AN: Hey! Sorry for the delay. Real life has been quite unkind lately. But now I'm back with a new chapter, and some editing done to the earlier chapters for better continuity. Enjoy!
29: An Act of Compassion
The journey to the foothills below the Western mountains had been uneventful in the ways that mattered. That is to say, they encountered no issues, suspicious individuals, obstacles, or anything of the like. However, to say it was completely uneventful was simply not true.
They were traveling with Toru.
The wind sprite was the embodiment of excitement, darting all over the place as she followed Shouto and Tenya along the northern roads towards the mountain pass. Everything caught her attention, and many of those things she felt important enough to tell them about.
Shouto now knew how many sheep they had passed (four hundred and sixty seven), the name of every road they were not traveling down (seriously, who approved the name 'Really Bad Road', anyway?), the number of ponds and grottos that had 'no fishing' signs posted near them (thirteen, surprisingly), and how many times Toru saw someone wearing pretty jewelry (forty two).
However, anytime he asked "what about the bad people" Toru would puff her cheeks, get a fierce look in her little transparent eyes, and zip off to scour for those she recognized from the battle. Her reports were always negative, not that it did much to calm his nerves.
It felt… strange, not traveling with Katsuki. Tenya was polite and would casually comment on things or discuss his thoughts about their plans, but he lacked Katsuki's energy. His intensity. There was no banter or insults or tension, and certainly Shouto had no desire to drag Tenya off of his horse and into the woods to make out with him.
Shouto had a type. Tenya wasn't it.
Katsuki wasn't here, and that made it even harder to put aside the tumultuous emotions that churned inside. Too much happened too fast. His family had been in pieces well before now, but the knowledge that Touya had been resurrected to kill people, and that his father was very likely going to commit suicide trying to stop him…
It's not what he wanted.
It's what was happening.
Pursing his lips and wondering if he'd soon find himself sitting on his father's throne and making the same terrible decisions, he tugged his cloak around him tighter and buried his thoughts behind memories of Katsuki's touch.
They reached the mountain pass by sundown.
The wind whistled from the snow capped peaks, bringing a harsh cold with it. The outpost had grown over the years, from just a couple of buildings for the guards to what was essentially a small village. Todoroki fire danced merrily in the center bonfire, like a beacon in the growing dark, and that fire got brighter as Shouto came into town.
People noticed that, of course, and once they realized just who had arrived, there was a small bit of panic. No one was expecting royalty, and it was clear royalty was the last thing they wanted.
That didn't help Shouto's mood, but he could hardly blame them.
Tenya did his best to reassure the people that they were simply passing through and nothing was amiss. They would be staying the night only.
No one was going to say no, but it was clear everyone was uneasy about having a Todoroki amongst them.
That changed when Shouto saw a guardsman hobble by on a crutch. Tired as he was, Shouto found himself intercepting the man and asking to see his leg. Onlookers gasped and shouted in surprise as white flames erupted from his hands, but Shouto drowned out their panic with his last dregs of compassion.
And when the guard let go of his crutch and stood, the unease that had settled with Shouto's arrival vanished like the sun that had just set. The man thanked him happily, and in return, Shouto thanked him for his service, then asked if there was anyone else he could tend to.
The weariness in his heart could wait its turn.
By the time the rest of his travel party arrived, he and Tenya found themselves in the small inn's restaurant surrounded by half of the outpost's residents eager to find out more about the prince with the fire that healed. It was distracting, not in a bad way, but Shouto wished he had more energy to give the crowd the respect they deserved.
It was as the dinner hour wound down that the air pressure shifted. A portal snapped open in the middle of the room, followed by a rush of old magic sprawling out across the inn, pressing up into every corner and permeating the air like energy before a storm. Shouto was used to Izuku's entrances by now, but almost everyone else snapped to attention with varying measures of alarm and panic.
Even Tenya stiffened before he realized just what was going on.
Izuku appeared, his hair extra fluffy from the wind and the haunting glow of his eye a stark contrast from the red light of the fireplace and lit torches. Ochako stood beside him, fingers entwined with his, her hair equally windswept but still somehow managing to look more graceful than her travel companion.
