x.X.x.X.x.
—An unpredictable instance, a wandering journey;
A whimsical, unusual idea, and an inexplicable change.
.x.X.x.X.x.
The sweet lull of a lute fills the air, and Katsuki Bakugo takes a swig of a bitter alcohol that swirls about in his birchwood mug.
The room is dim and disturbed by crossing shadows of at least two dozen people taking up space. Some are dancing together, others singing in broken, slurred notes. There's a drinking competition in the corner, and a beautiful blonde maid taking care of everyone's orders with a few coins dangling from her necklace.
His own lightning yellow, spiky hair is hidden under his pitch-black cloak. He's blended into the background as well as any mercenary, only being spoken to if he needs a new cup of spirits. His callused hands grip around his current, his hearing sharpening through the crowd to catch the individual conversations as they play out one by one.
In this tavern at the crest of night, Katsuki is easily forgotten by all, and yet if they knew who he was, not a single eye would be turned elsewhere.
A legend and mystery, Katsuki Bakugo is the Demon Lord, fierce and raging amongst his land with bands and armies of fiends. His wars and combat skills are still spoken of in hushed whispers by those who would dare not speak his name, as if it would summon him on the spot. They say he hasn't a shred of humanity left, and they would be damn right to think so.
As a king, and leader, he has to lead by example. No human will ever be an exception to this.
Though, if you asked him now, it would be a tad confusing to know he wasn't planning to ambush and burn the tavern to the ground. Instead, it's an undercover, or rather, resting point for the red-eyed demon.
Sometimes it led to short lived amusements when he pretended to be human. Other times it had caused one of the most well-known historical execution of a city that the bounty on his head had become a few too many zeroes to count.
It brings him a strange joy to lead a human along to their soulless demise; in fact, it never got old. If he could live this way constantly, it would be fucking exhilarating. But of course, his responsibilities wouldn't allow this every time he took a break from his reign.
It helped to keep a close ear to tidbits of the human militia's plans as they tried to speak in private. Nothing stays hidden from him; he's always able to pick apart the pieces of their conversations and prepare his own men for it.
This time, however, as he listens in, he catches a voice akin to bells on the wind, angry and distraught. Something about this voice draws his attention, and he peers in the direction it's coming from out of the corner of his eye, curious.
It's a heated discussion between what appears to be a scarred warrior and a petite cleric. He can't catch her face from here, but the other is clearly stern, shaking his head at her.
"You can't be serious, miss," Katsuki overhears from the man, watching him cross his arms. "Ain't no way anybody with a right mind goin' out there."
"Please…!" that lulling voice begs, her staff tapping the ground with each word, punctuating her feelings. "Are you sure you can't?"
"I'm tellin' ya. You're barking up the wrong tree with that one. We've had a few already try to go out there, and ain't not a one come back. I wish ya luck, but I ain't hopeful for your return. That castle isn't something you wanna take lightly."
The warrior simply sighs and turns his back on her, and her shoulders droop with defeat. Yet, Katsuki's interest is piqued.
Ah. So she's trying to enter his castle?
This wouldn't be the first time he's seen a human try futilely to gather a band of men strong enough to charge his home. Every single one has failed. He's proud to say there wouldn't be a single human strong enough to kill him.
Especially a mage with the delicacy and size of a pea.
And yet…
He can inhale the scent of her soul from his seat. It's sweet, uniquely floral. Filled with a determination and an inner strength, it's enough to make his mouth water with desire.
Could this be his new plaything? Actually, it doesn't sound like a bad idea to drive this young woman to insanity. If he were to accompany her back to his castle, it would be a beautiful feast to await him.
It appears the decision's been made. He turns his gaze back to his mug, hearing her light footfalls treading his direction.
As she brushes past his back, he murmurs, "I hear you've been looking for company."
She freezes, and he slowly turns to look at her. Upon seeing her face, his breath catches.
Cherubic, rosy red cheeks adorn a porcelain, rounded face. Her lips are cherry pink and seashell shaped, and her eyes are a brilliant shade of amber brown. Slightly curly brown hair frames her cheekbones, short bangs cresting over her semi-bushy eyebrows, and a braid on either side.
A large, bright pink witch's hat adorns her head, lopsided in a rather nice way, and she's wearing a silver chestplate over a black body suit with pillow sleeves. A light rose cape drapes over her slender shoulders, all the way past her brown belt and jade open skirt. Gripped tight in her hand is a staff with signs of usage scratches all the way down the pink pole, the emblem at the top a golden circle with two thin, hair-like wings and embossed with seven small versions of all colors of the holy power stones all mages, witches, and clerics use to draw power from the All Might deity.
She might be one of the most attractive humans he's had the pleasure of preying upon.
"...Who are you?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.
His mouth quirks into a snarky smile. She's completely oblivious- even better.
