The Monster of Yuuei

by Glow in the Rain

The monsters were called Nomu: mindless, terrible creatures that instilled fear in the Kingdom of Yuuei. But one monster always showed up in a whirlwind of smoke and black tendrils, tearing the Nomu apart. The Monster of Yuuei, they called it. It doesn't take long before a witch, the Captain of the Guard, and the Crowned Prince realize there's more to this monster than it seems.

6. Of Relics and Origins

AN: I promised myself I'd get a beta reader, and that lasted one chapter because I'm impatient as hell. Yeet.

6: Of Relics and Origins

Katsuki stepped outside to collect himself, leaving Shouto at the table and Izuku crying in Ochako's arms. The sky had turned dark, with rolling storm clouds swirling around in the sky. The faint flashes of green light bouncing in the space above said all he needed to know about the sudden change of weather and its cause.

His feet led him to one of the fruit trees in the small grove, and slowly the Captain of the Guard sank to sit at its roots, pressing his back against the trunk. Now alone under a curtain of branches laden with apples, he tipped his head back and let the tears flow freely.

Deku was alive.

He didn't know why he was crying. Shit, this was the best news he'd had in years. And yet, the stupid, salty liquid wouldn't stop flowing from his stupid, burning eyes, and watching this not-dead, grown-up version of Deku fall apart in front of him was just too damn much.

Maybe that was it. Deku was alive, but life hadn't been kind to him.

There was still so much he didn't understand, though. Where did that magic come from? Who or what had attacked him? What did they want with some lousy ability to see people's magic?

Why, if he had been alive all this time, had he never reached out? Why had he been living in isolation for years? Why did he let people believe he was a monster? What did the All Mighty Mage have to do with any of this? How did Ochako fit in? And the Nomu?

What the hell did he mean by 'magical core'?

So many questions, and it made Katsuki's head hurt.

He wasn't sure how long had passed, eyes closed with a hand cradling his face, but he knew the moment he was no longer alone. Without moving, he mumbled out, "How's he doing?"

He heard the sound of fabric rustling as the prince crouched down in front of him. "Ochako's gotten him to calm down, I think. She's making food for us all. Do you need a few more minutes?"

Katsuki grunted, peeking up at Shouto between his fingers. Sure enough, the dark clouds had dispersed, bringing back blue skies. The resurfaced morning sun was hitting the prince's hair and pauldrons just right, making him look too warm and too radiant in light of everything going on.

Bitch had no right to look that pretty, either.

Knowing the other was waiting for an answer, Katsuki sighed and dropped his hand from his face, letting his arm drape over his knee as he looked out across the small clearing. "It's fine," He finally muttered, glaring softly at the surrounding trees. "It's just… a lot."

"I know," Shouto replied, extending a hand. Katsuki stared at it for a moment before he clasped it, letting the prince pull him to his feet. They lingered there under the canopy of green leaves and red apples, hands locked and expressions pensive.

"Katsuki–"

"I'm fine," The blond interrupted softly, but his words lacked their usual heat.

The prince lifted a brow, expression mild. He said nothing, calmly watching the other who wouldn't quite meet his eyes.

Katsuki swallowed, staring intently at the garden crops waving gently in the morning breeze. He didn't have it in him to snap at Shouto, to tell him to stop worrying over him. He was tired, and it wasn't even late morning yet, and–

His breath caught when the other moved, and with alarm, Katsuki's eyes snapped to the taller man as Shouto stepped in and pulled him close. "What–" His words died in his throat as his chin hit the other's shoulder, feeling a gloved hand press to his back. He warred with himself, before finally settling on, "It's not safe."

The other man was quiet for a moment before he replied softly, "This is probably the safest place in all of Yuuei right now."

"I…" Katsuki started, brow furrowing. He was right; no one knew where they were, and the chances someone could scry into this forest were slim at best, but…

It hurt.

It hurt, because he wanted this. And he knew he couldn't have it. The moment they left this place, things had to go back to normal. And normal meant… not this.

Normal was pretending the light touches and lingering stares had no deeper meaning. Normal meant pretending their heated arguments and playful insults were brotherly. Normal meant… lying to himself every time he looked at those mismatched eyes that begged him to say words he couldn't freely say.

Normal was hell, but it was a hell Katsuki would endure, because the alternatives were far, far worse.

