"Over there is a pretty good cafe, last time I was there, they had some pretty good food. Oh, and over there is a neat shop with some souvenirs. I kinda perused there the first time I came to this town, and there's not much in there. At least anything that interested me anyway."
Ochako looked over her shoulder to see Izuku looking around the town before glancing back at the envelope in his hand. He did seem to be listening, though, with him looking at the places she pointed out. So at least he wasn't ignoring her.
"So, anything interesting in Magnolia?" She asked.
"Huh? Oh…well, I haven't looked around too much. I usually just do the mail delivery and then head to the library. I don't do a lot of wandering."
"Aw, why not? I bet there's lots of stuff to look at over there. I hear the Kardia Cathedral is really pretty."
"It is, actually, I see it every time I go on a mail run."
"Yeah?"
He nodded. "I've never been inside though. Never had a reason to go in." He fiddled with the envelope before realizing the growing lull in the conversation. "Uh, um, what about you? You've been traveling, have you seen anything cool?"
Ochako looked up before nodding to herself. "Yeah, I have. I passed through this town that was just as active at night as it was in the day, and so much prettier! On my way to this whole cluster of towns, I actually ended up in a resort town! It was really nice, even though I couldn't do much there. You know, with the whole traveling on a budget thing."
He nodded, he could understand. He was trying to focus on saving money himself, which would take a while. Having just gotten his first paycheck and all that.
"Hey, so, you said you're from an island called Musutafu right?" She continued.
"Uh, yeah, I-" He stopped when there was a loud crash from somewhere nearby. They glanced over for a moment until Ochako prompted the conversation to continue.
"So, was there anything worth going over for sightseeing?"
"Uh…" He paused, biting his lip before shaking his head. "N-No. No, it's just a…it's a really small island. Not even a good place to go for vacation really."
"Not even a neat monument or something? Any guilds?"
"Nope." He shook his head.
"Aw, well in that case, I guess I can see why you came here to the mainland."
"Yeah…"
Izuku kept his head down and walked ahead a bit. He kept looking at the names of the roads they were taking, hoping that they'd come across the right one sooner rather than later. He was grateful for the company and the help getting around this town he didn't know, really he was!
It was weird to him. The things she asked seemed personal. To him, at least, maybe because he was from another world? If she was asking those things, could he ask the same back?
He sighed to himself.
Have I always been this bad at talking to people? Or just talking in general?
He thought back to the members of Fairy Tail, the ones that consistently tried to reach out. To start a conversation, to invite him to places, or just sit near him.
No, no he's always been spacey around people.
He tried his best not to clench his hands and crumble up the envelope. He hated feeling like that, the awkwardness in general where he didn't know what to do. It bothered him to no end, feeling out of place. He never got used to it, despite feeling that way almost all his life.
Before he could sink deeper into his thoughts, he felt a small tap on his shoulder and quickly stopped to look at Ochako.
"What-"
"It's Minsor Road, the brewery should be around here right?"
"I think so?"
"Well, let's keep looking then." She wasted no time in tugging him along and keeping an eye out for his destination. He followed after her and kept looking around, noting the small shops around them.
"So uh," he started lamely, "w-what about you? Anything interesting where you're from?"
Ochako hummed to herself as she stopped her trek to look into a store window. "I mean, there were a couple of guilds, but like I said earlier. There's nothing too special about them. Uh…there was a festival that happened every Winter Solstice, in my town anyway. Other than that, nothing too interesting.
"Ah…" He tugged at his gloves again. "So uh, you said you were coming out here for a job, right?"
"Yeah, in a smaller village nearby."
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is the job posted there?"
Ochako glanced at him before smiling. "Why? Looking for some other employment?"
"N-No! Just curious!" He waved his hands around until she shook her head. "I-I mean, you don't have to answer if-"
"It's okay, it's a joke." She waved her hand. "There was a notice requesting help with some kind of pest problem in the village. So I took the job to take care of it, it's not a very high reward, but hey, it pays."
"A pest problem? Did the notice say what it was?"
"Uh…" She reached into her pocket and unfolded a piece of paper. "It wasn't exactly clear on what it is, but…if it's on the community boards, I figure it can't be too bad. Maybe some kind of wasps nest or something. It can't be too bad since they didn't send it to a guild."
"Oh, well I guess it's not that serious."
"Nope." She smiled. "Anyway, look up ahead. You think that's the brewery?"
Izuku glanced over to where she pointed, and he saw the address matching the one on the envelope.
"Ah, yeah, looks like it. I'll head inside and drop this off."
"Alright, I'll wait out here if you don't mind."
Izuku smiled and nodded before hurrying inside. As the door shut behind him, Ochako leaned against the wall and stared out onto the road. She glanced at the different shops, noting a book store she hadn't seen before. Maybe she could look at it another time, once she had some more spending money.
She fiddled with her hands as she glanced at the door to the shop. Izuku was an affiliate of Fairy Tail. Even if he was just someone who delivered mail, he knew some of the members. He had to, Fairy Tail only had one branch.
Maybe he could introduce her to them, or at least the master of the guild? Would that be the only way of getting in? Through recommendation or something? Did you have to know someone on the inside?
She paused before shaking her head and lightly slapping her cheeks.
"No, stop it!" She muttered. "That's not nice, and you just met him. You shouldn't think like that. You have to get there through your hard work!"
It wasn't fair to use some kind of new friendship just to get something you wanted. That wasn't nice, and Izuku had at least been willing to entertain her company after they crashed into each other. She wouldn't like to be used, so she wouldn't do it in turn.
"Get where with hard work?"
She jumped and whirled around to see Izuku stepping out of the shop.
He's so quiet!
"O-Oh, nothing." She shook her head. "Just uh, just thinking about getting to the job site. Going over my funds and stuff, I dunno if I have enough to stay the night. You know since I don't wanna get stuck out at night while on my way to that village and…yeah."
"Oh." He replied, looking around. He looked up at the sky before back down.
She watched him fidget with his gloves for a bit. He wasn't sure what to say, which was fair, she wouldn't be too sure what to say either.
"You don't have to worry about me though, I'll figure something out." She was about to turn around and walk away when he stopped her.
"Do you know how far the village is?"
"Huh?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Do you know how far the village is for your job? I know you said you've been to this town but have you been there before?"
She tugged at the hem of her shirt. "No, I haven't. I just wanted to go in the early day, just in case it might take a while."
He nodded and hummed to himself.
Ochako watched Izuku stare at the ground, looking from left to right. She could practically hear the gears turning in his head, she also saw his face flush once or twice.
"Uh, well, what if you leave now?" He asked. "Maybe the village is closer than you think?"
"Yeah, I guess that's an option. But what if it's a little further, though? Like I said, I don't want to get caught out alone at night."
"Oh." She watched him rock on his heels a bit. "But, what if you weren't alone?"
