep.

*** The Loyal Protector, Izuku's POV***

As they approach the island, Izuku feels the suffocating darkness growing. It radiates out of the land and the air is heavy with despair. He hums, "this feels exactly like the void." His glowing green eyes look out over the land, "I need Naruto, Gaara, Rin, Fu, and Utataka to transform. You will be with me and Kacchan." He gets nods from the group as they dismount the ship onto the shore. Izuku turns to Shoto, "Take the Ship to the other side of the Island, look for a man there. He should be the host of Morax. When you find him, tell him Fuji sent you."

Izuku watches as Shoto nods and follows his command without question. Izuku turns to the newly transformed Gods, "I sense a large concentration of darkness on this Island. My brother is here, and I need to save him, I am counting on you all to provide backup while I heal him." The Gods nod, growling in anticipation of getting to let loose and fight against the demons again. Katsuki shifts into Fenrir's form with a commanding growl. Izuku relinquishes control over Fuji, allowing the spectral version of his wolf out.

Fuji leads the group through the mountains, he can faintly sense the presence of Alatus. The Adeptus is like a small beacon of light in a sea of darkness. If he pushes his senses out further, he can pinpoint the host of his old friend, Morax. His non-divine pack members are closing in on Morax's position. Fuji changes direction suddenly, heading towards the thickest concentration of darkness. Alatus' light is slowly but surely flickering, like a candle about to go out. Fuji growls and glows a bright golden color in his fury. The darkness in his path vaporizes with every vengeful step forward. His kin breaks away from him to attack the backline of the demons.

Fenrir keeps pace with him, guarding his back and pushing the demons away from Fuji's unprotected back. Fuji spots the young teen he saw in the void, writhing in pain as shadows try to bind him. The corruption from the slain demons tries to seep into his wounds forcing tortured screams from his throat. Fuji races to the figure, cutting through the darkness with precision and speed. His golden flames erupt in a massive circle around him, dispersing the shadows from Alatus' host. The binds gripping the teen's arms, legs, and torso snap like elastic bands stretched too thin. The teen collapses onto his side, breathing heavily, ragged, and pained. Fuji flares his healing abilities, lacing them with his golden flames seeping them deep into the teen's form.

The shadows rip out of the teen painfully, and Fuji whines in apology. His healing works overtime as the shadows are purged from the teen. He hears a roar overhead and perks up at the familiar feeling of Morax's power. In terms of raw strength, Morax is on par with Fuji's full power. With the addition of Morax, Fuji turns all his focus on healing the teen in front of him. He can trust Morax to protect his kin, just as Morax trusts him to save Alatus' host.

When the last of the corruption seeps out of the teen's body like smoke, Fuji returns to his den. There is nothing more Fuji can do for the boy. Izuku shifts into his human form and holds his brother's sleeping form close to his chest. Fenrir growls down at him, a hurried sound. Izuku smiles at Fenrir's brand of concern, he gently maneuvers Xiao to a secured hold and leaps onto Fenrir's back. He secures his hold on his brother and gives a signal to Fenrir that he is ready. Fenrir growls to the others that they are retreating. Morax defends their retreat as the other Gods take up protecting Fenrir and his cargo.

Izuku leads Fenrir to the port their ship is docked, shouting as the ship comes in view for Law. Law switches Izuku's and Xiao's places with a couple of pebbles. He starts the scan on Xiao's body for the implanted Sea stone and other toxins in the boy. Katsuki approaches the bedside as he is the only one Izuku trusts to remove Sea Stone. Shoto and Ace keep the other curious packmates back, so they don't distract the trio working on the teen. The Gods stand on the shore, fighting any remaining demons from getting too close to the ship.

Law points out the purple gem on Xiao's forehead, "That is the source of the Sea stone."

Katsuki gets ready to remove the Sea Stone, knowing how much pain the other is in. Luckily it is a small piece, just big enough to suppress Xiao's devil fruit, but not enough to completely drain his strength. Katsuki winces in sympathy because he knows how painful just a molecule of Sea Stone is to Devil Fruit users. Izuku needed small amounts of Sea stone to subdue Fuji while he was training not to go berserk. He remembers Izuku yelping in pain until he regained control and the Sea stone was removed. For the Sea stone to be imbedded in Xiao's forehead, for who knows how long, must be equivalent to torture.

Izuku nods as he flares his healing around the area. Katsuki grabs the scapple from Law and takes a few steadying breaths. He feels around the gem, gaging how deep into the skin the gem is implanted. Feeling confident he beings to pry the gemstone out. Katsuki tries to work fast, and carefully, not willing to mutilate his soulmate's brother. It doesn't take too long for the gem to be removed, Katsuki places the gem in a petri dish and inspects his work ensuring the entire piece of metal is removed.

Satisfied, he takes a couple of steps away from the bed, allowing Law, and Izuku to continue healing the teen. Law summons a room, he does something with his hands, it looks like he is tracing random lines on the teen's arms, moving to the teen's legs and torso. After a while, Law's hands stop, and Izuku hands him a blood bag of O-. Law twists his fingers in a way that proves he is switching the places of objects. Katsuki watches awed as the blood bag changes, switching from the bright red to a sludgy black. Law places the sludge onto the table, he hums as he scans the teen again. He gestures for Izuku to give him another bag, he repeats the switching and Katsuki can see that this bag of blood is still mostly blood with black swirling particulates floating around in it.

Law points to the sludge bag and the blood bag, "that is all the toxins in his body. He should be fine after a couple of days of rest. I will run some tests when he has recouped a bit of his strength."

Izuku pulls his flames back and nods relieved, "Thank you Law."

Law's yellow eyes study Izuku, "who is he?"

"My brother," Izuku states as he stares at his brother's sleeping face.

Law nods, "I understand, I'll bring him to the med-bay so he can rest."

Izuku nods again, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from his brother's peaceful face, "thank you again, Law." He glances over his shoulder at the still transformed Gods and Morax, "I need to talk to someone, but I will join you as soon as I can."

Law nods and takes Xiao down to the infirmary. Izuku turns to his kin, "you guys can transform back. Thank you for your help."

The Gods hesitate in transforming back to their hosts, but eventually, they relent and transform. Gaara and Naruto hesitate the longest being the last to shift as they stare protectively at Morax's dragon-like form. Izuku smiles fondly at the two when they sigh and transform. But unlike the others who make their ways on deck and busy themselves with other things, Gaara and Naruto flank Izuku and Katsuki.

Morax studies the teen in front of him, he feels the familiar power and protectiveness from Fuji that he felt 900 years ago. This teen is strong in body and mind, and it is no wonder that this teen was able to help Alatus and Xiao from being corrupted. The teen looks at him with an awed gaze and a spark of recognition. Fuji must have told the teen about the war they fought together. The teen bows respectfully in front of him, "It is a pleasure to meet you Morax the Geo Archon, the God of Contracts."

Morax huffs amused because even when Izuku bows in respect, the teen has an unbending aura of strength and willpower around him. "Thank you for saving my Yaksha and his host. I am forever indebted to you."

Izuku raises his head, bright green eyes studying the Archon, "I should be the one to thank you, Morax." He smiles gratefully, "after all you saved my precious Aniki. If not for you I wouldn't have been able to heal their souls." He bows again, "Thank you."

Morax nods and gestures for the teen to rise. Izuku obeys and his demeanor changes immediately, the presence around the teen shifts from grateful brother to commanding God. It seems like the other humans on the ship recognize the change as all but the 5 of them disappear. Izuku's eyes seem to glow as he stares at Morax like an equal, "I would like to make a contract with you." The teen is unwavering in his request, unflinching at the presence of a God that Morax nods, unable to do anything else. Izuku's eyes change to fiercely protective, "I am forming an army to fight against the Calamity in my world, I have found most of Fuji's kin, Fenrir, the surviving uncorrupted D-clan members, the Ninja of the Elemental Nations, Whitebeards crew, The revolutionaries, and many strong Heroes from my world to prepare for the attack that will come for my world in the next 5 years. I offer you Morax the God of Contracts mine and Fuji's unyielding loyalty and service, for your help in defeating the Calamity once and for all."

Even after Morax takes a long time to consider the proposal, Izuku doesn't falter. Morax hums with a sigh, "I will help you quell the Calamity. However I cannot accept your proposal, Fuji is my dear friend, I will not accept his servitude. I will consider you saving my Yaksha as the fulfillment of this contract. I am getting old, after this war, I want nothing more than to settle down."

Izuku smiles understandingly, "I made a promise to save Alatus, and I do not intend to go back on my word. But I accept the conditions of the contract. Thank you, Morax."

Morax nods and shifts to his human form. The man that takes his position is tall, with brown hair that fades to amber tips. He has a thin long ponytail hanging at the base of his skull. His eyes are bright and sharp, amber in color with glowing yellow pupils set in the shape of diamonds. The man studies the teens in front of him, he immediately notices Xiao's younger brother. And he is unsurprised with the power radiating off him.

He clears his throat, "I am Zhongli, I am already aware of what transpired between you and Morax." His eyes glow a little, ready to call upon the power of Earth should the teen's answer be unsavory, "tell me, what is the status of my dear Xiao?"

Izuku smiles warmly, "when we rescued Xiao, he was surrounded by demons. The corruption of the slain was seeping into his wounds. I called upon Fuji's strength to purify the corruption so I could move him. Once the binds snapped, I carried him onto Fenrir's back so I would not jostle his wounds more than necessary. Fuji's Kin protected our retreat where we brought him here. Once we got here, I healed his wounds, Law pinpointed the Sea Stone embedded in him and Kacchan carefully removed it. After the Sea Stone gem was removed, Law used his devil fruit to force the toxin produced by Sea Stone in a centralized area. Once it was all contained, Law switched the toxin out of Xiao's body with O- blood. At the moment my brother is resting in the Infirmary until he recovers enough of his strength to continue treatment."

The glow of Zhongli's eyes fades as he hums approvingly, "I see, I must thank Kacchan for ridding my boy of Poison. While I knew what it was, being a Devil Fruit user myself I could do nothing to help him."

The Ash blond standing on Izuku's right clears his throat, with a subtle glare pointed at Izuku, "I'm Katsuki Bakugo." Turning his red eyes onto the older man, "not Kacchan."

Zhongli bows, "Then accept my thanks, Katsuki."

Katsuki blushes and turns his head away slightly, "t'was nothing."

Zhongli smiles understandingly, it seems to him that Katsuki doesn't think what he does deserves his gratitude. Zhongli feels the teen probably would have removed the Sea Stone anyway, regardless of who Xiao was. "May I see him?" Zhongli asks.

Izuku nods and gestures the man to follow him onto the ship and under the deck. Zhongli follows barely observing his surroundings, for the most part, it seems like the ship is mostly run by teenagers. Zhongli has only seen maybe 4 people who look old enough to be adults. He is a little curious how a teenager managed to get those adults to defer to him. He doesn't believe it is just Fuji's presence being responsible. He shakes his head, it seems Morax has agreed to help the teen with this upcoming war, so Zhongli has enough time to come to his own conclusions about the teen.

It doesn't take long before Izuku is gently knocking on a door, a quiet voice muffled by the door allows them entrance. Zhongli observes the occupants of the room, one is a young adult-looking male with Tattoos on his chest, arms, and knuckles. The tattoo on his chest is an intricate tribalized heart, on his forearms are two suns, and on the back of his hands are crossed with the word DEATH spelled out on each finger. He has yellow eyes, with grey rings under them that point to insomnia. The man has a shirt in his hand seemingly about to change into clean clothing. Zhongli turns his gaze away.

As his eyes travel around the room he spots a figure laying on one of the beds. Xiao sleeps peacefully, no grimacing or thrashing from nightmares, no painful ragged breathing after a long fight, just peace. Zhongli feels hopeful for the first time since he met this tortured soul, because in just a short time Izuku has managed to bring Xiao even a little bit of peace, and that is more than Zhongli has accomplished.

He doesn't realize he moved closer to Xiao's bed until Izuku steps next to him. The teen hums sad and grateful in equal measure, "I thought he was dead. That is what my dad told me when I was no older than 4."

Zhongli nods along to show he is listening without taking his eyes off the bedded teen, "how did you end up in the darkness?"

Izuku hums, "two of my packmates were sick, I can heal but I cannot heal illnesses. Without proper treatment, they would die. So we stopped at Drum Island, about 2 days away from here. It's a winter Island so I couldn't fly. Kacchan and I were traveling to the only doctor who happened to live in a castle on top of a vertical mountain. We ran into some trouble and an avalanche formed, we were being attacked by wild predators and I couldn't fight them off without endangering my sick packmates. So Kacchan defended my back as I shielded the sick from the avalanche and predators. Kacchan ended up being tackled by one of the animals into the avalanche and passed out from his injuries. When I got to the pillar-like mountain, I was forced to carry them all up 5000 meters. When I got to the top I collapsed." He takes a breath, "I have been in the void before, each time I was dragged there I was too weak physically or mentally to get myself out. The first time I got punched in the chest so hard my chest caved in as I was protecting a packmate. When I woke up, I felt like I was drowning, everything around me was pitch black and felt like ice seeping into my bones. But I heard Kacchan's voice and was able to fight the pull and break out of the void. The second time I ended up there, was when I failed to save Kacchan from being kidnapped by villains. I was injured and shot with Sea Stone, poisoned, and exhausted. When Kacchan was pulled through the portal into the Villain's hideout, I was overcome with so much despair, my mind snapped. I was only able to break free because my quirk protected me and guided me to them."