Shouto may have wanted to bask in this rare opportunity to escape normal, but for Katsuki, it only twisted the knife deeper.

He grimaced, pushing away from an embrace he so desperately wanted to return. "We can't."

Ignoring the pained expression that flashed across the prince's face, Katsuki wiped angrily at his eyes and stalked off towards the cottage.

Fuck everything.

XX

She could feel Izuku watching her from his bed as she bustled around the kitchen. Pulling the skillet off the heat, she slid eggs onto each plate beside the fresh greens and cured meats. Idly, she noted it was the first time she had ever needed to serve more than one other person. It was probably going to be the first time either of those two had to eat with mismatched tableware, too. That thought amused her.

"How do you know Kacchan?"

She wasn't surprised he asked the question, and grabbing the tea kettle, she looked up and flashed him a brief smile. "I met him at the Royal Academy. He was twelve, and I was eleven. We didn't like each other at first."

Izuku's voice was soft. "Kacchan doesn't make good first impressions."

Ochako chuckled softly, nodding in agreement. "No, he certainly doesn't. It took us a few punches and kicks before we started seeing eye to eye."

"He…he hit you?"

She couldn't tell if that was disbelief, horror or a mixture of both. Lifting a brow, Ochako gave Izuku a very pointed look. "Izuku, please. I hit him first."

The door creaked as the subject of the conversation walked in. "I let you hit me, brat."

"Uh huh," Ochako replied, turning to the man entering back into the cottage. Although he had his usual scowl on his face, it couldn't hide the redness in his eyes. She chose to ignore it and continued. "Very kind of you to let me break your nose."

A sneer touched his lips. "I busted your lip afterward."

"I remember. You got me out of wearing makeup that week. It was the nicest thing you've ever done for me."

"You're welcome."

Izuku looked horrified. Ochako met his eyes and winked at him before finishing pouring the tea. "Food is ready. Let's eat, then we can worry about what comes next."

XX

Breakfast was… quiet, if not awkward. Izuku felt like something had happened while Kacchan and the Prince had been outside, because things seemed…uncomfortable now, instead of just emotionally charged. The two men across from him would not look at each other, one taking quiet bites of his food and the other using his cutlery a little too aggressively. Izuku was fairly certain he even saw sparks on the knife at one point.

He could tell Ochako was aware of it but was trying to ignore it, so he decided to follow her lead since it was her home. It wasn't until she stood up and began to clean the table that she decided to interrupt the thick atmosphere. "I found Izuku after the giant Nomu attacked the city last week. He was gravely injured, and I didn't want him to die."

She hesitated as she placed the dishes in the sink. "I wasn't sure if he was human, but I decided I didn't care."

Izuku dropped his eyes to his teacup, feeling a strange tightness in his chest. The other two men in the room listened quietly, one staring at the dying hearth, and the other looking down at his hands clasped together on the table. After a few seconds of silence, Izuku began to realize that maybe they were paying less attention to Ochako than he thought. She apparently noticed, too, her lips pursing together.

With two big steps, she walked up behind the two brooding men and smacked each of them against the back of their heads. Shouto's eyes went wide, clearly not used to such an act directed towards him, and Katsuki snarled at her over his shoulder, hunching up his shoulders like a sulking child. Izuku leaned back slightly with wide eyes, unsure of what to do.

The witch folded her arms over her chest, still glaring down at them, and Izuku was eternally grateful that the look wasn't directed at him. "Whatever's going on between you two, set it aside. We have too much going on right now to be adding your unresolved issues atop it."

Izuku frowned slightly, unsure what she meant by that. Whatever it was, it seemed to make both men look away, one looking sad, the other looking angry. Had they had a fight about something? Why was Kacchan fighting with the prince, of all people?

Actually, come to think of it, the prince certainly seemed very casual with both Ochako and Kacchan. Izuku had never met him before, but this dynamic didn't really add up to what he expected.

"Here's what we're going to do," Ochako instructed as she moved around the table and towards the other side of the cottage. "I'm going to step out on the veranda and wash these wounds now that we're all fed and none of you are trying to kill each other. While I do that, I would appreciate it if you both give Izuku your undivided attention and let him explain to you what's going on with the Nomu, and him, and me. Do you think you can manage that?"

There was some edge in her voice, and it was enough to make both men respond. Shouto with a quiet 'yes', and Katsuki with a grunt. Even Izuku had to bite his lip to avoid responding, even though he knew the question wasn't directed at him.