Ochako snapped the portal shut behind them, a faint peach glow at her fingertips as the only sign it was her doing. Beside her, Izuku locked eyes with Shouto and gave him an awkward wave.
Shouto smiled tiredly and waved back. "I suppose it was silly for me to think you'd use the door."
Ochako hid a giggle behind her free hand while Izuku tilted his head in confusion, but the statement had the effect Shouto really wanted: to let the crowd know Izuku was expected and not a threat.
They still stared as Izuku walked over to Shouto and Tenya, tugging Ochako along by their interlocked hands. She seemed to not mind, a tiny smile on her face as she brushed her hair back behind her ears, keeping close to him.
They were adorable, really, and they weren't even actually together. At least, not like…that.
Part of Shouto was envious, not for the dynamic, but simply because they weren't quite the same kind of mess as he and Katsuki were. Certainly, the relationship evolving between these two was messy in a lot of ways, but it was also just so vastly different to what he had with Katsuki.
After all, Katsuki and Shouto were barred from loving each other, but all that was really in the way for them was Izuku's lack of socialization and, well, the fate of the world.
Honestly, that still sounded less daunting to Shouto than having to deal with social status, familial obligations, and the fact that he loved a man.
His thoughts were interrupted as Tenya stood and offered Ochako his chair. "Please sit."
She flushed slightly, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh, no, it's fine. I'm not that weak now, I prom–eep!"
Shouto watched with amusement as a coil of Izuku's magic zipped out and wrapped around Ochako, gently plucking her off the floor and into the chair. Izuku realized a moment later he'd embarrassed her when she stared up at him with a flushed face. "Oh… was that bad?"
Ochako floundered for a moment, trying to figure out what to say, before apparently realizing it was ultimately pointless. She sagged in on herself, shaking her head. "N-no. It's okay, Izuku."
Truly, his lack of social grace was fascinating, but as Izuku leaned in and kissed Ochako's cheek in front of a crowd of strangers, Shouto upgraded 'fascinating' to 'morbidly entertaining'.
XX
Katsuki whipped his head up from his desk as a portal opened in front of him. The insult he had prepared to unleash promptly died on his lips when the person who stepped through was not his childhood best friend who had less social grace than a wild boar, but instead Shouto.
He blinked, brow furrowing as the portal closed behind the prince, leaving them both alone in the captain's quarters. "...What."
Shouto lifted a brow. "Nice to see you, too."
Katsuki shook his head, pushing up from his desk. "Why are you here? Did something happen?"
"No," Shouto replied, glancing around to see if anyone else was in the room. "We're all at the mountain pass for the night and will continue into the mountains at dawn. I asked Izuku to let me meet up with you to find out what's happened since we left, and for him to fetch me in an hour."
Katsuki blinked several times, watching as Shouto draped his overcoat on the back of an empty chair. "Can he even fucking tell time?"
Shouto frowned. "I… didn't ask."
"Of course you didn't," Katsuki replied flatly, although the words lacked his normal fire. He ignored that fact, and Shouto seemed to as well.
"Tenya has an enchanted timepiece. I'm sure it's fine," Shouto replied tiredly, taking a seat in a chair. With a weary sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and looked up at Katsuki. "Have you had a chance to talk to Kaina yet? Izuku said he saw your core with hers, so I was hoping that meant she's awake and cooperating."
Katsuki blinked, staring hard at Shouto. "The fuck? He can see cores halfway across the country?"
"Something like that. He tried to explain it. I didn't get it, and neither did Tenya, so I think that's on Izuku." Shouto waved a hand dismissively. "Did you talk to her?"
Katsuki sighed. Why did everyone and everything have to give him a headache? "Yeah. She fell asleep towards the end, but I got a good bit of information out of her. Here, hang on–"
He walked around his desk, eyes set on the lockbox containing the notes he took, when Shouto caught his wrist. Katsuki turned sharply to look at the prince, a brow lifting. "What?"
"How much information do you have to go over?" Shouto asked carefully, something peculiar in his expression.
Katsuki shrugged his shoulders, giving the prince a strange look. "I dunno, we talked for about fifteen minutes. Why?"