Zhongli makes a confused sound, "your quirk, which I am assuming is a power, brought you to it?"

Izuku nods, "My quirk is called One for All, it's a quirk that is passed down through the generations. I am the ninth holder of the quirk; all of the previous holders have a piece of their souls in it. The quirk is sentient and has its own domain in my soul or mindscape. I am able to communicate with the other holders and they can communicate with me."

Zhongli nods, "I see."

Izuku's eyes harden, "This was the first time I was brought to the void for just being exhausted. I wasn't at risk of dying, nor was my will shaken. I was able to move on my own this time, and there were voices around me. I followed them until I saw a shadowed figure, I tried to offer my help, but it screamed at me to go away." A sad smile appears on his face, "I'm stubborn, and I refuse to leave behind someone who needs help. So I pushed forward, the shadows started to claw at me, wrap around me, they were trying to suffocate me. But my determination to save the shadow in front of me allowed me to keep going. Fuji enhances my senses and I smelt blood, so I fought the shadows trying to bind me and eventually gripped onto the shadow's binds. I called upon Fuji's healing to try and banish the binds, I only managed to banish the shadows surrounding the being. That's when I recognized him." His breath shakes slightly, and he takes a couple of deep breaths to settle his emotions, "I healed him as much as I could in the void, and he slumped in my hold. I didn't know how we were going to get out, so I just continued to heal him. Eventually, a voice called out to me, apparently recognizing Fuji's presence. I met Alatus and we talked for a bit he told me how Morax saved my brother from the Being of Darkness. He told me how my brother ate his fruit, and the Darkness shredded his wings and embedded him with Sea Stone. After I begged him to tell me where Xiao was, he told me. All my healing in the void did was buy him some time, so after I healed enough, I made the journey here. I made a promise to Alatus that I would do everything in my power to save both of them."

Izuku hums as he gives Zhongli time to absorb the information, he dumped on him. He spent the moments of silence running his fingers through his brother's hair. Zhongli makes a confused sound again, "while I am glad you were there to help Xiao, it doesn't explain how you both ended up in the void together."

Izuku hums, "truthfully, I am not sure. But I have a feeling the Being of Darkness is either my Father or connected to my father. I am not sure what my father is, and it is possible he passed something down to both of us. If he is a being of the Calamity, he probably did something to us that would make it easier for us to be corrupted. I think the void is corruption itself, and I think it tried to use me to finally make Xiao's soul crack in order to bind him to the Calamity. As for myself, they wanted me to see my brother, they probably believed I would be too weak to fight back. They were trying to use Xiao's suffering to ensnare me as well."

Zhongli hums in consideration, "it is plausible." His curiosity of the darkness and Xiao's shakiness coming out of it is quelled for the most part. "I saved Xiao from the Being of Darkness 5 years ago. I sealed him under this island. Since then Xiao and I have been fighting the demons, its corruption unleashes on the Island. When the demons are defeated, their corruption is absorbed by Xiao. He does not speak about the atrocities the Being forced him to endure, but he believes he deserves the suffering to atone for those crimes." This time Zhongli is the one who bows, "I tried my best to convince him overwise, but he views himself as my servant. Every time I try to convince him he is not my slave or servant he thinks I'm disappointed in his performance and fights until he drops the next battle. Please, I don't know how to tell him he is a son to me."

"Don't worry, Zhongli." Izuku whispers, "whether he likes it or not he is Pack. It will take some time but eventually, we will show him what real family is, what real love feels like. He is mine, and I have no intention of giving up on him."

Zhongli studies Izuku's face looking for any signs of deceit or anything that would mock the sincerity of his voice. But Izuku's eyes while determined, gaze at his brother with a soft look. The teen's emerald eyes are shiny with unshed tears as he smiles softly at the bedded teen. His fingers move slowly, gently, and reverently through Xiao's hair, every once in a while, the teen traces Xiao's features with his fingers. This is not the look of someone making insincere promises. This is a look of fond determination, the stubbornness that fought himself and Xiao out of the void before he knew of their connection, determination to put himself second to Xiao. This is a challenging look to dare Fate, Gods, or even the universe itself to try and stop him. The absolute faith in himself that he would go to war with all three and emerge victorious, like a beacon of light in an otherwise dark and colorless existence. Izuku's will is so unbendable, unmovable, unbreakable, Zhongli has no choice but to trust it.

Unable to fight his curiosity, he wonders if the other teens that followed them to the med-bay are just as determined to save Xiao as Izuku is. Katsuki observes the green-haired duo with a hard look on his face. A face that dares anyone to try and move him from this spot he claimed. But the teen's eyes are soft and curious as he flits between the two brothers. And Zhongli doesn't know the teen well at all, but he prides himself on reading people. Katsuki gives off the aura of a lone wolf, but Zhongli can see the loyalty between Izuku and Katsuki. Zhongli can tell Katsuki is not the type of person to blindly follow someone, but he can see a mirror of determination in the teen's eyes. Katsuki fully believes Izuku can heal Xiao's heart.

The next teen Zhongli studies is a redhead with a Tanuki tail and ears. This teen might as well be made of stone because his face is completely unreadable. His posture is open but guarded, waiting for a moment to subdue any and all threats. Zhongli is strangely reminded of Xiao's personality when he first rescued the teen. But Zhongli studies the boy's eyes, and again he is reminded of Xiao. There are rare moments when Xiao would look at Zhongli with a gaze equivalent to Hero worship rather than servitude. Maybe this teen was in a situation similar to Xiao, a situation where all hope was lost until Izuku came in and swooped him out of his suffering and gave him peace.

The last teen in the room is completely opposite to the other two. Where they are reserved, the bright blond teen practically bounces in his spot. Zhongli can see a happy, curious smile on the teens face, as he visibly fights with himself to stay put. Though the teen is obviously excited to meet someone new, there is still that same determination to protect and cherish in his gaze as his eyes flit between the two brothers.

A soft chuckle breaks Zhongli out of his thoughts, forcing him to snap his gaze to the airy sound. Izuku is turned to face the others in the room with a blinding smile, "I will introduce my brother to the pack when he is finished healing." And while his eyes are stern, they are still somehow fond as he looks directly at the bright blond teen, "I can feel your excitement from here, Naruto. Let him rest before you pounce on him."

The bright blond, Naruto pouts and stops his relentless fidgeting. Izuku chuckles at him forcing the teen to dramatically sigh and plop down on a couch in faux grumpiness. Izuku flashes understanding eyes towards the red-haired teen, "Gaara, you can relax. Everyone is safe, and Xiao's recovery is going smoothly."

The redhead, Gaara visibly slumps, and it is only when the teen releases a relieved sigh does Zhongli realizes the boy was worried. Not about Izuku, at least it doesn't seem that way, but for Xiao, judging by the relaxed, accepting gaze the teen levels at the bedded boy with. After a quick study of the teen, Gaara moves to sit next to Naruto. Slightly leaning into the other teen's side. Naruto accepts the gesture with a wide smile and settles more comfortably on the couch.

The ash-blond huffs at the two teens before he quietly makes his way to Izuku's side. Zhongli watches as Katsuki plops his chin over Izuku's shoulder, peering at Xiao with soft eyes. Izuku leans into the teen's form with a shaky sigh. And it is only when Izuku goes boneless against Katsuki that Zhongli notices the boy was shaking. Katsuki tilts his head to tuck his nose into Izuku's neck, and Zhongli is reminded of a lover's embrace. A gentle tapping on his leg forces Zhongli to curiously look down. The source of the tapping is from a tail, wagging contently. Zhongli follows the tip of the ash-blond tail to the holder. And a question pops into his head, "How was Katsuki able to remove the Sea Stone?"

Both Izuku and Katsuki glance at the older man studiously, Zhongli clarifies, "doesn't he have a devil fruit?"

Emerald eyes brighten in understanding, "no Kacchan does not have a devil fruit."

Zhongli hums, "Then is the spirit of Fenrir his quirk?"

Katsuki scoffs, "my quirk causes explosions. I sweat nitroglycerin and heat my palms, then boom." Izuku hums a sound in his throat and Katsuki nods, "whatever, Nerd."

Izuku smiles, "Fuji manipulated the Soulmate ability to awaken my soulmate's spirit animal. When we were strong enough to share the full power of OFA Fenrir started to wake."

Zhongli hums, "Interesting." He watches as Katsuki subtly tightens his hold on Izuku, his ears and tail droops in a nearly hidden vulnerability. It is not hard for Zhongli to guess what is wrong. He has heard the stories and legends about the Beast of Destruction. He has heard the prophecy that that monstrous wolf would destroy the 9 realms.

Izuku wraps his own tails around Katsuki to offer comfort. He turns glowing green eyes towards Zhongli, "Fenrir is mine. He is fiercely loyal and protective to those who need it. But he is strong, defensive, and aggressive to those he deems as threats to those he loves. He is prideful in his strength and competitive by nature."

Zhongli hums, "He sounds like Alatus." Zhongli shakes his head, "Never mind, all that matters is because of Katsuki, Xiao has a chance to get better. And thanks to Fenrir, you were able to leave the battlefield safely."

Izuku nods sensing the sincerity in Zhongli's voice. A distressed whimper sounds out next to them. Izuku immediately switches his attention from Zhongli to Xiao. He blankets his flames over Xiao to soothe his nightmare. After a couple of moments, Xiao settles back down into a peaceful sleep.

Law approaches the bedside, "he seems to be recovering remarkably fast. I believe he should wake up sometime tomorrow."

Izuku smiles gratefully at Law, "thank you." He turns to Katsuki, "Kacchan, tell Shoto to set sail. Emporio Ivan should be on Momoiro Island, tell him to sail in that direction. I want to check up on the Revolutionaries."

Katsuki spares one more look at Xiao before he nods and leaves. Gaara and Naruto follow Katsuki out of the Med-bay, leaving Izuku, Zhongli, and Law alone with the bedded boy. Izuku can feel the exhaustion creeping upon him, he realizes he hasn't fully recovered from his injuries and fatigue from Drum Island. He hesitates to leave his brother's side but relents and grabs a couple of comfortable chairs for him and Zhongli. The man accepts the chair with a thankful nod. There is nothing left to discuss with Zhongli, there is an easy silence between the two. Neither wants to leave Xiao's side, in case the teen wakes up. Izuku is lulled by the silence and the soft breathing coming from his safe brother. So he falls into a light slumber.

Zhongli spends a couple of hours in the med-bay watching over Xiao and his little brother. Every once in a while, Xiao would whimper in his sleep, and Izuku would blanket the boy with his flames, humming in his sleep until the whimpers die down and peace is restored. A deep sigh from the other side of the room steals Zhongli's attention away from the sleeping duo.

Amber eyes meet a glowing yellow in the dimmed room, the doctor that worked on removing the toxins from Xiao's body sits with his tattooed hands splayed on his lap. His yellow eyes are soft as he gazes at the teen bent over the patient's bed, "he hasn't slept since they left Drum Island."

Zhongli lifts an eyebrow in question not wanting his voice to disturb the sleeping duo. Law grins fondly, "he was worried we wouldn't make it in time. He would have never forgiven himself if we were late because he needed to rest. I'm glad everything worked out and he can finally rest."

Zhongli hums, "I see." His eyes flit down to Izuku's hunched-over form. "Help me move him to a more comfortable location?"

Law smirks, "he is not going to like being too far away from his brother. He might bite."

Zhongli sighs, "I figured that could happen. I was suggesting putting him next to Xiao, so they are both comfortable."

Law nods and stands up; he is almost as tall as Zhongli himself. After some careful maneuvering, Izuku is deposited right next to his brother on the smallish recovery bed. As soon as Law and Zhongli step away from the bed, Izuku curls into his brother's sleeping form, flaring his flames over the bedded teen with a blissful sigh escaping his lips. Law chuckles quietly, "Probably should have mentioned; Izuku is a cuddler."

Zhongli hums, "Xiao could only benefit from more cuddling."

A blissful sigh escapes the recovering patient as he turns into the gentle warmth of his younger brother. Izuku curls around him tighter, wrapping Xiao in his tails and covering him with a wing. Zhongli contents himself with laying on one of the beds away from the cuddling duo, happy for the first time in a long time. Zhongli doesn't realize how tired he is, not used to having peace at night. He lets the exhaustion and peace settle into his bones and soon he is welcoming the comforting fingers of sleep.

For once Law cannot be angry at his inability to sleep, instead, he busies himself with running tests on the inky sludge he pulled out of Xiao. It is surprising the teen was able to survive with this much toxin in his body. He feels a little bad for barring the Reindeer doctor from assisting in this procedure with him, but until he is completely sure the Sea Stone toxin is completely purged, he won't risk exposure to the little doctor. He considers letting the Alchemist run some tests on the substance, maybe they can make something that will allow the Devil Fruit users immunity to Sea Stone.

