20/12/2022

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The Emperor's Dragon
Emergence 35 - Reunion

Giran's offered job wasn't so much a job but an opportunity to meet someone who had work, Himiko realised as he led her, with some other emo guy into a bar. Emo guy had black hair, vivid turquoise eyes and an impressive set of burn scars. She couldn't see them all but they covered his eyes, and lower face and went down his arms. They were connected to his healthy flesh by staples. He seemed comfortable with them so she hadn't bothered to comment. It didn't matter.

Giran said he liked Stain and he hadn't hit on her so for the moment she had let him be.

The bar had low wooden ceilings and exposed brickwork. It was clean, so the owner obviously cared enough to do that. There was a teen sitting at the bar. He was dressed kind of the same way as emo boy but without the jacket. The main distinguishing feature was the disembodied hand on his face.

Eh, whatever floated his boat. Himiko would have shrugged but it hardly mattered. The barman behind the counter seemed to almost be made of mist but he had yellow eyes, which he turned toward them. Something seemed to pass between him and Giran but the broker said nothing. He just hung back at the door, leaning against it, as if he was blocking it. The barman had a layered silver collar defining his neck over a shirt, striped tie and double breasted vest.

The hand dude sighed and muttered, "I'll try it that way, Sensei."

He wasn't talking to anyone and people called her weird!

The emo dude she'd come with huffed. "He's gross," he said.

That seemed to get the handsy guy's attention and he looked over at them. Himiko saw as he looked them up and down before he sighed again. "They aren't worth it. Kurogiri, get rid of them."

"You just told Sensei you would try," the barman replied.

"Tomura," Giran said and it seemed as if he was laughing, like he was in on a joke with the barman. "This is Dabi," he said, introducing the burnt guy. "He hasn't done anything flashy but he follows Stain's ideology."

"Mr Stain's the second best!" Himiko squealed, jumping up and down slightly.

Burnt guy tched. "I'm not sure about this Giran… If he wants wack job here then-"

"Hey!" Himiko objected.

Emo didn't even look at her.

Handsy dude snorted. "With that pendant she's obligated to think that," he muttered.

"Pendant?" Burnt emo asked, looking over to her.

"Dragon gave it to me!" Himiko chirped, pulling slightly at the leather cord. She didn't pull out the pendant and Giran had told her to call Izu that.

"Dragon's a myth."

"I wish," Handsy grumbled. "Dragon's a pain in the arse!"

Himiko growled. "He's the bestest!" She told him.

"Whatever," Handsy replied. "I don't like them. Kurogiri."

"You're not too great yourself. You want her?" Dabi snorted his question, jerking a thumb in her direction.

Himiko growled but before she could do anything more Handsy replied. "And you think All Might is the best hero," he spat.

"Stain acknowledged him," Dabi replied.

Handsy growled and turned on his bar stool. "All Might is the focus of what is wrong with this world," he announced.

Dabi returned his growl and from the way he spread his hands, Himiko thought he was going to attack with his quirk. He probably had some sort of emitter quirk and those were usually expressed through the hands. Izuku had taught her what to look for.

"Stain acknowledged him as the only hero," Dabi announced. "And I will see Stain's legacy fulfilled."

"A false hero," Handsy snapped.

Dabi growled and leapt forward but Handsy was ready and drove forward himself. From behind her, Himiko heard Giran sigh, as she flicked a knife into her hand but it was the barman who moved. The mist extended from him and her hand went straight through a disk of it. It didn't appear to do anything but then she saw the other disks and the hands extending from them.

"Enough!" the barman said into the sudden quiet. "Tomura Shigaraki," he said the name and it must have meant something because Handsy 'tched' and pulled back.

Himiko and Dabi did the same, pulling their hands out of the black disks. Her knife disappeared up her sleeve again. Dabi briefly looked at the smoke that drifted away.

"Stain doesn't know everything about All Might," Handsy told them.

"And you do?" Dabi demanded.

"As if! But I know he's not as perfect as the world believes."

Dabi considered that. It was probably right. He huffed. "What's the job?"

Handsy looked at them. "Long term," he indicated. "Crew. To fucking turn this world over and show heroes for the craven cowards that they are."

