Actions

Work Header

Of Gods and Dreams

Summary:

Izuku tries to live as a minority in a world where his head is in the clouds and his heart in another world entirely.

Katsuki tries to fit in in a world where the only person who believes in him and whom he can trust is someone he can't meet in reality.

(Two boys, two very different worlds, and one bond that binds them together.)

Notes:

This fic has been a long time coming! Me and Glon have been planning this for roughly a year but it's just taking us forever to post it, hahaha. This will take a bit.
We're co-writing this story together with me writing all of Izuku's world and dialogue (even in Katsuki's chapters) and her writing Katsuki's world and dialogue.

We hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1: Izuku

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The day was bright with the burning sun in the sky and the sound of children’s laughter. The grass sang with the wind that blew across the field and rattled leaves, blowing dirt and flower petals up into the air and into the face of Izuku. A petal stuck to his face for a moment, caught by his hair and blocked by the ridge of his nose, before he shook his head once to dislodge it. The petal flew off into the distance as Izuku blinked to get his bearings and look around. There was a grin stretched across his face and his cheeks were rosy from exertion under the sunlight. He shielded his eyes and called out for his companion knowing the other child was somewhere nearby. He had been chasing him just a moment ago but had been unable to catch up to the other boy’s speed. 

Izuku sniffed the air a little wondering if he could pick up on the boy’s scent, but the air was void of any scents at all. He dismissed the thought as he spotted movement amongst the trees. Izuku ducked down into the tall grass to hide himself behind some bushes. The blond child was climbing one of the trees. His bare feet dangled from a low tree branch as the boy swung himself up onto it with a grunt. Izuku popped out of the bushes and hurried to join the boy, worried he would fall. The child disappeared up into the tree by the time Izuku had caught up.

He opened his mouth to say something when he heard the other boy let out a roar. Izuku yelped as he was tackled to the ground. The other boy groped at his arms and hands and kicked at him, but Izuku realized quickly that it wasn’t with the intention to hurt. Even hitting the ground, he didn’t feel too much pain. It was certainly less pain than he would expect after being tackled, but the thought disappeared as the two rolled. Izuku understood that they were wrestling and began to struggle, but he wasn’t nearly as strong. The other boy moved with expertise that came from someone who rough-housed often. It didn’t stop Izuku’s giggles as they kicked and rolled in the dirt and grass together. 

After a few moments, the blond boy rolled off of Izuku and fell onto his back. Both boys panted, catching their breaths. Izuku stared up, dazed by the sunlight cutting through the high canopy of the trees of the forest they were in. His mind seemed hazy and clear at the same time. He found that he rather liked it. 

He turned his head to look at the boy beside him. The child was grinning with his own eyes closed. His teeth were sharper than what Izuku was used to seeing. And he had a blood-red earring in his ear, which Izuku marveled at. His mother would never let him have an earring at his age. She would be scandalized to see a four year old with an earring like the one the other boy sported. It looked like a small dinosaur tooth, Izuku thought. 

“Hey,” the blond child suddenly called, red eyes snapping open. He turned his head to grin at him still and shifted to climb to his feet, “wanna see something really cool?”

Izuku sat up on his elbows and nodded, already eager to see what the boy could show him.

The other boy held his hands out in front of him, palms up, and concentrated. It only took a moment, but suddenly his hands lit up with lights and a series of pops filled the air. Izuku scrambled to his feet, gaping at the sight of what looked like tiny fireworks going off in the boy’s hands. The sparks popped and scattered, but burned out before any could hit the forest floor. Izuku was stunned at the sight. Could he do that too?

He held out his hands and copied the other boy. But no matter how he focused, he couldn’t get his hands to replicate the sparks. He frowned at his failure with confusion. He looked to the other boy for help but only found a snide smirk on his face.

Izuku tilted his head a little and dropped his hands. “How did you do that?”

The smirk didn’t fade from the other boy’s face. “You dummy, that’s my magic. You can’t copy it.” His voice was smug, haughty as he puffed his chest out a bit. He put his hands on his hips and waited to see if Izuku would try again. Then something seemed to occur to him and his hands fell lax against his form. His eyes blinked a couple of times as confusion crossed his face.

Izuku felt something stir in the back of his mind. “Magic?” He asked. He remembered seeing magic before. He had watched a few anime with it whenever he could watch TV. His mother sometimes put something on for him to watch. But he remembered seeing some of her shows where real people would do magic. It hadn’t looked anything like the other boy’s magic, though. “Like the kind on TV?”

The boy’s red eyes cleared a little and his eyebrows furrowed as he focused on Izuku. “‘TV’?” The way he said it sounded weird to Izuku. Actually, everything he said sounded weird now that Izuku thought about it. He couldn’t quite place what it was, though. “What the heck is that?”

“You don’t have a TV?!” Izuku cried, horrified at the prospect. He couldn’t imagine not having a TV in his house! But then again, the other boy was wearing some strange clothing. And his feet were dirty from running around. He even had some dirt smeared across his face and his skin was tanned from the sun. His hair didn’t look like it had ever seen a brush. Maybe he was a country boy and didn’t have TV where he lived?

Actually-

Izuku looked around him, seeing his surroundings with new eyes. No longer was he distracted by the sunlight or the wind. What was once comforting and effervescent was now weighed down with the understanding that Izuku had no clue where he was. “What?” He asked in a soft voice. His heart fled to his throat and he could feel the ghost of his pulse pick up. He felt cold instead of warmed from the air. “Where am I?” He asked, voice trembling with his mounting fear. 

The other boy looked around as well. He didn’t seem nearly as concerned with their surroundings. He muttered under his breath as he crossed his arms, “Why is it so weird to not have a crappy ‘TV’?” He spun around on his heels and squinted back through the trees to the field they had been playing in. He took a few steps in that direction and Izuku followed him quickly. He didn’t want to be left behind in the mysterious forest. The blond boy’s face lit up with recognition. “This is a clearing close to the village.” He looked to Izuku. “Don’t you know it?” 

Izuku shook his head. He didn’t know how he had gotten there. He didn’t even know who this child who was with him was. Izuku had been positive he knew the boy, though. Almost like how he knew people from his dreams despite not actually being friends with them. Wait, maybe that was what was happening? “Am I dreaming?” He asked.

The boy frowned harder. Izuku almost forgot what he looked like when he was smiling and laughing. “Waddya mean, ‘dreamin’’?” His frown turned into a scowl. Izuku hunched in a little on himself at the boy’s displeasure. “Why would you be dreamin’?”

Now Izuku was positive that the other boy’s words were weird. None of the things he was saying sounded like Japanese. It didn’t even sound like any language Izuku had ever heard before, but that wasn’t saying much since he hadn’t heard many different languages. Despite Izuku not recognizing a single word from the other boy’s mouth, he somehow understood exactly what he was saying. Maybe this really was a dream?

“I...I was at home in my bed.” He explained. “I remember mommy tucking me in.” His hands grabbed the hem of his nightshirt and tugged nervously on it. But he did feel calmer from his earlier fear. If this was a dream, then he didn’t need to be scared. He would wake up and be at home in his bed again soon. “I don’t know this place…” He looked at the other boy, who showed no sign of nerves or fear. His confidence was helpful in calming Izuku down as well. At least he wasn’t alone in this strange dream even though he seemed to have annoyed the other boy. “When did we get here?”

The child pursed his lips. His fang caught on his lower lip as he chewed on it a moment and then said, “We’ve been here the whole time, dummy.”

The whole time? Now that Izuku thought about it, he didn’t know how they had ended up there. He could hazily recall just seeing the other boy and beginning to play with him. It had felt natural. Izuku still felt like he knew this child, but no name appeared to match the face. This was a strange dream. 

But if this was a dream, why couldn’t Izuku do magic too? Why couldn’t he control the dream so he could do magic? And why was he able to think and choose in his dreams? He never could do it before. His dreams had always controlled him, not the other way around. Maybe his mommy would know? He wanted to ask her. He wondered how long he would be dreaming-

“Stop that!” The other boy snapped, startling Izuku with a gasp. The boy’s eye was ticking with irritation, his fists clenched and a scowl deep on his face. His eyes seemed to burn with his own frustration. “Either speak up, or shut up!”

Izuku squeaked, hunching in on himself. He hadn’t expected to be yelled at. He must have been doing his muttering again. He couldn’t help thinking out loud when his mind was being noisy. He murmured an apology before deciding that most of his questions would be pointless to ask a dream person. So he tried instead, “Who are you?”

The boy grinned, pleased with the question. “Bakugou Katsuki!” His voice lifted with pride as he crossed his arms. If it was a name that Izuku was supposed to know, nothing came to mind. Even the way that Katsuki said his name sounded strange on his tongue. But it was similar enough to Japanese names that Izuku was pretty sure he could replicate the syllables. He began to try, testing the name on his lips, but he could tell he was getting it wrong. His tongue kept slipping on the middle syllable of Katsuki’s name because he was missing his two front teeth already. 

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at Izuku suspiciously. “And you? Who are you? And how come you don’t know crap about magic?” He motioned with his hands as if to make them spark again, but nothing came out this time. 

Izuku didn’t answer right away, still attempting Katsuki’s name. Katsuki let out a small growl and repeated his own name. He didn’t seem to like Izuku’s failure to replicate the name. Realizing he was just annoying Katsuki, Izuku gave up and smiled a little sheepishly. He would try the name again later. “I’m Midoriya Izuku. Um...But you can call me Izuku!” He fumbled a bit, and then fell into a polite bow just like his mother had taught him to do when greeting new friends. “I-It’s nice to meet you!”

Katsuki waved a dismissive hand. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Answer the important question, stupid. How can you not know about magic? Are you Deku or some crap like that?”

Izuku straightened and said, “I know what magic is! But I’ve never seen anyone do what you did!” He paused and then scrunched his face up in confusion. “What did you call me, though?” Katsuki stared at him. “Wait…” When Katsuki had said “Deku” he hadn’t understood the word at all. It sounded like it fit on Katsuki’s tongue like his regular language, but no comprehension had come to Izuku. “We’re speaking different words, right? How come I understand you but not that word?”

Katsuki just crossed his arms again and looked unimpressed. He didn’t even seem interested in their ability to understand each other. Probably because he was just a dream. “Deku.” He repeated.

“‘De... ku…’?” Izuku repeated back. “Are you...trying to say my name?” 

“Hah?! Since when is ‘Deku’ anyone’s name, dummy?” Then a mocking smirk twists onto his face as he explained, “A Deku is basically a useless weakling without any magic.”

“Hey!” Izuku cried in offense. “I’m not useless or weak! And my name’s Izuku!”

Katsuki ignored him again. “People who don’t have magic are useless. That’s how things are.” He spoke as if it was common knowledge. Maybe in this dream it was. “Everybody knows that, Deku.”

“It’s Izuku! I-zu-ku!” 

“Yeah, whatever, Deku.”

Izuku felt his cheeks warm with indignation. His eyes watered unable to believe how mean Katsuki was being. They had barely known each other, but he was still being called useless? He didn’t like this. He wanted to go back to playing. Before he had realized he was in a dream. He sniffled once and wiped at his eyes. “That’s mean, Kazuki.”

Katsuki glared at him. “It’s Katsuki. Ka- tsu -ki! Get it right, you dummy!”

Izuku stomped his foot, frustrated. “I’m trying! It’s hard with my teeth missing!” His cheeks puffed up, but he let them deflate quickly. His temper wasn’t one that lasted long. He hesitated and then asked, “Um...Can I just call you Kacchan for now?” Katsuki glared harder at him. Izuku continued nervously, hands waving as he explained, “J-Just until my teeth grow back! Then I can say your name right!!”

One of Katsuki’s eyes twitched again, but finally he huffed and looked away. His arms tightened around his chest and then relaxed a bit. Izuku realized Katsuki looked a lot stronger than him. “Fine. Call me whatever. I don’t care.”

Izuku let out a sigh of relief. At least he had solved that problem. But that still left the bigger one. He looked around them again and moved a little out of the forest. Katsuki followed after him as they reentered the field. Izuku breathed in deeply, but couldn’t smell anything. He rubbed at his nose. He was pretty sure in this kind of place he should be able to smell a lot of things. At least the wildflowers and the grass!

“So, where are we again?” He asked. With his eyes cleared of the dream haze, he could take in all of the greenery around him. He couldn’t believe how beautiful the world in the dream was. Miles of hills seemed to stretch out endlessly. Trees hid most of the view, but even from the field they were in Izuku could see a wide lake. There was some smoke in the distance, but not too far away. If he strained his ears, he could almost make out voices of other people. It was amazing. He had never seen so much life outside of a park before. There were so many colors in one place.