"Because we have an hour," Shouto said pointedly, standing up, "and I am tired and in a terrible mood. Things are shit right now, Katsuki, and I'd like a few minutes of not thinking about how bad everything around us is, and since we have an hour, you're going to distract me from it all, priorities be damned."
Katsuki blinked several times, brows high on his head as he processed everything Shouto said and what it meant. His eyes flicked to the door, then back to Shouto's face. They had stopped being so careful, but they were still… careful.
But then again, what was the fucking point?
Katsuki ran his tongue over his teeth, leveling Shouto with a look that was one part warning and two parts heated as he turned on heel and walked to the door. The sound of the lock clicking in place was as damning as his own thoughts as he acknowledged he was about to put his own personal interests before everything else. Before his duties. Before the safety of his country. Before even this goddamn war they were on the cusp of.
And strangely, detachedly, he noted it bothered him way less than it should have. These moments he used to deny himself out of fear, he now leapt towards like they were what kept him going; like they might help him succeed.
As conceited and foolish as it was to think being selfish with his feelings might help them better navigate everything else, as Katsuki watched Shouto stand up and start to undo the buttons of his shirt, he felt it was actually a goddamn golden truth.
Because he needed this. Shouto needed this. And by whatever greater powers there were, he would give this man–
"Katsuki?"
Katsuki blinked out of his thoughts and made a vaguely questioning noise, finally truly paying attention to Shouto. Shouto's expression was something Katsuki couldn't quite place, but goddamn did it make him suddenly very unsettled. Why–
"Kneel."
The single word sent Katsuki's internal monologue crashing into a pile of vague ideas and tense feelings, mouth falling open in shock as he processed just what he was being told to do.
"Oh, you motherfucker."
XX
"Izuku."
Izuku blinked, the glow of his eye dimming as he turned his head away from the window he sat in front of. He had been monitoring their surroundings all day, even while traveling. After all, they no longer had the protections of the castle and were on the move. If the Blackened Core was going to attack, it would be before they reached the Tower.
It was… tiring, but he'd do it if it meant keeping them safe. If it meant keeping Ochako safe.
Ochako stood in the low light of the room, lips pursed as she regarded him carefully. Her cloak was folded on a chair, Toru asleep atop of it now that she was back from counting pine cones on trees. She told them the total number, but Izuku forgot.
"You've been pushing yourself all day. You need to rest."
He shook his head. "Need to keep watch. We're not safe yet."
"I understand," Ochako said evenly, but in a way that said she wasn't done speaking. "Tenya's going to set up some wards in a few minutes. That will help. And I can keep watch while you sleep."
He frowned, brow dipping low. "You can't see cores very far away yet."
And she was still recovering. And he needed to train his vision. And he wasn't going to rest well until they were at the Tower–
"I can see them well enough to stand watch," Ochako replied carefully, reaching to touch his arm. "It does us no good if you exhaust yourself. Please, Izuku. Taking all of this on yourself is unnecessary–"
"It's necessary!" Izuku hissed back, catching Ochako by surprise. Her brows flew up, fingers hovering near his shoulder before she pulled her hand back. It stung that she didn't touch him, but he refused to back down. She was smart! She had to understand why he needed to do this! She had to understand why she couldn't.
He watched her clasp her hands together as she closed her eyes and pursed her lips. He'd seen enough people make that expression to understand what it was. She was frustrated.
He shrunk in on himself a little, turning his head to glare out the window. His reflection sulked back at him, loudly screaming his petulance. This was the only thing he was good at. It's all he had been doing for years. He was the Monster of Yuuei. All he knew was fighting back and being vigilant. It was necessary that he do this, because if it wasn't him, then what good was he?
If she had to once again be the one to carry him, then why was he even here?
He made a frustrated, pained noise, ignoring that pressure growing in his face that meant he was about to cry. He was tired. Too tired for this. She just needed to go rest and let him do what he needed to do.
Behind him, Ochako sighed. "And what happens when you see them coming very far away, but you're too exhausted to fight?"
"I'll fight harder," Izuku replied, resisting the urge to cringe at how dumb that sounded even as it left his mouth. It felt like she could read his mind; that she knew he was tired and was making it a weapon against him.
"Do you think that would make me happy?"