She looked up at that, just in time to see his face turn red.
"I-I mean if you want! I know how much it sucks having to walk alone at night and having someone with you can help. A-And I mean, you helped me out, so it's only fair and-" He cut himself off when he looked at her.
"Or not! That's okay. I-I'm probably overstepping and…" He stopped himself. "I'm uh, I'm just gonna go. Sorry!"
He was about to turn and run off when Ochako stopped him.
"Wait, no, you don't have to go. I uh, that sounds fair. I wouldn't mind a little company on my way over there." She smiled. "I won't lie, having someone with me would be a bit of a relief. If you really don't mind."
Izuku paused before nodding. "Yeah, like I said. It only seems fair."
"Well then, if we wanna get there, we may as well leave now. Unless you have any other letters to deliver?"
"No, that was it!"
"Right, then let's get going!"
Izuku smiled to himself as he followed her through the town. He was sure Mira and Master Makarov wouldn't be upset with him being back late. It's not like he was running away, and he did do his job. And now he was just helping someone else because he kinda owed her, plus it was the nice thing to do.
Hopefully, they won't be too mad at me…
-.-
Lucy figured a job like this would be easy, it should be easy.
Just keep an eye on Izuku while he goes to deliver a letter, then make sure he gets back okay. By all means, it should be simple. Once he delivered it, he could go back to the train station and wait for one to take him home.
Sure there was a minor bump in the road here and there, but nothing that couldn't be managed. The fuel stop wasn't too bad, and thankfully nothing crazy happened on the train. If anything, the only real issue was the person she caught stalking Izuku and his new friend. He was about to run towards them, probably to grab their bags, but she had put a stop to that before it could start with the help of Virgo.
She hadn't meant to create so much noise by capturing the near purse-snatcher, but thankfully neither of them had seen her.
She had been relieved when they found the brewery, and from there, Izuku could get home. And instead…
"What is he doing? Where is he going?" She gripped the bricked wall tightly. "Izuku no!" She whispered
"Shall I retrieve him and punish him, princess?" Virgo peered over her shoulder.
"No, don't do that." She eyed the two teenagers before sighing. As usual, it looked like this quick errand was going to get a little more complicated. Still, she would follow him just to make sure nothing happened.
The girl looked nice, and Lucy didn't want to assume the worst. But there were only so many places one's mind could go. Especially when seeing a friend wander off with someone they don't know.
"Go ahead and go back to the spirit world Virgo, I'll call you if I need help again. Go ahead and rest for a bit."
Lucy allowed the gate to close, feeling the flow of her magic pause. However, she noticed Virgo hadn't closed her side of the gate yet, still remaining in the human world. She was staring ahead at something.
Lucy followed her gaze and noticed she was staring at Izuku.
"Virgo? Is everything okay?"
"Yes, everything is fine, I apologize." She began to shimmer and slowly disappeared. "Just be careful, princess."
"Oh uh, okay."
Virgo nodded before completely fading away.
"That was a little weird but okay." She sighed. "Right, gotta keep following them. At this rate, Natsu and Happy might end up getting home before we do."
Without much fanfare she trailed after them, making sure to keep a good distance. No matter what would happen, she'd make sure this doesn't go wrong.
She dreaded going into the woods, especially with it bound to get dark soon.
"Even so, I promised Mira…" She muttered and set off after them.
-.-
Izuku kept an eye on the forest around them and listened out for any kind of tell. It was a song and dance he knew very well, even if the sun hadn't gone down yet, it still cast dark shadows in the forest.
Even if there weren't any Nomu there to stalk and hunt him down, it didn't mean there wasn't anything else.
Ochako hummed beside him, standing a little closer than she was earlier. She wasn't a big fan of the woods either, which Izuku couldn't blame her for. It was nerve-wracking all around.
Once or twice there was a sound from behind him and Izuku stopped in his tracks to whirl around and see what was following them. Fully expecting a Nomu from his nightmares to be right behind them, snarling and ready to tear into him.
Thankfully there was nothing there, but it didn't make him feel any better.
There was too much cover, too many hiding places, too much he couldn't see.
Then again he hadn't been sleeping very much lately, maybe this was just a case of nighttime paranoia.
There were no Nomus, there were no villains, he was safe here. He should be safe…
He tugged at his gloves, mindful to not tear them. Despite the wear on them, it was the only way to calm himself down. It was the only thing he could do back then too, wringing his hands or pulling at his gloves never made too much noise. It was better than mumbling or kicking something around.
Silence was everything.
"So…you usually walk around at night?"
The silence was broken.
"Huh?"
"I mean, you said you know what it's like to walk around at night alone? Something like that right?"
"O-Oh. Yeah."
"Why were you out so late? Causing trouble?" She smiled.
"Trying to stay out of trouble. It's quiet at night, it's a little easier to move around."
Ochako raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, easier to move around?"
Izuku nearly ripped his glove. "Just uh…just that it's a small island, and it's really busy in the day. It's cramped so, yeah. Not a lot of people at night."
"Ah." She nodded. She wanted to continue but kept quiet. Izuku looked on edge and she didn't want to make him worried. Though she couldn't help but wonder why he was so nervous. Part of her was starting to feel a little bad. He probably didn't like the woods and he offered to come anyway, just because she didn't want to travel alone at night.
"Well, I'm sure we'll be there soon. Maybe we can spend the night there and we can get back to the town and station in the morning. Well…after the job gets done."
Izuku nodded. "If it's a pest problem, how long do you think that it'll take? They didn't say what it was."
"Shouldn't be too long. Then again I might have to deal with it right when we get there. Could be a night problem for all I know."
"They really don't put a lot of detail in the job postings do they?"
She shook her head. "Not for the small jobs. I would think they have to have more detail on the kind of jobs that get posted to guilds."
"There are probably different laws about it."
"Mhm."
Before he could think too much on it there was a heavy thud that came from the trees. Izuku stopped in his tracks, prompting Ochako to do the same.
"What-"
He held up his hand, stopping her mid-sentence. He grit his teeth as his skin crawled. Something was watching them, eyeing them from the trees. Something they couldn't see.
"We should go." He whispered.
"Huh?"
"Go now, it's getting dark and visibility is low. We just need to get to the village. Let's go."
Izuku began to walk quickly, and Ochako seemed to take the hint and followed him. She kept pace with him, sometimes pulling ahead, and was surprised to see he managed to keep up.
The rustling and thuds got a little louder as they ran around, something seemed to be actively chasing them. Ochako tried to look over her shoulder but Izuku shook his head.
"Just keep going!"
They continued to sprint through the woods, following the old, beaten path until they could see something in the distance. Glowing lights, torches in the distance. The mere sight brought them some relief, a safe haven was right ahead.