Katsuki took in the same scenery, but didn’t look nearly as awed. He even let out a little yawn. “A clearing close to the village.” He explained. “About as far as we’re allowed to go. The adults forbid going further into the forest.”

Izuku looked to Katsuki now. “Village?” He asked startled. He hadn’t heard someone refer to their city or town as a village before. He rarely heard that term.

Katsuki gave him a flat look from out of the corner of his eye.

“Wh-What?” Izuku stuttered, not understanding the reaction.

“Yes, village .” Katsuki told him sounding suspicious and wary again. His teeth were a little bared as he demanded, “Why so surprised, hah?”

“Well…” Izuku fidgeted with his fingers, “I’ve never been to a village before. I live in a city with my mommy and daddy. It looks nothing like this!” He motioned around them, spreading his arms wide to spin a little to take in the view more. “Where are your roads and cars? And why are you dressed like that?” He pointed at Katsuki.

Katsuki looked down at himself and then at Izuku like he was stupid. But Izuku couldn’t help but think of how uncomfortable Katsuki’s clothes must be. His pants looked loose and they were made of a similar material to his shirt. The shirt looked more like a vest without any sleeves and looked to be made of that same stiff stuff as Izuku had seen on cowboys. He thought it might be called leather, but he wasn’t completely sure. It was softened with age and usage, wrinkled from movement over time. Instead of zippers, there seemed to be buttons and strings that held the outfit closed. He had little wrist sleeves on as well, although they seemed to be decorative instead of useful. Everything he wore were shades of brown except the red tooth earring in his ear. Izuku had never seen clothes like his before.

“You’re the one who’s dressed weird.” Katsuki muttered. “How can you move through the forest unseen in that?” Izuku grabbed the hem of his shirt and looked down on it. He didn’t see anything weird with his clothes. They were just his usual long sleeved pajamas. They were multi-colored and decorated with some of the symbols of the heroes from his favorite TV show. “So you’re one of those Todoroki-people?”

Izuku didn’t really hear the question. “I’m just in my pajamas.” He said as he eyed Katsuki’s clothing. He wondered what it felt like to the touch. They were probably not soft like Izuku’s clothes were. They looked kind of stiff against Katsuki’s body. But he figured Katsuki wouldn’t be too happy with him if he tried to touch him. “Your pajamas look weird and uncomfortable.”

“Hah? These are my day clothes, stupid.”

Izuku really wished that he would stop calling him stupid, but he would let it slide. Katsuki just seemed to have a bad mouth. Instead he began murmuring, “Did you fall asleep in that? Or am I just making you up…? You look like you might be from one of the books mommy reads me. The ones with knights in them and princesses and magic...But I feel bad dreaming you up with such bad clothes…” His voice trailed off as his mind continued to spin questions. 

Katsuki looked thoroughly irritated now and snapped again, “I told you to stop that! Either speak up so I can understand what you’re saying, or shut your crappy mouth!”

“Sorry!” Izuku cried, waving his arms in front of his face. He dropped them as he remembered that Katsuki had actually asked him a question. So he answered, “I don’t know who the ‘Todoroki-people’ are…”

Katsuki blinked, looking genuinely surprised at this information. “How can you possibly not know that?”

“How am I supposed to know about a dream world?!” Izuku responded with some exasperation.

Katsuki frowned. “Why would the Gods send you dreams you don’t understand?”

Which Gods were Katsuki referring to? Izuku didn’t really know much about Gods outside of going to the temple with his mommy once in a while. He didn’t know anything about dreams. “I don’t know?”

“You really are  useless…” Katsuki muttered under his breath, but not low enough for Izuku to miss.

Izuku made the decision to pretend he didn’t hear. It wasn’t like he could help it anyway, and he didn’t really care about the stuff he didn’t understand. “Well if I’m dreaming, can you show me some stuff? Like your magic again?” He asked eagerly. He really wanted to see more of Katsuki’s magic. And what kind of stuff he could do. 

Katsuki cheered up some at the thought. His smirk returned, pleased with Izuku’s excitement and desire to see his magic again. He didn’t hesitate and opened his hands again to let off more sparks. Izuku let out a delighted noise at the sight.

“That’s amazing, Kacchan!!” He cried. 

“Wait until I grow up.” Katsuki preened. “It will be even more amazing then and I’ll be one of the strongest Warriors in the tribe!” Izuku only stared at him with wide eyes. A warrior? Katsuki wanted to grow up to fight and stuff? His magic would only get stronger? Izuku wished his dream would last long enough so he could see all of that. 

But a frown crossed Katsuki’s face as he gazed at the sky. Izuku looked up as well and realized that the sun had fallen far. When had it gotten so late? It had been midday just a few minutes ago! It was a lot stranger to see this kind of thing when he was aware of what was happening. “Ah crap. I gotta go back.” Katsuki said.

“Oh...really?” Izuku asked, disappointed.

Katsuki nodded once. He turned to head in the direction that presumably his village lay when he paused for a moment. He glanced back at Izuku and eyed him before asking, “Want to come see my village? Since you say you never saw one.”

Izuku’s face lit up once more and he beamed. “Yeah!” He hurried to Katsuki’s side and followed the boy. The two of them wound a path that only Katsuki knew and cut through some bushes. There the grass disappeared to dirt where Izuku saw for the first time an actual road. Or, well, what looked to be a road. It wasn’t exactly marked out, but the grass was dead enough from being trodden on so much that it was essentially dirt. The ground felt hard under Izuku’s bare feet. He watched out for sharp rocks and lifted his head in time to see wooden gates to what must have been the village. 

But it was only a brief glimpse before-


Izuku woke up abruptly to being gently shaken awake. He opened his eyes and confusion overtook his brain as the visual stimuli didn’t match up to what he had just been experiencing. Even the feeling on his skin was completely different as his feet didn’t hold any pain from walking on dirt and his body was sleep-warmed. Why was he in bed? And his eyes had already been open, so why were they opening again? He was suddenly aware of all the different scents around him and how much depth they added to his world. He felt very befuddled.

A gentle hand touched his hair and brushed back his curls, calling his name in a familiar way. Izuku rolled over and blinked wide, bleary eyes at his mother as she smiled down at him. “Good morning.” She greeted. “You were sleeping heavily today, Izuku.”

“Mommy?” He asked, and then everything clicked back together for him. He was home in his bed again. Everything he had just experienced was a dream. A sharp sense of loneliness and sadness caused his heart to ache. Water welled up in his eyes a little.

His mother noticed and gave him a concerned look. She lowered herself immediately onto his bed and held out her arms to him for comfort, already releasing some pheromones to calm him. They were familiar and immediately made his body relax a little. “Izuku, what’s wrong? Did you have a bad dream?”

Izuku took his mother’s offer. He escaped the confines of his blanket and entered her arms. His small form was encompassed into her hold as he buried his face into her chest and shook his head. He didn’t really get why he was so sad, but he already missed Katsuki. He especially missed that he wouldn’t be able to talk with him more or see him.

“I had a good dream.” He told her, pulling his head back and wiping at his tears. He didn’t sob, but he couldn’t stop the flow of his tears. He never had been able to. “But I can’t finish it now.”

“Oh.” His mother cooed, half-amused and half-apologetic. “I’m sorry, honey.”

“It’s okay.” Izuku murmured. “I had known I would wake soon anyway.”

“Oh?” Now she sounded curious. “How so?”

Izuku realized this was a good time to ask his mother questions. So he told her everything about his dream. He described Katsuki and his weird clothes. He described realizing he was dreaming but still not being able to do crazy things like Katsuki’s magic. He waved his hands around as he told her about how everything had felt so real but he hadn’t been able to really smell anything. How he had also been kind of scared at first because he hadn’t known where he had been.

His mother looked delighted to hear everything, nodding and making appreciative noises where necessary. Izuku felt a lot better after talking about it, but a small part of him still wished he could go back to dreaming. She waited until Izuku was finished and said, “That sounds like a fun dream!”

“Is it normal to be, um, awake in a dream?” Izuku asked.

She hummed with thought. “I’ve heard that some people can do it. I think it’s called lucid dreaming.”

Izuku mouthed the words. He would remember that. “So is it like my magic?”

“It could be!” His mother nodded once. “You’re very lucky to be able to lucid dream! Sometimes I wish I could do that!”

Izuku giggled. “I hope it happens again! It was a little scary, but I liked it!” He paused and then said, “I hope I can see Kacchan again…”

“Who knows?” His mother asked, rubbing his back a little, “They say the people you see in dreams are the people you’ve seen in real life. Maybe you’ve already met him and don’t remember?”

Izuku thought back to the strange boy with the wild hair and sharp fangs. The way his eyes held flames that didn’t seem to exist in Izuku’s world. There was a vibrancy of that dream world that didn’t feel the same as real life. “I don’t know.” He finally told her. He couldn’t really imagine that boy in Izuku’s world.


Izuku didn’t lucid dream often. In fact, none of his dreams in which he was “awake” ever occurred unless Kacchan was there. Izuku didn’t know why for sure. Maybe Kacchan was a trigger for his mind? It was weird to think about, and at the age of four he definitely didn’t think too deeply on it. It would be something that Izuku would question more as he grew up, but even then that thought process would trickle off because he wasn’t one to really look a gift horse in the mouth. 

He met with Kacchan intermittently over the next couple of months. There were large gaps in time between when Izuku would visit Kacchan, but every visit just made Izuku more and more excited. Between his first dream with Kacchan and his second dream so much time had passed that Izuku had all but forgotten about the strange-looking wild boy with sparks that came from his hands. His dream had been so relatively uneventful in the long run of Izuku’s young mind, and his other, regular dreams tended to be stranger and more exciting. 

The second time Izuku dreamt of Kacchan and his world, it had seemed like a coincidence. But during that time he had “woken up” in his dream again. And for the first time since the first dream with Kacchan, Izuku lucid dreamed. Unfortunately by the time he had “woken up” from the strange dream haze, so much of his dream time had passed that he woke up properly before he could really spend much time with Kacchan.

The third dream, a few weeks after the second, followed much the same. But three times was all that Izuku had needed to be convinced that this was something real, and something magical was happening to him. He quickly became enamored with Kacchan’s strange and colorful world. His times with Kacchan, though short, had been precious to him. He had followed on Kacchan’s heels wherever the boy would lead him while Izuku was still asleep and he got to see the wonders of Kacchan’s world. The boy had even taught him how to climb trees properly, although Izuku was still scared to climb as high as his brave friend could. Dream or not, the height was scary. And that fear had woken Izuku out of his third dream.

His fourth dream with Kacchan, a couple months after the very first one, had been completely different from the first three. Unlike before, Izuku and Kacchan had been in Izuku’s world. It had been winter time in his dream because the heat of the day had been so strong that Izuku had been thinking of winter the entire time. It had transferred to his dream where Kacchan had shown up on his own. 

Izuku had struggled to wake from the “dream haze” that he was usually under. Kacchan didn’t seem to suffer from it as badly, but then again Kacchan was a dream so it made sense that he was more aware. It did cause Izuku to do some silly things before he “woke” though. He vaguely remembered making Kacchan climb up a tree to get a hat from some tiny dinosaurs. He also remembered that Kacchan had looked so out of place and very confused for someone who tried to hide it. 

Izuku, when he had woken up in his dream, had been excited to show his friend around. He had spent the entire dream chattering Kacchan’s ear off about this and that, showing him the things that Izuku had grown up with. Kacchan had never seen a car, or paved roads like Izuku was used to. He seemed baffled by the tall buildings and the lack of greenery. Izuku had walked him from the park Izuku had been dreaming in to his house, but he had woken before he could even show Katsuki the inside. It had been disappointing, but Izuku figured he could show him next time. He couldn’t wait to talk with him again.

Kacchan was Izuku’s first best friend.


There were voices all around Izuku. The chattering of children and the peals of laughter entered Izuku’s ears, but did not disturb his intense focus. His tiny fingers were clumsy -still tuning his fine motor movements- but confident as he held the large crayon in his fist and moved it with hard strokes. His head was sweaty from sitting in the sun, but his bare hands were cool from the early spring air. His little feet kicked back and forth despite the fact it was messing up his careful drawing a bit. He was too jittery to hold still. 