He hums in thought if he can Isolate the properties of the toxin Sea Stone creates and find out exactly how it affects the Devil Fruit holders, theoretically, it would be possible to create a counter. Lost in his thoughts he barely registers the med-bay door opening and closing. He recognizes the almost stomping gait of the other wolf child entering the infirmary. He splits his focus just enough to acknowledge the teen.

Katsuki grunts and quietly makes his way to the two brothers. He studies the bed and decides there must be enough room for him, so he makes his way to the unoccupied side of Xiao. He squeezes himself between the teen's back and the railing of the Hospital bed. He wraps his own tail around Xiao and Izuku as he snuggles into Xiao's back. His arm is secured tightly around Xiao's chest pulling the teen flush to his own body. Feeling the tension leave Xiao's body is enough to send Katsuki into a light dreamless sleep.

Zhongli is the first to wake up, it is barely dawn when he jolts awake in a slight panic. His amber eyes study the room, the first thing he notices is he is in an infirmary. That brings up the memories of last night and he relaxes slightly to take in the finer details of the room. The next thing he notices is the multiple teens sprawled in random locations around the room. Two of the teens, Naruto, and Gaara are sprawled on the couch asleep peacefully. The other medical beds are filled with cuddling teens that he doesn't recognize.

Zhongli notices a little girl, maybe 6 or 7 standing next to Xiao's bed, her eyes sad and her tiny fist clenching to her sides. Zhongli sits up to study the girl, he wonders why such a young girl would be on a pirate ship. She doesn't look distressed, well not in a way that shows she is kept here unwillingly, but in a way that she is worried for the green-haired teen on the bed. She probably can't see over the mass of tails and wings, and she has probably assumed Izuku is injured.

Zhongli hears the almost choked-off whimpers from the girl and something in him wants to comfort the little girl. He clears his throat gently, causing the little girl to snap her red eyes towards the disturbance. Zhongli softens his face and hums, "your friend is uninjured."

The girl bites her lip softly, "Then why are my Fuji and Kacchan sleeping in the Infirmary? Noone will tell Eri what happened."

Zhongli pats the spot next to him on the bed, "Fuji and Kacchan saved someone dear to me. Someone Fuji thought was dead a long time ago. Fuji fell asleep while he was waiting for this person to wake up, so we made him more comfortable."

The little girl scampers to sit next to Zhongli, from her new vantage point she can finally see what or better yet who Izuku has curled around. The girl hums, "Fuji told Eri about his brother. Does this mean that Fuji's brother is also Eri's brother?"

Zhongli hums, "If Eri is Fuji's sister, then Xiao would also be Eri's Brother."

The girl gets a gleam in her eye as she processes this information, "Fuji said we give our family nicknames. Eri has to give Fuji's brother a nickname, so he knows he is Eri's family too." The girl's face is morphed into a furiously determined expression as she pounds her little fist into her palm.

Zhongli chuckles softly at the little girl, "I think Xiao will be happy with whatever nickname Eri makes for him. Xiao needs more family that cares about him."

"Eri will take care of him. Fuji claimed Eri as his sister, Eri will claim Xiao as her brother." Eri nods to herself. "Everyone on the ship is Fuji's family, he gave Eri family."

Zhongli hums slightly confused, but it sounds like Izuku has the habit of adopting people. It's not surprising, Morax has told him that the wolf likes to have a huge pack. He is pretty sure everyone on this ship is Izuku's and Fuji's pack, he probably explained the concept of the pack as a family so Eri could understand it better. "I see. Then I am glad Xiao will have such a big family."

"Eri will make him feel welcome." She pulls out a small wolf stuffed animal and smiles softly at the toy, "Mei-Chan can help. Halfie and Stretchy told Eri that some toys have special powers."

"They do?" Zhongli gasps unknowingly.

Eri nods, "they said that some toys can take away loneliness. They said that just cuddling with a special toy can make you feel happy." She holds up the stuffed wolf, "this is Mei-Chan, she is from the moon. She is very special to Eri, but I can let Xiao cuddle her when he is sad."

Zhongli smiles softly, "I see, that is a very special toy. I'm sure Xiao would feel better cuddling the toy."

Eri hums, "If Xiao doesn't like Mei-chan, Eri has more special toys. Mei-Chan is Eri's favorite, so we can find one that Xiao likes best. Then Eri can give him his own special toy."

Zhongli nods, "let's wait for him to wake up, then we can introduce him to all of your friends."

Eri nods and relaxes, content to watch the brothers resting on the bed. She relaxes slightly into Zhongli's side, trusting him to keep watch over everyone in the Infirmary. "Is Mister family too?" She slurs her words slightly as if trying not to fall asleep.

Zhongli hums, "Has Izuku ever told you who Fuji really is?" The girl nods, so Zhongli continues, "Well I am the same, inside my body, I house the God of Contracts; Morax. Morax was Fuji's friend a long time ago. They were separated during a battle and just reunited last night. I am sure Fuji views Morax as his because Fuji likes to claim people."

The girl hums sleepily, "then Eri needs to come up with a name for mister too."

Zhongli hums and accepts that apparently now he is part of a rather large family. He doesn't realize how much time has passed by as he watches the little girl sleep curled around her stuffed wolf. The Infirmary door opens and closes, a red-and-white-haired teen silently makes his way into the room. He weaves around cuddled piles of teens and random limbs gracefully making his way to Izuku's bed. His eyes look guilty, hesitant to try and wake the sleeping teen. But he reaches out a hand to gently touch Izuku's shoulder, Izuku opens his eyes with a small nod. The new teen sighs, "we are approaching the next island."

Izuku hums, "Thank you, Shoto." He slowly and carefully removes himself from Xiao's side. Sparing one last soft glance at his brother and Katsuki still on the bed, "Kacchan will keep him safe." He nods to himself as he is about to follow Shoto out of the Infirmary. His eyes settle on the sleeping forms of the teenagers spread around the room, "they must have been worried huh?"

Shoto nods, "when you didn't come back upstairs, they decided to sleep in here tonight."

Izuku smiles fondly, "I'll explain everything to them when everyone is awake." His eyes fall on the sitting form of Zhongli, his mouth opens to ask him something, but snaps shut as he realizes who is sleeping next to the older man. Izuku's eyes flash slightly protective but as he takes in the situation, he nods to himself and flashes his eyes back to meet Zhongli, "thank you for comforting her. If she wakes before I return, can you let her know I'll be in the bridge?"

Zhongli nods, "sure."

Izuku bows again formally as he leaves the room. Most of the pack is in the infirmary so the deck is pretty quiet and chaos-free. Sasuke, Neji, Itachi, and Shinso are in the crow's nest, Sanji is making breakfast, and Zoro is lounging against the railing. Nami, Asui, and Kazuha are in the Bridge bent over the map.

Kazuha looks up as the door opens, a soft look on his face as he spots the rumpled form of Izuku trailing behind Shoto. "Good morning, Captain."

"Good morning, Kazuha. How is our course?" Izuku smiles at the teen.

"We are steadily heading towards Momoiro Island." Kazuha states. "We should be ready to dock in a couple of hours."

Izuku hums, "I should call Dragon to let him know we are headed his way. Thank you, guys." Izuku turns to head into his captain's quarters, this is a conversation best had in private. He slumps onto his couch and steadies his breathing, pushing everything to the back of his mind.

Once composed, he turns on his headset, for a moment he considers upgrading the headsets to alert a specific person. He shakes his head and sighs, "Dragon, are you there?"

"Dragon is on a mission; this is Koala speaking." A feminine voice responds.

"Good morning, Koala. This is Izuku, we are close to Momoiro Island and were hoping to talk with Dragon or Iva-Chan." Izuku states.

"Oh, sorry, Izuku." Koala breathes, "Dragon and Iva-Chan left yesterday. They are meeting up with Shanks and Whitebeard near Water 7."

"I see, then I shall head there myself. Thank you, Koala." Izuku sighs. "It will probably take me some time to get there. I'll contact Shanks and let him know we are headed his way."

Koala bids him farewell, and Izuku sighs. He stands up and makes his way back to the bridge, "What are the other two islands the Log pose is pointing towards?"

Nami hums as she inspects the log pose and the map, "two of the needles are point towards Momoiro Island. The other needle is pointing to Jaya."

Izuku hums, "Dragon and Iva are meeting Shanks at Water 7, we will not be stopping on Momoiro Island. We need to restock our food storage and medical supplies so switch our course to Jaya."

Nami nods and takes control of navigating, she orders Shoto and Kazuha to take the Helm to steer the ship. Izuku smiles fondly at the slightly terrified aura around the two strong teens. He leaves them to it and makes his way below deck again. He will call Shanks later when he doesn't feel so emotional, right now all he wants to do is make sure Xiao is ok.

He enters the Infirmary again, shooing out all the awake packmates. He understands they are worried and curious, but even their quiet chattering is loud enough to disturb the sleeping figure on the bed. After a few quiet grumbles, the pack listens and Izuku asks Ace to bring him down enough breakfast for 5 people. Ace nods and drags Luffy out forcefully.

Izuku chuckles at his grumbling packmates and waits patiently for the room to clear out. Eri is still asleep on Zhongli's bed. Zhongli is sitting up reading a book and humming. Zhongli seems to be unbothered with the small sleeping figure next to him, so Izuku lets them be. He observes the bed Xiao is on and smiles fondly as Katsuki curls into his brother. His brother seems to enjoy the closeness of a warm body next to him. He takes a seat on one of the empty chairs he moved closer to the bed last night, content to sit in silence and watch over the sleeping forms.

Xiao doesn't wake for breakfast; it is not surprising. Law has come in with Chopper and Albedo to check up on the teen. Law hums, "It appears all the toxins have been flushed out of his body. As a surgeon, there is nothing more I can do for him."

Chopper steps up and does his own checkup, he checks Xiao's temperature and vitals. He listens to his breathing and his heart as best as he can with Xiao still asleep. He hums to himself, "he has a slight fever, but with some antibiotics, he should be fine soon enough."

Izuku sighs relieved, "What is the estimated time he should wake up?"

Chopper hums, "he should wake up in a couple of hours. Probably before lunch."

Izuku hums, "Zhongli? What types of foods can Xiao eat? I am assuming he hasn't had a great nutritional diet in a long time."

Zhongli sighs, "from what we could salvage from the land, it wasn't much. On the few rare occasions where we could hunt a bird or other game, he couldn't eat anything too heavy without feeling sick. He mostly survived on soybeans and nuts."

Izuku nods understandingly, "I'll let Sanji know to make something light and mild enough to not upset his stomach. Do you have any restrictions to your diet?"

Zhongli grimaces, "I don't like seafood."

Izuku chuckles at the almost pout he hears in Zhongli's voice, "I'll let Sanji know. It's not the strangest request, Law doesn't like bread."

Zhongli nods and continues to read his book, Izuku looks back over to Katsuki and his brother. Katsuki is still asleep and Izuku feels bad for the lack of rest his soulmate has endured. With Izuku's relentless worry and panic, it was hard for Katsuki to rest over the last couple of days. Regardless of Izuku's attempts to let his soulmate sleep, Katsuki wakes up like clockwork. He snuggles deeper into his captive as he would normally do when it's Izuku in his grasp. But his senses must kick in because he jolts awake suddenly and flashes red panicked eyes towards an amused Izuku.

Izuku chuckles, "Sleep well, Kacchan?"

Katsuki grumbles and huffs, "Shut up, Nerd."

Izuku smiles brightly as his blushing Soulmate. Katsuki tries to pry himself away from Xiao's form, but with the slight movements, Xiao latches onto Katsuki and forces the explosive teen to be a body pillow. Izuku chuckles at Katsuki's panicked face, "who knew my brother was such a cuddler?"

Katsuki glares at Izuku for refusing to help him, "it must be a Midoriya trait then."

Izuku laughs slightly, slapping his hands over his mouth as weak groan echoes in the room. Katsuki freezes thinking their teasing has woken up Xiao. But fortunately, Xiao doesn't stir, instead, a little tired voice calls out, "Fuji? Kacchan?"

"Chimichan," Izuku breathes.

Eri scampers over Zhongli's legs to peer over the side of the bed, "Is Fuji's brother waking up?"

Izuku smiles and ruffles the girl's hair, "not yet, Chimichan. Hopefully, he will wake up soon."

Eri nods and sits back, "Eri needs him to wake up so I can give him a nickname. Mister said Fuji's Brother needs more family, so Eri will make sure he knows he's Eri's family."

Izuku smiles fondly at the girl, "that is great Chimichan! I'm sure Xiao would appreciate more family."

Eri brightens, "Mei-Chan will help too!"

Izuku ruffles the girl's hair again, "I'm sure she will be a great help." Eri smiles brightly, and Izuku chuckles at her, "you should go get breakfast before Stretchy eats it all."

Eri pouts and wants to refuse, but her argument of not being hungry dies on her tongue when her stomach rumbles loudly. Izuku smiles at her, "Halfie, and Melody haven't eaten breakfast either. You know how they are when they get to into their work. They need someone responsible to look after them."

Eri nods knowingly, "Eri's job is to make sure they eat!"

Izuku nods, "yup, but Chimichan has been down here all morning. She hasn't forced them to eat yet."