The closer they got to the village the further away the footsteps and thuds sounded, like what was chasing them was slowing down. It was keeping its distance, staying away from the village.
They didn't stop running until they were safely in the village, sprinting through the main road and going until they finally felt safe. It earned a few strange looks from those who were still wandering about. Trying to get some last-minute chores done before calling it a day.
The pair panted and glanced behind them, half expecting to see the thing that was following them burst into the village without a care in the world. Nomus would do it, what if this thing would do it too?
While Izuku mulled over the thought, someone came over to them.
"Excuse me? Uh, can we help you?" A young man asked.
"O-Oh, hi there." Ochako worked to catch her breath. "Sorry about that we…phew we were just trying to get over here as fast as we could with the sun going down and all."
"Uh…right." He nodded. "Why are you guys here? No offense but we don't have too many visitors out here so…"
"Oh, right!" Ochako rummaged through her back and pulled out a flyer. "Sorry, I'm Ochako Urava, I'm here for a job that was posted on the community boards? It said you've got a pest problem?"
He took the flyer and looked down at it. "Ah, yeah. We do, I'm honestly surprised anybody responded. Seeing as we're in the middle of nowhere."
"Yeah." Ochako nodded and straightened herself out. "So, uh, about this pest problem. What exactly is it? Some rats? Wasps?"
The man groaned. "Well it's a little complicated. The pest problem, I mean because he's not exactly a pest but he kinda is…well…"
"He?" Ochako asked.
"What kind of pest are you dealing with?" Izuku raised an eyebrow.
"Well…"
"Get out of my way asshole!"
Their heads turn towards the sound of yelling, where they see people walking around and glaring at the offender.
"Then admit to messing up my stock last night."
"I didn't do shit!"
Izuku froze at the sound of the voice.
"What?"
He stepped forward, walking towards the commotion. He knew that voice, he's heard it practically all his life. How could he not?
He heard Ochako follow him, but didn't pay much mind to that.
He thought back to the smell of burnt caramel, the feel of aching burns, harsh words that had little bite to them.
The thought of having a familiar face here, that he was able to survive, that he somehow ended up here too. That after so long, that terrible fear could be eased.
"No way, it has to be him. It has to be…"
Izuku shoved past someone walking away and looked up to see the cause of the commotion. He almost dropped his bag in surprise.
Confronting the guy complaining about his stock, was a much smaller figure.
A blonde cat standing on two legs glared up at the man in front of him. The hair atop his head was spiked, like an explosion. Just like how it'd look if he were a human.
"Kacchan?"
The cat either didn't hear him or just ignored him.
"I didn't do anything, and you can't prove it!" He pointed at the man. "So get off my ass already!"
"We all know it was you, you're always causing trouble here Kats." The man sneered. The cat on the ground growled and suddenly sprouted wings, getting up in his face.
"If I did anything, you'd know it was me asshat!"
One of the other villagers scoffed.
"You and that mouth Kats."
"Can't you just admit it when you've done something wrong?"
"I already said I didn't do shit!"
Ochako and the man she was talking to came up from behind Izuku.
"That would be our pest problem."
Ochako looked up at him then back to the shouting cat.
"A talking cat?" She asked.
"Yeah, we were surprised too when he popped up out of nowhere. Even though he's been here for a while he's been a bit of a nuisance. I mean we were able to tolerate it for a while but sometimes you just hit a limit you know?"
"So you're trying to kick him out of the village?" Izuku asked. "With nowhere to go?"
"Well, we don't wanna call it kicking out, maybe more so convincing him?"
Ochako frowned to herself. "Well, I don't want to have to hurt him. What exactly has he been doing that made you all want to kick him out in the first pace."
The man sighed and motioned for them to follow him, as the cat threw something at the man scolding him, and flew away.
Izuku was about to chase after him until Ochako grabbed his arm.
"Hey, come on, let's go. We should see what he has to say."
"But he…"
Ochako gave a light tug on his arm, insisting he follow her.
Izuku tried to find Kats again, only to see he was long gone. When he couldn't find him he let himself be dragged away.
As they walked away Izuku caught sight of a few villagers glaring in the direction Kats had run off to before walking off. Back to their own business. There were a few whispers and mutters about the annoying cat.
That wasn't Kacchan was it? No…maybe? If so, why does he look like a cat? Did he change or something when he got here? But why would that happen? I never changed…
Izuku was so lost in his thoughts he hadn't realized the conversation started up again. Not until Ochako gave him a light shake.
"So the cat has been causing you problems, and you want him out?" She clarified.
The man nodded. "His name is Katsuki but we call him Kats, yeah funny we know. But…yes, more or less. Convince him to leave or relocate somewhere else. Please."
Izuku kept the frown on his face. "But why do you want him to leave? Has he done anything wrong?"
The man sighed and rubbed his neck. "Well…he's prone to causing trouble."
"I know that, but you have to be more specific." Izuku frowned. "If he's just being annoying then that's no real reason to out him. Again, you're giving him no place to go."
The man gave Izuku a look. "It's not like we're kicking him out for nothing. He has a tendency to leave small trinkets around the village that explode at random. They don't cause damage, sure but the mess is annoying, and it scares people."
"And he yells at people, not to mention his language. We've tried to get him to tone down on it but he just spouts out more of it."
"I can get that's annoying, but how often does that really happen?" Ochako asked.
"What, the mini bombs or the unnecessary swearing? Because the swearing is a daily thing, the bombs have toned down a bit though."
"Maybe that's just the kind of person he is." Izuku cut in. "He's just a rash, loud person. It's not a strange concept."
The man once again glared at Izuku. "You seem awfully keen on defending him."
"I'm just saying." Izuku tightened the grip on his backpack straps.
Ochako looked between Izuku and the man, she'll admit it's the most vocal she's seen him. Even though his energy seemed to be pointed in the wrong direction, a job was a job. And this one didn't belong to him.
"Hey, Izuku?" Ochako looked over. "Maybe you should look for a place for us to stay at night. I'll meet up with you later after I get a few more details, okay?"
"But…" He stopped when he saw her face. "Right. Yeah, I can do that."
He turned away and walked off, leaving the two to discuss the issue.
"Right…It's not my job." He muttered. He didn't have a real place there.
While he wandered away he tried to keep an eye out for some kind of an inn. He didn't know the village at all, he wondered if they even had an inn.
Deep down he knew he should check, head down the main road of the village and ask around. But he eyed the direction he had seen the cat fly. He couldn't have gone too far, especially if he stays in the village. He probably wouldn't risk going to the woods, not when it's close to getting dark.
I can just say I got lost.
He looked around before heading towards the cat. He really needed to talk to him, if there was any chance that was his friend…bully…it didn't matter. If there was a chance, he needed to take it.
He needed to know if he survived.
Izuku took off, weaving through people and ducking through different roads. He just needed to find him, it couldn't be too hard.