The words made him jerk, eye going wide. Subconsciously, he sought out the end of his belt, fingers gripping the leather to fiddle with it anxiously as he mulled over what she just said. The question made him sad in ways that took a moment to fully realize. It hurt. Shoulders sagging, he slowly twisted in his chair and met her gaze, feeling like a scolded child. He didn't hide the tears forming, not that he could have anyway. "You said I did…"
Ochako huffed through her nose, glancing away momentarily. Seeing her upset with him made his stomach turn into uncomfortable knots and his heart pound. He hated it, just like he hated the tears slipping down his cheek. He sniffled, reaching up to wipe at his eye with his free hand, feeling the magic thrum against his face as he brushed the evidence away.
With a sad sigh, Izuku dejectedly looked back out the window, refocusing his vision once more. Just as cores around him came into view, he felt Ochako's arms slip around him, pressing into his shoulders as she dropped her chin on top of his head. He sucked in a shuddered breath, concentration breaking as she pulled him into her embrace.
Even when upset with him, she was so soft…
"You do," she said quietly, squeezing his shoulders affectionately. "You make me very, very happy, Izuku."
He hiccuped, tears falling again, sliding down his cheek and dripping off his chin. "B-but you just said–"
A hand came up, finger pressing over his lips, and he found himself accidentally kissing the gloved digit before he pulled back and bit his lip.
"I asked if hurting yourself for me would make me happy. Do you think I want to see someone who makes me happy get hurt on my behalf?"
He swallowed, fidgeting with his belt again. "I…" He trailed off, struggling for the words he wanted to say. "I'm… this is what I'm supposed to be good at. Fighting the Blackened Core. Fighting Nomu. But…I watched you almost die because I didn't see them coming. A-and I can't help but wonder if I had been able to see them sooner if– if things would have been better. I don't want… I can't lose you. I can't, Ochako! S-so I need to keep watch until we're at the Tower. I'm sorry."
"Maybe things would have been different," Ochako agreed softly, reaching up to cup his cheek with one gloved hand. He turned his face slightly into the touch, wanting it so much but scared to ask. Not when she was upset with him. Not when he was upset with himself. She was agreeing he was right, even–
"But," Ochako continued, thumb stroking his cheek in a way that seemed to slow his breathing with every caress, "part of the reason we won is because you were taking care of yourself. Resting. Eating. Training hard, but not to the point of exhaustion. These things are just as important, Izuku. Look where you are compared to when I found you. Look how far you've come."
He sighed again, sagging against himself in her arms. She was right. She was always right. He always felt so stupid in conversations like these–
She shifted, leaning around to press a kiss to his other cheek, earning a shuddered huff from him that he didn't mean to let escape. "You are more than just my bodyguard. You are more than the world's bodyguard. Okay?"
He nodded shakily, knowing this was a fight that he was wrong about, even if every fiber of his being screamed this was how it needed to be.
Ochako lingered there, nuzzling his cheek, and he thought about turning his head towards her, but didn't. He wanted to, though, but he felt like he didn't deserve it.
He still wondered if she could read his mind, because she kissed his cheek again, and he was weak for it. "I'm not asking you to stop, Izuku. I'm asking you to slow down. Let me help. I'm not helpless, you know."
That made him stiffen, causing her to pull back slightly so she could look at him. "Of course you aren't!" Izuku replied, aghast. "You're very strong and smart and–"
"-capable of keeping watch while you rest," Ochako said firmly, but kindly. "Did you forget I am the Echo? The entire ecosystem will warn me if something big like that is about to happen. It did last time, and this time there's no crowd to muffle its voice."
He went still at that, eye wide as he realized he hadn't thought about that. He'd been so focused on keeping watch… he'd been so tired. An embarrassed flush sprawled over his face and neck as he tensed in humiliation. "I– …I forgot…"
She chuckled softly, and the sound made the tension in him loosen. "That's how I know you need to rest, silly," she said fondly, her voice right in his ear. It made him shudder, and he let loose another shaky sigh.
"I'm sorry."
"You're forgiven," Ochako said, pulling back. He lamented the loss of her arms, only to all but melt when she ran a hand through his hair affectionately. "Let me practice using your magic while you take a nap. I'll wake you up in a few hours. I promise."