Eri gasps and scampers off the bed, Izuku helps her keep her balance. As soon as her feet touch the floor she bolts out of the med-bay to find her charges. Izuku chuckles as he watches her go fondly.

Zhongli stares at the door bewildered, unsure what to say. Izuku chuckles, "She likes to take care of people, and she felt bad about not having a job on the ship. I made her in charge of Shoto and Kazuha. Shoto is a softie towards Eri and would literally do anything for that child. Kazuha is extremely fond of children, so he doesn't mind being told to eat by a six-year-old."

Zhongli chuckles, "she is very intuitive to people's needs for her age."

Something dark takes over Izuku's features, "it wasn't always like that. Kacchan and I saved her a few months ago from an abusive family. We had to teach her what a real family is like, we take care of each other. She wants a loving family so bad, that she is convinced she needs to take care of all of us. She gives us nicknames because I told her nicknames are something we give our precious people. She makes sure everyone eats and is happy. She is quick to let someone cuddle with her toys if they are sad or lonely. She makes everyone feel welcome. She is a very caring girl, and it makes her happy to care for other people."

Zhongli looks thoughtful, understanding the relentless questions about Xiao's loneliness. "I see."

Izuku sighs and looks back over his brother, Katsuki has relaxed and accepted his fate as a body pillow with a content look on his face. The only sounds in the room are the flipping pages of a book Zhongli is reading, the gentle breathing of his sleeping brother, and Katsuki's gentle humming. The minutes drag on seemingly forever, Chopper comes in frequently to make sure Xiao is responding well with the medication. Albedo has come into the room the second time Chopper entered; he has taken over the couch with his sketchbook. The gentle scratching of his drawing is peaceful, so Izuku doesn't mind.

Izuku doesn't realize how much time has passed when finally a soft groan sounds from next to him. Izuku snaps his eyes towards the bed, his brother is stirring judging by the increase of breathing rhythm and heart rate. Izuku wraps Xiao in his flames before he starts to panic. When Xiao slumps bonelessly, Katsuki and Izuku turn him onto his back so he can see his surroundings. Xiao's eyes flutter as he wakes up with a groan.

Izuku holds himself back from embracing his brother, instead, he chokes out, "Aniki?"

Xiao turns wide eyes towards the source of the choked sound, "Zuzu?" Shock quickly turns to confusion as he tries to remember what happened to him. The last thing he remembers was being surrounded by demons before a golden light cut through the encroaching darkness. And then nothing except gentle warmth. He is on something comfortable, a bed he realizes. He can't remember that last time he's been on a bed let alone one this soft. He looks around the room he is in, there are multiple beds and equipment he vaguely remembers from his younger childhood days. He feels something warm and solid next to him and he stiffens slightly. He clears his throat to address this person who looks like his brother, but he can't be sure if this is real. "What happened to me?"

His possible younger brother smiles so softly, "after you passed out in the darkness, I met your Devil Fruit: Alatus. He told me where to find you, so as soon as I made it out of the darkness, I set sail immediately to find you. We arrived on your Island yesterday, and I sensed you were in trouble, so I gave control to Fuji, and he banished the shadows and darkness away from you so I could move you onto the ship. Law found the Sea stone in your body and Kacchan removed it. After that Law removed all the toxins the Sea Stone produced from your body."

Something like fear flashes in Xiao's eyes, "you really were in the darkness with me? That wasn't a hallucination to break me. You really were attacked by the corruption…but how, how did you break free?"

"My determination to save you gave me enough strength to call upon Fuji to snap my binds," Izuku states sadly.

"If you could break the corruption, why didn't you just leave me?" Xiao asks self-loathing heavy in his voice.

Izuku can't hold himself back anymore as he pounces on his brother, holding him in a tight hold, "I'd never leave you behind to suffer. You are my brother, and for the longest time, I believed you were dead. I just found you, I wasn't about to let you go."

Xiao can feel his brother shaking slightly while tears soak into his shirt. Xiao tucks his face into his brother's hair and inhales the distinct smell of his brother. There is nothing that compares to the smell of his little brother, it will always remind Xiao of home and happiness. He runs his fingers through Izuku's hair in a comforting manner, whispering comforting phrases in Izuku's ear. "Zuzu, I'm sorry I put you through so much. And thank you for saving me."

"Of course, I'd save you, you're my older brother," Izuku mumbles into his brother's chest.

It takes a while to get Izuku to settle down, Xiao chuckles quietly, "you're still a cry baby, huh?"

A scoff sounds from next to him, "you have no idea."

Xiao turns his head slightly to study the ash-blond teen next to him, he looks familiar if older. He remembers his little brother meeting a spitfire blonde at the park they used to go to. He never really got to meet the boy, since he was so busy training with his father. If this is the same spitfire boy, he is surprised they have been friends for so long. "you're the boy Zuzu met at the park, right? The one who got his toy back?"

The blond blushes, "yea, the Nerd needed someone to protect him."

Xiao smiles gratefully, "thank you, for always looking out for him."

The blond's blush intensifies, "of course, I look after him, he's mine."

Xiao nods, he knows about soulmates since he has his own mark, "how long have you known?"

"Since we were 5," the blond answers.

"No wonder your bond is so strong," Xiao states in awe.

The ash-blond nods and reaches a hand to comfort the still shaken Izuku. The look on the blond's face is so soft and loving. Xiao is thankful Izuku had someone in his life to look out for him after his father took him away. Izuku leans into his soulmate's touch and lifts his head up from Xiao's chest. There is a blush high on his cheeks, "Aniki, this is Kacchan, my soulmate, my partner, my best friend, and my most precious person."

"Nerd…" The blond growls embarrassed before he sighs resigned, "My name is Katsuki Bakugo."

Now that the shock and extreme emotions from their reunion settle, Xiao fidgets nervously. Izuku's glowing eyes pick up on the movement and he hovers, "Aniki, what's wrong?"

Xiao's eyes take a panicked sheen to them as he tries to get out of bed, he rushes through a bunch of letter sounds that might be words in his panic. But Izuku gets the gist, Xiao thinks Zhongli is still on the Island facing down Demons and Xiao is not there to protect him. Izuku pushes Xiao to lay back down, "Aniki, Zhongli is fine. He just went upstairs to get lunch."

Xiao shakes and tightens his hold on Izuku, "Please, Zuzu."

Izuku understands that Xiao is not going to calm down from his fear without physically seeing Zhongli, so Izuku gently helps his brother stand up. Xiao is quick to stabilize himself, but Izuku still helps him walk. Katsuki comes up on the other side and steadies the teen as well. They slowly make their way to the deck.

Up on deck, the packmates stop what they are going to watch Izuku and Katsuki lead Xiao to the dining room. Izuku flashes everyone a look that means back off. Wisely the packmates continue what they were doing. Izuku sighs, "let's go get you something to eat. Zhongli should be in there already."

Xiao nods a little dazed out, the air smells fresh, free of the death and decay he has been surrounded by. The air smells like the ocean, salty and like freedom. The smell from the kitchen is intoxicating and mouthwatering. The Sun on his back is warm, instead of scorching. The breeze carries a gentle wind and the birds in the distance do not sound distorted or demonic. There is so many people on the deck of the ship, Xiao is a little overwhelmed by all the stares. The only company he has had over the last 5 years was Zhongli and hordes of grotesque monsters.

Izuku leads his brother into the dining room, "Sanji."

A blond with a swirly eyebrow props his head up from his work over the counter, "What can I get for you, Izuku?"

Izuku smiles warmly at the chef, "Sanji, this is my brother. Can you make him something light and mild on the flavor?"

"Almond Tofu… please?" Xiao whispers.

Sanji must hear this because he nods and gets to work. He hasn't had much experience with Tofu, but he has a few recipes. He gets to work taking his ingredients out and preparing them. He gets the agar strips soaking in water, as he prepares the Apricot milk.

Izuku spots Zhongli listening to Eri chatter away, he pulls on his brother's arm to get him to follow. Xiao takes hesitant steps towards the older man. Xiao makes a hitching choked sound, and he has never felt so weak or out of place before. He wants to bow, prostrate himself on the floor in front of his master. He wants to beg for forgiveness for being too weak, too incompetent, too broken to complete his duties. But Izuku and Katsuki keep him standing, and all he can do is look at his master with a lost expression.

Zhongli snaps his amber eyes towards his charge, "Xiao." He breathes out relieved, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. He looks the boy up and down, takes in his tense frame, and lost expression, and gestures to the seat across from him next to Eri. "Come please sit."

Xiao looks like he wants to refuse, go back, and continue to fight demons because that is what he is good for. He is a weapon, born to kill and trained to fight the corruption in his soul. But the little girl grabs his hand tightly, unafraid, and stubborn. "Come on, Mister is telling Eri about all the interesting people he has met. Did'ja know he's a God!"

Izuku chuckles and ruffles her head, in Xiao's shock at the little girl he follows Izuku blindly until he is pushed into a seat at the table. Zhongli's face crinkles in thought, "Now where was I?"

"Oh, Oh, Eri knows," Eri vibrates, "Mister was at the part where he met Fuji!"

"Ah, yes, now I remember, thank you," Zhongli reaches over the table to pat the girl on the head in praise. Xiao watches and realizes Zhongli has done this to him before. He didn't understand what the gesture meant, but watching the little girl being praised for doing a good job, forces Xiao to think. Maybe every time Zhongli did this to him, Xiao was being praised? And if that is the case, was he misunderstanding the sighs Zhongli let out? Maybe they weren't sighs of disappointment, but maybe sighs of frustration because Xiao didn't understand he was being praised? Xiao shakes his head; he can think about this later when he is alone. Right now Zhongli's comforting deep voice is telling a story, Xiao should probably be paying attention.

Xiao is completely mesmerized by the stories Zhongli tells them, obviously watered down for a child's ear, but no less intriguing. Izuku chips in, correcting Eri when she misunderstands that Zhongli isn't a god. "Zhongli and Morax, are like Izuku and Fuji. They were sealed into a fruit before we ate them. Fuji bonded to my soul, and I believe Morax bonded to Zhongli."

Eri pouts, "But you and Fuji are the same. Fuji is you and you are Fuji. So isn't Mister and Mister God the same?"

"You are partially right, Chimichan. Technically yes, I am Fuji, and Fuji is me. But I still have my own thoughts, feelings, emotions, and memories as Izuku." Izuku tries to explain it gently in a way Eri can understand.

Eri has a confused look on her face, "that doesn't make any sense!"

Izuku chuckles at her confusion, "it's ok Chimichan. I barely understand it myself."

Eri pouts, but she is also unable to verbally express why she is confused. Zhongli pats her head again, "I think what Izuku is trying to say, if we were fully our Gods, we wouldn't have our own bodies. We would always be in our God forms."

Eri's pout fades as she considers this information, "so because you and Fuji have separate bodies, that means you're not Gods?"

Izuku chuckles, "yes, exactly!"

Eri nods to herself now understanding why she was wrong, "I understand Mister. Can you keep telling Eri stories?"

Zhongli smiles and continues his story. Xiao is a little thrown off about the peacefulness around him. There are no demons around him, no corruption trying to seep into his body. His body feels a million times better than he has ever remembered. He doesn't feel drained, or sluggish. He feels energized, healthy, safe, and whole.

Xiao is broken out of his thoughts by a sweet-smelling plate of food being placed gently in front of him. It looks delicious like nothing he has ever eaten before. He has tried to make his own Almond Tofu before, but he didn't have the right ingredients for it. He takes the spoon and scoops up a small portion to test it out. As soon as the spoonful touches his tongue his eyes widen, this dish tastes like the peaceful dreams he was once forced to devour. Silky smooth, and sweet like the fond memories of playing with his little brother. He savors the bite, wishing for the taste to never end. But all too soon he is slowly putting the last mouthful on his tongue. He sighs blissfully, "It was delicious, Thank you."

Izuku smiles warmly at his brother, "Aniki? Are you comfortable enough for me to introduce you to the pack?"

Xiao takes a look at his brother, perhaps stupidly, because as soon as he makes eye contact with his brother, he wants to immediately agree with everything he says. He has an adorable puppy-eyed look, his ears perked in excitement. Xiao really wants to say yes but, "Pack?"

Izuku rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, "because of Fuji, I have some wolf instincts, like the need for a pack, or to occasionally hunt when I pass wooded areas. My instincts tell me to claim people and make them pack."

"I see," Xiao stares blankly, "If that is what you want, I'll meet your pack."

Izuku pouts, "only if you are comfortable enough to meet them. They are an excitable bunch, most of the time."

Xiao pouts he doesn't want to let his brother down, but he is uncomfortable being around so many unknown people. Katsuki senses his hesitance and scoffs, "Nerd, what if we introduced him to a few of the least excitable packmates first. As he gets more comfortable, we can slowly introduce the others."

"Kacchan's so smart." Izuku's eyes sparkle at the suggestion, "Let's introduce him to Ace, Luffy, Gaara, Sasuke, and Shika first."

Katsuki glares, "Luffy is probably the most energetic."

"But Kacchan," Izuku whines, "Luffy is our adopted brother. He would be upset if we didn't introduce him to Xiao."

