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"Can beauty come out of ashes?"
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It had been two weeks since the beginning of winter, and just as quickly as time passed, so did the news of the annihilation of various camps across Endeavours Domain. There were two kinds of people among the people: those who feared the beast and those who hailed it as a new guardian.
Despite Endeavor's interference, the masses could only be silenced on the surface. Behind closed doors, whispers passed from person to person, down narrow halls, and along the icy roads to the ears of the many.
As hope rose, so did hate.
A middle-aged man armoured in deep red grinned almost wickedly, his eyes glinting at the approaching figure in the distant skies. The man couldn't believe his luck; the universe was going to deliver him a crimson dragon-scale cape. Well, that's what he would request as his reward for slaying the beast.
"Have the archers at the ready."
He had received a message from a survivor of another camp that the dragon had been making a direct line through Endeavour's land, right into his lap. Perhaps if he was fast, he could obtain one of the beasts' claws as a trophy. What a prize that would be.
However, it happened at such speed that before the man had even finished greeting his potential prize, it was already over. Being dressed so brilliantly in crimson dragon-scale armour made him an easy target for Kirishima, and she wasted no time.
The second in command squeaked in fright, seeing the fate his leader suffered, and he scrambled behind the gathering vanguard.
"Lock shields!"
A chorus of metal answered the call as a row of shields formed a line not a moment too soon as the inferno rained upon them. Curses could be heard from the vanguard as the seemingly endless barrage forced many to their knees, leaving others with no choice but to drop their shields and flee as the metal melted beneath the molten stream.
A volley of arrows soared overhead, bouncing harmlessly off the armoured hide of the beast as it soared overhead, coming around for a second strike. With little to no protection, they wouldn't stand a chance this time.
There were varied reactions; some ran, others stood their ground, but all shared the same grim expression. Some took solace in the fact that they would die in their homeland; others cursed their luck for being born under Endeavours domain, but it wouldn't matter soon enough.
Hitoshi Shinso was one of the many who accepted their fate and cursed this land. Treated like second-rate beings and forced into servitude under a master that obviously didn't care if they all burned.
The indigo-haired man clenched his fists. Was this all his existence was worth? A pile of ashes under the fury of a vengeful beast? He was no fool; he noticed the pattern early on, not that the information had done any good. His superiors hadn't believed him, and for that, he was going to burn alongside them.
However, there was no fire, no brimstone, and no fiery death like they had been expecting. Nothing but the heavy beating of the crimson dragon's wings as it stared them down, tendrils of smoke snaking out from its nostrils
Well, that was unexpected.
Faster than any thought possible from a beast of its size, the towering beast dived down sharply, skimming over their heads before extending its black-tipped claws to collect the remains of their fallen commander.
Then, just like that, it was gone. As fast as it had appeared, it vanished without a trace into the distant skies, leaving all but the single man it had killed behind.
"Interesting." Shinso knelt down to inspect the place where the squadron leader had been previously, lifting a red scale from the dirt.
As a piece of the puzzle clicked into place, so did a new determination.
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A black-hooded figure stood atop what he imagined was once a war camp, now reduced to sheer black ash. It seemed it had been some time, however, as small green sprouts began to peek through in some places.
Though for the amount of destruction, there were very few bodies to accompany it. The blonde frowned. That kindness would see his scarlet companion in trouble someday soon, and he only hoped he found her first.
"K-kacchan, slow-wait!" A tuft of green hair popped as a certain male ran up behind him, grasping the straps of his satchel as it bumped heavily against his hip.
"Tch, I told you to drop the fucking weight." Bakugou eyed the obviously weighty bag the other man was sporting with displeasure, saying, "If you get left behind, you're on your own."
Midoriya jogged to catch up as the blonde started off over the hill, not waiting for him to catch his breath. There was a reason nobody typically went on quests with Bakugou; his punishing pace spoke for itself. It was the reason he was so happy to hear that he had a companion that could match him; it was a relief to know he wasn't alone.
They had grown up together—well, as 'together' as you could with someone who was constantly running off on his own—but that wasn't the point.
"Was this really Kirishima?"
Midoriya was more asking himself than the blonde; he had, of course, seen what she was capable of, but seeing something like this was always shocking.
Bakugou didn't bother answering; distractions weren't welcome in his eyes, and he had ground he needed to cover quickly. The second he heard what had happened in the East, he wasted no time; like hell, he was letting another trail go cold.
He didn't quite know what he was going to say when he found her, but he figured dragging her back by the scruff of the neck was a start. Almost as if he could read his travelling companion's mind, Deku shuddered behind him.
After another few hours of a steady pace (or a hellish one if you asked the figure gasping to catch his breath), they arrived at their first stop, and it was far more shocking than either of them had expected.
Most of the village was in ruins, save for the messily erected tents that had been thrown up for shelter. The shorter of the two kicked something before bending down and picking up the squishy object, wiping the black soot off.
"H-how could-" Midoriya spluttered, squeezing the small woven doll between his hands.
...
"Not her," Bakugou broke the shocked man out of his horror, "it's half-assed." The blonde kept walking with a momentarily confused Deku behind her.
Midoriya turned red, ashamed for thinking the worst so easily, before trailing behind the blonde once again. He couldn't help but stare at his back, slightly in awe. He doubted that Bakugou thought it was Kirishima's doing for even a second, and a new sense of guilt hit him. Perhaps quick judgement like this had been why she felt the need to flee in the first place. It may have been only a moment, but...
All that aside, the village is doing better than you would think after having most of their livelihood destroyed. better, but not good.
A little ways ahead, Bakugou had made his own discovery.
The cloaked man noticed an elderly man sitting on an old wooden cart, carving something out of wood with a small knife. It wasn't a mystery for long when he caught sight of two twin boys dipping little wooden figures in what appeared to be red berries crushed into a liquid. Red-stained wooden dragons.
One of the boys noticed his gaze.
"These ones aren't done yet," the one on the left started.
"Grampa has the dry ones." The one on the right finished without missing a beat.
Bakugou raised an eyebrow at the somewhat creepy kids, but still, he took their advice and approached the old man, who pulled the top off the crate he had been sitting on and brought out the familiar carving.
The old man raised one of his hands slightly, seeming to be asking a silent question. Bakugou tilted his chin up slightly before fishing a silver and a few copper coins out of his pocket, raising his own eyebrow in return. The man nodded eagerly, and Bakugou did the trade.
No surprise. Despite the good craftsmanship of the figure, anything more than a few coppers would likely be seen as robbery. The old man knew this too. As he made the motions to fetch more carvings, Bakugou turned and left before he could try and offer him anything else in compensation.
Deku caught up to him, and the blonde moved the carving out of sight under his cloak. He wasn't quite sure why he did it.
"I overheard some of the villagers saying that they were going to return to the capital to resupply in a day or so; they saw the emblem on my bag." Midoriya scratched his ear skittishly. "They are in a bad spot and...
"Whatever." Bakugou turned to leave; he knew what he was going to say, and he was relieved, though he wouldn't admit it. It was common for thieves to block the roads to the city, and without the guards offering the place protection,
"I'll see you both back at the guild," Midoriya said, smiling as the blonde walked away.
"Tch, bastard." Bakugou hadn't missed the tone.
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A/N: The author continues to stumble along with her writing.