"Okay," he whispered, tipping his head to look up at her. She smiled down at him, gently carding her fingers through his curls, and each press of her fingertips made his eyelid flutter. He really was tired… "There…are sixty seven people here besides our group. So the number of cores shouldn't shift."
Ochako nodded, her eyes shimmering as she accessed his magic to do a sweeping look around them. "Sixty seven, got it–... huh."
Izuku blinked, then followed her gaze through the doors to the room across the hall. That was the room Tenya was in, but there were now three cores inside. Tenya, his spellbook, and… another.
"Why is someone in Tenya's room?" Izuku asked.
"I… don't know," Ochako replied, sounding concerned. "What kind of core is that? It looks complex with how it's bubbling."
Izuku focused his attention on it, humming. "Mm… it's not elemental magic. They have a certain look. This is closer to illusion magic, but not quite the same. Maybe something like transformation or shapeshifting–"
"Shit," Ochako hissed, pushing off of him as she rushed towards the door, silvery-pink energy popping at her fingertips. "The woman in the market was a shapeshifter. Tenya!"
Izuku jumped up after her, threads of black magic spilling out over his skin as he ripped a hole in space and threw himself into Tenya's room.
What awaited him was a startled Tenya…
…and a startled Shouto.
XX
It took Tenya very little time to understand something was very wrong. Never mind that Shouto was back early, he was acting strange. Tenya couldn't quite place what was wrong other than Shouto seemed, well…
Chipper?
Which Tenya didn't want to assume, but surely seeing Katsuki wouldn't put that much of a spin on the stressed prince's mood.
However, as strange though that was, it took Ochako and Izuku showing up in a flurry of magic for Tenya to understand that, no, something was very wrong. One minute, Tenya was giving Shouto a strange look as he laughed at seemingly nothing, then the next, Izuku was leaping through a portal with several tentacles of magic fanned out about him, and Ochako was bursting in from the door, her own copy of Izuku's magic poised to strike.
Tenya may not always pick up on subtext, but this had more text than the Academy's entire library.
He jumped back, putting distance between himself and 'Shouto', who realized very quickly that he was in danger. Before the imposter could even think of an action, Izuku's magic lashed out, yanking 'Shouto' away from Tenya and Ochako.
In a whirl of fury, Izuku put himself between the imposter and everyone else, two blades of black tendrils poised like spears as he glared at his captive.
Wide, mismatched eyes stared back at him, and Tenya had to wonder just how this infiltrator had thought things were going to go. Pretending to be Shouto had been a huge risk in the first place, but trying to blend in next to two of the world's most powerful mages was just asking to be caught.
His eyes narrowed behind his spectacles as he watched Izuku frown and pull off his eyepatch. The ball of green fire that was his eye cast a pale glow on their captive.
"No, don't look at it!" 'Shouto' screeched, straining futilely against the inky bindings holding him in place. "It's not yours to perceive!"
Izuku tilted his head, regarding the imposter critically, before he reached out with his strange, magic-made hand and pressed his palm to 'Shouto's' forehead. Mismatched eyes went wide as a discharge of pink and green sparks erupted from Izuku's fingertips, then suddenly Shouto melted away to reveal a terrified woman underneath with blonde hair and dark shadows under her eyes.
Wide, golden eyes were filled with fearful tears as she stared at Izuku like he was both salvation and the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen. Her lips quivered, pulling back to reveal fanged teeth. "Oh, you caught me, but maybe I wanted to be caught. Caught like a little mouse, isn't that right, holder? But what if I did? Will you kill me, holder? Gobble me up like a cat? Or maybe you, Echo. Want to chew on my innards? Get my blood on your pretty little face–"
"No," Izuku whispered softly, and Tenya watched his face shift into one of compassion. "You're a really strong person to keep fighting that curse. I can see it. It keeps trying to eat who you are, and you refuse to let it."
"Don't dare speak of it!" she snarled, gnashing her teeth at him as she strained against her bindings. "It is mine, not yours–"
"It doesn't own you," Izuku replied, the glow of his eyes brightening. "Not anymore."