Katsuki crosses his arms over his chest, "I suppose you are right."

"Adopted brother?" Xiao tries to hide the slight feeling of hurt, but the emotions make his throat crack.

Izuku smiles understandingly, "We met Ace and Luffy when we were 5. We were at Dagobah Beach, I was watching Kacchan explode the piles of trash. I was upset because the doctor said I was going to be quirkless. While at the beach I heard something calling out to me, I followed the voice and found a fruit. I deemed it safe to eat, so I did. I erupted in green flames and scared Kacchan. Kacchan wanted to test my new power out when we found some injured people. I wanted to heal them, so I called on my new abilities and healed them. When they woke up, we found out they were shipwrecked and didn't know how to get home. I brought them home and we found out they were from here and capsized in a storm, where they ended up on our beach. Mom offered them a place to stay until Shanks got on his feet again. A couple of years later they found out they matched, so mom adopted Ace and Luffy. She also adopted Kacchan."

"Oh?" Xiao tilts his head confused.

Izuku face turns dark, "Kacchan's mom tried to kill him, I saved his life. Mom didn't want him to go to an orphanage, so she adopted him too. So technically you have 4 younger brothers."

"I see," Xiao hums, "so it wasn't to replace me?"

Izuku's eyes turn sad, "I don't think so, Dad said you died in a training accident. He left before I turned 5. Sometimes I hear mom crying at night, but I didn't know why. While I always felt there was someone missing, I was too young when dad took you away to form proper memories. I knew someone was missing but I couldn't remember who they were, what their name was, or what they looked like. The only reason why I recognized you in the void was that you called me 'Zuzu.' No one has called me that since you were taken from me."

Xiao hums, "I don't blame you for not remembering me, I didn't expect you to. I'm just glad we are together now; it is all that really matters. We are a family again."

Izuku blushes, "speaking of family… we also have an adopted sister."

"I have a sister too?" Xiao asks wistfully.

Izuku nods, "yep, Chimichan was adopted by mom too. We rescued her from an abusive family, where they were experimenting on her and creating a quirk erasing bullet from her blood. The adoption committee was in debate over U.A. taking her in, since Erasurehead was there, in case she lost control of her quirk, or sending her to a high-security research facility. But while we were in the hospital, I convinced mom to be Eri's medicinal guardian. And since Shanks is a pro hero employed at U.A. Principal Nezu allowed Mom to move in with her soulmate. Not to mention she is under the protection of not only me and Fuji but Kacchan and Fenrir as well."

Xiao gets a sad look in his gaze, "does mom know I'm alive?"

Izuku looks to the ground, "I didn't tell her yet. I didn't want to get her hopes up if I made it late."

"I see," Xiao hums. "I guess I'm comfortable enough to meet my brothers."

Izuku smiles blindingly and gestures his brother to follow him. Luckily the deck is pretty barren, so Izuku leads Xiao into the bridge. Shoto, Ace, Kazuha, Gaara, and Sabo are working at their stations. Izuku smiles at the gathered packmates, "Ace, can you grab Luffy, Sasuke, and Shikamaru and bring them to the bridge?"

Ace studies Izuku and the teen that trails behind him with a protective gleam in his eyes, "I think Shikamaru is sleeping somewhere. But I'll grab Luffy and Sasuke." He passes the two one last glance and heads out of the door.

It doesn't take long before Ace is returning with the two requested packmates. Now that everyone is gathered Izuku clears his throat, "I want to introduce my older brother to you." He gestures to the teen standing slightly behind him, "this is my brother, Xiao. He is not used to being around people so until he has had time to adjust don't crowd him."

He receives nods from the gathered packmates, Izuku clears his throat, "Ace and Luffy are our brothers. Sabo is Ace and Luffy's brother, but he wasn't adopted by Mom. Shoto is Ace's soulmate and Gaara is Sabo's soulmate. Kazuha and Sasuke are probably the most relaxed pack members, they typically keep to themselves but will be there if you need them."

Xiao nods, fidgeting uncomfortably with all the attention. Luffy tries to wrap his arms around Xiao, happy that he has another brother. Katsuki steps in front of Xiao and catches Luffy's wrist with a Haki-coated grip, "Don't even try it, Rubberband."

Luffy gulps and lets his arm retract, "Sorry Kats, I'm just excited. I just thought he needed a hug."

Ace and Shoto chuckle at Luffy, "Sorry Lu, it seems only Izuku can get away with hugging unwilling people without consequences."

"Hey!" Izuku pouts indignantly, "hugs are a perfectly acceptable show of affection! Besides hugs make people feel better."

Xiao smiles slightly at Izuku, "so not only are you still a cry baby, but you're a cuddle monster too?"

Izuku doesn't even feel ashamed as he nods vigorously, "Yep!"

Ace laughs, "he cuddle rapes us all the time."

"Cuddle rape?" Xiao chokes on his breath.

"You can't call it cuddle rape if you are a willing participant, Matchstick!" Katsuki smirks.

Suddenly the door to the bridge opens and Kato enters while looking at his notebook. Without looking away from his pages he calls, "Izuku, I was looking through your notebook and thought of something. I think it is possible to isolate one of the headsets and block out the others. It is just a matter of fine-tuning the receivers. We could even make it voice activate, if I can make the right code, I won't need the headsets, I could just do the upgrade from here."

Izuku tackles the unexpecting genius, breaking him out of his observations. Kato groans painfully as he tries to understand why he has a lap full of a hysterical Izuku. "Uhhh…" He cuts himself off because he doesn't really know how to process this. Katsuki, Ace, and Luffy are laughing at them. Someone who looks like Izuku but not at the same time looks extremely confused. Gaara is standing there like he expected this to happen, and Sasuke is pretending no one in the room exists. So Kato huffs, "can someone explain to me why Izuku just pounced on me, hysterically?"

Izuku tries to tell him, but he is too emotional right now to form words, he is not even upset, or sad, or angry. But he has never felt so happy, relieved, or content in his life, and well he has always been a cry baby, so this isn't really anything new to the pack members.

"Ace called him a cuddle rapist." Gaara snitches with a smirk. "He accused Izuku of forcing people to cuddle with him."

"Oh?" Kato hums, "I see." He gently pants Izuku's head and forces them to sit up. A smirk plays at the corners of his lips, "at least…he didn't bully you into being friends with him."

"But…" Izuku starts with his lip wobbling, his eyes tearing up, "I didn't…" He hiccups, "Kato!"

Katsuki, Ace, and Luffy double over in laughter as Kato fondly chuckles. "I'm sorry Izuku. I couldn't resist teasing you."

Katsuki is the first one to sober up, "the Nerd is over-emotional right now. This is the best way to work it out." He eyes Xiao for his reaction. But to Katsuki's surprise, Xiao has a nostalgic smile on his face as he watches Izuku.

"I know," Xiao hums. "I am familiar with hysterical tears, and genuine tears. It brings back so many memories."

It doesn't take much longer for Izuku to work out his emotions, prying himself away from Kato with a massive grin. "I gave you a choice… you chose to stay" He smirks, "So stop complaining."

Kato smirks right back, "I only stay because of your beautiful mind."

Katsuki snarls "Hey! Paws off the Nerd! He's mine…" then he blushes, "that includes his mind."

"No way Blasty!" Ace playfully argues, "you already have his heart, leave some for the rest of us!"

"Yea, Kats," Luffy chimes in, "Didn't anyone tell you sharing is caring!"

Gaara nods wisely, "he is not wrong."

Sasuke grunts, "hn," and nods agreeing while standing next to Gaara with his arms crossed.

Shoto watches the scene with amusement until Katsuki gets annoyed enough to start exploding. Izuku chuckles quietly from his spot sitting on the floor. Xiao stares as the petty squabbling turns into a wrestling match as Katsuki pounces on the two ravens. The look on Xiao's face amuses Shoto because it looks almost like a grimace that one would wear when they are afraid of an ailment being contagious. Shoto chuckles to himself, little does he know.

Xiao looks fondly terrified, "are they always like this?"

Shoto hums, "pretty much. Ace likes to tease Katsuki because it gets a rise out of him. Luffy is an instigator, he will add fuel to whoever is starting the fire. Izuku just sits back, and watches amused as the three tires themselves out."

Xiao sighs, accepting his new fate as the oldest mature brother. He is starting to see the dynamic of the brothers. The polite introductions seemed awkward like they didn't want to spook Xiao, and he is grateful for it. But he considers the playful wrestling, the snapping of Katsuki, the yelping of Ace, while Luffy has somehow managed to pull himself out of the brawl and started to cheer for both of the teens in equal measure. He turns back to Shoto, "would you say this is the same level of chaos I can expect from the rest of the pack?"

Shoto hums, "everyone in the pack has their own brand of chaos. But they are respectful of other boundaries. They know when to back off when some of the quieter packmates need to be alone."

"I see," Xiao hums. "I think I can get used to this," he states with confidence. It might take him a while to get accustomed to this new life, but if his comfort is the price he has to pay for a family; well he has paid more for less before.

Izuku stands up next to Xiao, "how are you feeling, Aniki?"

Xiao looks at his younger brother consideringly, "I think I am good. As long as I can retreat if I get overwhelmed, I'll be fine."

Izuku smiles, "the ship is big enough that only the confirmed matches share a room. There are plenty of free rooms you can claim."

Xiao nods and pulls his brother into a hug, "thank you Zuzu, for giving me a second chance to have a family."

Izuku returns his hug with a tight one of his own, "of course, Aniki."

Xiao spends a couple of moments holding Izuku close before he sighs and releases his hold, "when are we going to tell mom?"

Izuku hums in thought and puts his finger to his lip, "it's your choice how we do this. We could call her tonight and let you talk to her, or we could wait a few days and meet her in person. She is traveling with Shanks near Water Seven." He strides over to the map laid out on the table, he points to the island they are headed to, "We are heading to Jaya to restock provisions. I don't have to stop anywhere after that until Water Seven. But…" he pauses for a moment as he studies the map, "I will call Shanks tonight to find out why they are all meeting in Water Seven. When we got here, we agreed to meet up on Sabaody Archipelago. It might not be safe enough to have a reunion there. But what if we were to ask Shanks to meet us on one of these islands? We could do a private reunion with mom and Shanks."

"Who's Shanks?" Xiao asks curiously.

"Shanks is a Yonko, about 12 years ago he was in the east blue where he met Luffy. Luffy is the Biological Son of the Revolutionary Dragon. Ace is the son of the late Pirate King. The world government found out about the two boys and made a trip to the island to investigate and exterminate the two boys. Shanks didn't know at the time, but he caught word of the government's arrival and set sail so the island wouldn't get in trouble for housing pirates. Less than a day away from the Island, Shanks saw smoke coming from that direction, he took a small boat to investigate. When he arrived the island was on fire, and two panicked little boys were trapped. In front of them was a raging wall of fire, and behind them was the ocean. Since they were both fruit holders, either way, was a death sentence. Shanks called out to Luffy, so Luffy grabbed Ace and jumped into the ocean where Shanks saved them." Izuku tells with a dark look on his face. "As they were escaping the Island to head to Shanks' crew they capsized in a storm, where they ended up shipwrecked on Dagobah Beach. When they found out there was no way for them to return here, Shanks decided to be a father to Ace and Luffy. He started to train us when we were five because I kept getting territorial around the others. Ace and Luffy are not quirk users, so Shanks had to train us to be able to control our Devil Fruits. Eventually, Kacchan and I started to view him as a father figure. He never treated us any different than he did Ace and Luffy, and since Kacchan's dad died in a fire, and well our dad abandoned me… we accepted him as the pack's dad."

"I see," Xiao looks down in thought. He is glad his brother had family after their dad took him away. He doesn't have many memories of family. The few he has have been warped by fear, pain, despair, and hurt, so much hurt. He spent a long time enslaved to faceless voices commanding him to submit. But he wouldn't, couldn't force himself to truly fall that far into the darkness. Their father forced him to devour the dreams, ambitions, and wills to survive of countless unfortunate souls. Forever condemning them to the damned. When Zhongli saved him from his father's clutches, Xiao begged him for death. He couldn't live with himself and the atrocities he was forced to commit. While Xiao was maybe only 12 or 13 when he was saved, he couldn't, wouldn't view Zhongli as a father figure. To him, having a father meant suffering. Even if Zhongli tried to get Xiao to see him as something other than a Master, he couldn't. All he knows how to do is obey, force his own feelings aside, and be the weapon his master forged.

But as he watches his brother (brothers now) he thinks maybe he can learn a different way. If Shanks can be a true father to his brother, then maybe Xiao can learn to trust him. He realizes he must have zoned out quite a bit because the next thing he knows is Izuku is staring at him in a mix of worry and concern. Xiao blinks, "huh?"

Izuku's eyes turn studious, "how are you feeling?"

Xiao wants to immediately tell his brother that he is fine, and he wouldn't really be lying, because he hasn't felt this at peace and pain-free since his earliest memories. But he looks at the concern in Izuku's eyes, the barely hidden worry in his new brothers' eyes, and sighs, "I am fine, just…" he looks around old fear to not speak about weakness, but he smiles softly at the small smiles his brothers are giving him, "just tired." A blush highlights his cheeks, born of shame and embarrassment, "it's been a while since I have had this much social exposure…" He doesn't realize he is pouting, "it's exhausting."