"Good," She responded crisply, brows high on her head. "I'll listen from afar."

He watched her disappear onto her veranda, realizing this was the first time since he'd met her that she seemed actually scary.

XX

The wind carried the conversation out to her on the veranda. She listened carefully as she stood before the pool of bubbling water, the majority of her clothes folded on the stone beside it. Standing in her undergarments with both hands wrapped in layers of enchanted water, she glided her fingers over her injuries, letting the water soothe the cuts and burns.

"So… you wanna start by telling us how you went from the Deku who could only see magic to the Monster of Yuuei?" Katsuki asked.

There was a pause, before she heard Izuku speak. "I… Okay, but to explain that, I have to … explain other things first."

He started with the same story he told Ochako in his letter; about the magical ecosystem, about the pieces of magic called cores, and how any use of magic was due to the presence of a core. Tools had cores, people had cores, even animals or places could have cores. Wild spirits, like Tsuyu, were simply wild cores that had taken a physical form. Each core was its own living entity, but people treated them as tools because they couldn't communicate with them.

He stuttered at the end of his explanation, and she knew the strain on his voice was already taking its toll. Never mind the extra stress of the day's events, and the amount of crying he had done earlier. She suspected they would have to break this up into multiple talks just to get him through it. For now, though, she did what she could, encouraging him through her magic. With a nod of her head, the wind reached out to him, tousling his hair and sending her words to him.

"Don't push yourself. Explain what you can, and we can talk again later when you can't go on."

He was quiet for a moment, but it seemed to help as he took in a shaky breath and continued. He spoke of the special cores. Relics, he called them. There were three types. She only knew of two, so this was new information for even her. Hollow Cores allowed people like Izuku to see and talk to cores. Creator Cores were the most common of the Relics, and they provided the ability to bind wild cores to objects or creatures. It was as he was explaining the Echo Core, and how she was the only one he'd ever seen, that a certain memory surfaced and she almost dropped the water she had floating around her.

"Relic. Give Relic."

The Nomu had been staring at her when it said that, and now that she thought about it, it said it to Izuku after he appeared. She clenched her teeth at the implication, and she wondered if Izuku knew as well.

Shouto spoke, and the wind carried his words so Ochako could hear.

"Why have we never heard about any of this?"

Izuku responded by saying what he had told her on parchment several days earlier. "It was erased from our memories and our history. The All Mighty Mage wasn't affected, and he explained it to me after he saved me."

There was silence after that, probably as Katsuki and Shouto processed what they were told. Ochako decided now was a good time to rejoin them, so she dropped the water back into the pool and began to dress, listening for what came next.

Shouto finally pressed, "But… why? How?"

Izuku hesitated, and she could tell the answer he was about to give was not a good one. "Because it's easier to hunt and steal Relic Cores if no one remembers they exist."

There was a heavy silence, and Ochako sucked in a breath, shoving her arms through her dress and grabbing up the rest of her layers. Walking through the doorway into the cottage, she turned to see Izuku staring down at his teacup, and both men looking at him intensely. None of them even responded to her entering, and there was a slight tremor in Izuku's hands.

"Elaborate," Katsuki hissed softly, drumming his fingers on the table. Izuku flinched, but nodded, his curls bobbing slightly from the effort.

Ochako moved to sit beside him, sliding onto the bench and buttoning the final layer of her dress as she went. Green eyes flickered to her briefly, before he looked back down at his hands. "Besides Relics, there are two unique cores... Origin Cores. They're… old and p-powerful. One of them… the Blackened Core… it can steal other cores." His voice was starting to sound strained and raspy, but he did his best to get the words out. "The last holder of this core used a stolen magic to veil memories. It made us forget, b-because a world that doesn't know about cores is unaware of the danger it's in."

Ochako scooted closer to him and reached up to push some of his hair out of his face. He flinched slightly, but didn't shy away from her touch, although his eyes didn't move from their focus on his hands. She pursed her lips before asking softly, "The monster that attacked your family… had the Blackened Core, didn't it, Izuku." It was less a question, and more a statement. She had realized that when he recounted what happened that day.

