this chapter is mostly angst, then fluff then... bruh. Anyway it flowed to me really easily. I'm such a multishipper though, this chapter really reminded me of that, lmfao
anyway, thanks again for reading my fanfic. If you have anything to say about it, lemme know!
chapter four: a selfless love.
March 1, 1864.
Katsuki cursed loudly as he sank his blade into the chest of his final opponent. He watched as the other man's eyes stopped darting about, pupils dilated with the madness. In those last few seconds before Katsuki pulled his katana back, he swore he caught a glimpse of humanity return to the young man's eyes before he dropped to the ground, a lifeless form.
But this young man was one of at least seven. Judging from their attire, they were all members of the same dojo. He guessed they were all even younger than he was.
"This fucking elixir… All it's doing is ending lives before they really get started," Katsuki muttered bitterly, heard only by his vice captain Ochaco Uraraka.
All she could do was watch the torment in her captain's expression as he resisted the urge to vent his rage any further. He hated this continuous spiral of events that transpired ever since Hisashi Midoriya and Enji Todoroki abandoned the Yoikusa. More and more cases of people losing their sanity to the Ochimizu were popping up around Kyoto and the surrounding regions. They were becoming increasingly difficult to manage and the Yoikusa were losing too many men trying to deal with them.
Just two months ago, Tenya's vice captain Mashirao Ojiro was slaughtered by an ambush of those Ochimizu drugged ronin. Katsuki would never forget the expressions on Tenya and Ochaco's faces when they returned from giving Mashirao's wife the news of his death. A week later, the wife suffered a miscarriage.
She was supposed to have given birth to twin boys.
Three weeks after that, Toru Ojiro disappeared. Nobody has heard from her since. Ochaco kept petitioning for a search to be carried out, but with everything that's been happening, her dear friend simply wasn't a priority to the military police. Katsuki wasn't close with Mashirao, let alone his wife, but watching his vice captain was agonising.
Something had to be done to stop this series of tragedies. It's going to become impossible to cover up at this rate.
Aizawa-souchou made a suggestion just over a week ago, bearing in mind everything that had been happening. He noted the progression Fumikage's Division was making as well as Eijirou's ability to keep up the morale of the test subjects that were abandoned by their maker. However, the reality was that there weren't enough soldiers who could face the ongoing threat.
It was an awful suggestion, but Katsuki supposed that someone had to bring it up. Somehow it was always Aizawa who was left to play the role of the bad guy. All he stated was that only demons stood a chance against these fakes, and he was met with riots and protests. They all knew what Aizawa meant.
To fight these fake demons, they needed demons. Unfortunately they were in short supply of demons.
The experiments had to continue, especially with the current subjects needing vast improvements in their mental and physical health. At least a third had to be put down because they fully lost their minds with no return. That being said, the remainder had the power to cut through the enemies with ease, even those who were under the influence of Ochimizu. Not even Katsuki could say that about his own men, as much as it frustrated him.
Aizawa's plan was to introduce a higher calibre of test subjects – volunteers who met the criteria. The volunteer had to be a strong samurai with a clear sense of identity, solid mental stability, great willpower and determination, the type to resist desirable temptations and most importantly, be able to report back honestly to superiors.
Nobody liked the idea. Not even Aizawa.
The only captains who truly backed up the commander were Fumikage and Mezo, especially as this would be highly beneficial to their research. Their morbid dedication creeped out even the likes of Katsuki, not that he would vocalise it.
It was near the end of the ox hour when Katsuki and Ochaco marched the remaining troops of their division back to headquarters. Eijirou and Tsuyu joined up with them a block away from the destination. The ratio of Eijirou's division of test subjects to Katsuki's regular samurai was at least 4:1.
"Man, that was a crazy night! I thought it was never going to end!" Eijirou spoke, trying to pump some energy into his tired companions. "But we managed to stop so many ronin – Aoyama gave us a huge tip because his establishment was nearly at risk and all. Heheh, Sero and Kaminari are going to be really jealous!"