Izuku gets a gleam of understanding in his eyes, "you are still recovering from your injuries…" Izuku cuts himself off as he begins to fret over his brother. "Let's go pick out a room for you, then you can rest."

Xiao nods and follows Izuku and Katsuki out of the bridge, before exiting the room Xiao hesitates. Izuku watches him from the corner of his eye, as Xiao nibbles on his lip in clear nervousness. Izuku raises an eyebrow in question, "Xiao, what's wrong?"

Xiao hesitates even more, "it's nothing."

Izuku shares a glance with Katsuki, the other teen shrugs his shoulder as well. They will just have to wait before Xiao is more comfortable to voice his wants. Izuku nods and continues to lead his brother to the deck. Out on deck Izuku takes a look at his packmates, Zoro is still leaning against the railing with his eyes closed, but Izuku can tell the man isn't asleep. Aizawa and Kakashi are sitting against the mizzenmast where they can watch over most people. Neji and Shinso look like they want to storm into the bridge to rescue Sasuke. Itachi is in the crow's nest on lookout duty. Denki, Usopp, Bennet, and Kirishima are telling stories of their adventures so far to Barbara and Chopper. Shikamaru is cloud watching while Naruto sits close by talking quietly with Lee. Albedo is sitting close to the Figure Head with his sketchbook out, he seems to be sketching the calmness of the crew.

Nami spots Izuku from where she was sitting under the orange trees with her sisters, she makes a beeline for him. As she approaches, she takes in the anxious air around the teen that looks like Izuku. She hesitates to approach the trio because Katsuki and Izuku have intensely protective auras around them.

Izuku glances at her with soft green eyes, "Nami, what's up?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have a question about the log pose," Nami states giving Izuku the opportunity to tell her they will talk later.

However, Izuku hums, "what about the log pose do you have questions about?"

"I think it is broken…" Nami begins with a furrow of confusion on her face. "One of the pointers is pointing to the sky…" Nami explains while handing the log pose over to Izuku.

Izuku hums as he studies the device, "it's not broken. If the log pose is pointing to the sky… that means, there is an island up there." He hands the log pose over to Nami, "don't worry about it, once we get to the next island, the log pose will reset."

"An island in the sky?" Nami questions with disbelief.

"Yup," Izuku smiles at the navigator. "Shanks told us about it… He used to tell us stories about his time as a cabin boy on the Pirate King's ship."

"Oh yeah, I didn't think he was actually serious about it," Katsuki mumbles.

"I would love to up there and experience it for myself…" Izuku pouts, "but we don't have the time, and I don't remember going to a sky Island in my visions." Izuku sighs dramatically for a moment before he settles his eyes back on Nami, "keep our course to Jaya. Ignore the log pose for now and follow the upgraded one."

"Ok, thank you," Nami dismisses herself heading towards the bridge with the new information.

Izuku watches her go before he turns to Xiao, "That is Nami, she is one of our Navigators." Xiao nods and continues to follow Izuku. Izuku catches Aizawa's eye, he is going to have to walk past the man to get below deck. He sighs as Aizawa raises an eyebrow and he approaches the men, "Hey Shota," Izuku smiles innocently.

Shota raises an eyebrow, his eyes flitting between Izuku, Katsuki, and Xiao. He sees the resemblance between the two green-haired teens and starts to piece the information together. "Problem Child." Aizawa greets.

Izuku smiles and turns to Xiao, "Xiao this is Shota Aizawa, Ace, Luffy, Kacchan, and I view him as our older brother. He helped Shanks train us, and I owe a lot of my healing capabilities to him. He is also our Teacher at U.A."

Xiao bows a bit awkwardly, "it's a pleasure to meet you."

Izuku smiles blindingly at the older man, "Shota, this is my older brother, Xiao." He rubs the back of his neck, "I am introducing him to family."

Aizawa senses the hesitation in Izuku's voice, "I see, another Problem Child."

Xiao looks down at the ground, he doesn't understand what he did to be considered a problem child, he has only been awake on the ship for about an hour. He is also confused because the man said problem child almost fondly. He must be making a face that gives away his confused thoughts because Izuku chuckles and drapes an arm over him, "don't worry about the title. I met Shota when I was seven, he was still a student of Shanks when I met him. Shanks opened a quirk training facility and Shota was sparring against 10 newly graduated Heroes. He was holding his own until the last guy, he got injured and I healed him. After that I realized I was going to be late for training with Shanks, so I ran to meet up with Ace, Luffy, and Kacchan." A whimper builds in his throat, and he tries to choke it down, "but when I arrived… Kacchan wasn't there. I felt uneasy and thought something bad was happening to Kacchan. So Ace and I left to go find him."

Xiao watches as Katsuki glares at the wooden planks under their feet, the man, Aizawa glares at nothing. So Xiao concludes that something bad must have happened to the other teen. But Izuku doesn't seem to want to talk about it anymore.

Katsuki sighs, "that was the day my mother tried to kill me."

Izuku whimpers, "it was the first time I fully transformed, and I spent hours healing Kacchan."

Xiao looks puzzled, "why would your mother try to kill you?"

Katsuki sighs, "she blamed me for the death of my father. She believed if my dad let me die in that fire, he would still be around. She was always distant with me, and as I got closer to the Nerd, she would send me over there. I spent more time sleeping over at the Nerds than I did at my own home. She started to get violent when my quirk came in and I started training with Shanks to control it. On the rare days, she was actually home, and I slept in my own house, she saw my mark. I got so used to showing it off around the Nerd, that I forgot to cover it up. She got angry and started to berate my Soulmate, saying only a demon could love another demon. I got angry, not because she called me a demon, I'm used to it… But she called Izuku a demon, and that wasn't ok." Katsuki takes in a shaky breath, "the rest of it is a blur of pain, but I remember running to my room and locking my door. I was just going to grab my training bag and leave through my window. Give her a few days to calm down. But the next thing I know is she is slamming me into the bookshelf, kicking me in the stomach and chest, and then a stabbing feeling in my stomach."

Aizawa sighs, "after that incident, Shanks increased Izuku's training. While Fuji was powerful, Izuku was not strong enough to not go berserk. Shanks was worried that every time one of the boys got injured Fuji might rampage. The stronger they got the less likely they would get hurt. At the time I was an underground hero, so my missions more often than not resulted in some pretty gruesome wounds. Most of the time I wouldn't have enough stamina for Recovery Girl to heal me, so I would interrupt their training and let the Problem Child train his healing."

Izuku blushes, "my instincts wanted to protect him, but they also acknowledged that Shota would protect us as well. I was still getting used to having a pack mentality, that everyone I felt I close to became pack. Fuji wanted people to claim, so by the time I was seven, the pack went from Ace, Luffy, Kacchan, Mom, and Shanks, to Include All Might, Nighteye, and Aizawa. When I was nine Hawks became pack, he taught me how to control my feathers telepathically. Under his training, I was able to use my feathers to deliver healing without me physically touching anyone."

Xiao hums trying to understand what Izuku is trying to explain to him, "So everyone in the pack is family?"

"Not exactly," Izuku begins. "Pack is Pack. When I was younger, I didn't truly understand that, so when my instincts flared to make someone pack, I subconsciously placed people in roles they fit the best. So Aizawa and Hawks became older brothers, All Might and Nighteye became uncles, and Shanks became our dad."

Katsuki sighs, "the nerd broke that habit in middle school. Kato was the first person in the pack that wasn't associated as a family member."

Xiao nods understandingly, it makes sense for Izuku's instincts to war and confuse him until he got used to the change in thinking. "How did you decide who became pack, surely not everyone that was nice to you became pack?"

Izuku chuckles, "a few hours after I consumed Fuji's fruit, Shanks was telling us about Ace, and Luffy's past. I didn't know why but I felt an intense wave of protective instincts flare in me. According to Shanks, I was starting to lose control over Fuji. Shanks calmed me down by telling me the pack was safe. I think subconsciously I already accepted Ace and Luffy as family, but Fuji viewed them as pack. Even before I got Fuji, Kacchan was always special to me. When I was diagnosed as quirkless I decided I was going to focus on my analytical abilities, if I couldn't be a hero; I was going to make sure Kacchan was the best hero for the both of us." Izuku hums, "In middle school, I saved Kato from being pushed off the roof. When we got to class, his old classmates started to berate Kato for being quirkless and pretending he was worth having friends, the same protective instincts flared. So I claimed him as pack. Kirishima and Shoto are Luffy's and Ace's soulmates, once I trusted them not to hurt them, I claimed them. Shoto was being abused at home by his father Endeavor under the guise of training. Endeavor has a fire quirk, so he was convinced the universe was wrong to pair him with a fire user, he wasn't going to tell Ace about their bond. But I forced him to use his fire in the sports festival and his shirt burnt off exposing his mark to Ace." Something sad but resigned flashes in Izuku's eyes, "Kaminari, Ashido, Asui, Tokoyami, and Shoji were the only people who didn't view us as villains, monsters, or demons. They wanted to be our friends, they saw something in us they believed was worth fighting for."

Xiao tries to picture his brother as a monster, but he just can't see it. How could anyone think his brother is a villain? Or a monster? "I don't understand how anyone can think you are a monster." Xiao narrows his eyes trying to picture it, trying to picture the people that would dare to call his sweet little brother a villain.

Katsuki is the one that sighs, "it started when the Nerd was determined to be my friend. I was the one viewed as a monster, Izuku was the quirkless nerd, so no one wanted to be his friend. Every time I lost control of my quirk the other kids would run screaming, except for Izuku; he would hug me, tell me stories about All Might's newest victory, and eventually I would calm down. He would tell me how cool my quirk was, how it was suited for heroics. He was the first person to believe that I could be a hero."

Izuku shakes his head, "it wasn't Kacchan's fault. Sure I wasn't liked because I was quirkless, but the rumors of monster, villain, and demon didn't start until Fuji's features started to show up. After school, the older kids would try to fix me by cutting off my ears and tails. Since they were fire, they grew back, and there was never any evidence so I couldn't go to the teachers. When we got to U.A. one of the students tried to psych me out, and he touched my soul mark. I growled at him and laced a bit of Fuji's presence and conqueror's Haki to instill fear in him." A whimper builds in his throat, "it only made him afraid of me, and he watched me intensely during the exams. He saw me control my feathers and thought I was attacking people. During our first heroic lesson, he kept calling me a monster causing me to go into a panic, so when it was our turn to complete the lesson; I was already on edge. The lesson paired two heroes against two villains, I was one of the villains. Our objective was to defend a fake bomb, so I shifted into Fuji's form." He sighs as Xiao takes in the information, "after the lesson I healed him and his partner. As I was healing his partner he attacked me, if I moved his partner would have been injured so I took the hit and healed myself. He demanded me to tell him the secrets of my quirk and I refused. I wasn't going to tell someone who would use my abilities against me. Since then he has been convinced, I infiltrated the school as a villain, and I am just biding my time before I attack."

Katsuki huffs, "fucking bullshit."

Izuku shakes his head, "it doesn't matter."

Katsuki glares and Izuku can feel the glare of Aizawa burning his skin, "it does matter," Katsuki snarls. "Most of the students in U.A. are afraid of us. Iida has convinced everyone that we corrupted Icy-hot, Shitty Hair, Pikachu, Pinky, and Froggy."

Xiao makes a confused sound, and Izuku chuckles at Katsuki's pout. "Kacchan gives everyone nicknames. Shoto is Icy-hot, Kirishima is Shitty Hair, Kaminari is Pikachu, Ashido is Pinky, and Asui is Froggy." Xiao nods but stays silent. Izuku smiles fondly, "I don't care what Iida thinks we are doing, as long as the pack knows the truth; that is all that matters."

Katsuki grumbles something under his breath, and Izuku can guess what Katsuki is griping about. And Izuku agrees it really isn't fair how they are treated, but Izuku can only do so much to change their minds. If Izuku putting his life on the line to save his fellow students didn't change their perception, nothing will. And Izuku knows Kacchan has never really dropped the thought that their reputation is negative because of him. So Izuku heats his hand with his flames and rubs Katsuki's back, forcing the explosive male to lose the tension in his frame.

Xiao's golden eyes sparkle with something dangerous, his cat-like pupils constrict into barely noticeable slits. Katsuki and Izuku can sense the righteous fury building within the older teen, similar to the way Aizawa feels when he gets all overprotective older brother on them. The feeling makes Izuku and Katsuki smile fondly as they move to engulf Xiao in a hug. For his credit, Xiao doesn't flinch this time instead, he breathes out a slow breath expelling the rising bloodlust he is feeling.

While Xiao is trying to calm himself down, Izuku and Katsuki say their goodbyes to Aizawa and the masked man sitting next to him. They lead him back below deck to the infirmary, at Xiao's confused look Izuku smiles innocently, "I want Law to double-check that your injuries are healed. I also want him to make sure the toxin is fully out of your system, and that there are no additional signs of sea stone. If everything checks out, I would like to heal Alatus… that is if you're up for it."