His hand snapped down from her head to her neck, erupting in green fire as his fingers wrapped around the ornate black metal hanging from it. The woman screamed, not in anger or protest, but in anguish, like she was in pain. Tenya saw Izuku mouth out what might have been an apology as his magic surged and the locket in his grasp cracked. Dark energy leaked out in a sickening hiss, dripping down onto the floor in thick, putrid black that reeked of foul magic and rot.
The locket fell in heavy pieces to the floor, each loud thunk punctuated by a spew of red sparks that quickly died as the pieces twitched and curled in on themselves like dying insects.
The woman stared at the remains of the cursed locket, her expression going from some twisted malice to utter disbelief. Her breaths came out quick and labored as Izuku took an uncertain step back, his magic uncoiling from around her. The moment he was no longer supporting her, her legs gave out from underneath her, and she collapsed gracelessly to the floor, staring down at the chunks of metal in shock.
"I…" She sounded so tiny, with a voice so small, as wide eyes slowly looked up at Izuku, then at Tenya, then finally Ochako. Her mouth moved, but no more sound came out.
And that was when the guards arrived, roused by her earlier screaming, and Tenya hurried to help Ochako ward them off.
XX
"What do we do?"
Ochako looked at Tenya, who stared at the woman now curled up in the corner of the room, clutching at her own arms in a death grip. Her face was tear-streaked as she stared vacantly at nothing while Izuku awkwardly patted her on the head with a tendril of magic.
He was trying to be supportive, Ochako knew this, but the attempt was missing its mark.
"I…" She sighed, feeling a deep weariness in her bones, despite having barely done anything during that encounter. Never mind she was still recovering and tired from travel, she also just felt like she was running on embers. Izuku was probably faring worse, but he seemed to still be riding his adrenaline, somehow. "I don't know. We can't let her go, but she can't stay here. It's not safe for us, and probably… not for her either."
"We are also due to pick up Prince Shouto," Tenya commented softly. "He will worry if we're late. Perhaps we should collect him and seek his input?"
Ochako tapped a finger against her chin as she considered Tenya's words, watching the traumatized woman on the floor with some amount of pity. "Maybe. But I wonder…"
Tenya made a questioning noise but Ochako didn't respond to it, moving across the room to slowly crouch in front of the blond woman. Gold eyes flitted between her at the wall before finally resting on Ochako. "Izuku, could you put your magic away, please?"
"Oh. Okay."
She saw him step back out of the corner of her eye, his magic retracting with him. The woman before her swallowed nervously, drawing her knees up against her chest. Ochako gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Do you know where you are?"
The woman blinked a few times before giving a shaky nod. "N-northwest mountain pass."
Ochako nodded back. "Is there a name I can call you by?"
The woman stared at her for several long seconds, as if weighing the options of giving her real name to a powerful mage. Her lips quivered before she finally whispered out, "Himiko."
"Himiko," Ochako echoed quietly. "Do you know what happened to you?"
Himiko didn't answer, staring at her in pale horror. Ochako could tell by the anguish on her face that she was aware of a lot more than she wanted to be. Lowering her head, she finally admitted, "Cursed… The locket was… it was supposed to be a gift. It made me…" She sucked in a pained breath, squeezing her eyes shut. "I did a lot of bad things. I tried to fight back, but…it was so strong. It was like having someone else control my body. I did… such awful things."
Ochako chewed on her lip, trying to figure out what to say. After a moment, she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," came Himiko's certain, if not quiet, reply. Honestly, she looked like she might get sick, her complexion pallid. She was silent for a few seconds before she finally lifted her head to look up at Izuku. "Why did you help me?"
Izuku tilted his head, seemingly confused by the question. "You were trapped."
"You knew? I– I mean, you knew it wasn't me?"
"That curse is quite…vocal," Ochako admitted wryly, not intending to tell her about Fumikage. Himiko may have been remorseful, but they knew nothing else about her. "Izuku and I could both sense it."
Himiko shuddered, rubbing her arms as she looked away uneasily. "What are you going to do with me?"
Ochako pursed her lips, regarding the woman before her. She looked exhausted, if not underfed. Traumatized, for sure. Hell, it was like Izuku all over again, in some ways. Unfortunately for her, Ochako didn't have the capacity to care for two broken people.
But that didn't mean she wasn't worth saving.