Tsuyu lightly tapped Ochaco's arm. "We could go for tea and mochi on our next day off, kero."
"Oh!" Ochaco's face lit up, but both Tsuyu and Katsuki knew the poor girl was forcing that smile. Not even the promise of mochi was enough to improve her mood, though it was a good start. "Let's do that, Tsu-chan!"
Eijirou turned to Katsuki. "We could get a ton of meat and cook it up, have some sake, watch Kaminari get turned down by all the women in Shimabara…"
Katsuki shook his head. "I'm not in the mood for any of that," he responded, his voice raw and seething.
"Uh… okay. I mean, we could always do something else with the money, uh…" Eijirou was scrambling a bit, trying to find something, anything to boost his friend's mood.
"I don't want anything, okay?!" Katsuki snapped, "I don't want stupid nights out with the guys getting wasted on some shitty alcohol while Droopy fucks it up with some woman, Sero suggests a dumbass drinking game, you overdo it with eating so much shit we're emptying our fucking coinbags just to cover you and at the end of the night I vomit a fucking river because I always have to win at the goddamn game! I don't want to do any of that shit! Not while we lose soldiers every damn day because some fuckers wanted to slip some shitty elixir into the systems of some morons! Nobody gets enough sleep anymore, nobody is eating some goddamn healthy balanced diet anymore except fucking Glasses because he's some kind of nutcase and all you guys wanna do is slack off and have fun! Fuck this, I don't want a part in any of it. I've got to change something about all this, seeing as none of you shitbrains are doing anything..!"
After that long outburst, Katsuki went storming on ahead of everyone so he could walk alone back to Yoikusa Headquarters. Nobody dared to catch up to him, not when he was like this. Ochaco knew that Katsuki's anger was building up for a while now. Normally Katsuki could actually be persuaded to tag along with the other guys on their wild nights out. According to the others, Katsuki would genuinely enjoy himself, even with all the antics the guys got up to. Goodness, Ochaco had heard that Katsuki was the most feared brawler in Shimabara – and she could certainly believe that about him.
Ochaco was sympathetic. "Sorry, Kirishima-kun… it hasn't been a great night for us. Maybe some other time."
Eijirou looked extremely dejected. He was used to Katsuki firing off at others, but not at him. Whenever it happened, Eijirou's world seemed to fall apart at the seams instantly. He didn't want to fight with Katsuki. All Eijirou wanted to do was keep up morale – he felt it was okay to let loose every now and again, even when work wasn't great right now. Katsuki took his job very seriously, but even he understood that breaks were important too.
"No, no, I should be the one apologising – Bakugou's right…" Eijirou sighed.
Tsuyu pressed a finger to her lip. "He may be right, but it was still wrong to lash out at you, Kirishima-chan."
Even Eijirou couldn't argue with that. Katsuki was never the best at expressing himself eloquently, even though he was brilliant at always getting his points across. It was just one of the many things he loves about his best friend.
Love…
The red haired man bit his lip. He wondered what Katsuki meant when he said he was going to do something about their situation, make changes. As he and the two girls led the members of second and sixth division back to Headquarters, Eijirou tried to make sense of Katsuki's words.
It wasn't until they passed through the gate into the headquarters of the Yoikusa that he understood.
"Sorry, Tsu, Uraraka – can you finish up? I've got to see Aizawa-souchou right now..!" Eijirou blurted out before sprinting towards Aizawa's office. It didn't take him long to find it and of course, he heard Katsuki speaking to their superior in there. While Eijirou wanted to listen in, he was too noisy in his approach – the pair had already paused their conversation. "Aizawa-souchou, it's me, Kirishima. Can I come in?"
While Katsuki was immediate to say no, Aizawa-souchou already got up and slid the door aside. "Get in here. And Bakugou, don't you go anywhere either, just because I've let Kirishima in."
Katsuki looked extremely sulky, shutting up until Eijirou had sat himself down, Aizawa had closed the doors and all was settled for the conversation to resume.