Xiao nods and lets himself be examined; this time he observes everything Law is doing to him. A blue transparent sphere circles the room, and Law closes his eyes. His hands slowly move over Xiao's torso, arms, and then legs. The man hums as he closely studies the bedded teen. After several anxious minutes, Law leans back, and with a sigh, he disperses the blue sphere. The man's baritone voice sounds out almost excitedly, "my scan did not pick up any traces of the toxin, or the sea stone. As far as I am aware there are no internal injuries."

Izuku smiles blindingly at Law, "Thank you, Law."

Law gets a gleam of interest in his eyes, "think nothing of it. I have never dealt with Sea Stone poisoning, so it was informative and interesting." Something like impatience flares in Law, "if you'll excuse me… I need to take the toxin samples to Albedo."

"Oh?" Izuku perks up interested, "what for?" His tails are twitching in excitement.

Law smirks, "I think we might be able to create a counter for a devil fruits weakness to Sea Stone. We could have immunity or at least a stronger defense against it."

"Oh… that is…" Izuku's eyes widen like a child being told they have free reign in a candy store. "Let me know if you need any help or another set of eyes."

Law shakes his head at Izuku's excitement, "spend time with your brother. I will let you know the results of what we come up with. Albedo is going to try to isolate exactly what it is that reacts with the devil fruits."

Izuku pouts, not because he doesn't want to spend time with his brother, but he also wants to be involved in the experiment. But he relents, he can always bother Albedo and Law about it some other time. "You'll let me read your notes, right?" Izuku asks with a barely contained mad scientist grin.

Law smirks, "of course. Now if you'll excuse me." Law bids them farewell before Izuku can hound him for more information or start muttering about the possibilities of such a cure.

Izuku pouts as he watches Law leave, for a few moments he sits and sulks about not being involved in the experiment, but Law is right; Xiao comes first. Izuku reigns in his desire to chase down Law and turns his bright emerald gaze towards Xiao and Katsuki. Both of the teens have amused grins on their faces, Izuku blushes.

Xiao smirks, "I see you have honed your mad scientist look."

"Imagine the possibilities of finding a cure to Sea Stone weakness. If Dad is involved with the Calamity, then that means they know this weakness and can use it against us in the war. If we can find a cure… or strengthen our defenses towards it… we will have the upper hand." Izuku rambles.

"That would be beneficial since a lot of our Army are fruit users." Katsuki reasons.

"Imagine the devastation to our side if we lose Fuji, Morax, and Alatus because they were sealed by Sea Stone. Not to mention the other powerful fruits like Marco's Pheonix, Ace's fire, Luffy's rubber, Barbara's Healing, even Law's Operation capabilities would be at risk." Izuku slightly panics.

Katsuki rubs Izuku's back, "we can worry about that later. Right now you should focus on healing Alatus."

Izuku sighs a dramatic breath, "you're right, Kacchan. Law and Albedo are working on it, after Xiao is rested, we can go check on their progress." Izuku shakes out his hands and closes his eyes, he has never healed a devil fruit spirit before, but it should be possible with Fuji's purifying flames. "Xiao, I need Alatus to come out so I can heal him directly."

Xiao nods and closes his eyes, for a moment nothing happens. Then suddenly, the room is filled with a pale golden glow. As the glow fades, Izuku stares in awe at the majestic golden bird. Alatus resembles something like a cross between a Phoenix and a Vermillion Bird. He is mostly whiteish gold, with a fine purple and green glow around him. The glow reminds Izuku of Fuji's smoky form. As he studies the Adeptus he takes in the shredded wings and begins to heal them gently.

Izuku runs golden-colored flames over the Birds wings, wincing in sympathy as the wings mend together with painful sounding pops and cracks of mending bones. Alatus clicks his beak and hisses in pain, but he stays still. Most of the damage to Alatus' body is from the disfiguration of his wings. After a couple of hours of meticulously healing the adepti's wings, Izuku moves on to the lacerations and wounds covering his body. The wounds are placed in the same places as the chains of Miasma and Corruption wrapped around his body. The wounds are festering, most likely from being unable to heal himself for so long. Izuku lays a comforting hand on the Adepti's shoulder, "Alatus, I am sorry, but this is going to be exceedingly painful. I need to burn the festering wounds while I heal them. I will try to be quick, but I will need you to bear with me."

Alatus nods, "Do what you must."

Izuku nods determined and increases the intensity of his flames. The flames burn the skin on his hands and forearms, and Izuku hisses in slight pain. He quickly pushes the feeling down so he can focus on healing the Adepti's wounds as quickly as he can. Alatus screams and screeches in pain as Izuku works on burning and healing the wounds, and when the Adepti starts thrashing and trying to get away, Katsuki is quick to hold him down. Alatus digs his talons into anything he can which happens to be Katsuki's shoulder and Izuku's side.

Izuku winces with the sharp stabbing feeling of Alatus' talons breaking into his flesh, but he ignores it. After a while Alatus releases his death grip on the two teens as he loses the strength to keep on fighting. During the screaming and thrashing, Izuku can sense multiple pack members coming down to the med bay. They are obviously worried, but they know the danger of interrupting Izuku while he is healing a delicate injury.

Katsuki waits until the Adepti loses strength and pries himself away. He takes a few steps towards the door; Zhongli stands there almost glaring into the room. Katsuki can see the beginnings of scales creeping up the sides of Zhongli's neck and face. And from what Katsuki can see of his hands and forearms, are the beginnings of draconic claws, his hands are a brownish orange with glowing orange vein-like markings traveling up his arms. Katsuki is unsure if Zhongli is trying to keep Morax from lashing out, or if he is allowing the Geo Archon to witness the healing of his Friend. Katsuki sighs, "the Nerd had to burn away the festering corruption that was inside Alatus' wounds. It is a very painful procedure, but this is the only way to remove corruption. Unfortunately, this is not an injury that can be healed slowly over time. The longer the corruption stays in his body the chance of losing him increases."

Zhongli nods, almost like he knew this already. So Katsuki invites the man into the infirmary while shooting an apologetic look to the other packmates. Once the other packmates clear away from crowding the hallway, Katsuki closes the door with a sigh. "The nerd is almost done, and I am sure Alatus would be more comfortable around a friendly face."

Zhongli nods again, and without speaking he moves to occupy an empty bed. Close enough to the Adepti to watch the procedure, but far enough away from Izuku so he is not too distracting. When he heard the first screams coming from the infirmary, he knew what was going on. Morax wasn't agitated enough to rampage, but he was restless and wanted to be by his Adepti's side to offer at least a little bit of comfort. The dragon knew this would be a painful procedure and he didn't sense any maliciousness or deceit coming from Katsuki when the teen explained what was going on. He was content to watch from the door, while blocking the nosy young from distracting Fuji's host from the procedure. But he is thankful that Katsuki let him in to observe the healing closer.

It doesn't take much longer for the white-hot flames from Izuku's hand to trickle out. He breathes a sigh of relief as the decayed smell of corruption is no longer present in the air. The white-hot flames have burned through most of his healing stamina, so all he can manage is a trickle of green flames to heal his own injuries. He knows his hands are going to scar, but he heals the majority of the burns. Once they are healed to an acceptable extent, he works on healing the gashes and punctures to his side from Alatus' thrashing. Unable to heal the wounds all the way, he stops when the wounds are no longer bleeding. Izuku feels slightly bad that he is unable to accelerate Kacchan's own healing, but he manages to push it down as Katsuki's wounds do not look too serious.

Katsuki approaches his nerd with some burn cream, anti-bacterial cream, and clean wrapping bandages. He helps his Nerd take off his shirt so he can inspect the damage to the nerd's side. The wounds have already started to clot, so Katsuki applies the ointment to the bandages and wraps them around Izuku's belly and sides. He secures the bandages and makes sure they are not too tight that Izuku can't breathe, but also not to lose that they slip and fall off every time the nerd moves. When he is satisfied, he works on applying the burn cream to the most severe burns, mindful of the blisters on his hands and arms. He carefully wraps Izuku's arms staring with his fingers and working his way up to just below the crease of the elbow. As Katsuki wraps Izuku's injuries, the Nerd can barely keep his eyes open with how exhausted he is. Once Katsuki is done, he forces Izuku to lay down on the empty bed, it is not hard, all it takes is a gentle push to the nerd's shoulder before he is falling back almost bonelessly. Izuku is asleep before his head hits the pillow, Katsuki smiles at the soft, if exhausted, tranquil expression of the Nerd's face.

Katsuki sits down between the bed Izuku is on and the bed Xiao occupies, content to watch over the two. Katsuki looks over towards the other bed, Zhongli is sitting up watching over the still transformed Adepti. There is a soft, thankful look on his face as Zhongli makes eye contact with Katsuki. The man nods gratefully, and the draconic feature starts to fade.

"Alatus may be Morax's subordinate, by he cares about him as a father would." Zhongli states without taking his eyes off the bedded Adepti. "I didn't know he was in such dire shape. I knew the Being of Darkness must have done something to him, but I never would have imagined it was this bad…"

Katsuki sits quietly and listens to the man; he can smell the guilt plaguing the older man.

"I wish there was something more I could have done," Zhongli sighs. "I have come to view Xiao as mine, but there was nothing I could do to help him." There is something draconic in his voice.

Katsuki smirks, "you might have to fight the Nerd for him. He is very possessive over his claims."

Zhongli looks at Katsuki studiously for a moment, "and you?"

"Me?" Katsuki's smirk widens to a bloodthirsty grin, "I'm even more possessive. I remember Xiao from when we were kids and the Nerd was devastated when he was told Xiao was dead. We owe you our thanks for saving him, but…" Katsuki's grin drops as his eyes flash dangerously protective, "we won't hesitate to fight for our claims. Even against you."

Zhongli's diamond pupils constrict to form a very narrow black slit, almost bisecting the iris in half. The eyes glow slightly golden, and the beginnings of draconic scales begin to form around his eyes. He studies Katsuki, searches him for weakness and deceit. Because if he is going to allow someone to threaten his claim on Xiao, they need to be strong enough to protect him. But Katsuki narrows his own wolf-like eyes, challenging Zhongli while baring his fangs in a silent snarl.

The staredown continues for several moments before a warning growl steals both of their attention. Izuku's eyes glow bright green as he releases his tight control of Fuji's presence. And even though both Zhongli and Katsuki can tell Izuku is tired, his presence is unwavering. Zhongli retracts his challenge with a sigh and a small fond smile. Katsuki looks away with a wordless snarl. Izuku's eyes flit between the two before he too sighs and reigns in his presence.

Izuku chuckles slightly, "I have no idea why you both are fighting each other for Xiao."

Katsuki stares at Izuku like he grew a second head, it's not like the Nerd to give up on a claim so easily.

Zhongli stares confused and slightly upset, he thought Izuku at least cared for Xiao. Why else would he go to no man's land to save him from the corruption? No, it doesn't make sense. Everything Morax told him about Fuji, doesn't add up to what he is witnessing. All he receives from Morax is a wave of acceptance and expectation.

"Do not mistake my approach as giving up my claim on Xiao," Izuku smirks at their dumbfounded expressions. "I have no intention of giving up my claim, Xiao is mine. But…" he breathes out the snarl building in his throat, "I also have no intention of threatening your claim to him."

His eyes flash towards Zhongli, "Morax is Fuji's friend, if it was anyone else trying to take my claim, I would tear their throat out. But I trust in Fuji's valued friendship with Morax, that I am willing to share my claim. On one condition…"

Zhongli's eyes narrow, "what is this condition?"

"You and Morax become mine," Izuku smirks.

"Yours?" Zhongli questions with a draconic snarl lacing his voice.

"Yes, Xiao needs family. I have no intention of taking him away from the one person who has been there for him." Izuku blushes, "but my instincts won't allow me to share him outside the pack."

"I see," Zhongli hums. "Morax has warned me about something like this…" he mutters under his breath.

Izuku hears it, and he blushes. "I'm sorry, I have never been in this situation before."

Zhongli hums, "it is an acceptable alternative to fighting over him. Xiao is strong and stubborn; he will never admit to needing anyone. He would rather fight and die alone if it would protect everyone. He believes he is nothing more than a weapon, forged to fight unfeelingly, ruthlessly, unyielding until his last breath. He does not believe he is worth kindness, or forgiveness." Zhongli's eyes hold a deep sadness but flash with hope, "but I think between the three of us… we could heal the wounds to his heart."

Izuku and Katsuki flash matching determined grins towards the man, "of course, I'll protect him to my last breath. As long as I am alive, I will never let him fight alone."

Zhongli nods with the growling determination coming from the two wolves. And just like that the rest of the overwhelming tension dissipates, replaced with a calm conviction. And Zhongli knows this is the best outcome to protect someone all three of them care about. It wouldn't make sense to fight over him, also given the fact of Fuji's and Morax's friendship, it's the only reason this outcome is even possible.

With the tension gone Izuku's eyes flit over to the other occupied bed, Alatus is still out, but sleeping soundly. And Izuku flares his healing over the majestic bird again, caressingly, ensuring nothing was missed in his earlier healing session. Even with the double and triple-check he still keeps Alatus wrapped in his flames. Zhongli thinks he is replenishing the Adepti's reserves, but he also wonders why the Adepti didn't retreat after the healing was completed.