That seemed to hit a nerve with Dabi. Himiko could tell from the way his lips were moving. He was trying to suppress a smile.

"I just wanna meet Dragon!" she said before Dabi could reply.

Handsy rolled his eyes. "So you in?:"

"Even with her?"

"Even with her," Handsy replied.

"Hey!" Himiko growled. Oh, he hadn't hit on her but he was so going down!

"Yeah, I'm in," Dabi replied. "But the instant you go back on your purpose-" He didn't bother to finish.

Handsy didn't answer. "You?" he demanded.

"I'll get to see Dragon?"

He growled at her but the barman tapped the bar. "You'll get to see Dragon," he said.

"Then yay!" Himiko said, shaking her hands up and down. "I get to see I- Dawgon!" She corrected.

"What are your quirks?" Handsy demanded. "Can't plan without knowing that."

Dabi looked at him as if he was reconsidering before he held up one hand. A tongue of blue flame danced in his palm.

"You?" Handsy asked. He didn't sound too interested though.

"I need blood," Himiko answered.

While she couldn't see his eyes properly from behind the hand, she knew that type of look. Himiko rolled her eyes. "To show my quirk," she said. Was Izu the only one who knew when she said that she was referring to her quirk without being told.

The barman pulled something up from behind the bar. It was a small flask and a shot glass. "Will that be enough?" he asked politely.

"Human blood?"

The barman nodded. Giran had obviously told them her requirements even if they behaved like they didn't know.

Himiko nodded. "That's fine."

He poured a measure into the glass. She picked it up and just cradled it for a moment. "So sweet~!" she purred. It wasn't often she got blood voluntarily and… Himiko sniffed delicately. They'd tried to keep it at the right temperature! No preservatives… That was nice.

She lapped at it. Just a little, and then downed the entire thing, savouring the taste.

It was nice. It was…

Himiko frowned, and then ran her tongue over her teeth, scrapping at the blood to taste it again. It was a mix of blood but… "Whose blood was in there?" She demanded. Handsy said he knew Dragon, knew Izuku but that didn't explain why Izu's blood was there.

"Does it matter?" Handsy growled.

"Where did you get it?" She felt her lips curl into a snarl. Dabi was just looking at her.

"Here and there."

The knife she'd slipped away earlier sprang back into her hand as she growled and launched herself at Handsy. Her Izu's blood stayed exactly where it was! in him!

A black disk opened in front of her and before she could stop herself, Himiko had plunged through, leaving the bar in silence.

Dabi blinked as the disk disappeared. "Where'd you send her?"

"Dragon can deal with her," Kurogiri replied.

"Dragon's a myth," Dabi snapped back.

"Dragon is a pain in my arse," Tomura replied. "But he'll at least convince her to join," he added.

Dabi stared for a few minutes before he shrugged and moved to the bar. Kurogiri obligingly put a schooner of beer in front of him. He looked at it for a moment before picking it up. Most people didn't trust fire users with alcohol.

"Here's to the future."

Tomura gave him a hard look before nodding. "Where heroes are but a memory."

-ted-

One moment, Himiko was going to wipe the hand off the annoying twerp, the next there was weightlessness followed by a definite fall. There were cries from all around as she landed on something odd. She slashed out with her knife and feet but didn't hit anything. The cries didn't stop though and Himiko glared at the sudden change in light.

"Mother-!" She was so gutting the barman next time she saw him! Maybe Giran as well! This was not a good job!

She was kicking over things and eventually managed to get her balance again. Something had hit her in the back and it was gonna bruise and she hadn't got anything with her knife.

"Himiko?" The whisper was odd in the sudden silence that surrounded her.

She spun towards it. There was a teenager there. He had bright, fire blue hair and wide eyes that showed no fear. There were others with him. They were staring at her in horror but this kid was fine and he sort of looked like… "Izu?" Himiko questioned, bringing her knife around. Why did he have blue hair? Why was he in UA's uniform?

That brought a grin to his face. It was familiar. She knew that grin.

"Himiko!" He was definitely happy and knew who she was. The others didn't.