Izuku was trying his best to recreate an image from the last time he had dreamt of Kacchan and his world. Kacchan had called it something last time -probably the name of the land- but Izuku didn’t remember it. Even if he did, he didn’t know how to spell it. He wasn’t great with his kana yet. So instead he focused on drawing. Which, admittedly, he wasn’t the best at. It seemed like no matter how bright of a color Izuku chose it would never match up to the splendid colors of his dreams. Which was saying something because outside of his lucid dreaming with Kacchan, his dreams were mostly in muted colors. Even the dream that had taken place in his world had seemed dull in comparison. But that could’ve been because it had been winter.

He was outside on the tiny playground with all of his preschool mates. It was the free time after class while kids waited for their parents to pick them up. They were free to do anything they wanted. Izuku had wanted to draw because he wanted to show people what Kacchan looked like. His mommy would be especially proud, he thought, and his stories would have more impact if he could show images with it. Just like in the picture books he liked to look through. But first he would need to draw it.

The bright yellow that Izuku had chosen for Kacchan’s hair wasn’t good enough in his opinion. It was golden like the sun, but Kacchan wasn’t a sunflower. His hair was lighter than that, but his box of crayons didn’t have anything close. The closest thing was the “skin” color one, but he was using that for Kacchan’s face and arms so it would look weird for his hair too. He would have to be satisfied with this.

The good news was that Kacchan had taken to wearing brighter colors in his dreams. Instead of his all-brown ensemble, he would also wear reds or greens too. It made his picture prettier to have Katsuki in his red vest against the very green landscape and the bright blue of the sky. He was rather proud with how his picture was coming out. He wondered if he could fit himself in there somewhere.

Suddenly Izuku’s swinging legs came into contact with something, and a high voice let out a small yelp. Izuku startled badly, jumping high in his seat and having to grab the table so as not to topple backwards. He was shaken as he stared across from him at a little girl across from him. She rubbed at her leg where Izuku had obviously kicked her. Her brown eyes held no anger, but Izuku immediately stuttered out an apology,

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to kick you!” The girl - someone he didn’t recognize - had appeared suddenly across from him. He had been so engrossed in his work that he hadn’t even noticed a new person. 

She smiled and gave a short giggle. “It’s okay!” She told him. She then leaned across the table and pointed at Izuku’s drawing, almost touching it with her hands. Izuku noticed that they were dark from digging in the dirt. Her pink cheeks also had a smear of the same dark dirt. He wondered what she had been digging for. “What’s that?”

Izuku blushed, a little embarrassed to have his picture seen before it was ready. “Um...it’s nothing.” He murmured.

“It looks pretty.” She stated. She then crawled across the table, startling Izuku more. Her eyes darted over to the teachers. Izuku’s head whipped to look as well, but none of the teachers were paying them any mind. The girl was in the seat beside Izuku before he knew it and looking at the picture more. Her eyes lit up a little. “Wow! You drew this?”

“Ah, um, yes.” 

“I like it!” She decided firmly.

Izuku blushed harder, pleased. “You...do?”

“Mm-hm!” She nodded once. “I thought you were lonely over here by yourself, but you’re just drawing. That’s fun too! Did you want to play with me when you finish?”

Izuku stared at the girl. He had been invited to play by children a few times in the past, but most of his classmates had already developed their friend groups and usually didn’t just come over to him. They didn’t reject him if he asked to join them, but he was usually too shy to do so. He was surprised by this new girl.

“Um...Sure!” He nodded once. “We can play. Hang on.” He carefully folded up his picture into uneven and rough folds before sliding it into his smock’s pockets. He patted it for safety and then began to gather his crayons up. 

“I can wait if you wanna finish.” The girl told him.

“It’s okay.” He smiled at her. He was a little shy about drawing in front of someone else, even if the girl wasn’t particularly scary. He would finish it at home in private and then show his mom. “I wanna play some before my mommy gets here anyway.”

He made sure the crayons were all gathered up and put away properly before hopping off of the bench with the girl. The two of them rushed over to where he could deposit his stuff before they turned to each other. The girl smiled brightly at Izuku.

“My name is Uraraka Ochako!” She introduced herself.

“I’m Midoriya Izuku.” He bowed in greeting and almost got to say “nice to meet you” but she had cut him off before then to say,

“Can I call you Izu-kun?” 

He wasn’t used to having a nickname before. The only thing close was Kacchan’s “Deku”, but he was certain that was still an insult. “Sure!”

Ochako looked delighted at that. And Izuku couldn’t help but feel excited as well. He couldn’t wait to tell Katsuki how he’d made a new friend.


Ochako was from the other class at Izuku’s preschool, so he didn’t get to see her during classroom time. However, he saw her every time the two classes merged for recreational activities. Ochako was someone who was bright and bubbly, but already determined for someone her age. She fit in well with both the boys and the girls in the class, easily switching between wanting to play house with the boys to wrestling with the girls. She was really good at play-fighting, and Izuku liked to join in with her. She was liked by almost everyone. Izuku admired her for it. Even if she was turned down when she asked to play, she bounced back quickly. And she wasn’t afraid to just have a quiet time either.

As her new best friend (as Ochako and Izuku had decided without words) Ochako made sure to bring Izuku with her whenever Izuku was willing. And he rarely could turn her down. Izuku got to know more of his classmates through Ochako’s influence than he had on his own. She encouraged him to talk with people more and she reassured him when his shyness got too bad. Overall, Izuku was delighted to have a new person to call his friend, even if she had claimed him as her own first. 

His favorite part about Ochako was how interested she was in his stories about Kacchan. He didn’t have very many quite yet, but he had assured her that he had a dream with Kacchan in it once in a while. He had already promised to tell her when he had another. She seemed just as fascinated with the world that he visited as he was and she liked to imagine them both there all of the time. She didn’t mind if they spent some of their free time indoors drawing or just playing make believe. She even told stories of her own dreams and wondered what it would be like if she was awake during them.

Ochako was Izuku’s first real best friend.


Izuku was gazing at some flowers he had never seen before. The field was bright with pastel colors that Izuku found himself mesmerized by. His finger trailed across the silken petals of the bell-shaped flowers and almost thought he could feel it, but he wasn’t actually sure if he did. He half-expected it to ring at the touch but it didn’t. Instead he pushed off of his knees and up to his feet, brushing off the dirt that had clung to the edge of his pajama pants. He knew he stood out wearing his dark blue and white clothing, but he didn’t mind too much. He felt safe there.

He allowed his feet to wander, searching for something he felt should be there. He knew the land and the dirt between his toes. He’d been there a number of times before. He couldn’t exactly say how, though. He automatically headed towards the forest, drawn in by a force that he couldn’t control. His mind was hazy without much real thought besides searching for the person he was seeking. He knew he would be that way.

He looked left and right as he came to a small clearing in the forest which led upwards towards a rocky ridge. It was taller than some of the buildings Izuku had ever seen and looked almost crumbly to the touch. He went over to run his hand along the rock when he heard a voice call out, “Oi, Deku! Up here!”

Izuku looked up and up and up the tall ridge and gaped widely to see the small figure at the top. It was another child just like him. Izuku knew him to be his good friend, although his name was slipping his mind. The child’s wide, sharp smile was visible even from how high up he was. The ridge was taller than any number Izuku could count to. For a moment he wondered if the boy had climbed up the ridge’s other side, but somehow he knew that he hadn’t.

“WHOA!” Izuku cried, clenching his fists and backing up to get a clearer view. “How’d you get up there?!”

The blond boy’s grin transformed into something more prideful. Izuku didn’t need to be close to feel it even from where he was at. “I climbed, stupid!” His voice dripped with scorn over stating the obvious. “How else would I get up here?”

That made perfect sense. Izuku wasn’t sure how else he would be able to get up there. And if the other boy could do it, then so could he! All five year olds were taught how to climb walls like that. Izuku was confident he could make it. “Oh right.” He said out loud, mostly to himself. He looked at the wall and nodded. It wasn’t that long of a climb! And he wanted to go sit with the other boy. He was positive the view would be fantastic. 

He searched for a hand and a foothold and slowly began to climb. To his surprise, he felt his body straining under the task. He hadn’t expected to put any effort into the climb at all. His head felt a little fuzzy. It felt like how it looked to see a camera lens trying to focus. His body didn’t stop moving even as he frowned to himself. 

“Have you ever climbed a rock wall before, Deku?” He heard the boy above him call. Izuku glanced up and saw him leaning over the edge of the ridge. He was so far away. He was frowning now instead of smiling. Izuku really wanted to get up there and join him.

He couldn’t even think of responding as he panted and focused on climbing. But his body ached and his hands whispered words of complaint. He felt like he had been climbing forever. Surely he was near the top by then?

He glanced upwards again, but the other boy was barely even closer. Izuku wondered if the wall was growing bigger. He looked down instead and gasped in horror. It was like the entire cliff had shot upwards. The ground was so very far away now, and Izuku no longer felt confident in his climbing skills. His heart raced in his chest and his limbs felt cold. He realized just how little footing he had as he balanced on his toes. His fingers and toes curled in an attempt to cling harder to the rock. His body shook. A soft whine escaped his lips as a wordless call for help. He couldn’t move. He was stuck.

“Help!” He cried instead when nobody responded to his distress, his eyes watering and making his vision wobble. 

He heard a soft snort and then the boy’s voice called down again, “You’re not that high up, dummy. Just give up and let go if you’re scared.”

Not that high up? Izuku couldn’t possibly just jump and hope to survive. That boy was crazy, he decided! Things would be so much easier if he could fly. Then if he fell he could just catch himself with his wings. Or maybe just fly in general without any extra appendages. He made sure to relay this information to the other boy.

The child snorted again. Izuku thought he maybe needed to blow his nose. “Humans can’t fly, stupid.”

Izuku knew this, obviously, that was why he was complaining about it. There was no other way he could think of to get down, though. So he had no other choice but to keep climbing. His hands and legs trembled violently as he reached for his next foothold. His fear made everything unsteady for him. He couldn’t quite reach the next hold without stretching up on his toes, and he was far too shaky and nervous to do so. He was left clinging to the side of the rock. A tear slipped from his eye as he blinked. He whined again. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears.

“A-ah...oh no…” He whimpered realizing he was petrified. He clung to the holds he had with all of his strength. His fingers hurt though and the position he was in wasn’t great. He didn’t know what to do. He was going to fall. He was going to die! He began to cry, pressing his forehead to the cliff and squeezing his eyes shut.

“Oi, Deku! Calm the heck down!” He couldn’t calm down. How could he possibly calm down in this situation? Did the boy not see what Izuku was seeing?! “You’re not that high up! Just climb down; it’s not that far!” He clearly wasn’t looking. How could that child be so high up and then tell Izuku he wasn’t up that high? He was so much farther. Clearly he didn’t have any fear. Maybe he wouldn’t die if he fell, but Izuku was different. He knew he would. He didn’t want to die. He’d rather just cling to the cliff for the rest of his life.

He heard the small crumbling of rocks. He cringed against the wall as some dirt sprinkled on him. He could hear the shifting of fabric and then felt a presence next to him. He still didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to see.

“C’mere. I’ll help you get down since you’re too stupid to do it yourself.” The boy’s voice was a lot closer now. Izuku hesitantly opened his eyes. The boy looked completely calm and at ease against the side of the cliff, even if he was scowling at Izuku with annoyance. His holds were sure even as the muscles he had on his small body strained with his own weight. He was confident enough in his own grip that he could hold his hand out to Izuku in offering.

Izuku only stared at him, uncomprehending. Could the child somehow hold him up? Was he going to take him flying? Was he going to make them jump? Oh god Izuku didn’t want to jump!! 

“We’ll die if we fall!” Izuku’s crying had been reduced to just tears being blinked from his eyes. They left trails down his cheeks.

“No we won’t. We’re not that high, you dummy.”

Izuku looked down again. The height was still dizzying to him. He looked back to the other boy, though, and felt some of his courage regather. He knew and trusted this boy despite his fear. With the last dredges of his courage, he managed to get his limbs to work enough to scoot over on the wall closer to the boy. “You’ll...help me?” He asked timidly.

The boy nodded once, firmly, and re-adjusted his own position. “Don’t you trust me, Deku?”

For some reason, the name rang louder in Izuku’s head. Of course he trusted the other boy. There was never a doubt in his mind that if he needed help here, the other boy would assist him. He was his best friend. So he nodded.

The boy’s face relaxed a little bit from a bad scowl to just his normal scowl. He climbed down on his own, moving slowly and pointing out where Izuku should move. He ordered him step by step, directing Izuku even as the other boy climbed down faster. Sometimes he had to climb back up to physically show Izuku that the hold was big enough to put his foot or hand. He didn’t seem to have any problem at all going up and down. He managed to coach Izuku all the way down to the ground.