If I were an angry cat, or angry person in general, where would I go?
Izuku turned a corner, nearly bumping into someone. He continued on his way after a quick apology.
Somewhere quiet, far away. Somewhere to brood probably.
Izuku hummed to himself as he passed by a few small houses. Slowly nearing one edge of the village. Some of the houses closer to the woods looked more run down compared to the others. Like that hasn't been tended to in ages.
"He has to be around here somewhere. Come on, I know you wouldn't go too far."
Before he went any further he heard a loud crash in between two of the houses.
"Fuck!"
There he was.
Izuku hurried over to the noise and peered into the narrow space. There he could see the foul-mouthed cat from before, angrily sorting through various things and trying to shove them away from an overturned crate.
"I knew that stupid box wasn't going to hold up. Good for nothing-"
"Hello?" Izuku asked.
The cat froze before looking over his shoulder. When he saw Izuku he scowled.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"O-Oh, I'm uh, visiting. I came here with my friend."
The cat, Katsuki, turned towards him. "Oh so you're not from around here, are you?"
"Well no, not really."
"Then get out of here!" The cat picked up something and threw it at Izuku. "Mind your own damn business. I'm not some kind of sideshow for you out-of-towners to stare at!"
"No, no! That's not what I was trying to do, really!" Izuku took a few steps forward. "I-I just wanted to see if you're okay. I mean you just ran off after yelling at that guy." Izuku picked up a lacrima shard that had been thrown at him.
"Oh like I need your help."
"I just wanted to make sure." He knelt down and held out the lacrima shard.
Katsuki glared at Izuku for a moment before growling and clawing at his hand, grabbing his shard as he tore through the glove.
Izuku yelped and stepped back, looking down at the remains of his old glove. He was more preoccupied with that rather than the scratches that were beginning to bleed.
"Don't look down on me dumbass, I don't want your pity."
Izuku stared at the seething cat before nodding. "Right, sorry. Should have figured you'd hate that." He shook his injured hand. "It's not fun to feel looked down on."
The cat stared at him before huffing. "Get lost Bush Boy, and if you know what's good for you you'll stay out of my way. I'll kick your ass!"
Izuku watched him before nodding. "Right…but I wanted to ask you something."
Katsuki bristled before groaning. "What do you want?"
"It's just…you uh…remind me of someone. I'm not sure if I've seen you before."
"I sure as shit haven't seen you before."
Izuku took a step back before nodding. "R-Right…of course. You have no idea who I am, right?"
"I literally just said I've never seen you before."
Izuku paused for a moment, letting that wash over him. This cat was alarmingly like Kacchan. Bad attitude, foul mouth, even a similar appearance. Red eyes, blonde hair. The thing that really caught him was his name, them calling him Kats, he was sure that one guy called him Katsuki. Exactly like…
"Right, I'm sorry. Just…sorry. My name is Izuku, and you're Kats, right? Or would you rather be called Katsuki?"
"I don't care about your name bush boy! I care about you getting out of here and leaving me alone!"
Izuku took a few steps back as the cat walked forward. "I know, and I'm sorry."
"Ugh, quit apologizing you stupid wimp! It's annoying!"
Izuku sighed, he was pretty sure he heard Kacchan say the same thing at some point. A long time ago.
"Alright, I'm…right. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, since everyone seemed upset with you."
"Tch, idiots have no reason to be mad at me, they just like to pin all their problems on me." He glared at Izuku before turning away and trying to clean up the mess he made.
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are they blaming you for?"
"God you just don't know when to shut up do you? And yes, I do mind! If you wanna know so bad go talk to some of the other idiots."
Izuku stepped back as something else was thrown at him, out of the small space entirely. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.
"Get lost! Before I decide to kick your ass."
Izuku watched the cat before nodding slowly. "Okay, I'll go. Sorry for bothering you, good to see you're okay."
"Whatever loser."
Izuku lingered for a bit before walking away. Back to the main road, he still had to find a place to stay.
-.-
It's not Kacchan, but he looks and acts like him. But he's a cat…he's different, he doesn't know me. So it can't be Kacchan…or at least my Kacchan.
Izuku stared ahead blankly, tuning out the world around him.
I fell into another world, because of that storm. Like my world, people have powers, but not Quirks. The counterpart of Quirks in this case is magic. Wait…if there's a counterpart to the powers, does that mean there's a counterpart to people?
"Izuku, hello? Are ya in there?"
He jumped and turned to see Ochako sorting through her bag. "Oh, I'm sorry. I spaced out for a bit, what did you say?"
She smiled. "I said I'd promise I'll pay you back for the room once this job is done."
"Don't worry about it." He shook his head, "It's fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Ochako watched him for a moment before moving on. "So, about the job, they want Kats out of the village, but they've wanted him to go for a while now but couldn't really drive him out."
Izuku nodded as he stared out the window. "Why now though?"
"Apparently some supplies have been going missing as of late, a little closer to the edge of the village but that's where he stays. Things being stolen was the last straw I guess."
"They just seem to dislike him in general."
Ochako looked over, Izuku was sitting on the bed on the other side of the room. Staring at the wall as if it offended him.
"Well, he doesn't seem very nice."
"It's just the kind of person he is."
She paused. "You've been defending him a lot since we got here. Do you happen to know Kats?"
"No, I don't. He just…h-he just reminds me of an old friend. I know, sort of, how to deal with people like that."
"A friend like him?" She raised an eyebrow. "That must have been interesting, was that back on your home island?"
Images of smoke and ruined buildings, and screeches and screaming filled his mind for a moment. But what really stuck out was the rubble, and the sight of a lone arm sticking out from under it.
Bleeding hands and aching arms, prayers falling from his mouth. Begging that it not be him, anyone but him.
Izuku nearly slammed his head against the wall to dispel the images. Instead, he wrung his hands together. It was uncomfortable, only having one glove to wear. It made him feel hyper-aware of everything. He had to be careful.
"Yeah. It was interesting."
"Well, I found out that it was actually a good thing that we came here a little late. It's a nighttime job, meaning I have to go and keep watch for Kats and stop him when he's stealing something."
Izuku looked up at that. "Then what? How are you supposed to 'drive him out' or convince him to leave? He's not going to leave just because you asked him."
"I'm sure he can be reasonable, it'll take a bit, but maybe I can talk him down."
"But where is he supposed to go?"
Ochako stopped before looking down. "I'm not too sure…maybe we can take him to Oshibana? He can at least take a train from there. Find somewhere new."
They were both quiet for a bit before looking down. Neither of them had any decent idea of what would come after. It seemed unfair.
Neither of them spoke as Ochako readied herself, hiding her bag under her bed and heading towards the door.
"Well, I'll be going now. See you in the morning, I'll let you know how it goes."
"Be careful out there."