"You know her, Mitei?" a girl questioned.

Himiko swung her head to the side to glare at the girl. Why was she calling Izu that? She was also in a UA uniform and from what she could see, she'd landed in a small apartment.

"I do," Izuku said firmly. "We'll have to continue the assignment some other time," he added, looking around.

Te gulped and then looked pointedly between him and Himiko. "You're gonna be okay?"

"Himiko and I are old friends," Izuku reassured the other teen, who was thankfully already picking up his gear.

"If you're sure," Zellia said.

"Positive," Izuku said, moving to the door and holding it open. His classmates all looked at him oddly but collected their shoes and then left. Korei gave him a worried look but Izuku shook his head. He'd be fine. Thankfully Himiko said nothing and he closed the door. He turned to her with a grin but then frowned, holding up one hand. "Wait a seccy," he instructed, gesturing to the window. His little kitchen was along one window and…

"For crying out loud!" Izuku huffed. He wrenched open the door. "I'll be fine!" He growled, glaring at the group. They'd clustered along the walkway outside and were peering in through the window.

"I could make them go away!" Himiko offered.

He chuckled at that, but Izuku was now feeling worried. It had been so long and… what was he going to tell her.

Zellia and the others gave him another look before nodding and he watched them troop towards the stairs and disappear before he pulled back and closed the door. Izuku gulped before he turned to face his old friend.

"Himiko!" He said, letting his hair return to the green she knew.

"You do have a quirk!" She blurted.

Izuku sighed and looked to the ground. "I've got a couple," he told her. Being truthful was the least he owed her.

"What?"

He let scales form on his face, and claws on his fingers while changing his eyes to a vibrant blue. Then he leapt into the air, and stayed there. "I've got a couple," Izuku repeated, dropping back to the floor.

"How?"

Rather than answering, Izuku moved forward and went to the table. He picked up the glasses and put them upright. Thankfully none had broken and his classmates had taken their papers with them. "Do you want some tea? Water?" he offered. "I don't have any blood," he told her.

That got a smile.

"Izu?" Himiko said.

He looked over at her, letting the quirks fade.

"Why did you leave?"

He wasn't sure what she was asking about, not entirely. "I didn't want to leave," Izuku told her. "I wanted to talk to you so much! But I couldn't," he finished, looking down.

"You left me!"

He couldn't really deny that. "I didn't want to," Izuku repeated. "I really didn't want to, and I looked for your number online but-" he didn't have to say much more. Himiko had never been into online things. At first, it was because her parents denied it and then, it was almost that she'd been left behind. Everyone else had a longer history and more skill there. Plus… you couldn't get blood online. Not in the way Himiko liked it.

"You left me!" Himiko repeated. "And then everyone turned against me and… I just wanted to speak to you," she said.

"I did too. I had so many jokes I wanted to send you," Izuku tried to brighten the tone but he knew it wasn't working. He let himself slide down to the floor. "I'm sorry," he said, looking down. "I'm really, really sorry," he added.

"Why did you leave me?" Himiko cried.

He didn't know what to answer. He hadn't left her, not really but from her point of view, he had. Izuku felt tears welling up in his eyes in response to her sadness. "I didn't want to," he repeated.

He really hadn't wanted to and all the frustration that he'd felt, every time he looked for her number and the sadness he felt when he sent her a joke that didn't go anywhere came back to him and the tears fell. "I'm sorry," he managed to say, not bothering to hold them back.

He thought Himiko was crying too but he wasn't sure.

The pain in his shoulder came as a surprise and his eyes flew open. Himiko was above him, and drove him backwards over onto his back. She sat on his abdomen trapping his arms. "You won't leave me again!" Himiko yelled and even though Izuku saw her raise her knife again he couldn't stop it. He probably could using Caeli Imperium or Chain or even just bucking her off but… he owed her this pain and he could see she was crying.

"You won't leave me again!" She drove the knife down

This time Himiko left the knife in and rolled off him. She was crying as she sat beside him. Izuku thought she was saying something but he couldn't tell. He lay there as she cried. The first cut had already healed and the other wouldn't heal until the knife was gone. It hurt but it wasn't that bad. Eventually Himiko seemed to calm down slightly and her words became intelligible.