"Well," Ochako started softly, holding her hand out in invitation, palm up. "I'd like to give you a second chance, if you're willing to take it."
The silence that came after her declaration stretched across seconds, and maybe into minutes. Golden eyes met speckled brown with a strong amount of incredulity. "You…you'd do that?"
Ochako nodded slowly, but purposefully. "It won't be glamorous, and it will be stressful. You'll have to do some work to show us you're not a threat, but… I think we can generally promise your safety and a chance to rest. What do you say?"
Ochako watched as something flickered in Himiko's eyes, like hope, and she looked longingly at Ochako's outstretched hand. Then with slender, shaky fingers, Himiko took Ochako's offering.
"Thank you."
XX
Katsuki scowled when he heard the now-familiar and utterly annoying sound of reality ripping open beside him. Turning, he glared at the hole now in his quarters, but blinked when Ochako stepped through with a woman he'd never seen before. "Who the fuck is that? She looks like shit."
Izuku hung back behind, hands glowing a peachy orange color as he concentrated on keeping the portal open, and Ochako squeezed the hand of the girl standing beside her, who stared at Katsuki like he might eat her.
Finally, someone who didn't know he was gay.
"This is Himiko," Ochako said softly, smiling at the woman who was curled up against her side needily, not unlike how Izuku used to do. "She needs a safe place to hide from our enemy. The cells below the castle aren't the nicest accommodations, but they're probably the safest, given the guards and enchantments in place."
Katsuki blinked several times before glancing back at Shouto who looked equally confused. "She works for the Blackened Core?"
"Not me. It was my curse… It liked him," Himiko whispered, eyes downcast. "Most of the others work for Tomura because he promises them freedom from their curses. I wasn't in control… so he had no need to promise me. Instead, he gave my curse things it liked so that it would do what he wanted. Kind of like a spirit deal."
Katsuki stared at her, then looked back up at Ochako. "But her curse is gone now?"
"Izuku broke it," Ochako agreed, glancing back over her shoulder at Izuku, noting he was straining a little with the portal magic. "She really hasn't been in control, it seems. But she's been cooperative, and I think it's best that she stays here. We can't take her with us, after all."
Katsuki ran his tongue over his teeth. "This ain't a fucking charity, Ochako."
"Make it one," Ochako replied crisply. "We don't have time to argue, and keeping this portal open is difficult on Izuku."
Katsuki gawked at her, half ignoring the hand that clapped his shoulder as Shouto stepped up beside him. "We're two steps away from war with this asshole; I don't have time babysit–"
"An asshole who manipulates others," Shouto added quietly, squeezing his shoulder. "Give her a place to rest, Katsuki. Compassion separates us from the people we're fighting."
"Oh my god, you're all fucking impossible," Katsuki snarled, glaring at Shouto with far less heat than he wanted to deliver. He should have been angry, especially after the whole kneel thing, but he wasn't.
Goddamn he was a whipped bitch.
"Fine. She can go take a damn vacation down below the castle. Lady Comatose can use the company, but so help me, you better fucking be on your best behavior, blondie, you hear me?"
"Don't mind him," Ochako said soothingly, patting Himiko's arm. "He's rough around the edges, but he's not actually as shitty as he appears."
"Fuck you, Ochako," Katsuki spat, his brow twitching.
However, before she could retort, Shouto stepped in front of him and dusted some invisible lint off of Katsuki's shoulder in a way that was both affectionate and slightly patronizing. "I think you've had your fill today. We'll be in touch soon. I promise."
And before Katsuki could process the fact that Shouto openly admitted to fucking him in front of everyone, he walked off through the portal, Ochako in tow.
"You… bitch!"
XX
Ochako sighed softly from her place on the bed, the darkness of the room wrapping around her like a blanket. The only light was the pale shimmer of her own eyes as she kept watch. Her back was against the bed frame, cushioned by a thin pillow, and the enchantments in the room kept it from being too chilly.
Izuku lay beside her, his head in her lap and his arms wrapped around her hips. She could feel the thrum of magic from his prosthetic limb through her clothes, his fingers tangled in her skirts.