The slight nod she got in response said everything she needed to know about that, and she sighed softly, squeezing his shoulder. However, Katsuki frowned and shook his head. "I mean… I'm not saying I don't believe you, Deku, but… if this guy can go around stealing magic, wouldn't we hear more about this? Wouldn't…" He hesitated, as if trying to coach his words in a way that would hurt less. "Wouldn't there be a lot more attacks?"

The green haired man was quiet for several seconds, eyes searching the empty dregs of his teacup. Finally, he offered, "I… have some theories."

"Theories?" Shouto asked curiously, folding his arms across the table.

Izuku nodded, and in a quiet voice he replied, "I think… the current vessel is trapped."

"Current vessel?"

"Trapped?"

Both Shouto and Katsuki exchanged looks as they spoke, and Shouto looked away while Katsuki's lips twitched in a frown. Izuku looked between the two before worried eyes found their way to Ochako. She sighed a little and offered him a smile she hoped was reassuring, though admittedly she was starting to get concerned. Never mind whatever those two had going on, she could tell Izuku was mentally exhausted, and probably socially exhausted, too. He wasn't used to this level of interaction, and it had been coupled with so many bad memories that he'd had to relive today.

Green eyes lingered on her for several seconds too long before he turned his attention back to his empty teacup. His words were rough and quiet. "The All Mighty Mage killed the vessel that attacked me." He paused, fingers playing with the base of his teacup. "Most cores return to the ecosystem when their host dies, but not Origin Cores. They move to a new vessel."

He sighed wearily, and continued his explanation. "It's been years, and I've never seen the new host. It's never come for me, or for anyone else, so… I think it's stuck. But… I do know it's getting stronger, because the Nomu are getting stronger."

"The fuck?" Katsuki snapped, slapping his hands on the table as he leaned forward to look at Izuku. The action caused the other to flinch, and Ochako found her hackles rising as she glared at Katsuki. The blond met her gaze and pursed his lips before settling down. Quietly, tersely, Katsuki asked, "You're saying this Blackened Core vessel is creating those monsters?"

The younger man nodded, not verbalizing a response. Whether it was because he was too tired to elaborate, or he didn't have details, Ochako didn't know. Katsuki took a moment to absorb this information before he looked at Ochako. She blinked at him and the pensive way he stared at her, unsure of what was going through his mind. He then turned his attention back to Izuku. "Hey… The big Nomu that attacked the city. It looked at Ochako and said 'Relic'. It said it to you, too. It…knew."

Izuku nodded again, closing his eyes. "They can see…" He trailed off, looking up at Ochako through his mess of hair. She gave him a weak smile and took his hand, squeezing his fingers slightly. She noted he didn't jump at the contact, lightly squeezing back instead.

He looked back to the two men, his expression grave. "They hunt Ochako."

Katsuki gritted his teeth, and Shouto steepled his fingers together in front of his lips. The prince was silent for a second before asking the question everyone was thinking. "Why?"

One look at Izuku's expression told Ochako that he was either about to break down or shut down, and she was not letting that happen. Gently, she tugged his hand, getting his attention. He looked up at her, and she shook her head. "You're done now, okay? Let me do the talking."

His lips parted in surprise, the glowing green embers of his eyes lingering on her face. She waited patiently, a soft smile on her face, and finally she was rewarded with a shy nod.

She turned her attention back to the other two men. "I'm sure you've both noticed that Izuku's magic doesn't match that of a Hollow Core. He can do more than just see cores."

Katsuki lifted a brow. "Might have noticed, yeah."

Ochako rolled her eyes at him. "You might have also noticed Izuku mentioned there were two Origin Cores, right?"

That made Katsuki pause and his eyes flickered from her to the young man beside her and pointedly not looking at anyone. "Wait…"

The witch nodded, hoping Izuku was actually okay with her telling this. "Izuku has inherited the other core, and it has merged with his. And my understanding is that with enough stolen Relic Cores, the Blackened Core can take his, and… well, things get really bad if that happens."

As if a thought occurred to him at that explanation, Shouto sat up straight, looking between the two sitting across from him. "Oh."

"Oh?" Katsuki echoed, lifting a brow and looking over at the other man.

"You said inherited, which means it passes between hosts like the other one." He paused, hesitating, "The All Mighty Mage had this core, didn't he?"

Izuku bit his lip, not meeting his gaze. He gave the tiniest of nods.

"Shit, he's actually dead," Katsuki breathed. He then paused, eyes going wide. "Shit, you have his magic."