"I hurt Izu! How could I hurt Izu? Should I take his blood? But I hurt him! I don't deserve his blood! How could I hurt him? He said he was sorry. He said he didn't want to leave me! But I hurt him! Was it really his fault? Did he want to send me those jokes? But I hurt him! And there's so much blood! I want his blood! But I don't deserve his blood!"

Izuku closed his eyes, and braced himself. He lifted one hand and grabbed the hilt of the knife to pull it out. Regeneration took effect almost immediately and healed him. Himiko was still crying and didn't notice the movement. He sat up and looked over to her. She was tearing at her hair and the two buns were half undone rather than slightly messy.

He scooted over slightly, coming up behind her and reached around her. "You can have my blood," he said, holding the knife so that she could take it. "You're my friend," Izuku added.

The unexpected contact surprised Himiko and Izuku felt her jerk. "I'm okay," he said, loosening his hug slightly so that she could turn to face him. Izuku sat back so that he was looking at her. He gave Himiko a weak smile. "I promise I'm okay," he added, holding out the knife again. He should probably be more concerned that she stabbed him but… he couldn't bring himself to be angry.

She took it hesitantly but Izuku nodded his reassurance. Then she licked it and actually shivered in delight. Izuku took the opportunity to pull out his phone. He clicked through to the messages he'd sent to Himiko over the years that had never actually been sent. He held the phone low so that she could see he was reading. "I messaged you but-" he paused, not needing to say anything more. "Want me to read them?"

Himiko looked at him and eventually nodded.

Izuku cocked his head slightly at her. "Don't let it go to waste," he advised.

She frowned.

"The blood," he told her, jerking his head towards the knife where his blood was about to drip off.

"Izu?" She whispered the question.

"It's okay," he reassured her and reached up to pull his shirt down to show the unblemished skin.

"How?"

"I have a couple of quirks," he said. "I'll explain that after this," he added, holding up his phone.

She nodded before licking at the blood.

Izuku looked back at his phone. "Why did the vampire get fired from the blood bank?" he asked with a smile.

Himiko smiled back but Izuku thought at least part of it was from his blood. That was okay. If she was happy then that was a good thing.

"Why did the vampire get fired from the blood bank?" Himiko asked.

Izuku grinned. "He was drinking on the job!" He answered before reading the next joke. "Why do nurses bring red markers to work?"

Himiko appeared to think about the question before she took another lick at the blood. The knife was almost clean now. "Why do nurses bring red markers to work?" she asked.

"Incase they have to draw blood!" Izuku replied. "Whatever you do, always give 100%," he read his next message.

She frowned.

"It's a joke, I promise."

Himiko gave him a side look but nodded. "Always give 100%?" she said as a question.

"Unless you are donating blood!" Izuku gave the punch line. "I didn't say it was a good joke," he defended himself before he read the next one. "What's a vampire's favourite fruit?"

"Oh I know this one!" Himiko replied. "A blood orange!" They said together.

Izuku chuckled and nodded. "Do you want me to read the others?"

"It's about blood! Of course I do!" Himiko replied.

It was almost like no time had passed but Izuku could feel there was tension still lying beneath the surface. There probably would be for a while, he realised. He was going to have to show Himiko that he hadn't meant to leave and that… He knew better than to promise he'd never leave again but… He'd do everything in his power to ensure she wasn't left behind.

Izuku smiled as he looked back to his phone.

He had a second chance now. He wasn't going to waste it.

-ted-

So... it doesn't take much to get them reunited, just a stabbing and some blood jokes... They will continue getting reacquainted and have a more serious conversation in a bit. It's a good thing that Izuku hassled the management students out of there so fast but they will want a better explanation. That will come 'tomorrow' when Izuku goes back to school. The management students don't know about Kurogiri since they weren't at the USJ and information about the USJ was not just shared with all and sundry.

My discord is on this code: ZX2R5h2cEm FFN will remove links but you should be able to figure that out. There's a heap of other authors there, so come along and chat to us all!

-ted-

Loved it? Hated it? Found a spelling mistake? Let me know please!