Izuku’s knees immediately gave out on him the moment he was on solid ground and he collapsed to sit. He let out a tiny disbelieving laugh, and then a couple more with more joy to it. He couldn’t believe he had made it down. He was back on solid ground! He didn’t fall at all! He had climbed up so far and climbed down too! That was the first time he’d ever done that!

He gives the other boy a shaky smile. “I did it! I made it back down!”

The child smirked in response. “Told ya it wasn’t that high.”

“Yeah!” Then it was like the camera finally focused. The picture in front of him became clear and the haze in his mind completely faded. He finally looked at Kacchan properly and blanched a little bit. “Wait. Kacchan?” He looked around quickly. The familiar surroundings finally clicked in his mind as well. He had never been to this area before, but he could tell it was near where he and Kacchan usually met up during Izuku’s dreams in Kacchan’s world. The past few dreams they had been in Izuku’s world. It was almost a little strange to be there after so long. “Are we back in your world again?”

Kacchan gave him a dead stare, blinking once. He looked exasperated as he asked, “Were you not awake again , dummy? How can you stay in the haze for so long? We’ve been meeting like this enough times already. Or are you really that damn useless that you can’t tell when it’s that kind of dream?”

Izuku thought back to his thoughts just earlier. Now that he was properly awake, it was obvious that he really hadn’t been that high up. His dream had made it seem that much taller and scarier. And once again he hadn’t recognized Kacchan properly. But he couldn’t exactly blame himself too much. It was annoying that it kept happening, though. Izuku thought it had been long enough that he could wake up a lot quicker. It was cutting into his time with Kacchan. He’d had way too many dreams where he had been in the dream haze for too long and he had woken up before he’d done anything really fun with Kacchan. 

“Well...um…” It was kind of embarrassing, though. Kacchan was so good at snapping out of the haze now. Izuku couldn’t remember the last time Kacchan had been caught up in it. But then again, Kacchan was part of the dream. It only made sense that he could shake off the haze quicker. “I guess I can’t help it when I’m dreaming. I’m not like Kacchan.” 

“Of course you aren’t, Deku.” He responded smugly. 

Izuku decided that for the sake of not pissing Kacchan off he wouldn’t mention that Kacchan never seemed to notice when Izuku was still in the haze. He hadn’t noticed at all that day. Instead he chose to stand back up. His legs held no tremor in them at all anymore because he was no longer scared. Whatever rush had been going through his head from the climb down was gone like it was never there. It happened a lot in those dreams.

He smiled brightly at Kacchan instead, legitimately glad to see his friend again. He had missed actually interacting with Kacchan. It was an ache whenever he woke up from his dreams and found that he had wasted most of them being silly and caught up in his own unconscious mind. So Izuku was very happy he had snapped out of his haze faster today. He was getting better at it. 

He took note of Kacchan’s newer clothing. It seemed like the more Izuku saw Kacchan, the more interesting his clothing got. Izuku had never asked why he had started wearing colors, but they weren’t exactly colorful clothing. The arm sleeves that he wore were still the same size going up to his elbows, but now they were a bright orange. His vest was that same red color that Kacchan had explained was the color that represented his family. Something having to do with a “fire rat” (at least, that’s what Izuku believed it was called. It was hard to tell with the language thing). Only his boots and pants remained the brown color, but it was darker now like the color of wet soil. He wore more jewelry than before with a matching red fang earring piercing his other ear and a yellow beaded necklace that hung from his neck. It looked like it also had fangs on it too. Izuku wondered if the beads were made out of teeth or bone too, but he was still a little too nervous to ask. Kacchan seemed a little protective over his new jewelry. Izuku hadn’t seen him without them since the first time he had seen them with him. As far as Izuku knew, they were symbols of him officially being part of his tribe. And proof of the manifestation of his magic. Izuku thought they made him look even cooler than before. He was a tiny bit jealous.

He shook himself out of his reverie, caught up in his own thoughts once again. He wanted to catch up with Kacchan while he still had the chance. He never knew when the dreams would end. They’ve been ending earlier over the past couple of months, forcing Izuku to wake up way too early for a kid his age to wake. “I’m glad I’m here, Kacchan. How are you? What have you been up to for the last few weeks? Have you gotten better with your magic?”

Kacchan grinned proudly, displaying his naturally sharper teeth. It made Izuku wonder what it meant that Kacchan’s fangs were bigger than his. It wasn’t by much, but it was distinctive enough. Maybe he had already lost those teeth and those were his adult teeth? Or maybe he was supposed to be an Alpha when he finally presented? Izuku thought it would fit him well. He acted a lot like an Alpha. “What do you think, Deku? Of course I did. Wanna see what I can do now?”

Izuku dropped just about everything he possibly was thinking about. “Yeah!!” He cried, already excited to see more of Kacchan’s magic. He loved watching Kacchan make small explosions with his hands. Every time Kacchan showed off to him, the explosions got a little bit stronger. It had been a long while since the last time he had gotten the chance to see them, though. He couldn’t wait to see how much Kacchan’s magic had grown.

Kacchan’s grin twisted into a confident smirk as he backed away from Izuku to give them both space. Izuku also moved away to a safe distance. He knew he couldn’t really get hurt, but he still didn’t want to risk it. Kacchan took a deep breath and brought his arms to his sides, pulling them backwards with his palms facing forwards and his finger curled. The next moment he let out a cry and thrusted his arms forward, causing a much bigger explosion than Izuku had expected. Izuku could feel the heat even from where he was sitting and his hair blew back from his face. Lights danced across his eyes as Kacchan’s body moved fluidly, following a vicious dance that Izuku would never be able to do. He slashed with his hand like he was holding a sword and used his “free” hand to cause more explosions. Sometimes they blew him a little backwards from their force. He flipped and spun on deft feet, agile but grounded. His every move was purposeful. Izuku could only watch with his heart in his throat at every boom that went off. 

Kacchan ended his practice by losing his imaginary sword and punching towards the stone cliff. The explosion rocked through the rock and left a sizable crater bigger than Izuku was tall. It wasn’t deep, but it was big. Izuku felt like the hole had been punched in his stomach instead, absolutely gobsmacked by the display. Rubble scattered and bounced across the ground. The cliff groaned a little, but held its form. 

Kacchan relaxed, panting a little from the physical exertion and probably his magic, and lowered his arms. His hands were still smoking a bit and there were whiffs of dark clouds fading into the air. Kacchan’s bright, proud grin cut through the smog as he turned to Izuku.

Izuku was on his feet the next moment. His excitement burst out of him as he screamed, “KACCHAN, THAT’S AMAZING!!” He threw his hands into the air and then yanked them down with clenched fists. His body was shaking from watching everything. He ran over to the rocky wall and examined it. He could still feel the heat coming off of it. He couldn’t believe that Kacchan could cause such damage. They were both still so small and young, but Kacchan was powerful. It was so cool ! “You exploded a wall!!”

Kacchan joined him and rubbed at his nose with his finger, still grinning. He let out a little chuckle as he bragged, “And that’s still not the strongest it will be. It’ll grow stronger still.”

Izuku could already see it in his mind’s eye. Kacchan would be able to make bigger bangs than fireworks. He was going to be awesome . “You’ll definitely be the strongest!” Izuku decided. Kacchan wanted to be a warrior, and this was definitely going to be perfect to be a warrior. He would be unstoppable! “You’re only a little kid like me and you can already do this!”

Kacchan only preened under Izuku’s praise. His small chest puffed out and he basked in Izuku’s words. But after a few moments he seemed to deflate and calm a little. His proud grin retreated into a serious frown of thought. Izuku tilted his head a little, wondering what his friend was thinking. Kacchan only examined the damage he had caused. For once he didn’t really speak what was on his mind. Izuku didn’t mind it too much, though. Kacchan could be a pretty reserved person some of the time.

Izuku instead looked down at his own hands. His mind ran wild with the thoughts of various anime he had watched over the years. He had seen shows with people with magic powers and sci-fi anime with rockets and such. He wondered if Kacchan would be able to do any of those things. He decided to ask it aloud, “Is it only from your hands that you can use your magic? Can you do it with your feet?” He imagined Kacchan flying off of the ground like a mecha suit. “Is that as strong as you can go? How much stronger do you think it will get?” 

Izuku then gasped as his wild thoughts culminated into one fantastic idea. “You could totally fly if you tried hard enough! You could look like a rocket ship! Or a firework! You could just, like, BOOM!” He motioned widely with his arms to show how big of a boom Kacchan could make. Then he paused, “Oh...But how will you get down?” He imagined the flying Kacchan plummeting to the earth because he couldn’t slow his fall at all. It chilled him to think about. “That’s a scary thought. Kacchan, don’t try it until you can land safely! I’ll ask my mommy how rockets land when I wake up, and then next time we see each other you can-”

“Oi!” Kacchan cut him off. He had looked thrown off by the sudden influx of ideas that had rushed from Izuku’s mouth, but that surprise had rapidly turned into irritation. He usually got angry when Izuku rambled or got too noisy and asked too many questions. “Slow the heck down, Deku. Whaddya mean I could fly ?”

Izuku was glad he didn’t seem too upset. And that he had caught what was obviously the most important part of Izuku’s very important questions. But he did smile a little sheepishly because he hadn’t meant to have gone so fast. He just hadn’t been able to handle getting all of the words out that had rushed to his brain. He had just gotten super excited. “Oh, sorry. And I mean...like, boom?” He didn’t really know how to describe what he meant. He didn’t know why fire and explosions made things fly. He only knew that he had seen it before plenty of times. And that his mommy wouldn’t let him near fire when she lit small fireworks to show him because it was dangerous. And they go boom just like Kacchan’s magic.

“Like, on TV!” He explained. “The rockets have fire that comes out of their bottoms and they go WHOOSH right up!” He thrusted his hand into the air, pointing to show what he meant. Kacchan’s eyes instinctively followed the movement before dropping back down to watch Izuku again as the boy continued, “And fireworks too! They go upwards with the fire from the bottoms. And when you were fighting, you were blown backwards a little! So if you pointed the explosions downwards, you can go up right? Have you tried it?” He then paused as he saw Kacchan beginning to back away from him with a thoughtful look on his face as he gazed at the ground. Izuku knew immediately what he was about to do and quickly scrambled over himself to say, “Oh! But not too-!”

Too late. Kacchan grinned and pointed his hands at the ground. An explosion about as big as the one that had been used to destroy the rock hit the ground. Izuku was thrown backwards a little and fell on his back. He watched as Kacchan flew upwards as expected with great force. However, the angle was bad. Not only did he fly up, but he flew back as well. He smashed back-first in the cliffside about halfway up.

Izuku screamed in terror. Kacchan looked stunned from the impact. Izuku fully expected there to be broken bones, forgetting that this was a dream and he had no memory of them ever being hurt like that before. His mind was filled with panic as gravity took hold of Kacchan and he pitched forward. He still appeared too stunned to react.

“KACCHAN!!” Izuku shrieked and ran towards the wall. He did the only thing he could think of and held his arms up and open, fully prepared to catch his friend before he could hit the ground.

Kacchan snapped out of it before he fell too far, though. He reacted quickly and caused another, smaller explosion to propel himself back up and against the wall again. This time he only slid a little bit before expert hands found and caught onto an outcropping. He swung a little bit from leftover momentum. He twisted his body to grab on with his other hand as well and his feet searched for footholds. When he was steady, he shook his head to clear it.

Izuku’s hands dropped and curled against his own chest protectively and instinctively. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t climb up there to reach Kacchan. He wasn’t sure he was completely safe.

“I flew…” Kacchan’s voice came from above, soft with his own shock. Izuku froze. Kacchan then let out one laugh, and then some more. When he turned his head to look at Izuku, his eyes were shining and his grin was broader than Izuku had ever seen it. “Did you freaking see that, Deku?! I fucking flew !”

Izuku didn’t really know how to process it. Kacchan looked fine, but he still wasn’t certain. He couldn’t see any blood, but Kacchan was so far up too. “You’re...You’re okay?” He asked with a trembling voice.

“Better than ever!” Kacchan called back, high on his own glee. “I fucking flew !”

Assured of Kacchan’s health, Izuku’s own panic began to die down. It was quickly replaced with his own euphoria as he realized Kacchan had done something awesome ! “Y-Yeah! YEAH! KACCHAN, YOU FLEW!!” He jumped up and down as Kacchan climbed down. Izuku rushed over to him and grabbed the other boy’s hands to shake them as he cried, “YOU WERE SO COOL!! I knew you could do it!!”