"As I was saying, we need to get a mass-recruit going if we're to produce an army that can fight the threats," Katsuki explained, at least updating Eijirou on what he'd been discussing with Aizawa. "The current state of the Yoikusa isn't fucking good enough. It's not that our warriors are shit, it's just… what we're facing is better. I fucking hate it. We're going to lose everyone at this rate."
Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "You're here because you want to volunteer yourself. Is that right, Bakugou?" Katsuki nodded.
It was a punch to the gut for Eijirou to hear this and have Katsuki outright confirm Aizawa's suspicions.
"This isn't me being fucking rash though, okay?" Katsuki clarified, "I've been thinking about it for weeks now. Any idiot with common sense wouldn't sign up for this – but if a captain of the Yoikusa led the way, then we'd have a better chance of takers."
"You think our men would follow your lead?" Aizawa quirked a brow. He didn't sound convinced.
Katsuki snarled his response. "I'm doing this for Yagi-kyokuchou. If anyone else gives a damn about him, or the Yoikusa, or the shogunate, or the state of our nation, they'd follow me. If no one does anything, then what's the point of the Yoikusa? Why do we even exist? Ojiro's death is on our fucking hands, so avenging him and putting an end to the enemy's plans is the least we could do for him. Even if it means sinking to their level, we've got to counter this threat. I'll do anything!"
Nobody could doubt Katsuki's intentions nor his determination. The frustrations that fuelled his words would surely resonate with a lot of the samurai in the Yoikusa. Katsuki was willing to lead the charge if it meant the Yoikusa could get out of this mess and save Japan.
Eijirou's pointed teeth drew a tiny spot of blood from his bottom lip. Who could get in the way of Katsuki when he was like this? He desperately wanted to speak up, say anything to determine Katsuki from volunteering to drink the elixir. But what could he say? All Katsuki wanted was to put an end to the madness, even if it meant sacrificing his own humanity.
He didn't want that.
For several years, Eijirou had trained with Katsuki. They sparred together, ate together, drank together, laughed together, fought together, suffered together, endured together and so much more. Eijirou loved those days with all his heart. The most precious memories he stored over time all seemed to involve Katsuki.
If Katsuki drank the Ochimizu, he'd been throwing it all away.
"Kirishima, you're shaking your head," Aizawa's voice cut into his thoughts and Eijirou looked up to see Katsuki's warning glare. "You followed Bakugou here for a reason, didn't you?"
Eijirou gulped, but he knew he had to speak out. "Yeah. I want to support Bakugou's idea and all but… not if Bakugou is the captain who drinks the Ochimizu. I'll do it."
"What?!" Katsuki cried out, reaching for Eijirou's collar and yanking him closer. "Don't fucking undermine me! I've already resolved to do it, so don't get in my way!"
"You're always saying that the Ochimizu cuts off lives too soon! If you drink it, then you're the one throwing away your life!" Eijirou protested, reaching a hand to his friend's collar also. Yanking him forward, Katsuki's forehead pressed against his own, Eijirou hoped he could convey his own thoughts and not be ignored or dismissed. "I'm not letting you drink it, Bakugou!"
Katsuki remained in place, eyes locked with Eijirou's but he was trembling with thunderous rage. "So you're gonna drink it then? You're gonna throw your fucking life away just so I don't drink it – no, that's fucked up! That's a shitty resolve!"
"I have more experience than you do!" Eijirou pointed out through gritted teeth. "Dealing with patients day in and day out? Only two divisions know what that's like and it's not your—" Katsuki's fist cracked into his jaw, causing Eijirou's face to slam against the tatami.
"Then why didn't you volunteer sooner?! If you were witnessing it all firsthand, why didn't you do a damn thing about it before?!" Katsuki fired back, still collapsing forward to cling to the fabric of Eijirou's collar. Despite his words, Katsuki knew Eijirou did anything and everything he could for his men. He was the sole reason they were still fighting to cling to their humanity. His presence gave them hope, a light in the darkness. "Why the fuck is it okay for you to drink it and not me?"