He rotates the chair so that he's facing her head on. The dimness of the room hardly illuminates his features, allowing him to be anonymous perfectly.
"I am what you could call an interested party," he replies in a low tone. "The Demon King's castle, eh? Not exactly a walk in the park. Especially for someone as… tiny as you."
His jab at her leaves her pretty mouth curling into a frown. She visibly shrugs off the comment as best she can.
"Well, I- I know it's a big favor to travel there, y'know, the death wish mindset… Ah! Wait! You're offering!" This time her bright brown eyes widen.
"Maybe. What's in it for me?"
His question leaves her scrambling, but not for long. "Uh-, well. I don't have much of value, but I think just the bare minimum of killing the Demon King and avenging the deaths of, hm, at least thousands of people might be a good enough reward?"
He chuckles, noticing her guard going up and her wit kicking in. She's not quite as empty headed as she appears.
"Fair enough. I think dawn tomorrow will be a good time to head out."
She stares him down, still uneasy, as if it's too good to be true. "Hang on a second. Are you sure? Like you said, it isn't just… a stroll in the park. Dynamight isn't just some common demon. He's strong. He can burn down a village in minutes."
Oh, yes. He's fairly fond of the rumor. He had actually spread it himself, in the hopes it would catch on, and he isn't disappointed. He catches himself starting to smile, and he instead clears his throat.
"It's not a problem. I don't think I could sleep comfortably tonight knowing you're trying to go alone. Besides, I only ask for some coin and very little talk in exchange."
A light red starts to dust across her cheeks, but a light shines through her expression, betraying her excitement and enthusiasm to finally have a traveling partner. "Uh, well… Thank you. My name is Ochaco Uraraka. If you couldn't tell, I'm a cleric."
He reaches out his hand, and when she delicately, tentatively grasps it, he squeezes hard, making sure to take note of the faith uncertainty hidden in her amber irises.
"Katsuki Bakugo," he says, grinning ear to ear with smugness.
"A pleasure to travel with you, my lady."
.x.X.x.
Birds chirping and Katsuki's footfalls break the silence of the early morning rise.
Overnight, he couldn't take more than a few seconds before daydreaming of his new plan. Spending a little time with his new human will end up being incredibly fruitful by the end. Once everything has been done and said, and he's finally drawn her to his castle and betrayed her, he'll be able to see the despair and sorrow ooze away from her.
Her soul will be ripest at that moment. Unfortunately, however, that means he's tasked with keeping her protected until then. It shouldn't be hard to keep a little human safe.
Now, the new question is; where is she?
She could at least be timely. For fuck's sake, she's already become a nuisance.
It's not hard for him to locate her lodging. Her inn is only a short distance from where he hid out for the night, and he can track her scent and heartbeat. There is no one to stop him as he stumps his way up the stairs, already grumbling about her. They're losing hours, and he is not a very patient man.
Throwing open her door, he grits his teeth and glares in. "What the hell are you-?!"
"Aaaah!"
Her shriek escapes her bedsheets, and she sits up with so much force that her hands immediately cup her temples, a moan leaving her lips. She's wearing a white wrap around her torso, and her brown hair is sticking up in at least sixteen different directions. There's still sleep in her eyes, and she peers at him with confusion and unrecognition before opening wide.
"Oh- Oh no! I slept in!"
The minute she's said it, she's scrambling out as fast as her legs can take her, stumbling over a bundle of cloth at her feet and using the bedside table to steady herself. Her cheeks puff out as she mumbles under her breath
"I'm so sorry, Katsuki, I didn't mean to keep you waiting-!"
"...Hehe."
Hehe?
It takes Katsuki a moment to process what's happening, but as he does, his body succumbs to the laughter, the motion leaving him leaning against the door and covering his face, shaking his head.
She looks horrendous; it's actually hilarious.
She stares at him, her brows knitting together with confusion. "...What are you giggling at?"
He points at her, his own brow raising. "It seems your hair's not awake yet either."
"Huh?"
Her hands fly up to the crown of her head, and she hastily pats down the wild locks, giving him an evil glare. It only serves to increase his chuckling, and she is fast to shoo him out of the room. As the door locks behind him, Katsuki finds himself no longer annoyed. Instead, he's a little bit lighter, as if the moment had erased a little bit of some kind of weight from his shoulders.
It's odd, but he's not complaining. This will certainly be an interesting adventure.
With that being said, he allows her to get ready, waiting outside the inn for her. A half hour and she's finally out, still a bit pouty.
"I didn't know that if you were traveling with me, you could just barge into my room," she huffs, not quite over it yet. He rolls his eyes.
"Oh, c'mon, Cheeks. I wasn't the one who slept in."