Kacchan’s cheeks were pink, still grinning from ear to ear. He opened his mouth to say something as his arms twitched to pull away from Izuku, but he aborted the attempt to instead swell with his pride. “Yeah! Of course I could!” He bragged.

“You have to be careful!” Izuku warned. “Outside of a dream it would hurt a lot worse!” He was already remembering the first dream he’d had with Kacchan. How the boy had tackled him from the tree, but how he hadn’t really been hurt. Even in subsequent dreams when Izuku had fallen it had barely hurt. Izuku was positive that what Katsuki had done should’ve hurt a lot. But he looked unmarked from it all. He was barely breathing hard. 

Kacchan sobered up a bit and nodded in agreement. He of all people would know how much it would hurt, Izuku thought. 

“But I’m sure you’ll be awesome! You can show everyone how cool you are!” He continued and then paused for a moment. “But...why is it that we don’t hurt so much in a dream? Because we’re dreaming?” He released Kacchan’s hands to look at his own hands. “If I’m ‘awake’, then should I be able to do magic too?” It was his dream, right? Couldn’t he make anything he wanted happen in a dream? But that first time he hadn’t been able to do any magic. He didn’t know how to make it work.

“You’re Deku. You can’t do magic. Why would it be any different just because we’re in a damn dream, stupid?” Kacchan asked.

“Because in dreams you can do anything , Kacchan. But we’re not awake to do it.” Izuku looked around them. He had questioned this kind of stuff while he had been awake, but this was the first time he had remembered to ask while asleep. This was the first time he had been with Kacchan long enough to ask these questions. He wanted to get some answers before he woke up. 

Kacchan only raised an incredulous eyebrow. 

Izuku asked, “Do you think we could do anything in this dream? Like…” Looking around, the world they were in was empty like usual. In all of the times that he and Kacchan had visited each other, Izuku had never seen another person there. He hadn’t even seen any wild animals even though they were in the middle of a forest. If he strained his ears, he thought he could hear some birds. But he didn’t know if that was just because he was expecting there to be some or not. He doesn’t recall ever seeing or hearing any birds or even bugs before in the past.

“We’re in a forest, right?” He asked. “Near your village? But where are the animals? Do you think we could make some appear?” Kacchan only looked even more incredulous, as if shocked Izuku would even want to see any of the animals from Kacchan’s world. Izuku closed his eyes and tried to picture an animal in his mind. He thought of his neighbor’s dog. It was easy enough to picture it in his mind. He didn’t really know how to make it real, though.

A few seconds later he heard a rustling in the bushes. His eyes popped open just in time for Kacchan’s hand to snap out and grab Izuku’s arm. He pressed a hurried finger to his lips to tell him to be quiet, more serious than Izuku had ever seen him.

But Izuku’s mouth moved before he could follow the silent order and said in a hushed, excited voice, “My doggy!”

Kacchan’s free hand slapped over Izuku mouth and his scowl was dark. Izuku swallowed and pressed his lips together in reprimand as Kacchan hissed in a very low tone, “Quiet. Or you’ll scare them away.”

Izuku’s eyebrows bunched. ‘Them’? Did Kacchan know what they were? But Izuku nodded once and Kacchan slowly released him. He waited another moment to make sure Izuku would stay quiet before he motioned for him to follow. Kacchan then slipped through the foliage silently, his movements barely rustling the branches. Izuku followed him with a lot less success, but managed not to be too noisy because Kacchan led them through an easy area. They were moving into the tree line again. Kacchan ducked down behind some bushes to stay out of sight and grabbed Izuku’s arm to bring him down as well. From there he pointed at some creatures in the trees.

They were small, monkey-like creatures, but they had no actual fur on them that Izuku could tell. Izuku could only see a couple of dark fur-like patches in a couple places on their bodies. Their skin was brown and looked rough -almost like the bark of a tree. Izuku would’ve probably not noticed them had Kacchan not pointed them out. Their fur had a greenish tone that blended in with the tree leaves. Izuku squinted but was unable to make out if they were actually animals that looked like trees or if they were part of the trees themselves. It was a small family of them. Some of their eyes glowed in the shadows between patches of light. 

Izuku could only marvel at the sight. He had never seen anything like them. Even if it wasn’t the dog he had been expecting, this was so much better. He kept his voice in the softest whisper he could as he exclaimed, “Monkeys! Kacchan, did you think them up?”

Kacchan’s voice copied Izuku’s in tone. Izuku had never heard him so quiet before, “They’re called Mankyoods, dummy.” Izuku mouthed the foreign word to himself. It hadn’t translated at all for him. “And I thought about wanting to see a group of their young again.”

“Oh.” That explained why they were so tiny. They were kind of cute, although their glowing eyes unnerved Izuku a tiny bit. They hadn’t noticed the two boys observing them. “But...my dog didn’t appear...so does that mean only you can control the dream?” Izuku frowned to himself and thought for a moment. “Maybe cuz it’s your world?” He nudged his friend a little bit. “Try again, Kacchan! Think of something else!”

Kacchan looked like he had barely heard Izuku, though. His gaze was completely trained on the Mankyoods. His eyes were wide and darted around them like they were a wonder. Izuku wondered if Mankyoods were Kacchan’s favorite animal or something. 

But then Kacchan blinked once and his gaze turned to Izuku after he was nudged. He looked back and forth between his companion and the creatures before asking, “Like what?”

“Like a dog or something!” Izuku suggested, making sure to keep his voice low.

Kacchan’s eyebrows scrunched. “What the heck is a dog?”

Izuku was too horrified to respond. He couldn’t imagine living in a world without dogs. It was too horrible to contemplate.

It took him a moment to recover. “Oh...then I guess you can’t make one. Um…” He decided to try again for himself to make a dog, but after waiting he still didn’t get one. He huffed a disappointed sigh and then asked, “Maybe you can do other things? Like...is there somewhere you wanna go? Maybe we can change the world and go to mine! Or our clothes? Why are we always in this forest-y area anyway?

Kacchan frowned. “Where else would we be? I told you: the adults forbid going too far from the village. And the last few times I tried to take you there, I woke up before we even reached the damn gates.”

Oh, so Kacchan woke up from the dreams as well? Did that mean Kacchan was dreaming? It was something that Izuku decided to ask later.

“Then imagine we’re there or something! Or...is there another place you wanna go? I think we’ll be safe...if you don’t accidentally make any scary animals.”

Kacchan didn’t look pleased with the idea. Or even impressed. “Why don’t we try something simpler instead? Like changing the weather? Or the seasons?” He blinked as if surprised at his own idea. “Actually…” His eyes slid back to the Mankyoods again and he bit his lip. All of a sudden, the colors and life changed completely around them. The bright green leaves were abruptly shades of reds and oranges and yellows. Dead leaves coated the ground and the air felt different. Izuku couldn’t feel a chill, but he imagined that he could. It was abruptly autumn.

“Holy shit…” Kacchan breathed, and Izuku followed his gaze to see that the Mankyoods had changed color as well. Their greenish patches of fur were more reddish and brown than before, allowing them to blend in with the leaves of the tree. Izuku’s gaped with delight. He had to cover his mouth to muffle a giggle and whispered excitedly to Kacchan,

“It worked! Kacchan, you’re so cool!” He could only gaze at Kacchan with wonder. “Do you think I can do that when we’re in my world?”

“Probably. I guess…” Kacchan’s voice was distracted. He wasn’t really listening to Izuku. Izuku didn’t mind.

“Awesome. I can’t wait for our next visit.” Izuku had never seen Kacchan so fixated on something before. He looked towards the Mankyoods too. He decided he wanted to ask, “...What are they, Kacchan? Are Ma...Mankyudes...Those rare?”

“Not rare...but hard to find and easily scared off.” Kacchan didn’t even berate him for messing up the names. “Mankyoods are the Guardians of Nature. My tribe believes that getting to see a group of their young playing around like this is a sign of good fortune. And if there’s only one, it’s a bad omen.”

Izuku didn’t really know what an omen was, but he could kind of get it. He gazed upon the Mankyoods with new-found awe. “So we got lucky today!” He said.

Kacchan’s face abruptly closed off a little. His wonder reined itself back in until his face was back into its neutral frown. “No. Because this is a dream. And we didn’t find them. We made them appear. That’s not the same. It’s cheating.” The Mankyoods disappeared into thin air between one blink and the next, like they hadn’t even been there. 

Izuku startled a little at their disappearance. He wasn’t completely sure why they were gone, but he was a little disappointed. “So what if they’re not real? This is a dream where anything can happen. And I think it’s good luck anyway!” He turned to Kacchan with a determined expression. “You’ll see! This time I’ll be right and Kacchan is wrong. We’ll both have good luck when we wake up!”

Kacchan definitely didn’t look convinced. If anything, his mood seemed to have turned darker. “Yeah, whatever Deku.”


As soon as Izuku began to learn how to write, he began writing whenever he could. He would draw pictures of his adventures with Kacchan and write small notes sounding out words he knew in his head. He couldn’t help talking about Kacchan all of the time because he was the coolest thing to ever happen to Izuku and he was obviously too cool not to tell everyone about. He talked about Kacchan to anyone who would listen, which was admittedly most of his class. Even his teachers seemed impressed by his imagination and his usage of the term “lucid dreaming” at such a young age.

Ochako was his biggest supporter, though. Izuku had come to learn to go to her whenever he had a new story to tell about his and Kacchan’s adventures. She would drop everything to go sit with him and listen attentively. Izuku would gesture widely and use his pictures to show her what he meant. It became a common sight to see Izuku and Ochako spending break time just talking about Kacchan’s world. Sometimes they would even pretend they were from there and choose their own magic to use. It was one of Izuku’s favorite games pretending he could do magic.

This trend followed Izuku into elementary school. He and Ochako had the same class then, which made him happy, but with new students came new dynamics. Some of his classmates had gone to preschool with them and already knew about Izuku’s obsession with his dream world. But there were a new hoard of students eager to listen to Izuku’s storytime. For a while, Izuku was popular.

But by the time they were seven, things changed.

Notes:

If you like my work and want to chat with me or to keep posted on updates (or even just shitposts from me because I love to ramble about my works) come visit me at my tumblr or on my Twitter!

Chapter 2: Kacchan

Notes:

After nearly a year of planning and a bit over half-a-year of writing, here we are at last. This was a long time coming indeed. And I have a feeling it will take eve longer to actually finish. God, this one will be a monster in length. Not that Tsuki and I haven't been aware of that for quite a while already.

Because of that, please don't get used to chapters being updated hourly. This is a one-time thing. Because I know Tsuki and I have vastly different writing styles and all, so we want people to know what they're getting into.

With that said, let's begin Katsuki's side of things.

We hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

Katsuki was having the time of his life.

He was running among the trees with the expertise any four-year-old who played in the woods daily would have, weaving between the trunks easily as he ran from the child following him. The sun was shining brightly, warming his skin where it passed through the foliage, and the wind blew through his clothes and hair, carrying the familiar scents of the forest into his nose. He heard a call behind him, but didn’t wait for the other to catch up to him. Instead, he used the momentum from his running to jump toward one of the trees’ lower branches.

His hands caught the rough bark easily enough, habit making him strengthen his hold before he could slip thanks to his own momentum. He dangled from the branch for a second, swinging like on it like one of the playful, young, Mankyoods he sometimes had the luck to glimpse among the trees, then pulled himself up with a small grunt. Once he was kneeling comfortably on the branch, bare feet hardly bothered by the tree’s bark any more than his hands have been, the rest of the climb up was easy enough. He thought he heard some rustling in the bushes somewhere close, but he ignored that, as well, only looking down once he deemed he had climbed sufficiently high.

Looking down, he saw his playmate. The other child seemed made to hide in the trees with his bushy green hair, or he might have if he actually tried to stay hidden properly like Katsuki had been taught to do. But the blonde wasn’t going to mention it. Instead, he was going to take full advantage of the other’s lowered guard.

With a playful roar, Katsuki dropped from the branch and onto the other child, rolling slightly as they hit the ground so as to not actually hurt his companion. He still ended up on top of him, of course, and tried to pin him to the ground. His success was mixed since he wasn’t that much bigger than the other boy, and after a few moments, the child under him started retaliating with kicks and jabs similar to Katsuki’s own, if less practiced. Still, he did not give up, a feat Katsuki was actually kind of impressed by, and they rolled on the ground for a while as they rough-housed, the blonde grinning and even laughing all the while.