Once the portal closed, fatigue had caught up with Izuku in a matter of minutes. Despite that, he was so reluctant to give in and rest, so Ochako took his hands and led him to bed. He followed obediently, letting her tug his head into her lap, and begged in a quiet whisper to wake him up when she got tired. She promised, and maybe less than a minute later, he was asleep.
Now, hours later, Ochako still watched diligently, knowing she was tired but wanting to wait a little longer. She didn't have Izuku's reach of vision, only able to see a little ways past the outpost, but the Ecosystem was silent, promising nothing was amiss.
Down by her belly, Toru was asleep, nestled between Izuku's neck and Ochako's stomach. The spirit woke up to do her own patrolling shortly after Izuku fell asleep and had just now returned a few minutes ago to sleep again.
It was still a few hours before dawn, and with that in mind, Ochako blinked away the magic in her eyes, letting the world fade back to normal. With a deep inhale, she then closed her eyes and asked the ecosystem her request.
Show me Katsuki.
In a whirl of images against her mind, Ochako found herself looking down into the farmlands east of Ultra. Rainbow fire and brilliant lightning flashed as Katsuki tore through a sizable pack of Nomu. His guards were certainly less flashy, but still followed their captain dutifully.
While it was no surprise to see the Nomu attack or that Katsuki was successfully holding them off, Ochako did find it surprising when vines sprang up from the ground, pinning down the remaining monsters. Mina appeared in a burst of petals and leaves, her voice distorted through the vision.
And when Katsuki finished the last Nomu off, Mina cheered and presented Katsuki with a bundle of scones. Ochako didn't need to hear the words to know they were from Inko, and she had to bite back a laugh at Katsuki's fluster as he begrudgingly took the offered treats from the sprite.
She did laugh when he angrily shoved one into his mouth and ordered his guards to look away.
With another request, the image of Katsuki faded, and the broken wall of the Eastern Ruins came into view. Kyouka stood in the moonlight, standing across someone in a feathered mask. It must have been Fumikage, although Ochako hadn't seen him in years.
She watched Kyouka hand him something small and round, kind of like a pair of buttons. He bowed his head in thanks and passed over a couple of letters tied with twine.
When the vision faded, Ochako only remembered Kyouka. She was handing someone something and Ochako filled in the pieces with what she knew of Fumikage's curse.
She requested two more visions, one to see Inko safely asleep inside the Bakugou Estate, with Tsuyu sitting in the pond just outside of her room. The other was Queen Ryuko, and she found it unsurprising that the Queen and her Rabbit both seemed to be aware she was using the ecosystem to check on them.
Bright, golden eyes snapped over in Ochako's general direction, and otherworldly whispers crawled across Ochako's skin at the spirit's intense gaze. Beside her, Ryuko did not look up, but smiled knowingly as she took a sip of her tea. The shadows behind her shifted, taking on the shape of a great dragon, and that dragon turned its head, regarding Ochako calmly.
That vision faded, and wearily, Ochako tried for one more.
She was both sad and unsurprised to see King Enji of Yuuei standing before the Eastern Ruins, balls of fire hovering around him like they were his own constellation. A blotch of purple wrapped around Enji's chin and neck, whispering his broken promises to his family.
Dressed in royal armor, with a sword at his hip, the King of Yuuei squared his shoulders and blasted a hole through the sealed gates that were once opened between the kingdoms.
As he walked through, Ochako pulled out of the vision and pressed a gloved hand to her mouth.
Yuuei really was about to get a new king.
XX
The hum of Time Bubble came to a stop as Tomura inhaled sharply, smelling hot magic rolling in, despite the stale air of the ruined kingdom. He smiled, lips pulling into a cruel and twisted grin as he stepped away from his hourglass, his fingers withered and the tips eaten away to expose the bone.
The rejuvenation core he stole was weak at best, but he was a determined man. The Sands of Binding Time would crumble in months instead of years.
He made no sound across the dusty floors as he stepped outside, finding Touya playing cards with Jin. Both looked up at him, one holding all of his cards between his pinkies, and the other giving him a lazy, questioning glance.
"Touya," Tomura murmured, a wide, unnatural smile pulling across his lips, "you have a special guest."
Touya the Resurrected grinned, something deranged in his eyes. "Oh! Then I shall display proper etiquette and go burn his face off."