"I will!"
She waved and left the shared room, closing the door with a light thud.
Izuku watched the door before sighing and laying back. He was half tempted to get up and follow her, to keep an eye on…everything. Mostly Katsuki. He wants to make sure he's okay, he won't get hurt…or won't hurt others.
The scratches on his hand suddenly began to ache.
Izuku rubbed his hand, tracing over the scratches.
"An alternate version of Kacchan, here he's a cat, while at home he's a human." He eyed the door. "If there's an alternate version of him here, does that mean there's another me running around somewhere?"
He paused.
"Would that mean the alternate me is a cat too? Does that mean that there are alternate versions of everyone here? Mom, other heroes…everyone? Does that mean there are versions of people here in my world?"
He stared at the ceiling as if it would offer any answers. Before he could think on it too hard he groaned and sat up.
His mind returned to the thought of his Kacchan, and how he might react if faced with the idea of being kicked out of his home. He couldn't help but cringe at the thought.
"Yeah, those two meeting each other isn't gonna end well."
-.-
Ochako hummed to herself as she patrolled around the village, going over to the places where things had gone missing. She's sure the thief may strike there again. The smaller shops near the edge of town, closest to the forest. She figured maybe Kats was hiding the stolen goods in the woods and saying it was someone else. It wasn't too far-fetched of an idea, people tend to hide incriminating evidence where others least expect it.
As she walked through the quiet areas she could see the lamps were growing less and less frequent. The only lights around were the occasional lantern hung outside shops or a candle burning low beside windows.
She didn't have to go far before hearing some kind of rustling around some of the shops. Coming from boxes on the side of the building, used for storage. She stopped and hurried to the wall, peeking around to see something rooting around through the boxes.
Ochako held up a hand, ready to cast her magic if she had to.
"Hey!" She shouted. "I caught you Kats, quit digging around that shopkeeper's stuff!"
She heard a shout and something crashing down. She walked forward to see that all too familiar cat growling and dusting himself off.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to keep you from stealing things and help you leave this village. It was a job request."
The cat in front of her froze before growling. "They put out a fucking hit on me? What the hell! I'm not the one who's been stealing their shit!"
Ochako rolled her eyes. "Then what exactly did I catch you doing?"
"Rummaging through stuff he's not using, this guy doesn't store his big stuff on the side of his shop, he puts stuff in the back. Tch, why am I even telling you this? I don't have to explain shit to you."
"Technically you do, and you should because I'm pretty sure I caught you stealing."
"It's not like he's gonna use this stuff, Round Face!"
"So you are stealing."
"Nothing that jackass is gonna miss. I'm not the one taking the shit that really matters."
"Oh yeah? Then who is?"
They both jumped at the sound of a loud crash from a few shops down, closer to the forest.
Katsuki gave Ochako a look before sprouting his wings and flying away from her towards the noise. The girl followed soon after going towards the noise, only to be met with scattered items all over the place, a messy trail of random items.
"That wasn't fucking me." Katsuki glared at her.
"Obviously, but if it wasn't you, then who was it?"
The cat frowned and looked at the scattered trail of stolen goods. "I don't know, but I'm gonna find out who it is and kick their ass! Then everyone can leave me the hell alone." Katsuki shouted and flew away.
"Hey wait! Hold on, you don't know who or what that was!"
"Like I give a shit, Round Face!" He didn't look back as he flew ahead.
"Get back here!"
Ochako groaned and chased after him into the woods. Even if she didn't like him, she wasn't going to let him get hurt out there just because of that.
Even in the dark it wasn't too hard to keep up with him, ducking and dodging past trees and low-hanging branches. The further they went, the darker the woods seemed to get, but that didn't stop Katsuki. They could still hear the supposed thief darting through the trees and beginning to tire out.
Ochako huffed and sped up as fast as she could, a pink glow surrounded her hands. She just needed to get a little closer, then she could pin them down.
"Kats, move!" She shouted.
"Huh?"
The cat looked over his shoulder and quickly flew up, avoiding the range of her magic. They watched as a pink glow surrounded the figure ahead of them, before they slammed down onto the ground. Increased gravity held them down, making it hard to move.
"Gotcha!"
Ochako grinned as she hurried over to the stranger. Katsuki flew down a bit and looked at the struggling figure.
"Alright then, you got your thief and now you can leave me alone." Katsuki huffed. "Why don't you drag him back, and we can never see each other again?"
"They'll still probably want you gone, Katsuki." Ochako frowned.
"Yeah, well they're gonna have to get more than some gravity girl to kick me out." He crossed his arms. "Now leave me alone."
He couldn't get far before a pink glow surrounded him too and he went crashing to the ground.
"Sorry Kats, can't do that."
"Bullshit!"
As the cat struggled to move, Ochako made her way to the other figure. She ignored the start of an oncoming headache as she approached them.
"Alright, now who are you supposed to…be…" Ochako paused as she got closer, realizing the person she caught wasn't a person. It was a little bigger than her, and looked more like an animal rather than a human.
"Oh no." She muttered.
"What is it, Round Face?" Katsuki tried to crawl away when he felt her magic begin to slip.
"That's not a person that's a-"
A loud crash came from the trees to interrupt her, making the ground shake with the weight of the thing.
Ochako felt her magic slip as she backed away from the hulking brute that towered over them.
"Vulcan."
The smaller Vulcan they had been chasing got up and ran away towards the larger one as it gave her a perverted grin.
"Pretty girl." It laughed.
"Uh…" Ochako began to back away, looking over her shoulder. She wasn't sure she could make it back to the village, not before that monster caught her. "N-no, no that's not me I just…uh…" Ochako clenched her fists.
She was torn between running and fighting, she was rooted in place. She shakily raised her hands, a pink glow surrounded them.
"You stay away from me." Ochako grit her teeth.
The Vulcan only laughed and stomped closer to her, raising a hand to grab her.
"Pretty girl, mine now."
Ochako raised her hands and watched as a magic circle appeared behind the Vulcan and began to pull it away. The Vulcan only grunted in confusion and looked behind it to see the pink magic circle.
The caster was quick to turn and run away with the small window of time she's given herself.
However, a certain cat charged ahead instead of running away.
"Katsuki!"
"Piece of shit!"
Katsuki yelled in anger as he smacked the Vulcan with a stick.
"Was that stupid little ape your kid or something? Probably, he's got your ugly mug too! Piece of shit got me blamed for shit I didn't do!"
Ochako looked over her shoulder as Katsuki beat the Vulcan over the head with a stick. It didn't do much, it only made the Vulcan more confused more than anything. It tried to swat away the pest, only for him to dodge and go right back to hitting him.
The Vulcan stopped after a moment when it saw Ochako running away, only realizing that the cat was just distracting it. It growled and began to make its way forward, towards Ochako while it swiped at the cat flying around it.