"Because you're the sword of the Yoikusa..!" Eijirou cried out, leaning up to meet Katsuki's eyes. "A sword that endures, a sword that never fails… and a sword that never breaks. If you succumb to the madness, that's it. Our greatest weapon is gone. What good are you to Yagi-kyokuchou if your life ends before it really gets started?!"
His answer cut Katsuki deep, causing him to loosen his grip and pull away. Eijirou thought Katsuki might hit him again, and he clenched his jaw to prepare for it. He was met with nothing. Slowly, Katsuki rose to his feet and turned his scowl to Aizawa.
"Aizawa-souchou, whatever you do, don't give this bastard any elixir… If you do, I'll never forgive you!" And with that, Katsuki stomped out of the room. The wood of the door frame cracked as it slammed shut behind him.
Aizawa sighed. "The reality is… we have a criteria that has to be considered. I can't just hand over Ochimizu just because someone says so."
Eijirou reached up to his reddened cheek where Katsuki had hit him. "I kinda expected you to break up our fight."
"I was planning to if it escalated any further," the dark haired commander admitted, "but I needed to hear both your cases. Having you scream at each other gave me some information to work with. That being said, if I catch you two attacking each other again, I'll wipe the floor with both of you."
Anyone with common sense knew that Aizawa certainly wasn't kidding about this threat. Nor was he kidding about wanting to hear both sides.
"Please… Aizawa-souchou, I'm begging you…" Eijirou adjusted so that he was kneeling, bowing his head as low as possible. "Don't let Bakugou have the Ochimizu. I know him better than anyone here… and I know that mentally he's unfit for it. I hate saying that, I do. He's a valid candidate and all, but I just don't want him to fall to the bloodlust."
Aizawa made a 'hmmm' noise as he considered Eijirou's words. "… I'll let you apply as a potential candidate, but I have to let Bakugou apply too. In the end, it's up to Yagi-kyokuchou to decide." Eijirou's face fell, but he remained in his position to avoid Aizawa seeing his unmanly expression. "If you want to save Bakugou, then you've got to prove yourself. Only then will I give you a recommendation. I can deal with Bakugou if he lashes out."
Eijirou sounded like he might cry. "Thanks, Aizawa-souchou. I… I'll do my best!"
After some more discussion, Eijirou retired for the night to get some rest. Aizawa wasn't blind to Eijirou's true intentions though. He saw it in the young man's eyes every time his gaze fell upon the difficult Second Division Captain. It was clear tonight with the way Eijirou spoke, the way he chose to fight with his words instead of his fists, his panic and desperation.
Aizawa knew he wasn't wrong with his deduction. Those eyes he'd seen between man and woman, husband and wife. He'd seen such a look reflected back at him. But this look Eijirou had, it wasn't being reciprocated.
It only made Aizawa feel worse about the whole situation.
The Katsuki Bakugou of now could never comprehend how much his best friend was fighting for him, and the reasons why.
This kind of feeling and this kind of understanding… never could be forced. Either Katsuki would learn, or he wouldn't learn.
Or maybe he would learn when it was already too late.
...
March 31, 1864.
"Bakugou… I'm sorry, you left me with no choice," Eijirou breathed out shakily. Katsuki's anxious expression broke his heart as his eyes darted between Eijirou's face and the small vial in hand. It took both Denki and Hanta to hold the Second Division Captain back, but he was wrestling against their hold with all his might. "Yagi-kyokuchou approved it, you know that."
Katsuki stamped his foot, unable to lash out the way he wanted to in his comrades' grasp. "Bullshit! Even if our goddamn superiors approved it, I don't! It can't be you, Kirishima."
None of them had ever seen Katsuki with such a pleading expression before.
Nobody knew how many strings Eijirou was pulling, doing everything he could to lower Katsuki's chances of selection while increasing his own chances. It wasn't until Yagi-kyokuchou's announcement that everyone learned of Eijirou's plan, and that it succeeded. Katsuki's shock matched nearly everyone else's. The only ones who were aware aside from Eijirou and Yagi-kyokuchou were Aizawa, Fumikage, Mezo and Eijirou's vice captain Tsuyu.