"He didn't want Xiao to feel the aftershocks of pain. Being burned alive and healed at the same time is not a pleasant experience," Izuku hums.

Oh, Zhongli must have spoken his thoughts out loud, he didn't mean to. "Why doesn't he go back now? Surely the pain must have passed by now."

"While I am capable of healing the most severe of injuries…" Something sad flashes in Izuku's gaze, "it's not enough to erase a decade worth of untreated pain and suffering. He can hide it well, being covered in feathers as he is… But he is trembling with the aftershocks of lingering pain… If I keep him wrapped in my flames for a couple more hours he should be fully healed."

"I see," Zhongli's amber eyes study the Adeptus carefully, noticing the slight trembling of the bird's feathers. He flashes his amber eyes back to the green-haired teen, and he can see the boy is shaking slightly at the excursion of keeping his flames going. But his eyes are determined, his hands are steady as he pushes more energy into making sure the Adeptus is fully healed.

Katsuki sits behind Izuku and gently pulls the teen back to lean on him, offering his support and strength to Izuku. Zhongli watches concerned as sweat builds on the boy's face as the minutes crawl past the first hour. Still, Zhongli watches as Alatus' shaking subsides and he decides to tell the cook to make something that will replenish the healer's reserves. It is the only thing he can do to help. So without disturbing Izuku's focus, he gets off the bed, and silently makes his way to the door. He can feel a gaze burning into him, so he turns his head and makes eye contact with the vermillion-eyed teen.

Katsuki raises an eyebrow in question. And Zhongli hopes Katsuki understands the sign for food, but the boy's eyes flash understandingly and Zhongli makes his way out of the infirmary. He closes the door as gently as he can, securing it with a soft click.

In the hall, Zhongli notices a couple of teens sitting on the floor leaning against the wall with anxious looks on their faces. One of the teens is a red-and-white-haired teen, the boy clears his throat, "how is he?"

Zhongli can hear the quiver of concern in the otherwise monotone voice, "Izuku is fine, exhausted but fine. Katsuki is in there with him." Zhongli answers because he figures these teens are worried about the healer.

"I know Izuku will be fine," the boy shakes his head. "I was asking about Xiao, how is he?"

For a moment Zhongli looks shocked, but he quickly buries the surprise, "he is better with Izuku's healing."

The teen releases a quiet relieved sigh, "that's good."

Zhongli studies the teens sitting on the floor, and it doesn't look like that is very comfortable, so he sighs, "come with me to the chefs?" He offers, at the boys' confused faces Zhongli sighs again, "the amount of energy required to heal Xiao is draining Izuku's reserves. He is going to need something to eat when he is done."

Understanding flashes in the two-toned teen, and he nods. The boy helps the other teens stand up and follows Zhongli out of the hallway and to the deck. On the deck the teen clears his throat, "I am Shoto," he introduces himself with a slight bow. Then he points to the other two teens, "This is Ace and Luffy, they are the adopted brothers of Izuku and Katsuki."

Zhongli raises an eyebrow, "it is nice to meet you."

The raven with the freckles coughs slightly with an embarrassed blush tinting his cheeks, "Luffy and I have accepted Xiao as our brother as well." He bows slightly, "thank you, for rescuing him."

Zhongli nods and accepts the gratitude, "I am glad Xiao has more people who care about him."

"Even though we just met him today, he is still our brother." The other raven, who must be Luffy states challengingly.

Zhongli raises an eyebrow; it seems it is not just the two wolves he would have to go through to keep Xiao. It wasn't like he was gonna take him away, he just wanted to see how they would react to a threat on their claim. It seems like he didn't need to worry, at least these 5 teens care about Xiao as if the teen were their own flesh and blood. Rather than rising to the challenge Luffy is offering him, he smiles relieved, "take good care of him."

The three teens have matching looks of determination as Shoto nods, "Of course."

Zhongli accepts the response and follows the Heterochromatic teen to the kitchens. Shoto opens the door gently, making sure not to startle the chef. "Sanji," The teen announces his presence.

The cook, Sanji looks up from his workstation, he eyes the intruders with a skeptical gaze. Normally if it was just the two bottomless pit ravens, he would have kicked them out of his kitchen the moment they opened the door. But seeing Shoto leading one of the newest arrivals makes him pause, "what can I do for you, Shoto?"

Shoto hums and walks farther into the dining area, "Izuku is doing another intense healing session on Xiao."

Zhongli interrupts, "I hate to bother you, but could you make something that would replenish Izuku's energy?"

Sanji nods, "I'll get started right away." Then he hums, "The other teen…"

"Xiao" Shoto offers.

"Xiao, how is he?" Sanji asks with a hint of worry on his face.

Zhongli smiles softly, "He is doing much better, Thank you."

Sanji nods again, "I'll make some Almond Tofu for him when he's finished healing."

Zhongli's smile widens, "he would appreciate that."

Sanji hums thoughtfully and continues his work prepping for dinner and making two additional meals for Izuku and Xiao. He knows the draining feeling an extensive healing session can have, not only on Izuku but the patient as well. After his fight with Pearl, he felt exhausted. Izuku's healing takes the pain and amplifies it so all the pain he would have experienced if his body had to heal naturally, was felt in minutes. That kind of intense pain, of feeling one's entire self-being consumed by flames and reborn, of feeling bones, shatter, and remade stronger, it's more than enough to physically drain someone.

An hour or so later Zhongli is making his way back to the infirmary. Apparently, the trio of teens are too stubborn to let Zhongli carry all the food down to the infirmary by himself. Shoto and the freckled raven carry the plates of food, while the other raven carries a tray of water. Zhongli opens the doors quietly for the trio, mindful of the still ongoing healing. As Shoto and Ace place the plates of food on one of the tables, Zhongli watches Izuku. The flames' intensity has trickled down to a flicker, signaling Izuku is almost completely out of energy, or the healing is almost done.

Zhongli watches the Adeptus with enhanced eyes, the trembling from earlier has morphed into a slight shiver with the last echoes of pain. Alatus' eyes are open as he looks at Zhongli from where he lays, his eyes are a soft golden color. No signs of pain lingering in golden eyes. And Zhongli releases a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Shoto, Ace, and Luffy linger awestruck by the majestic bird Izuku is currently healing. Shoto is reminded of the conversation he and Izuku had the night they left Drum Island. So this must be Alatus, Xiao's devil fruit. This is the being that told Izuku where to find his brother, this is the creature Izuku saw in the Void that recognized Fuji's presence. And Shoto can feel the hidden power in the weakened Adeptus, something old and legendary, something like creation and stars.

Izuku withdraws his flames with a deep breath, he is exhausted. But Alatus is completely healed, the shivering has stopped, the small whimper of displeasure and pain has silenced to a content hum. And Izuku smiles relieved that he was able to help the Adepti, he was able to restore the demi-god's wings so he can fly again.

The Adepti turns slowly, testing, to face Izuku, without feeling any pain in the movements he lets out a soft breath. He looks at the teen he met in the void, the teen that promised him to save his host and himself. He feels a little guilty at the exhausted expression on the teen's face, but it quickly fades as the healer's eyes look relieved. "Thank you, Little One," Alatus croaks.

Another human with red and white hair holds a cup of water out to the Adepti, and Alatus appreciates the gesture even if he doesn't need water. Still, Alatus accepts the water with a nod, allowing the teen to hold it to his beak and tip it back slowly. Alatus hums after a couple of sips, the cool water soothing his dry throat enough that he can talk.

He meets Izuku's eyes again, still exhausted, but determined, Alatus will make this quick so his host can spend some time with his brother. "You kept your promise to save us. One pledges loyalty to you; one will help banish the Calamity."

Izuku smiles blindingly, "Thank you, Alatus." He yawns as exhaustion creeps on him, and he smiles sheepishly, "forgive me, I am I little tired. But I will introduce you to the pack after I rest." He studies the Adeptus with a critical eye, "you should rest too."

Alatus hums understandingly, "very well. Until next time, Little One." In a brilliant glow, the Adeptus returns to his domain in Xiao.

Izuku wants to flare his flames over Xiao to make sure everything is fine, but he can't even produce a flicker of his flames. But before he can feel too guilty, Xiao's eyes blink open. "Aniki," Izuku calls barely above a whisper.

Xiao takes a moment to study his surroundings, cataloging himself for injuries and soreness. Unsurprisingly, he doesn't feel any aftershocks of pain. He turns his head to face his brother relieved smile, "Otōto."

Izuku smiles blindingly at his older brother, "the healing was successful. Alatus' wings are healed, and the corruption has been removed." Guilt steals his smile for a moment as he remembers the pain, he put them through to heal the Adeptus, "I'm sorry for the painful procedure."

"Alatus shielded me from most of it, if anything it was nothing more than an unpleasant buzz," Xiao smiles softly trying to ease his brother's worry.

Izuku nods not quite believing his brother, but he won't argue. Xiao and Alatus are fully healed and that is the only thing that matters. If Xiao is unbothered by the painful procedure, then Izuku shouldn't feel guilty about it. During Izuku's thoughts, Shoto has pushed a plate of food into Izuku's hands, while Ace does the same to Xiao. Izuku looks at them and the plates of food confused, his brain sluggish with his exhaustion.

Shoto glares at Izuku, "eat."

Izuku nods with a relieved smile, "thank you, Shoto."

"Thank Zhongli," Shoto blushes, "he is the one who asked Sanji for some food to replenish your strength."

Izuku nods and sends his gratitude for the food to the older man before he digs into the still-warm plate of Katsudon. His eyes close in bliss as the flavors burst in his mouth, and he savors the first bite before he devours the rest of the plate. He ignores Katsuki's fond chuckles as he pouts at the now empty plate.

Katsuki takes the plate away from him with a cheeky smile, "you need sleep."

"But Kacchan," Izuku starts to whine, he wants more Katsudon.

Katsuki smiles softly, "I will make you some Katsudon later."

Izuku's eyes brighten, "really, Kacchan?"

"Yes, but you need to sleep first," Katsuki promises with a glare.

Xiao nibbles on his Almond Tofu, content to watch the explosive male wrangle Izuku into the perfect cuddling position. Izuku falls asleep quickly, a content smile on his face as Katsuki uses his chest a pillow. Red eyes watch him for a few moments, before the teen sighs, "when you are done eating you should rest too. The Nerd will introduce you to the rest of the pack later."

Xiao nods, he is feeling drained, and a nap sounds amazing right now. So he eats as much of the Almond Tofu as he can without feeling sick, and he is surprised he was able to eat half of it. He puts the plate on the bedside table to save for later. Before he lays down, he turns his head slightly to look at his master, trying to read the man for any disappointment or signs that he should get up and continue fighting. But to his surprise, his master looks at him with a fond smile filled with relief and happiness. Xiao doesn't know what to do with that, so he diverts his eyes away and looks at the floor.

Footsteps cause Xiao to tense, and every footstep closer makes his pulse race. He squeezes his eyes closed old habits of being struck when he showed weakness freezing him in place to accept his punishment. A soft weight on his head, a gentle tap followed by a caring ruffle of his hair, causes Xiao to open his eyes. Still looking at the ground he spots a pair of shoes, he would recognize anywhere. His eyes travel northward, scanning the man in front of him for any injuries. As he reaches Zhongli's face his eyes widen at the soft expression on the older man's face. "Xiao," the man calls softly.

"Master," Xiao chokes out. His voice quivered with choked-off emotions.

Zhongli sighs and prevents Xiao from diverting his gaze by softly putting his fingers under Xiao's chin, "Please Xiao, call me Zhongli."

Xiao blushes at the still fond smile and softness of Zhongli's voice, "Zhongli."

Zhongli smiles a little wider to show he is pleased, "thank you, Xiao." Noticing the teen feels embarrassed Zhongli releases the teen's chin and takes half a step back, "now I believe the doctor's orders were for you to get some rest."

Xiao nods almost automatically, but he faces Zhongli with vulnerable eyes, "stay?" is asked barely above a whisper, and Xiao is unsure if his request was heard or not.

But Zhongli nods and takes another step away from Xiao to sit on the bed next to the one Xiao occupies, "I'm not going anywhere, Xiao. I'll be right here if you need me."

Xiao chokes back a sob at the care and sincerity in Zhongli's voice. And he feels weak when his eyes start to tear up, so he covers his eyes with his arm. He is grateful that Zhongli and his brothers don't bring light to his weakness. He takes a few minutes to settle his emotions when he suddenly feels his bed dip. He freezes slightly when he feels a pair of arms circle behind him, and another hand running through his hair soothingly. He moves his arm away from his eyes to investigate who is holding him. He recognizes the soft face of Luffy in front of him, and he turns his head slightly to see the other raven holding him to his chest.

He decides not to fight it, he decides to let his new brothers comfort him, while he sicks it up greedily. Wedged between the two teens, it doesn't take long before Xiao is drifting and accepting the pull of sleep. This time when he falls into the land of dreams, he is not being consumed by agony, he is not being ripped apart by darkness and corruption. Instead, he feels warm, at peace, surrounded by people who care about him.

He doesn't notice he falls asleep with a small smile on his face.