"What the-?! What did you just call me?!" She catches onto his teasing, but it nonetheless leaves her huffing in his direction, her pert lips curling into a frown. "Don't just make up names for people you just met."
He shrugs his shoulders, choosing to continue. "Whatever you say, Cheeks."
"You-! You're insufferable!" She flails her hands, before giving up on the discussion for the time being. "Let's just get going."
He raises his brows, but lets it go for now. He has a few days of travel with which he can cause her strife, anyway. At least it won't be a boring trip home. He's got plenty of material to work with.
The two begin their journey in relative peace. The scenery is lush and green, prickled with dew from a morning's rain and dotted in the occasional fallen brown leaf. The bird squawks overhead sing a melody only they can understand, fluttering over the treetops with ease and genteel. Despite Katsuki's nature, he can't help but enjoy the normal mundane of the human's safe towns and cities. They have a state of mind that he can't replicate. His ever-looming danger over them stays hanging over their heads like an omen, waiting to crash down and take lives again in a way too familiar. Yet they still go on with their day like he doesn't exist, or better yet; where he would never exist. A world never seen, but resides within their minds to keep them sane.
Humans are fascinating constructs. Hell, he even might have been human once, but whatever is left of that has disappeared long ago. Katsuki Bakugo has relished killing, stealing souls, for far longer than any human lifespan. His own world revolves around what activity he'll be doing the next day, or what human he'll be targeting.
His eyes slant over at the beautiful brunette. In a way, he should feel bad for her. She's too naive and sweet to understand what danger she's in. She's clearly a kind person, he can read her soul rather clearly just in her speech and mannerism. If there were a person more pure, they wouldn't be human. She's fascinating in a new way.
Ochaco Uraraka. A cleric, using white magic with nothing but the purest intentions. He isn't sure why she readily agreed to go with him in the first place, but she has to be desperate. Something is pulling her toward his castle, and whatever it is has to be stronger than her desire to live. Only a human who has lost, or is full of pride and ego, would ever traipse their way into his homelands.
Maybe he killed her family. Maybe she's trying to earn some kind of award. Her reasoning is still completely unknown to him, but if he travels with her, it's bound to spill out eventually. Besides…
…She can't seem to keep quiet.
"I do love scenery like this," Cheeks murmurs, gazing around herself, her footsteps cracking over a twig here and there. Her amber eyes are full of wonder.
"This?" Bakugo raises his brow. "Just trees?"
"Well, not just trees. I like forests and greenery. If you try to look through the leaves, it's like we're staring up at a green sky full of stars. I used to love just sitting under a big oak tree and counting each one as a child." Ochaco smiles lightly. "My mom would tell me for each leaf, there's a fairy sleeping on it. I'd go searching for days trying to catch sight of one, that eventually my mother let slip that it wasn't real. I really, truly believed they were real. It's a fond memory for me."
Looking a tad disgusted, he frowns in her direction. "Do you always talk this much?"
Her smile wilts, and this weird, uncomfortable feeling settles over him as he realizes she's deflated quite a bit. HIs words seem to have dampened her enthusiasm quite a bit.
It could serve to make the remainder of the trip a nuisance if she's hurt so easily. He'll have to keep his snappiness in check.
"...I didn't say I mind it," he follows up after a beat of silence. "I've never heard someone with as much… candor as you."
Regardless of how she felt initially, Uraraka perks up instantly. Like a duck letting water flow off its wings, she brushes off his other comment with grace, something he can applaud her for.
"Oh. Well, you know. My dad is a worse chatterbox than me. He can tell a story three hours long; but, he'll keep you enthralled the entire time. He's a bard, so it comes naturally to him, and it rubbed off on me a bit. Like father like daughter, or however the saying goes."
The man raises a brow, an inquisitive thought crossing his mind.
"If you have such a loving family waiting for you to return home, why are you going on such a dangerous quest? I would think a hu- er, a well cared for person would want to be with their friends and family." He nearly stumbles over his phrasing, catching himself before it becomes too obvious and smoothly slipping in a more nonchalant tone.
Uraraka glances his way, a twig snapping underfoot and making her flinch unwittingly. Her deep brown hair brushes across her face with a gust of wind, and her dainty fingers slide it back behind her ear.
It takes her a moment to answer, and then she quietly replies, her voice melancholy yet soft. "You're right. It does seem like a fool's mission, doesn't it?"
He would say something, but he allows her to continue, noting a flicker of something unwritten in her features.
"It doesn't make sense, I suppose, but to me it means quite a lot." Ochaco takes a deep breath.
"A few years ago… I lost my best friend to the demon king. Izuku and I were training outside our village when we were attacked by a horde of them. Izuku was strong, a warrior; and I was always by his side when he needed me. But when we were in the midst of trying to protect our families, he was struck down by some gargoyle and no spell I had could bring him back. All I can really remember from that day is the way I looked to the sky and saw him up there- the demon king's shadowed form looming above us like a sword ready to strike again. It's a miracle that half my hometown lived through that battle."