Everyone else never saw this coming. All knew that Katsuki wanted to be the chosen candidate. The most recently appointed captain Hitoshi Shinsou put his name up for consideration as well. Katsuki just assumed Eijirou had given up on the idea.
"Bakugou, I'm the Captain of the Sixth Division. I manage test subjects every day, you know," explained Eijirou, "so it makes sense, right?"
"I don't care about that!" Katsuki cried out, his voice laced with raw anguish and fury. "You're my best friend! You have dreams of opening your own dojo someday. Everytime you mentioned that stupid dojo to me growing up, your face always brightened and you'd get all excited and giddy. If you take the Ochimizu, you might not live long enough to make that happen."
Eijirou smiled, a part of him happy that Katsuki cared so much about his dream. But it simply wasn't enough. "If you took the Ochimizu, you might not live long enough to even visit my dojo, you know?" He sighed, lifting the vial to pull the cork sealing up the liquid. "But I don't think that dojo's going to exist, Bakugou. I had a bigger dream than the dojo… but man, everything just got in the way! Well, not quite. You just didn't want it."
Katsuki bit his lip as he listened to his best friend speak. What the hell was Eijirou talking about? All Katsuki ever heard about in regards to Eijirou's dreams were things like the dojo, becoming a stronger samurai, protecting the shogunate, those kinds of ambitions.
"What was it that I didn't want?"
"I didn't want to set up the dojo if I didn't have you at my side. But now it's come down to this… if you won't back down from the Ochimizu, neither will I. So my dream… is to ensure your future at least... Katsuki."
Denki and Hanta exchanged glances. They didn't realise just how deep those feelings ran from Eijirou to Katsuki. If they had any doubts before, they didn't now. But it made this moment all the more crucial.
For the first time, Eijirou saw tears form in Katsuki's desperate eyes. He realised that his feelings were conveyed to Katsuki, but they weren't received with positivity. Of course not. How could Katsuki accept this?
He was shaking his head, over and over, thrashing against Denki and Hanta's grasp. "No!" he yelled out in agony. "I won't take the damn Ochimizu then! We'll both live somehow, and we can set up that dojo after we retire from the Yoikusa! Fuck, Kirishima – just stop! Fucking stop, you made your point! Don't be a fucking idiot! You can't throw your life away, all these dumbasses in the damn Yoikusa love you too much..!"
Katsuki's eyes met Eijirou's own, and the unspoken truth hung in the air. It didn't matter how many friends or family or comrades loved Eijirou… all Eijirou needed was Katsuki, but Katsuki wasn't able to provide for him in the way he wanted.
Eijirou downed the contents of the vial, and neither he nor Katsuki would ever be the same again.
The only thing that stopped Katsuki from escaping and rushing to his best friend's side was a sudden electric surge through his body. He collapsed to the floor unconscious. Eijirou followed soon after.
...
May 21, 1864.
"Huh, so Yagi-kyokuchou's gone to check out the opening of that new Naval Academy… and you're off to see your wife? Man, everyone's ditching for the day and having fun without me!" Eijirou complained, but his tone was light hearted. Since the events of just over ten days ago, he really was pushing the chipper button. "Are you taking Deku along?"
It was a brand new morning in the headquarters of the Yoikusa. Aizawa had departed Kyoto to join Hizashi Yamada in thwarting the Mito Rebellion that had kicked off recently. It was a threat to the shogunate, everyone could acknowledge that, but Shouto knew that the desire to see his lover was what drove Aizawa over there. He hadn't really considered it before, a love between men, but the concept left him indifferent.
Watching Eijirou struggle with it was exhausting enough. Well, Kyouka mentioned it and she was observant, so Shouto assumed it was the truth.
Still, Shouto felt for Eijirou. The red head didn't know he had a kindred spirit in his vice commander, someone who actually knew the pain of being afflicted with the Ochimizu. Shouto couldn't bring himself to admit it. Even mentioning it to Deku was a big deal for him. He was surprised at himself that he brought it up. Something about Deku made Shouto want to be more honest, though he couldn't put a finger as to why that was.