They came to a stop not long after and Katsuki rolled off his ‘opponent’, adding another victory to his mental score between him and the other village children. Still, he couldn’t help the grin that seemed to nearly split his face in half as he lay on the grass, panting a bit. That was one of the best play-fights he’d ever had. Sure, the other child severely lacked in both strength and practice compared to the rest of the village children Katsuki usually played with, but he made up for it with his sheer stubbornness and unwillingness to quit. Something that the blonde both appreciated and respected. Most of the other kids have already started to give up as soon as Katsuki got the upper hand in a play-fight because they knew they couldn’t beat him and thus didn’t even try.

Katsuki found that extremely annoying, actually. If they were going to be Warriors (and most of them would be) then they shouldn’t give up that easily. If they were too weak, they should just train harder. That’s what Katsuki did. It was the reason the blonde was one of the stronger kids in his age group. Because he spent most of his free time playing and training in the woods.

Feeling his mood starting to sour, Katsuki shook the thought off and opened his eyes to stare at his companion, still grinning from ear to ear.

“Hey,” he called out to the other child to get his attention before sitting up, then rising to his feet. “Wanna see something really cool?”

It definitely had the desired effect of having the other child focus on him again as the green-haired boy sat up on his elbows and nodded, eyes wide and seeming to spark with excitement. Katsuki smirked, soaking in the attention before he held his hands palms up between them as if he wanted to show his companion something he was holding. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling his magic rise in his core and then move to his hands before jumping out of his skin. He heard the pops and sizzles and opened his eyes to see small sparks dancing in the palms of his hands, warming his skin but not burning it. A few of the sparks fell towards the forest floor, but they went out long before they actually touched the grass.

The other child scrambled to his feet at the sight, eyes growing wider still as he stared at Katsuki’s magic. Then he took a small step back and held out his hands just like Katsuki did and closed his eyes. Pops ceasing, Katsuki furrowed his brows and tilted his head to the side. What was the other boy doing?

He got his answer as the other child frowned, then dropped his hands and tilted his head a bit to peer up at him.

“How did you do that?” he asked and Katsuki understood, smirk widening at the realization. The other had tried to copy him. But of course, he failed to, because this was Katsuki’s magic, not his. It could not be replicated by anyone, just like Katsuki couldn’t replicate someone else’s magic either.

“You dummy, that’s my magic. You can’t copy it,” he told the other child, although really, that should be obvious. Still, the idea that someone tried to imitate him anyway made him puff out his chest a bit as he put his hands on his hips. Then again, he should have probably expected such a reaction. His magic was one of the strongest in his generation, after all.

Although… Wait a minute.

His hands went slack against his sides as he glanced at the ground, frowning a bit in confusion. This… wasn’t right. Why did he have magic? He shouldn’t. His magic hadn’t manifested yet, after all. He’d know if it had, especially if it had been something like what he just did. It would cause an uproar because it was definitely powerful magic. Or it would become powerful eventually, even if it didn’t seem like much now. Katsuki could feel it. He could feel the power and the potential of his magic stirring in his gut, filling him up until his body felt almost ready to burst with it.

Yes, his magic was definitely powerful. But Katsuki’s family line hadn’t had anyone with powerful magic for a long time now…

“Magic?” the other boy asked, pulling the blonde out of his thoughts. “Like the kind on TV?” he said and Katsuki frowned as his eyes returned to the boy before him. That was an odd word. One he didn’t recognize at all, and not in the sense that he just didn’t know what it meant. He never heard anyone saying anything even remotely resembling it. It almost sounded like a foreign language.

“‘TV’?” he tested the word, but it rolled weirdly off his tongue. It didn’t ‘feel’ like part of his language, for lack of a better way to describe it. “What the heck is that?”

“You don’t have a TV?!” the green-haired child screamed and Katsuki scowled. What was so bad about not having a ‘TV’? It couldn’t possibly be that important or they would have one in the village or something.

“Why is it so weird not to have a crappy ‘TV’?” he muttered under his breath while his companion looked around, as if only now realizing where they were.

“What? Where am I?” he questioned quietly and Katsuki gave him a look. The boy was growing visibly anxious for some reason, even though they were close to the village and nowhere near any part of the forest that had any reason to be unfamiliar to either of them. Katsuki knew more or less where they ended up, he knew the parts of the forest where he was allowed to go almost as well as the back of his hand, but he still spun around on his heel and dutifully looked around to be extra certain. He recognized the place easily enough, too, and then he started to slowly head in the direction of the village until they could see the smoke beyond the trees. The other child followed him as Katsuki expected him to and the blonde looked at him over his shoulder.

“This is the clearing close to the village. Don’t you know it?” he asked, but the other merely shook his head, eyes lowering to the ground with a thoughtful frown. The expression looked familiar and Katsuki had a sudden feeling that he should know this person. He was positive that he didn’t, however.

“Am I dreaming?” the boy asked out of nowhere and Katsuki frowned harder. Was Katsuki dreaming? Were they both? It was a possibility, he supposed, but while Katsuki was too young to understand the true meaning of dreams and what messages they may hold, he did know that they were usually sent by the Gods for a very specific purpose.

“Waddya mean, ‘dreamin’’?” he asked, not because he didn’t understand the concept of a dream, but because he didn’t like the idea that this could be a dream. Because if it was, it would mean the Gods were sending him a message and he very clearly did not understand what it was. And Katsuki hated to fail at anything. Besides, the Gods likely wouldn’t like it if their message went ignored, even if it was simply because Katsuki didn’t understand it. It would be better for everyone involved if this wasn’t a dream. “Why would you be dreamin’?”

“I… I was at home in my bed. I remember mommy tucking me in.” Now that Katsuki thought about it, he remembered his own mother sending him to bed, too. He remembered obliging as well, though not without some muttered complaints because he hadn’t felt tired yet. “I don’t know this place…” the other boy continued, unaware of Katsuki’s thoughts. He played with the hem of his odd, brightly colored clothes that did absolutely nothing except shout out his location to every creature that might care to look and try to make him his prey.  At least he was calming down now. One less annoyance to deal with. “When did we get here?”

In Katsuki’s opinion, that was a stupid question. Was the other boy mocking him? He pursed his lips at the thought, one of his sharp canines biting into his lip. Finally, though, he replied.

“We’ve been here the whole time, dummy,” he said and the other boy looked at the ground again. He started to talk, one hand rising so his finger rested against his lower lip, but the words were too fast and too quiet for Katsuki to understand. He glowered at the other, feeling one of his eyes begin to tick slightly in irritation. When it became obvious the other boy wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, he snapped. “Stop that!” he yelled and the greenette startled with a gasp. Katsuki’s fists were clenched at his sides and shaking slightly. He felt his magic, magic he shouldn’t have yet coil in his gut, in his entire body as it demanded release and made his hands smoke. He glared at the other with the most intimidating gaze he could muster as he ordered, “either speak up or shut up!”

The other boy squeaked again and hunched in on himself. A defensive position, though not the kind to fight back, but rather to take a beating while protecting vital spots. It needed some work, though, the blonde noted. He didn’t quite understand why the other behaved as if he expected to be attacked any moment, however. Or why he was willing to play in the woods if he was so easily spooked.

If he believed Katsuki was going to attack him, he was stupider than the blonde thought. Katsuki may not be expected to become someone of importance in his village despite his desire to be one of the best Warriors the tribe has ever seen, but it was all the more reason for him to act honorably. And a Warrior didn’t attack another without reason, provocation or at least  a formal challenge to a duel. The latter of which both of them were definitely too young for.

“Who are you?” the other boy finally asked meekly and Katsuki grinned.

“Bakugou Katsuki,” he replied proudly, puffing out his chest a bit for effect. And he had reason to be proud. His family may not be of high standing in the village, but the Gods had given his mother a strong name to bestow upon him. ‘Katsuki’ was a name that signified ‘strength, perseverance and loyalty’, all traits very befitting of a powerful Warrior. It was believed to be a name reserved for people who were meant for greatness, particularly on the battlefield. As far as Katsuki was concerned, no name could fit someone who would become a powerful Warrior better. He only had to make sure he lived up to it, but that was a given anyway.

The other boy didn’t seem to grasp the name’s meaning or importance however, if the way he kept mispronouncing it was anything to go by. Katsuki frowned, a part of him insulted that his name’s meaning was disregarded, but mostly just feeling wary. He should have thought of this before, but this boy was clearly an outsider. He wasn’t of Katsuki’s tribe. He certainly didn’t live in the village, he even admitted as much. And he didn’t know anything about magic, which was beyond weird. How could anyone not know about magic?

“And you? Who are you? And how come you don’t know crap about magic?” the blonde decided to ask. The other boy had been pretty willing to share information up until now and Katsuki intended to take advantage of it.

His question was ignored, the boy trying instead to say his name. And failing spectacularly at it. Katsuki growled, but took pity on the grenette and repeated his name again for reference. Then again. And again. And again, his patience quickly running thin. A sheepish smile was his response. It did nothing to placate him.

“I’m Midoriya Izuku,” the boy, Izuku said, and Katsuki frowned. It was not a name he knew. Weirder still, it was not a name he could give a meaning to. Why would anyone have a meaningless name? “Uhm… but you can call me Izuku!” the green-haired boy continued enthusiastically before dropping into a submissive bow. He was acknowledging Katsuki as his better, then. Which was… odd, because few people did that considering Katsuki’s family’s standing.

But then again, the boy had a meaningless name, so Katsuki probably shouldn’t be surprised.

“I-it’s nice to meet you,” Izuku said, but Katsuki only waved a dismissive hand in disinterest.

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Answer the important question, stupid. How can you not know about magic?” he asked again before a thought came to him and he frowned. “Are you Magicless or some crap like that?” It would make sense. He had tried replicating Katsuki’s magic like an idiot before, after all, and while that obviously hadn’t worked, no other magic manifested either. Which would only really make sense if he had no magic at all.

“I know what magic is! But I’ve never seen anyone do what you did!” Izuku replied loudly, clearly frustrated. Ah, so he did have a backbone. Katsuki had started to think that the way he’d fought back when they rough-housed had been a fluke. “What did you call me, though?” he asked after a pause, face scrunched up in confusion as if he didn’t understand what Katsuki said. The blond raised a brow, but didn’t get to reply as the other child kept talking again. He clearly didn’t know when to shut up and listen to someone else or at least give them a chance to answer the questions he asked. It was annoying.

“Wait… We’re speaking different words, right? How come I understand you but not that word?” Katsuki shrugged in response and crossed his arms over his chest. In all honesty, the thought that the Magicless could be talking a language different from his own hadn’t even crossed his mind until it was pointed out. However, he didn’t see it as anything he needed to dwell on. The Gods sent him this dream, made him meet this Magicless for whatever reason, it made sense the Gods would at least ensure they could understand each other.

“Magicless,” he repeated instead, now almost certain that that was what the other was. It only made perfect sense considering he automatically put himself below Katsuki. He had no magic. Katsuki did. His name had no meaning. Katsuki’s did. Satisfied with having figured that out, the blonde grinned.

“Magicless?” the other boy repeated, the word barely understandable to Katsuki as if it had been nearly pronounced differently. Maybe it had been, if they really were talking in different languages. “Are you… trying to say my name?”

“Hah?!” Katsuki couldn’t help the reaction, “Since when is ‘Magicless’ anyone’s name, dummy?” His expression turned mocking then. “A Magicless is basically a useless weakling without any magic,” he said. And now that he thought about it, that description actually fit the other boy. He had no magic and he was weak. Katsuki was starting to understand why Magicless were considered useless burdens by the tribe and why he was taught to never associate with them. Although to be fair, he was also a bit curious. How could one live without magic?

“Hey! I’m not useless or weak! And my name is Izuku!” the other was clearly offended. Katsuki didn’t care, though. He only shrugged.

“People who don’t have magic are useless. Everyone knows that. That’s how things are, Magicless,” he said again, pointing out the obvious.

“It’s Izuku. I-zu-ku!”

“Yeah, whatever, Magicless,” Katsuki replied, ignoring the other. Why was he getting so worked up, anyway? Katsuki was doing him a favor! ‘Magicless’ at least meant something, unlike his name. And there was no worse name than one that held no meaning. If Katsuki’s name had been meaningless, he would have insisted on being called anything but by name.

“That’s mean, Kazuki,” Magicless said with a sniffle, rubbing at his eyes. Was he seriously crying? Katsuki couldn’t understand this kid at all. What he did understand was that the other was calling him mean despite being the one doing the insulting. Katsuki might not be the nicest child in the village, sure, but he was at least respectful enough to others to not butcher their name when speaking to them. He glared at the greenette.