"Hey, pay attention to me you dumb ape!"
The Vulcan ignored him and laughed as it began to catch up to Ochako.
She could hear the monster following after her, it would catch her sooner rather than later. She didn't even want to imagine what would happen if- when it caught her.
The ape's laughter boomed around her, and she knew he was right behind her.
Instead of running any further Ochako huffed and spun around, her hands alight with magic. She was about to increase the gravity on the Vulcan before the wind was knocked out of her. She shouted as she was slammed into a tree, gasping for air she couldn't grasp. Every time she tried to take a breath in it never felt like enough.
"No magic, pretty girl."
She glared up at the Vulcan and raised a hand anyway, casting a magic circle below it. Before it could drag him down the ape frowned and grabbed her arm tightly, then grinned at the sound of something cracking.
Ochako yelled in pain and tried to wrench her arm out of its hold as it lifted her up.
"No magic."
"Hey! Quit focusing on her, and look at me you dumbass!" Katsuki shouted and flew towards the Vulcan as fast as he could. But once he was close enough the monster glanced at him, and swatted him away as soon as he was close enough.
Katsuki yelped as he crashed into the ground, wheezing for air. Even so, he glared at the ape.
"Stupid son of-"
The Vulcan grunted and lifted its free hand, and swung it down. Before it could squash the pest, a faint pink glow surrounded its arm. It grunted in confusion before looking back at Ochako, seeing her holding out her arm.
"No magic!" It shouted and threw her against a tree, forcing her to let the spell go. "Bad pretty girl!" It shouted. "Bad!"
"Screw you." Ochako glared.
The Vulcan bristled at her words and was about to grab her again when it felt a sharp, stinging pain in its hand. It looked down to see the cat had jumped up and began to dig his teeth in. The Vulcan went to swat him away, only to have a rock hit it in the eye.
It yelled and looked around for the offender.
Katsuki looked around in confusion before feeling a hard yank on him, tearing him away from the Vulcan's hand.
"What the- you!"
Ochako looked over in surprise to see none other than Izuku backing away with a thrashing Katsuki in his arms.
"Ochako, are you okay?"
"I-I think so. That thing messed up my arm." She said. "W-Why are you here?"
"I uh, had a bad feeling. And it looks like that feeling was right. We should go."
"Let me go, Bush Boy!"
Izuku did so and Katsuki summoned his wings, flapping them once, twice, then getting in Izuku's face.
"You've got a lot of nerve, I didn't need your help you stupid-"
"You can yell at me later Kacchan, we have to go!" Izuku grabbed him again and pushed Ochako away to dodge a large fist slamming into the ground.
"Me no like man. No cat! Only pretty girl!"
Izuku was quick to recover, putting down Katsuki and scrambling to his feet. He looked around and grabbed the sharpest stick he could find and ran towards the Vulcan, a plan forming in his mind as he went.
"Izuku what are you doing?" Ochako shouted.
He didn't answer as he dodged another angry swipe from the Vulcan. He ducked under it, getting behind it with ease. He could feel his mind racing, like it was back then. One of the times he struggled against a Nomu. Anything for a few, precious seconds. A certain ruthlessness he didn't like utilizing.
He didn't think twice as he plunged the stick into the Vulcan's leg. He flinched as it howled in pain, and dropped down to the ground to avoid the angry flailing around. Izuku got away as quickly as he could and ran back to the others.
"What the hell was that Bush-"
"Yell at me later, let's go!" Izuku grabbed Ochako's hand with his ungloved hand and began to run. "I don't know how willing that thing is to come close to the village. But at least there we have numbers."
"R-Right!"
"We shouldn't be running away you idiot!"
"If you want to fight it Kacchan, be my guest!"
They sprinted through the trees. Weaving through branches and thick bushes to get to the village. Izuku was sure he knew where it was, he had just come from that way. Katsuki continued to grumble as they went, but didn't turn back to face it. They could still hear it yelling in pain and anger. They could only wait for it to recover and come chasing after them.
They knew it would.
As they ran, Izuku tightened his hold on Ochako's hand. He wasn't sure what it was, fear or adrenaline, but it felt like something was pooling in his chest. Gathering and floating about.
Meanwhile, Ochako began to lag behind. Clinging onto Izuku like he was the only thing keeping her upright.
"Oi, Round Face, what's wrong? Can't keep up?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow.
"I'm trying." She hissed.
"Just a little longer," Izuku reassured her. "The village should be just up ahead. As soon as we get there we should be safe."
"Right. Yeah. I guess I just used a bit more magic than I thought when fighting that thing."
Izuku nodded and kept his gaze ahead. He could see the lights, and smell smoke in the distance, they were close. So close.
And then they heard an enraged roar, and loud, pounding steps making their way towards them.
Their few precious seconds were gone.
"Come on, come on!" Izuku tried to urge them on, only for Ochako's legs to give out. She let go and collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
"Ochako!"
"Oi, what the hell is wrong with you? Get up!"
Izuku stopped running to try and help her up, but she struggled to even sit up. He couldn't pick her up, and even if he could he knew he couldn't run fast enough. The nonsensical shouting got louder and he looked up to see the Vulcan was gaining ground.
He tried to drag her away, they were so close. So close to home, to getting away.
"Hey, we gotta move dumbass!"
"I can't pick her up!"
Izuku looked up, the Vulcan was right on top of them, and it was angry. It roared as it reached towards them, ready to do them in with brute force.
Time slowed down for Izuku.
He could feel his heart pounding, hear the blood rushing in his ears. He was torn between doding, or throwing himself in front of one of the two to try and protect them. His legs wouldn't move. That strange feeling in his chest writhed and churned, as if begging to lash out.
A chill ran down his spine as he raised his hands, acting on instinct he didn't know he had.
"Stop!"
The Vulcan stopped mid-swing, only to fall to the ground with a loud crash. Being crushed into the dirt by an invisible force.
A magic circle, identical to the one Ochako could cast, sat below the Vulcan. Pulling it down, heavier and heavier.
Katsuki and Ochako watched in shock, looking between the pinned Vulcan; and the boy with a faint pink glow around his hands.
Izuku panted as he watched the Vulcan, when a finger even so much as twitched he found himself increasing the power. The strange feeling in his chest drained that much faster, faint and fleeting. As if it was fuelling the very ability he was using.
His head began to ache as the feeling disappeared, and the glow around his hands faded. It felt like he was grasping at something that should have been there. Instead all he found was an empty, aching abyss.
The pressure eased on the Vulcan, and Izuku felt his legs give out from under him. His head was spinning.
In his blurred vision he could see the Vulcan get up, looking even more angry if possible. Only for Katsuki to appear in front of him, yelling and shouting at him. Izuku couldn't quite catch what he was saying, it was hard to focus.
The monster loomed above all three of them, fuming.