Izuku nodded again, tears starting to fall from his eyes. He reached up to wipe at them with his free hand. Ochako watched him, feeling her heart ache. This poor boy had gone through so much…

A sharp feeling coursed through her, and it took her a moment to recognize it for what it was. She was …angry. Angry about everything that had happened to Izuku. Watching him sit before her, knowing what he'd gone through, it stabbed at her, and she wanted nothing more than to shield him from anything bad ever happening again.

"Izuku needs our help." The words left her mouth before she even realized she said them.

The man in question jerked at his name and looked at her with tear-filled eyes. She smiled back, squeezing his captured fingers with her own. Looking at Katsuki and Shouto, she elaborated. "The magic he inherited is powerful, and it knows he's in danger, and it tries to protect him. But Izuku can't control it. It takes over when there's a threat, and well, it seems there's been a very big threat for many years." She paused, giving him a careful look. "Am I right, Izuku?"

His response was to glance down in a way that seemed ashamed. Ochako wasn't going to let him stay like that. "I think the first step in fighting back against this Blackened Core is getting Izuku to a point where he can control his magic, instead of letting it control him."

She heard the sharp inhale of breath as he looked up at her, and she smiled back. "And I'm going to help you do that."

He looked like he might cry, which was not exactly what Ochako was hoping for. However she caught the barest hint of a wobbly smile as he reached up to wipe his eyes, and that made her sigh in relief.

Shouto tapped a finger on the table. "If I may interject, I do think the first step is getting Izuku some real clothes."

There was a pause as everyone looked at him, and he blinked, glancing between the three. "I'm sorry, but it's been bothering me all day. Do you plan to fight in that?"

Izuku flushed, and Ochako gave the prince a withering glare. "He's been living in isolation for years, your Highness. It's not like he's got a lot of material possessions."

Shouto had the audacity to look confused. "I'm trying to help. I'll supply him with a wardrobe. It can help the people see he's not really a monster."

Katsuki made a noise, interrupting the exchange. "I think… we should be careful about that."

The prince turned to him, brow furrowing. "About clothes?"

"No, you royal idiot," Katsuki replied, tone exasperated. "About telling people about Deku. People are already panicking over the increased Nomu attacks. How do you think they'll react if we tell them there's a powerful mage behind it, and he's after Deku, who they think is a Monster?"

Shouto sucked in a breath. "Oh…"

"Yeah," Katsuki said pointedly. "They'll turn on him. The best thing we can do right now is keep things quiet until Deku can control his magic and we know more about our enemy."

He looked at Ochako briefly, and she nodded slightly. The unspoken, 'It's safer for you, too,' hung between them.

The Dragon of Yuuei sighed, pinching at the bridge of his nose before continuing. "In my opinion, it's safest for you both to stick together and lay low. Of course, you're both stupid, and you're going to ignore me on the 'laying low' part, but at least you seem cozy enough to not go off and do something stupid by yourselves."

Ochako leveled him with a look and he lifted a brow in response, challenging her. "Look, you ain't never been that nice to anyone else in the entire time I've known you. You're practically doting on Deku like he's a puppy. Which, I get it; he looks kinda helpless, and it's hard to not pity him."

"I am not-"

Katsuki waved a hand, interrupting her. "My point is, you should both keep a low profile. Except… I think there's someone Deku should go see."

The green-haired man tilted his head, looking up at his childhood friend. Red eyes stared back at him intently, and Ochako realized a moment later what he meant, a soft gasp escaping her. "Oh."

Katsuki shrugged, looking away as if they weren't talking about anything important. "Gimme some time, but I'll find a way to get you to your Mom."

Ochako smiled softly at the actual smile that touched Izuku's tear-streaked face.

XX

Shouto looked around them as they exited the swamp back into the enchanted forest. Before they left, Ochako had granted them the ability to navigate the forest, making the guidestone redundant.

It was a strange sensation, to know where he needed to go despite nothing looking familiar; an intricate, clever magic.

A distraction from the hurt he was bottling away from earlier.

He understood why Katsuki had reacted the way he did. It didn't make it hurt any less, but he did understand. And he could tell through the other's body language that he was regretting it. The set of his shoulders, the downcast eyes, the tight grip on the handle of his sword.