“It’s Katsuki. Ka- tsu -ki. Get it right, you dummy!”

“I’m trying! It’s hard with my front teeth missing!” Magicless yelled back, stomping his foot and his cheeks puffed out, but his anger didn’t last. Katsuki could already tell he would never be a Warrior. He didn’t have enough will to fight. Not that a Magicless had any chance to ever become a Warrior in the first place. But even if they could, this one would never have a chance at it. Not with how fast his anger turned to hesitation as he looked at Katsuki through his bangs. “Uhm… Can I just call you Kacchan for now?”

Katsuki glared at him. He liked his name and its meaning. He was proud of his name. He had no desire to be called anything else. Magicless quickly started waving his hands in front of his face, even taking a step back as he quickly explained himself.

“J-just until my teeth grow back! Then I can say your name right!” his voice was a bit high-pitched by now. Katsuki scrunched up his nose in distaste, his hands tightening a bit on his arms. It would only be temporary. He could live with that. It was probably better than having to listen to his name being butchered like before, too. And besides, he had given Magicless a ‘new’ name, in a way, as well. Fair was fair, he could live with an alteration of his name if he was at least asked his opinion about it first. And who knew, maybe ‘Kacchan’ meant something in Magicless’s language that was close to Katsuki’s name’s meaning and he just didn’t know it.

“Fine. Call me whatever. I don’t care,” he said as he relaxed.

Silence descended on them then as Magicless started to look around again, eyes wide as if he’d never seen a forest before. He turned around and walked back to the clearing, Katsuki following suit since he hardly had anything better to do. And besides, since he’d been with the other boy since the beginning of the dream, it probably meant that whatever reason the Gods had to have him experience this dream had to do with the other boy. So until the dream ended, Katsuki would stick with him. Even if he was annoying.

“So where are we again?” he asked and Katsuki blinked before looking around again despite not needing to, a little yawn of boredom escaping him. He didn’t usually come to the forest just to stare at the trees. No, he came to the forest to have fun, run around, practice climbing trees and hunting imaginary prey.

“A clearing close to the village,” he repeated the information again, leaning against one of the trees. “About as far as we’re allowed to go. The adults forbid going further into the forest.” He decided to forgo the explanation as to the reasons for it. Magicless was easily scared, so it was probably better not to mention the beasts that lived further in the forest that could kill even a well-trained Warrior easily enough if he let his guard now.

“Village?” Magicless turned to look at him again and Katsuki gave him a flat look. What, did the boy think he lived in the woods like an animal or something? The other boy shifted uncomfortably under his stare. “Wh-what?”

“Yes, village ,” Katsuki said, his tone wary as if he expected the other to laugh at or insult him. He heard the people in the village talking about how outsiders considered their tribe to be one of savages who lived like animals. And he didn’t actually take to that opinion very kindly. Just because outsiders didn’t know crap about their tribe, didn’t understand their beliefs and traditions or anything, they were the ‘uncultured savages’. Katsuki failed to see the logic in that. He didn’t understand crap about the way other tribes, like the Todoroki-people, lived their lives, either, but that didn’t mean he considered them savages. “Why so surprised, hah?” he challenged, daring Magicless to say anything even remotely close to what Katsuki heard most outsiders thought. It turned out that the reason for his reaction wasn’t quite what Katsuki expected, however.

“Well… I’ve never been to a village before. I live in a city with my mommy and daddy. It looks nothing like this!” Magicless replied, meek and hesitant at first but then becoming excited again as he motioned at the nature around them. Katsuki furrowed his brows. He knew what a ‘city’ was, he knew the bigger tribes like the Todoroki-people lived in larger communities. But he hadn’t expected someone from a city to never have seen a forest before, even if it was a child his age. Was there really no nature in or around the cities of the Todoroki Tribe? It was hard for him to picture how that could be possible. You couldn’t eradicate an entire forest and have nothing in its place, after all, and just like a village, a city had to have limits, right? “Where are your roads and cars? And why are you dressed like that?” the other boy snapped Katsuki out of his thoughts again with more questions and the blonde blinked, looking down at himself. Failing to see anything wrong with his clothes, he gave Magicless a gaze he hoped conveyed his thoughts of ‘just how stupid are you?’

“You’re the one who’s dressed weird,” he replied in a low, muttering tone, giving Magicless’s bright, colorful clothes another once-over. They didn’t look like they inhibited his movements, so there was at least that, but the coloring made him stand out like a sore thumb between the forest’s greenery, which the blonde did not fail to point out: “how can you move through the forest unseen in that?”

Although then again, Magicless had just admitted he lived in a city. And that he’d never been in a forest before, apparently. So maybe he just didn’t understand the need to be able to hide between the leaves, didn’t understand that his clothes made him the perfect target, perfect potential prey. It was possible. Especially since he was confused about the lack of roads, as if it wasn’t normal. Well, maybe city people like him needed to kill off the grass and other plants to get everywhere, but Katsuki’s tribe did no such thing. Yes, they had roads going to and from the village and leading somewhere far away, but there were none in the forest and no one wanted there to be any.

As for what a ‘car’ was, Katsuki had no idea, but he wasn’t about to give the other any reason to laugh at his lack of knowledge, so he wasn’t going to ask. It probably wasn’t anything too impressive, anyway, nor anything he’d ever really need, otherwise he’d have at least heard about it and his tribe would have them.

“So, you’re one of those Todoroki-people?” he finally concluded, giving Magicless one last once-over and nodding to himself. Yes, that was probably it. It was almost definitely it, actually, as nothing else made sense. Although why the Gods would make Katsuki meet one of the Todoroki-people in a dream, the blonde boy didn’t know.

The child from the city didn’t seem to hear his question, though. That, or he was ignoring it. Either way, it was annoying.

“I’m just in my pajamas,” the boy said quietly, and although Katsuki found the word ‘pajamas’ extremely weird, he understood what the other meant anyway. So those were his night clothes for when he slept? Katsuki had to wonder how on Myordice anyone could think such clothes to be comfortable for sleeping. “Your pajamas look weird and uncomfortable,” the other child commented, unknowingly taking the words right out of Katsuki’s mouth. There was one little problem, though.

“Hah? Those are my day clothes, stupid.”

Again, he was either unheard or ignored as the other started mouthing off under his breath again, too fast and too low for Katsuki to hear. The blonde caught something about ‘being made up’,  ‘knights and princesses’ and about ‘bad clothes’. The latter of which he assumed was referring to his own clothing. Which was not bad, thank you. Maybe a bit worn, certainly, he could admit that, but there was nothing wrong with his clothes besides that and he wouldn’t just stand there and let the boy from the city insult him.

“I told you to stop that! Either speak up so I can understand what you’re saying or shut your crappy mouth!” he snapped in order to make the other be quiet. He was about to continue and tell him off for insulting him, too, but Magicless spoke up before he could.

“Sorry!” he squeaked, once again waving his hands in front of his face. Katsuki kept glaring at the boy, but decided to accept the apology. Seeing he wasn’t going to be yelled at again, Magicless calmed down and lowered his arms before finally responding to the question Katsuki had asked earlier. It wasn’t the kind of answer the blonde expected to hear, though. “I don’t know who the Todoroki-people are…”

“How can you possibly not know that?” Katsuki couldn’t help asking, because really, it made no sense. Magicless was one of the Todoroki-people. He had to be. Where else would he be from?

“How am I supposed to know about a dream world?” Magicless asked back, clearly exasperated. Katsuki couldn’t for the life of him understand why, though. Or why he was making so little sense. Actually, he wasn’t making any sense whatsoever.

“Why would the Gods send you dreams you don’t understand?” he challenged back, because really, that would defeat the purpose of the Gods sending them dreams in the first place. Of course, it wasn’t like Katsuki understood everything about this dream, either. He still had no idea why the Gods deemed it important for him to meet this person. But he knew he’d understand eventually. It’s how it worked.

“I don’t know?” Magicless supplied helpfully and Katsuki sighed.

“You really are useless,” he muttered under his breath and crossed his arms over his chest again, scowling at the ground. Really, what was the point of this meeting? What were the Gods trying to tell him?

“Well, if I’m dreaming, can you show me some stuff? Like your magic again?” Magicless interrupted Katsuki’s ponderings once more, his voice and expression screaming eagerness and excitement. Katsuki smirked, his confusion giving way to eagerness of his own to impress his peer. Without further prompting, he raised up a hand again, setting off the same sparks as before with ease. His reward was a noise of pure delight and an awed: “that’s amazing, Kacchan!” that made him preen with pride.

“Wait until I grow up. It’ll be even more amazing then and I’ll be one of the strongest Warriors in the tribe,” he said confidently, although to be honest, it was confidence he didn’t really feel in the real world yet. Becoming a Warrior and being one of the best ones out there was his dream, yes, but it was one he didn’t tell his parents or anyone about. He didn’t want to be told how unlikely it was, considering his family line had mediocre magic at best.

In this moment, in this dream, things were different, though. Katsuki’s magic had already manifested and was powerful. The young boy could only hope that when the time came in reality for his magic to manifest, it would be something like this. Because it was easy to feel confident in his ability to reach his goal with magic like this. The look Magicless was giving him, which only seemed to grow more awed by the second, also helped.

But just like in reality, all good things must come to an end. Dreams were no different in that regard. Looking up at the sky, Katsuki frowned when he noticed the position of the sun. It would be dark soon.

A small, rebellious part of him told him it didn’t matter. This was a dream. He could stay however long he wanted and no one would say anything. But Katsuki knew better. The woods were dangerous at night. Dream or not, that was a fact his mother and father had drilled into him as soon as he learned how to walk.

“Ah crap. I gotta go back.”

“Oh… really?” Magicless’s voice was low again. Katsuki nodded before looking towards him, easily noticing the other child’s visible disappointment. The blonde looked back towards the village in thought. In all honesty, he didn’t really mind the others’ company. And besides, the woods were dangerous at night. Dream or not, it wouldn’t be safe for Magicless to stay here alone. Especially considering how clueless he was about the most basic crap like magic and how to dress to lower the chances of wild beasts finding and snacking on you. Nodding to himself again at his logic, the boy turned to the other child and eyed him carefully, watching his reaction.

“Want to come see my village? Since you say you never saw one,” he offered. Maybe if Magicless saw his village, saw how his people lived, he could tell the people in his city about it? Maybe he could lessen the rumors about his tribe’s supposed savagery that way? Maybe that was the reason the Gods send him this dream, the reason they ordained this meeting?

Either way, Magicless agreed eagerly and followed Katsuki towards the settlement. The road took longer than Katsuki would have needed on his own, since he had to wait on Magicless, but they still got out of the foliage and onto the dirt road by the village gates long before the sun finished setting. Katsuki grinned and turned around to show Magicless the gates and lead him inside the village…


...but woke up to his mother yelling his name in the next moment, eyes snapping open wide and staring at the ceiling of his family’s hut.

“Katsuki! Stop being lazy and get up already! The sun had long since risen!” he heard his mother’s voice from outside, growing louder as the woman entered the hut to yell at him directly. He scowled at her, rubbing one of his eyes as the last remnants of sleep fell away from his body.

“Shut up, old hag. I was having a dream!” he yelled back angrily at her, but still obediently threw back the furs covering him and climbed to his feet from the pile of skins and furs that made up his bed. Grabbing his clothes, he dressed in record time, red eyes already glancing towards the fire pit and the black clay kettle bubbling over the fire. His mother was silent as she walked over to it, grabbing a bowl to serve him his breakfast.

“A dream, brat?” she finally questioned as she handed him the food. He took the bowl with a silent nod, then moved to the table to sit down and eat, staring intently into the bowl of cooked meat and vegetables. “A ‘waking dream’?” his mother pressed, crossing her arms over her chest. She could be an intimidating woman, despite having rather weak Magic. Katsuki thought she’d make a good Warrior because of her strength alone.

“What other kind of dream could I mean? Only those dreams matter, old hag,” he muttered and received a slap across the head. “Hey!” he yelled indignantly, but of course, his mother hardly cared.

“Show some respect to your fucking elders, you brat,” she scolded him. Her gaze was hard as she stared at him and he glared back, unafraid. “And don’t tell anyone else about this.”

“I know,” he huffed in irritation as he went back to eating. “‘M not stupid.” After all, ‘waking dreams’ sent by the Gods were a big, but ultimately private deal. If you were smart, you didn’t scream to the heavens that the Gods sent you a message in a dream. It happened in a dream for a reason, the Elders always said. Dreams were private. The only person who knew about them was the one who dreamt. And so outside of only a very trusted circle of people, one did not share it when the Gods deemed it fit to send one a dream.