Just as the world began to come back to him, he could only muster one thought in clarity.
I was going to die to a monster anyway…what a way to go…
He felt something give his shirt a hard tug, and snapped to attention when he heard a familiar voice.
"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"
A brilliant, golden glow filled his vision and he heard a new voice shouting in excitement. Sounding strangely like they were saying 'Moo'.
"Lucy?" He shook his head to clear his vision and looked around. He yelped in surprise as he realized he was floating above the ground.
He gasped and began to panic when he heard someone behind him grunt.
"Stop moving you idiot, or do you want me to drop you?"
Izuku stopped, and looked over his shoulder to see Katsuki right behind him. Somehow holding him up with ease.
"Kacchan?"
"It's Katsuki dumbass! And yeah it's me, who else would have been able to save your sorry butt?"
Izuku looked at him dumbfounded before looking down to see Lucy standing in front of Ochako. And in front of her, battling the Vulcan, was some sort of man…cow…thing. He wasn't sure how to explain it. But it was there, fighting the Vulcan with a large battle axe.
"What is that thing supposed to be?"
"I have no idea."
Katsuki scoffed and began to lower them down, only to stop mid-flight.
"What the hell?"
"What, what is it?"
Katsuki hit Izuku with a small, tiny, ineffectual fist, and made him look at the village from above.
One look at the smoke and Izuku realized what he was talking about.
"Why is the village on fire?!"
"Like I'd know dipshit!"
"The villagers say that you make small bombs…Did you set a bomb or something?"
"Oh, now you're really asking me to drop you. I don't make bombs to set shit on fire, I make them to mess with people. Watch your fucking mouth with me, accusing me of being a pyro happy bomber, what's the matter with you?"
"It was just a thought."
"Yeah, like how it's just a thought that I'm gonna drop you."
Izuku chose to shut his mouth as they made their way down. The Vulcan wasn't looking too good, covered in wounds thanks to the…cow man thing…it was starting to back off. It actually looked scared.
"Taurus, finish that thing off!"
"You got it, Miss Lucy!" He cheered and readied his axe. The creature didn't give the Vulcan a chance to react before swinging forward and slamming its weapon into the ape. The monster shouted as it went flying, deep into the forest, far away from them.
As soon as they heard a loud crash in the distance they relaxed, and Lucy was quick to turn towards Izuku.
"Izuku, I was worried about you. Are you okay?"
"H-Huh?" Izuku tilted his head. "I'm uh…okay. I think, b-but what about Ochako? She's in worse shape."
He sidestepped her and hurried over to Ochako's side. She was unconscious but breathing. She was alive.
Izuku sighed in relief at that, and stiffened up when Lucy knelt down beside him.
"Her arm looks a little messed up, and I can hardly feel any magic from her. She's exhausted."
"But she's okay."
Lucy looked at him before nodding. "Yeah, she's okay. Nothing a little bed rest won't fix."
"Hey, as nice as it is for Round Face over there to be all fine and dandy, but I've got a more important question," Katsuki spoke up. His wings had disappeared, and now he was only hanging off of Izuku's shoulder.
Lucy actually startled when she realized Katsuki was there, staring at him incredulously. "Another talking cat?!"
"Yeah, yeah, take a photo, it'll last longer. Anyway, mind telling me, why the hell my village is on fire?"
Lucy stared at him before sighing and shaking her head. "Oh no, did Natsu go overboard again?"
"Natsu's here too?" Izuku asked.
"I don't care about his name, why is he burning up the place?"
"I'm really sorry about that." She said. "We can talk about it on the way, we should get back. Taurus, I'm really sorry to keep you out longer but can you help me get her back?" She gestured to Ochako.
"Oh course Miss Lucy, it would be my pleasure."
"U-Uh…what is that?" Izuku asked. Watching the stranger pick up Ochako.
"Oh, that's Taurus. He's one of my spirits!" Lucy held up a key. "But we can go over that later, come on, let's get back."
"Right."
"About time." Katsuki huffed.
Lucy gave the cat a glance before running towards the village. The others in tow.
Izuku heard Katsuki growl over his shoulder as they made their way to the village, there were people shouting and trying to put out the fire. But most of them were gathered in a crowd to yell at the one who went overboard.
"Yup, there's Natsu." Lucy sighed.
"How…why is he here? Why are both of you here?" Izuku asked.
"Well…"
"Oh, there she is, hi Lucy!" Happy spotted them and flew above the crowd. "There you are, we got kinda worried when you ran off."
"Yeah, I know. Still, thanks for the save. I didn't think there were so many Vulcans in this area."
"There were more?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah, this whole area was infested." Happy flew over to him. "Glad to see you're alright and-" He stopped when he spotted Katsuki.
"What are you looking at, Flea Bag?" Katsuki spat.
"I didn't know there was another talking cat." Happy smiled. "Hi there, my name's-"
"I don't care!"
As they talked, Taurus handed Ochako to a villager passing by. Then promptly disappeared.
Lucy sighed in relief as she felt Taurus leave, the strain of keeping the gate open was gone. She was already exhausted, having to deal with Vulcans that had been stalking Izuku and that girl on their way to the village. She didn't think she had any more energy in her.
She looked up when she heard the villagers shout even louder, and saw someone cut through the crowd.
"We gotta go!"
Natsu sprinted towards them with the angry villagers on his heels.
"Wh-"
"Don't ask questions, just run!"
Natsu grabbed Izuku by the back of his shirt and grabbed Lucy's hand, running back into the forest they just came from.
"G-Gah! You don't have to drag me!"
"Just run then!"
Izuku looked over his shoulder to see the mob of villagers sprinting after them. At that he sped up just a little ahead of them. He was quick to reach a hand over his shoulder to make sure Katsuki wouldn't fall off.
"W-Wait, where's Ochako?"
"Taurus left her with some of the villagers so she's alright. Now just run!" Happy flew ahead of them.
"That's not fair, you can fly you stupid cat!"
As they ran, Katsuki summoned his wings and swatted Izuku's hand away. As he flew alongside them he took a glance behind them. Spotting all the familiar faces, faces he'd known most of his life.
Faces from a place he called home.
After a moment he scoffed and turned forward, flapping his wings and keeping pace with Izuku.
That place stopped being home a long time ago.
-FH-
"Did you really have to go overboard?"
"I didn't mean to, there were just a lot of monkeys," Natsu said. He paused for a moment to spit out a small puff of fire to light the campfire. "But hey, we took care of the problem."
"At the cost of burning down the village." Izuku spoke up.
"Yeah, Natsu's known for his collateral damage." Happy muttered. He hummed as he perched on Natsu's shoulder, wrapping some of the scarf around himself.
"Oh." Izuku nodded. He had heard a story or two whenever the group came back from a job. He didn't think the level of destruction was that high.