Shouto blinked at Eijirou, before averting his eyes from him. "No, Deku wanted to help Tokoyami-kumichou. Only Jirou's coming with me."
Eijirou thought about it. "Hey uh, can I come with you guys? I'm… not feeling great staying at headquarters lately. Shouji doesn't want me anywhere near Tokoyami after what happened with Uraraka… and well… Bakugou's…" he wasn't sure if he wanted to finish that sentence. "Honestly, back at headquarters, the only friendly face while Third and Fourth are out is Tsu!"
"Hmmm… Alright," Shouto nodded, and Eijirou fistpumped the air. "The Yaoyorozu are interested to know how you're managing since you became a test subject of the Ochimizu."
"All anyone ever wants to chat about is that stuff," grumbled Eijirou, crestfallen at the mention of Ochimizu.
"Just act healthy and flex your muscles."
"Now that," Eijirou bounced right back again, "that I can do!"
...
The trio consisting of Shouto, Eijirou and Kyouka took horses to head over to the Yaoyorozu Estate. Of the three, Eijirou was the only one who hadn't visited the place before. It was a while out of Kyoto, but eventually they reached luscious forest and heavy security. Kyouka could sense the eyes of the shinobi on them. She delved into her pouch and threw a shuriken star through thick branches, hitting the intended target. It was this target and her shuriken design that told the onlookers who was arriving.
Less eyes were on the group now. Eijirou jumped a bit at Kyouka's actions, but Shouto was used to it. In fact, he usually tried to guess how many shinobi were surrounding them on the pathway to the Yaoyorozu.
"Eight," Shouto spoke rather suddenly.
"Correct," Kyouka responded. "You've gotten better at this."
Eijirou on the other hand didn't understand what they were referring to. "Eight? Eight what?"
"Improve your senses and you'll see."
"Aw, c'mon Jirou! I'm a warrior, not a ninja!" Eijirou protested, though he was grinning wide.
Kyouka sighed a little. "You're just like Kaminari sometimes…"
As Eijirou questioned Kyouka on that, the trio came out into a clearing. The Yaoyorozu estate was like a fortified village. Gates were so tall that nobody could see into it, even if they climbed the highest trees surrounding the area. And when they reached the gate, a guard at the nearest post called out to them.
"Welcome back, Todoroki-sama, Jirou-san and...?" they didn't recognise Eijirou.
Shouto spoke up for him. "This is my companion and captain within the Yoikusa – Eijirou Kirishima. Treat him with the same respect as my other captains."
"Understood! I will let you in!"
With that, the gates were pulled to the side, allowing the three to enter the property. Once they dismounted their horses, servants came out to lead them to the stables. Eijirou gasped at what he saw. The Yaoyorozu estate was insanely huge. The land plot and the castle-like buildings were extensive and had fresh mountain springwater running through the area, fruits and vegetables could grow in abundance and the cherry blossoms were beautiful. Outside were younger members of the family training with a private kenjutsu instructor and young ladies were sitting underneath the blossoms enjoying some tea and dango.
One of the young ladies looked over at the three and immediately rose to her feet. "Shouto-san! Jirou-chan! Over here!" she waved them over.
This was the first time Eijirou had gotten to see Momo Yaoyorozu in person, not just in paintings. She was dressed in an elegant kimono with her hair pulled back into a fluffy high-ponytail, with a shrug of fur to give her extra warmth in the spring air.
He couldn't help but smile as the other two quickened their pace to join her. Eijirou was aware of Kyouka's close friendship with Momo, often speaking of her fondly. Even Shouto was a lot more at peace with himself in Momo's presence. He reached to take his wife's hands in his own, before cupping one to his cheek.
"I missed you," Shouto whispered softly, just enough for Momo to hear him.
"Me too…" Momo replied, stroking his cheek with her thumb gently.
Before Eijirou could comment at how lovey-dovey Shouto was being, he was distracted by a cry of delight.
"Kirishima! Is that you? Look what you've done with your hair!"