With a sigh, Shouto came to a stop. Katsuki took a few steps before stopping as well, but he didn't turn to face him. The prince regarded him for a moment before speaking. "I–"

"Shouto. Don't."

"Don't interrupt me," Shouto replied calmly. Katsuki said nothing, back still to him. He took that as a sign to continue. "I know we can't have what we want. It hurts me as much as it hurts you. However, I am not going to let my feelings eat at me like this, Katsuki."

The blond turned slowly, red eyes staring at him in disbelief. "What, are you saying you're going to just bury it all? Just like that?"

Shouto felt himself bristle at that, and he couldn't mask the frustration in his voice. "That's not what I mean."

Katsuki took a step towards him, helmet tucked under his arm, eyes still ablaze. "Then what the fuck do you mean, Shouto?"

"What I mean is that if I get an opportunity to have a moment with you where we don't have to hide, I want to take that moment." He gestured sharply back towards the swamp.

Katsuki closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose. "...If… we take those moments…"

He paused, and Shouto waited, feeling every muscle in his body tense. The other man was silent, brow furrowing as he tried to sort his thoughts and articulate them in a way that wasn't explosive. "...The lie becomes harder to maintain."

The prince swallowed, watching as Katsuki opened his eyes and leveled him with a look of despair. "The lie… means I get to stay beside you. If that lie falls apart, I won't get to stay beside you, Shouto." He swallowed, breaking eye contact. It didn't stop the single tear that fell down his cheek. "Call me a fuckin' coward, but that's a life I don't want to live."

Shouto sighed, pressing his lips into a tight line. "I hope one day the coward realizes that a short, fulfilling life has more value than a long, mediocre one. I'll be waiting."

He stalked off, leaving Katsuki behind him.

XX

The moment they were both gone, Izuku had all but collapsed on his bed of furs, pulling the blankets around him and curling up in a ball. It was beyond him to consider how much this corner of a room had become his haven. The blankets smelled of a mixture of his sweat and spices from Ochako's cabinets. The stack of pillows had a slight dip where his head normally lay. Strands of dark green hair were tangled in the furs. This tiny space was the closest thing he had to a possession right now, and he cherished it. Even the robe felt like a borrowed item in comparison. Perhaps it was because Ochako had carved out this space just for him. She had given up a part of her home and her belongings to give him shelter, to care for him, and something about that pulled emotions from him that he didn't know how to describe.

He heard her move close and he opened one eye, peeking up at her over the corner of the blanket and through a veil of hair. She smiled and placed a small bowl next to him, along with a cup of red looking tea. Curiously, he lifted his head to look at the contents, eyes falling onto the small pile of sweet berries and the dark squares sitting atop them. He looked back up at her questioningly as she moved around his bed towards her shelves, perusing the jars there.

"I think something sweet will help you feel better," She said by way of explanation, fingers sorting through her inventory. "The chocolate is from a little shop in the city. I like to keep some for special occasions or bad days."

She looked back at him over her shoulder, her smile making his skin tingle in a way he didn't understand. "I don't have enough chocolate for all the bad days you've had, Izuku. But… I'll give you what I have, okay?"

As he croaked a soft "thank you," he wished he was better with words.

XX

The chocolate was decadent. He ate one piece at a time, letting it melt in his mouth before following up with a berry, then repeating. It brought out the tartness of the fruit, and he found the contrast delightful.

The tea was also made of fruit, sweetened with honey, and it took a considerable amount of effort to not gulp it down. So instead he sat on his bed, knees drawn up as he held the cup close to his lips, eyes closed. The fruity scent kept invading his senses, drawing a pleased sigh from deep within.

So distracted by his treats, he failed to notice Ochako had been dabbing ointment on her burns until he saw her stand by the table. He watched as she hiked up her skirt to her knee and swiped a yellow cream over a spot on her calf.

He was trying really hard to not feel bad about what happened.

He was failing spectacularly at that.

However, she seemed unbothered, treating the burns as if they were simply blemishes and nothing more. And when he shifted, she looked up, catching his gaze and she shook her head. "I know what you're doing. Stop that. This isn't your fault."

Scrunching up his shoulders, he tried to hide behind his teacup, eyeing her through his hair. She smiled in response, capping the jar shut and walking to put it away on the shelf. He watched her, before finally finding the words he wanted to say.

"Can you start to teach me now?"