"Anyway, we'll camp here for the night and make our way back to the guild in the morning. It shouldn't take too long, Happy and I can find home from here." He grinned.
"Or we could double back and get to Oshibana, and take a train like normal people." Lucy raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not getting on that death machine again. You can't make me!"
"That's Natsu for ya."
While they settled down Izuku felt himself begin to unwind, all the adrenaline and panic from running finally hit him. It weighed him down and he was tempted to collapse then and there. While he rubbed his eyes he felt something kick him.
He looked down to see Katsuki in front of him, scowling up at him. He had been surprisingly quiet ever since they left the village, choosing to join them instead of going back home.
"Oh, hey, is everything okay?"
Katsuki stared at him for a moment before huffing. "Open your bag."
"What?"
"Open. Your. Bag." He repeated.
"Uh…" Izuku hesitantly grabbed his backpack and opened it. "Why do you-"
Katsuki cut him off before hopping inside, moving things around to make space for himself. After a moment he grabbed the top and yanked it down.
"Ka-"
"Shut up, Bush Boy!"
Izuku stopped before shaking his head. "Alright then."
"That was kinda rude." Lucy muttered.
"It's just the way he is." Izuku smiled. "He doesn't mean anything by it."
"If you say so." Natsu rolled his eyes. "Anyway, night. See ya in the morning."
And with that, he fell back and began snoring away. Happy was already fast asleep in his scarf.
Luch shook her head fondly and laid down. "Well, I'll see you all in the morning."
Before long she was asleep as well, leaving Izuku alone with a backpack filled with a snoring cat.
"I guess I'll keep watch then." He muttered.
It wouldn't be the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. He knew how to stay up all night, and now he had to. There were others that had to be looked after, he wasn't alone.
Not that he slept then either.
Izuku hugged the backpack to his chest and sat back.
He wouldn't let anything happen to them.
As the night wore on Izuku jumped at every sound the forest made. Every snap and crack, every chitter and croak. He had stopped sitting idly by, instead staying close by the fire and keeping it alight.
Occasionally he walked around with a makeshift torch from the campfire. Making sure there was nothing in the darkness, ready to pounce on them and eat them alive. Tear them to shreds. Drag them off into whatever nightmare they came from.
He kept his footsteps silent, eyes darting everywhere to spot what was making the noises. What kind of danger was coming for them.
He wasn't sure how long it took for him to stop seeing the area as a campground, and saw it was the small space of a park. Only a small, flickering flashlight as his source of light. Something that was meant to keep away the nightmares, but only made him paranoid that it would be a homing beacon.
He ignored the seemingly real, tattered playground. Its play structures torn down and twisted. He knew that place, a long time ago he would play there with his best friend. He'd climb to the top and declare himself king.
"Not him. Anyone but him."
Izuku shook his head, feeling his eyes begin to water. He found it hard to breathe, like no matter how much air he took in, it wasn't enough. It felt like he was swallowing water instead of breathing air.
"Kacchan? Kacchan, where are you!"
Scattered rubble, the remains of a school. Screaming in the distance, and wild screeches.
A pale hand in the rubble, a calloused palm, an all too familiar bag torn to shreds nearby.
"Deku, go!"
It was all scattered, the pieces weren't lining up correctly.
He bit his lip as a burning sensation reached his hand, eating through the last glove and turning to ash.
"Useless Deku, like you won't die in the hero course!"
His legs gave out from under him, his eyes burning with tears. He was supposed to be doing something, wasn't he? What was he doing? Why wasn't he focusing on that?
He gave himself one job.
"Not him, anyone but him."
"Where are you?"
"Mom?"
"Where are you?"
"Kacchan!"
He gasped when he felt someone drag him to his feet, and he whirled around in panic. Backing away and looking around frantically, only to see Natsu standing there. He looked confused, but above that, he looked worried.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked.
Izuku sniffed and realized he'd been crying. He nodded and wiped away the tears roughly. "I-I'm fine. Really, I am."
Natsu didn't look convinced but nodded. "Alright then, let's go back by the fire. You're pretty close to the trees."
Izuku looked around and realized he was right, then looked down to see his hand was burnt. The ashes of the stick he had been holding beneath his feet.
He nodded and made his way back to the fire, following behind Natsu and hesitantly sitting down. As he sat Natsu adjusted his scarf so Happy could be more comfortable.
"What the heck are you still doing awake? Shouldn't you be asleep?"
Izuku sniffed before letting out a dry laugh. "I-I could ask you the same thing."
Natsu watched him. "I heard ya making noise, and I thought something was wrong. Then I saw you and you weren't moving, I thought you might have sleepwalked over there or something but…" He shrugged.
Izuku stared at him before looking back at the fire, eyeing the flames and how they ate through the wood. Slowly but surely turning it into ash.
Natsu looked between him and the fire. "So what were you doing?"
Izuku stiffened up before relaxing, he wiped away a few more stray tears and sighed.
"I-I-I was keeping watch. Someone had to and you and Lucy and Happy and Kacchan fell asleep so I thought…yeah m-maybe I could do it. It uh, it wouldn't be the first time."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because someone has to. Y-You don't…You don't know what might be out there. And if there is something…then at least you have someone to warn you."
"But nothing is gonna get us. Come on, Lucy and I are super strong as if anything would beat us." He grinned. His smile fell when Izuku just looked away.
Izuku rubbed his arm, tracing faint scars from particularly bad scrapes. Memories began to replay in his mind before he shook his head.
"Back…back home. W-Where I'm from I…there is always someone to keep watch. Especially if you were on your own. I had to stay aware, always, even at night. I was always afraid one of those things was going to find me while I was asleep. A lot of the time I wasn't alone, even if they were just passing by, they were always there. And if I was asleep…they could have found me. Caught me. Killed me. Or dragged me off I-I don't…" He bit his lip.
Natsu stared at him, taking in what he said.
"S-So yeah. I had to uh, keep watch. Someone had to. Y-You and Lucy were sleeping, so I-I figured I'd just…yeah. I'm sorry if I woke you up, I won't be so loud next time. I swear."
Natsu watched him before putting on another smile. "Well, I got some sleep. And you've been keeping watch all night, why don't you get some shuteye?"
"You don't have-"
Natsu shoved him over so he was on the ground beside his backpack.
"Get some sleep, you've still got some work to do tomorrow. Getting the mail and stuff right?"
"R-Right…"
"Then go to sleep. I'll make sure nothing happens."
Izuku was silent before nodding and adjusting himself, facing away from the forest and towards the fire.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
Izuku wasn't sure how long he laid there, staring at the fire and listening to the woods around them. But soon enough he began to drift off, exhaustion finally dragging him down to sleep.
For once, he didn't have any nightmares.
-FH-
A big thanks to my betas KeeperofHounds and Bola!