Bakugo listens intently. Unfortunately, he can't quite recall what exactly she's speaking of, but then again, he's been through quite a lot of raids in his immortality. It wouldn't be uncommon to space out one after another. There was a period of rage and bloodlust now and then that resulted in at least a hundred villages burned to ash; how could he be expected to remember them all?
Yet, when he peers into the face of a human who lived through it, he can see shadows reflected in her gaze that have haunted her for a long time. A restless need for vengeance and peace lives on in her, supposedly because of whom she has lost. A respectable soul, indeed.
It's actually quite endearing to him, in a way. He's used to humans coming after him, folly after folly, dying at his hands and bleeding out the only life they'll be remembered for. Yet, it still sickens him. Humans throw their lives away at the toss of a hat. She'll do the same.
"It is foolish to send yourself straight to death for someone else's benefit," he says callously, and her eyes sharply glare his way, amber burning under the sunlight.
"It's a good thing this isn't for you, then," she huffs in his direction. "I'm not doing this for anyone but myself."
She walks ahead of him, breaking off the conversation, and he's left to stare at her back. His arms cross, and his mouth curls into a half smile.
Well.
A little spunk never hurt anyone along the way.
He can't sense any malice or doubt in her. Only resolve, wit and reason. He can't help but respect her, just for that alone.
.x.X.x.
Their first night on the road raises a crescent moon over their heads.
Curled tightly into a small, pink sleeping bag, Cheeks is fast asleep, her soft hair spread around her face and her bedding scrunched up under her. Lips parted and a light snore escaping, a small bit of drool dampens her pillow.
It's innocent. Cute, even. Embarrassing if she were to wake up with her hair in a mat like it is right now.
Bakugo's content watching her like this, deep in the middle of the forest with the moonlight barely peeking through the trees to light up her pale face. It's something of its own kind of peace and relaxation, just sitting in the silence with the sleeping cleric. Without her chatter, it's an eerie emptiness.
After they had gotten past her story about her friend, she had opened up a little again and resumed her talking, and for some reason, it didn't really bother Bakugo. It just made him think about who he was. Now, as he sits here in her presence, he actually feels a bit… poor. A little disgusted and bitter, but with what, he isn't sure.
He's not even sure where he's feeling from. His heart has been black ice for his entire life. He doesn't understand things like sadness, disappointment, or resentment. He knows anger, pleasure, violence. What he does feel is always strong, but now, these weak little things are rising to the surface when they never have before. He never once felt bad about taking a soul before, but right now, the thought of taking hers tastes sour in his mouth.
He should take it now. Before whatever this is, becomes a problem.
Bakugo rises from his perch, quiet as the night. His weapon lies against the tree he had been resting upon, and his dark eyes burn holes into the cleric's prone body. She's facing him, one arm now buried in the material of her bag, the other thrown haphazard across her chest. Her eyes move frantically under her eyelids; having some kind of dream.
Before he knows what he's doing, Katsuki approaches her and leans down, bending his knees until he's almost level with her. Bracing himself against his thighs, he peers directly into her face.
By human standards, she's beautiful. By his standards…. Well, the same. He can't deny that.
A terrifying urge to reach out and caress her cheek fills him, and his own expression contorts in disbelief. There's no way he's actually considering that.
It would be so easy, though. She's deep into her dreams, and he could so easily reach out and hold her face in his hands, find out how soft her skin really is and how sleek her hair would feel in between his fingertips. It would be all too simple to feel her lips, or draw a line from her petite nose to her perfect amber eyes.
What is he thinking?
Cold reality washes over him in a flurry, and his already moving hand freezes in its tracks. As if to compound his feelings, the woman below him sniffles in her sleep, squinting and murmuring beneath her breath before turning away from him. He stands up too quickly, crunching a twig under his heel and instantly freezing.
She stirs for another moment, and then calms, returning to her rest. He gradually untenses, and grits his teeth.
No.
This isn't how this works. He doesn't start to feel for the girl. Katsuki Bakugo feeds, and then it's over. A soul is always just a soul. Humans don't live long enough to get attached. Not to mention his status and pride. He doesn't need a mate, or a friend. He has all he could want in his reign.
So why does he feel so connected to this woman all of a sudden? Has he gone soft?
Recoiling from her, he is quick to return to his perch at the tree, his eyes shooting daggers in her direction. Settling in, he forces himself to think of other things, because if he focuses too much on her, he'll be too tempted to try to touch her again.
As a demon king, this would cause me nothing but trouble.
Ochaco Uraraka is entirely trouble.
Credit to Nonoel_art for being on my team and doing some amazing artwork for the story, for Kacchako Bang 2023.