She paused, turning to look at him questioningly. He looked down nervously at his remaining tea before adding. "I… don't want to hurt you again. If I can control it… that won't happen."

He heard her huff softly, and was surprised when she closed the distance and knelt down in front of him, her knees touching the edge of his bed. With a look he could only describe as patient, she placed her hands in her lap and shook her head. "We're not starting anything today."

Before he could insist, she held up a finger, and he snapped his mouth shut. "You have had to relive a lot of bad memories, and I'm pretty sure you're still wrecked from that. Practicing right now would go poorly. You might even hurt yourself."

He frowned, putting down his teacup on the floor. "But…"

Her magic hit him on the nose again, cold as a raindrop and just as jarring. He jumped in response, giving her a startled look. She smiled back. "We'll start tomorrow while we wait for an update from Katsuki. For today, let's take care of your feelings."

He furrowed his brow, looking up at her. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "Do things that make you feel good. Like eating chocolate. Maybe a long bath?" She put a finger to her lips, glancing around her cottage. "I…have a couple of novels somewhere with my spell books. If you need something physical, you can help me tend to the garden."

He watched her look back at him, her eyes narrowing in thought. "I could even give you a haircut so you can actually see. Do any of these interest you?"

Softly, and nearly breathless, he responded. "All of them."

XX

He had fallen asleep.

The lantern light still glowed softly beside him, and his head was slumped, nose tipped to the floor. Propped up against the stack of pillows they had arranged, he breathed softly, a hand pressed to the book in his lap, marking the page he had been on when sleep overtook him.

Damp ringlets of green hair looked far better now that she had cut them back, free of tangles and snags, but still long enough to kiss his eyebrows. He had been incredibly shy as she cut his hair after his bath, chewing on a chapped lip with his eyes squeezed shut. It was endearing, really. Like a child unsure of how to behave.

And now, watching him slumber peacefully, she had to appreciate how almost… normal the scene was. Smiling, she crossed the small distance between them, her feet silent on the stone floor. The basket of freshly harvested root vegetables sat on the table, most of them eagerly plucked by Izuku earlier that afternoon. Even with the limited use of his injured arm, he'd been impressively efficient.

Crouching down in front of him, she gently stole the novel out from under his fingers. Of the small selection of books she had, he chose one that was a recount of a traveling merchant's adventures. It painted an interesting picture of the world outside of Yuuei, which he had probably never seen. Tucking a bookmark between the pages he was on, she quietly closed the text and placed it on the floor beside him.

Carefully, she pulled the blankets up higher to his shoulders, and he sighed softly, snuggling down into the pillows. Honestly, for someone who had spent so much time being hunted and with no one looking after him, she was impressed at how heavily he was sleeping.

The room was cast in darkness as she put out the lantern, and she took a few seconds to let her eyes adjust before she stood and walked outside. Carefully shutting the door behind her, she stole a glance up at the night sky. The scattered clouds appeared natural, so she hoped that meant his dreams were not turning into nightmares.

Now alone and able to finally focus on what she needed to do, she stepped out into the small clearing in front of the brook. Her bare feet pressed softly into the moss, and the wind warmly ruffled her hair, making her nightgown and robe billow about her. A dusty pink glow erupted from her eyes as she tipped her head back and opened herself up to the forest, her form illuminated by the moonlight.

"I need your help."

As if expecting her, the forest responded in a thousand hushed voices dancing across her skin.

We know, sweet child. And we are sorry.

XX

Glowing red eyes considered the wooden cart before him, its contents all but overflowing. Flies circled around the pile of corpses, enticed by the fresh decay of flesh. With a tilt of his head, he stretched out his hand, chapped lips parted in some measure of deranged delight.

The air around him hissed, and the stack of human bodies shuddered and contorted, turning as black as the night sky. From the shadows and around the corners, small orbs of varying colors and shapes appeared and shot forward, burying into each convulsing, blackened corpse.

An inhuman grin stretched across his face, far too wide and far too predatory as the cart of flesh erupted into a flock of newly risen Nomu, whooping and howling to announce their birth.

He sent them off with a flick of his wrist, and the beast scattered, diving off towards the western border with all the eagerness of a pack of hounds.

As they disappeared beyond the desecrated courtyard, he turned and walked back into the stone ruins illuminated by blue torchlight.

"Find me another Hollow soon, Garaki. We have an Echo to hunt."