Eijirou turned to the source of the voice. It was none other than Itsuka Kendou, the wife of his good friend Tetsutetsu. Before he could even reply about his hair, Eijirou noticed something even bigger. Quite literally.
Itsuka was very clearly and heavily pregnant. She had a special chair brought out for her so she could sit and enjoy the cherry blossoms without having to lay down on the rug laid down for the picnic. It was strange seeing the spirited Itsuka like that – she met her husband training at the same dojo as him. Eijirou heard stories about Itsuka being groomed by her family to be a lady just like Momo, but the girl refused, wanting to get out there and help others as a samurai.
"Never mind me, you've changed a lot more!" Eijirou grinned widely.
Kyouka knelt down beside Itsuka, seeing as Momo and Shouto were off in their own world. "You seem to be doing well, Kendou-san. I know you will be a great mother… but when is that husband of yours going to join you?"
"He'll be here in a month's time, which should be just in time for the birth. He keeps sending me letters actually," Itsuka giggled. "He keeps suggesting all these baby names even though we don't know the gender…"
Eijirou sat down on the rug on the other side of Itsuka. "Well, Eijirou is a good manly name if you need some more ideas!"
"Momo-chan said the same about Shouto," Itsuka smiled, gentle laughter in her voice. "I think my baby will be a girl though… just a gut feeling. Mm, Ibara-chan was predicting I'd have a girl!"
"A girl, huh…" Eijirou mused the idea – he could definitely see Tetsutetsu going all soft and gooey over a baby girl, especially if she resembled the mother more. "What about uh… Katsura?"
Itsuka and Kyouka exchanged glances, the latter turning to smirk at Eijirou as the former responded. "I don't want to name my child after Bakugou-san, we're not that close…"
The reddening on Eijirou's cheeks was beginning to match his hair. "Hey c'mon, that's not what I was getting at…"
Momo turned her head, making sure Eijirou and Kyouka were content in keeping Itsuka company for now. She politely excused herself and Shouto so that they could walk together, speaking alone. Shouto offered her his arm and she took it with a shy smile. He escorted her further around the gardens, walking in a comfortable silence.
One thing that Shouto really enjoyed about the Yaoyorozu estate was how peaceful it was compared to the bustling streets of Kyoto. The air was cleaner and the general running of the estate wasn't a noisy affair compared to the compounds of the Yoikusa. Eventually the couple reached a more secluded area of the gardens, by a small pond of goldfish with trees shrouded around to give some privacy. There was a bench where the pair could take a seat.
Once they sat down, Shouto reached for Momo to press his lips softly to hers. It was a gentle and chaste kiss, but it filled Momo with the utmost joy. With Shouto being away doing his work for the Yoikusa, she didn't get to see him often, despite her family's funding.
He cupped her chin to raise her head as he tilted his head slightly for a second kiss. Each kiss was short and sweet, but the pair were at ease, happy in their own space.
"Shouto…" Momo breathed out as Shouto pulled back only an inch away. "Shouto, anata, I… I have some news to share."
He reached for her hands to lace their fingers together, his voice low but soothing as he spoke. "What is it?"
Momo gently took one of his hands and placed it over her stomach. Her eyes darted back and forth between Shouto's expression and his hand over her belly, watching as realisation dawned upon him.
Shouto didn't even realise the tears spilling from his cheeks, choking up inside. Keeping one hand against Momo's belly, he brought her other hand to his lips, kissing the tips of her fingers as the news settled in. She giggled a little, watching him with shining eyes.
"How… how long have you known..?" he asked with a voice so fragile, Momo thought he might break.
"My nurses believe I'm two months along," answered Momo, returning her hand to rest over Shouto's. "I was only really certain of it a couple weeks ago."
He leaned in to kiss her again, a long and emotional embrace. Shouto couldn't believe this blessing. He missed his siblings, he missed his mother… and he hated how broken the Todoroki family was. But Momo and the news of this baby felt like the answer to everything wrong in this world. Shouto wanted to oversee the next generation of Todoroki, he wanted to do what his father never could – be a good and loving parent. He wanted to be the father he never had.
Momo possessed intelligence and kindness, she was graceful and charitable, thoughtful and loving. Shouto already knew she would make a great mother. One of the first things Shouto was taught going into this arrangement was about the concept of children and starting a family.
There was only one thing that could potentially ruin everything for the pair though, something that immediately came to Shouto's mind despite all the happiness he was receiving from this wonderful news.
Pulling back from the kiss, Shouto leaned his forehead against Momo's. "My father must not be allowed access to our child. I don't want our child to ever meet him."
This was an issue Momo was aware of when she brought up her pregnancy. "No one will take our child away from us, anata…"
Shouto nodded ever so slightly, not breaking his gaze away from her. "I'll protect you both."
"I'll protect you both as well…"
A tiny smile graced Shouto's face. Momo always seemed to know what to say. In the early days of their marriage, neither knew how to communicate with one another, speak or do anything a husband and wife would do in terms of interaction. But now, every word, every gesture… it was so easy now.
"I know you will."
Even though this moment was a miracle, Shouto couldn't help it. As long as his father was out there, the threat to Shouto's family would always be looming over their heads.
And he would fight to the death to protect them if he had to.
Enji Todoroki would never be allowed to lay hands on their child.
...
Later that night, May 21.
Hitoshi's eyes flickered towards the intense leer of the Second Division Captain. He was well aware the man was out of his comfort zone. It was the night life of Shimabara and they, along with the insistent Denki, stood outside one of the major establishments in Shimabara belonging to a Yuga Aoyama. The man was flamboyant and showy and enjoyed his time in France way too much, but what he set up was an extremely popular establishment blending the influence of Japanese-French culture. It was near packed out every night.
Denki loved the atmosphere. It was thriving, all the people were in high spirits, whether it was the excitement of being here or the buzz of the sake getting to them, the mood was good.
But even Denki couldn't enjoy it in its full capacity.
"Oi oi, so… is Jirou really okay being a geiko in a place like this?" Denki worried, even though she'd pulled off the job several nights already.
Katsuki grumbled, quite fed up with Denki's near obsession about Kyouka having to dress as a geiko to help get intel. "Of course she fucking is, it's her job?"
Hitoshi sighed, not enjoying having these two for company. Katsuki's temper was irritating and Denki being Denki was flat out annoying to him. He wished these two hadn't followed him here. "Bakugou-kumichou, does Uraraka-san know that you're here?"
"In Shimabara? Yeah. She can handle tonight's patrol, but I'm here for a reason. Our group isn't getting anywhere the way we are right now," Katsuki explained with folded arms. "We need some fucking intel. You two need me."
"Gathering information isn't like your forceful interrogations. You can't just yell at people and threaten to kill them or their loved ones…" Hitoshi drawled, but Katsuki rolled his eyes claiming he knew that already. "Anyway. Kaminari-kumichou… go back to bed. You already did your day shift, right?"
"I wanted to help too!" Denki insisted, appalled that Hitoshi was being so quick at trying to get rid of him. "I'm good at getting people drunk, so they might spill secrets while they're at it! C'mon, I'll be great!"
Katsuki jerked a thumb in Denki's direction. "Droopy has a point… so long as he doesn't get fucking hammered as well, he could actually be some use."
"Wow Bakugou, that's the nicest thing you've ever said about me," snickered Denki.
"Don't push it."
Looking between the two, Hitoshi assessed their potential to help in tonight's mission. He hadn't considered such abrasive and out there people to do such a delicate task as extracting information from others, but quite frankly, Katsuki was right. The Yoikusa isn't getting anywhere right now. Maybe trying Katsuki and Denki out might point them in the right direction. Kyouka wasn't going to like this plan, but Hitoshi had other thoughts about this approach.
"Fine," Hitoshi agreed to it. "But only if you follow the instructions of people who actually know what they're doing. Follow my lead."
next chapter: The Shimabara Operation begins and may produce some interesting results. Fumikage struggles to cope with the consequences of his injuries and Deku learns a secret that may change the course of the Yoikusa forever.