“Good. Now hurry up and go help your father. Those beasts from this morning won’t skin themselves.”


With the business of everyday life, Katsuki didn’t really think all that much about the dream for the next few days. The few times he did think back on it, he couldn’t come up with any explanation for why he dreamt what he had, why the Gods have deemed it fit to show him such a dream, and so ultimately he let the matter drop. By his logic, he would understand everything when the time was right.

That time came about five days later, when the sun went down and the twin full moons illuminated the night sky instead.

Myordice, the world where Katsuki lived, had two moons. One of them was bigger, scarlet and with brownish spots here and there. It was probably old, or at least it seemed that way with how beat up it seemed some nights, never reaching a full circular form even during the full moon because there were chunks missing here and there. Or that was what it looked like anyway.

The other moon was a bit smaller, a rich green, clear and bright. It seemed to glow with its own light as much as it reflected the light of the other stars on the firmament. It almost looked like a gigantic pearl someone hung in the sky, with not a single scratch on it.

Each of the moons had its own lunar cycle and neither of the two could be put into any sort of correlation with the other. All that could be said was that once the red moon started to recede after being full, it needed longer to be full again than the green moon did. But as to how much difference there was and how many times the green moon went through its own cycle while the red moon just completed one, was hard to tell. There were only two times every four seasons that the twin moons were in the same phase. A night both moons were full, always in the autumn, and a night when both moons were new moons, always in the spring, which was when the tribe celebrated the beginning of a new season cycle, a new year.

There was more to the twin moons than just their lunar cycles, however. Because much like the sun, the twin moons weren’t fixed on the firmament like all the other stars were. They moved from night to night, circling each other, coming closer and then apart again. There didn’t seem to be much of a system to the movement either, except for one thing. Every fifty days, without fail, the twin moons would be right next to each other in the sky, side by side, close enough that it looked like their edges touched. That erratic movement between them was called the lunar dance, and the night when the twin moons edges touched was when one dance ended and a new one began.

It was how Katsuki’s people measured the passage of time beyond simply counting the days and seasons. It was how they kept track of certain dates, like one’s anniversary of birth. For instance, Katsuki’s was the twentieth day of the fourth lunar dance in the spring.

When the red and green moon were full together, it was the night of the twin full moons, which only occurred once a year. It was a special night during which magic was especially active. It was the night during which children of age four were finally able to reach out to the magic within their bodies and call it forth to manifest it for the first time. It was the night of the Manifestation Ceremony.

Katsuki had been impatiently awaiting this year’s night of the twin full moons, because unlike the night of a year before and the year before that, he would finally be a part of the Ceremony. He would finally manifest his Magic. He could hardly wait and was exceptionally motivated, finishing up his daily chores and tasks several hours earlier than usual. Which sadly for him had the disadvantage of having to wait in boredom afterwards, because he was not allowed to go into the woods that day.

The children were called together as the sun started to lower over the horizon, a few of the adults accompanying them to the nearby springs for a cleansing bath. Afterwards, dressed only in plain, grey tunics, the children were ushered into their homes by their parents for the final preparations.

Katsuki fought the urge to fidget as his father applied the ceremonial paint to his face and arms, drawing intricate symbols the young boy did not know the meaning of. With every stroke of the brush, every symbol completed, he could feel a familiar and yet foreign heat building in the center of his chest. An energy that coiled and swirled anxiously, demanding release and yet refusing to be tamed and used. The feeling was so strong Katsuki was very nearly vibrating with that pent-up energy by the time his father was done.

“Ready for your big day, champ?” his father asked as he put the brush and paint away. Katsuki grinned wide and nodded. His father chuckled, ruffling his hair. “Good. Go out there and do your best. And don’t worry about making us proud. Know that we already are.”

Katsuki nodded again at his father’s soft words. Unlike his mother, whose fiery temper and aggressive personality Katsuki had clearly inherited, his father was a soft-spoken man on most days. In fact, when he was even younger than now, Katsuki had once wondered if the man really had been born in their tribe with how different he was from anyone else. But those thoughts were blown away the one time he’d seen his father angry.

If you asked anyone else in the village, they would tell you that the one you should watch out for in the Bakugou family would be Mitsuki, Katsuki’s mother, whose name fittingly meant ‘fierceness and passion’. She was a force to be reckoned with, a temperamental woman who knew exactly what she wanted and had the strength and skill to get it. May someone have mercy on any soul willing to do harm to people she loved. Though not a Warrior, Mitsuki was more than skilled enough with bow and arrow as well as a blade and if you hurt someone she cared about in any way, she would come after you with the fury of a banshee. And she would not rest until she made you pay for your transgressions.

Despite that, however, Katsuki knew better. Between his parents, the one who was truly terrifying was Bakugou Masaru, whose very name pulled you into a trap. ‘Serenity and calmness’ was his name’s meaning and it was as deceiving as the man’s character. From day to day, he was calm and could sometimes even seem meek. But if you angered him, it was a whole different story. Katsuki had only seen his father’s anger once and quickly decided he never wanted to see it again. He was even less willing to do anything that might call that anger forth to be directed at him .

“Alright, you little heathen. Let’s go and see what magic you’re hiding,” his mother added, holding out the ceremonial cloak Katsuki was to put on over his tunic. The blonde took the red garment from his mother, frowning a bit at its texture, for it was stiffer and rougher than any other piece of clothing he ever wore. Still, he put it on without complaint and it fell snugly around his shoulders, hiding his marked arms from view. A moment later, one of his parents pulled the cowl over his head to make the symbols on his face harder to see as well. Then they headed out towards the village center, where a gigantic bonfire was already burning.

Drums were beating a steady rhythm, calling every villager to come and witness the ceremony. Katsuki separated from his parents to stand together with his peers, all dressed in cloaks identical to his own with the exception of the colors. Katsuki’s was red, the color of fire or blood. Other children were dressed in green, brown, blue, yellow and many other colors, depending on what beast their cloak was made of. The blonde didn’t know about the other children, but he remembered his father once telling him that the ceremonial cloak for the Magic Manifestation Ceremony passed on in the Bakugou family was made of the fur of the fire rat. A very rare and difficult to find creature that lived in volcanoes, impossible to harm with flames. A beast that was nearly as hard to kill for its hide as it was to find in the first place. Despite that, though, it was ultimately only a rat. Katsuki’s father had explained that it was because of that that the fire rat represented the Bakugou family so well, because their family often times manifested exceedingly rare forms of Magic, but ones that were ultimately mediocre and not very powerful. Just like the fire rat. Rare and difficult to kill, but ultimately only a rat.

Katsuki didn’t really mind, though. He knew his magic would be special. He could feel it. It was the reason he wanted the ceremony to start already, the reason he was so anxious just like the rest of his peers. He had to forcefully tense his muscles to keep himself from fidgeting or doing something even more embarrassing. The heat in his chest kept swirling and coiling, sometimes even seeming to push at his insides in its impatience to be let out of its confinement within the child’s body. Katsuki really hoped the ceremony could begin soon.

As if hearing his thoughts, the drums sped up their rhythm before abruptly cutting off and plunging the village’s center square into complete silence aside from the crackling of the fire. The children grew deathly still, some of them even going so far as to hold their breath in anticipation. Katsuki felt his limbs lock in place as he looked up towards where the Elders and the Tribe Leader sat from beneath his cowl, careful not to raise his face too high so the symbols would still remain out of sight. The Tribe Leader stood and raised his hands as if to command silence and attention despite the fact that he already had both.

He was a giant of a man and a very powerful Warrior known mostly by the name given to him by his enemies, who quivered in fear at the mere mention of it. All Might, they called him. A name without any meaning in the tribe’s native tongue, but it made up for it with its meaning in Common, straightforward as it was. Katsuki didn’t even know his leader’s original name. At this point, everyone referred to him as All Might. Whatever name he had been given before that, however, Katsuki was certain it had a meaning just as powerful as his current one.

“Brothers and Sisters, my fellow tribesmen,” All Might began, his booming voice filling the air with as much ease as the sound of the drums before that. “We’ve gathered here today to witness the Awakening of the new generation. Under the watchful gaze of the Gods, these children shall call forth their magic for the first time and become a part of the family that is our Yuuei Tribe. Their magic will be the Tribe’s magic. Their blood the Tribe’s blood. Their strength the Tribe’s strength. Under the watchful gaze of the Gods, they shall now come forth and manifest the potential hidden within!”

“May the Gods watch over them and witness their awakening!” the rest of the tribe minus the children in question responded in unison before the drums took over again, filling the silence with a steady rhythm. The children shuffled in place, filing into a single line without having to be told and without a single word between them. Katsuki had to fight really hard now to keep his head down. His hands were fisted in the grey tunic beneath his cloak to stop their shaking. The energy in his chest twisted even more, alternating between contracting and expanding. It was almost painful and he could feel his entire body heating with it, little beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

One by one, the children came forward towards the mountain of a man that was the leader of the Yuuei Tribe. Katsuki felt himself sweat more and more the closer he got and his skin slowly started to feel like it was burning, and yet it wasn’t really painful despite that. The blonde didn’t so much as grunt, refusing to show any sign of being uncomfortable. The children in front and behind him seemed to feel similarly as well and they weren’t complaining, so Katsuki certainly wasn’t going to, either. Finally, it was his turn and All Might put a hand on his cowled head when he stepped forward.

“State your name, young one,” the tribe leader’s voice boomed and Katsuki took a deep breath. His throat felt tight and raw with the energy filling up his entire body, but his voice came out strong and without a quiver in it regardless.

“Bakugou Katsuki, of the family guarded by the Fire Rat.”

“State your vow.”

“When my Magic shows itself, I shall be part of the Yuuei Tribe, part of the family the Tribe is. My Magic shall be the Tribe’s Magic. My strength the Tribe’s strength. My pride the Tribe’s pride. My life the Tribe’s life. This I swear on my ancestors’ blood."

“State your prayer.”

“I ask the Gods to give me magic that will benefit the Tribe,” Katsuki stated firmly, finally looking up at the man that was his Tribe Leader. He could feel the energy buzzing right under his skin, waiting for release. All Might stared down at him and reached behind him with his free hand for the bowl he’d given the other children before.

“Seal the vow with the Unicorn’s blood, young Bakugou, and may the Gods hear your prayer,” All Might said and Katsuki obediently reached for the bowl handed to him. As he did so, the cloak revealed his painted hands, the symbols his father had drawn literally glowing on his skin. Katsuki hardly paid it any mind, but he did notice that the tribe leader’s eyes widened just a fraction at the sight of the powerful, fiery red-orange light the paint emitted. When Katsuki’s hands took the bowl of silver-white blood, small wisps of smoke rose from the points of contact.

But this was probably all to be expected. He was about to manifest his magic, that was all. So Katsuki didn’t think much about it and raised the bowl to his lips to take a gulp of the blood like every child before him tonight had. The moment he swallowed that one mouthful, his eyes flew wide open and the symbols on his arms and face started to burn, glowing even brighter than before. The energy in his chest pushed at his insides, demanding release, but Katsuki didn’t know how to grant it. He gasped a little, but thankfully still had the presence of mind to return the bowl to the Tribe Leader’s hands, rather than dropping it. All Might set the bowl back where he’d taken it from and then his hand tightened around Katsuki’s cowl before he strongly pulled it back, revealing his face.

“Show us your Magic, young Bakugou guarded by the Fire Rat,” All Might said and it was as if those words were all the permission Katsuki needed. Raising up his hands, the young blonde focused on that energy raging inside him and pulled on it, guiding it to its palms, where the floodgates opened before he could even think how to do it. The energy fled him in a rush. He breathed a sigh of relief when the pressure in his chest subsided thanks to that, barely hearing the gasps of the adults around him. He only opened his eyes again when he heard the somewhat familiar crackling and lowered his palms to see them sparking the same way he had in the waking dream the Gods had sent him. He blinked. It really was the exact same magic.

He heard murmurs around him and looked up, blinking at the red haze that greeted his eyes. There was some sort of red smoke surrounding him, the Elders and All Might, though it was quickly fading. The young boy blinked, not quite understanding where it had suddenly come from. He didn’t remember seeing anything like this during the ceremony last year…

“So the Gods have ordained it, so shall it be. Take this magic, young Bakugou guarded by the Fire Rat, and use it for the good of the Tribe. Take it and learn to weild it with pride, for it is God’s favor that has granted you this gift,” All Might’s words interrupted Katsuki’s musings and the blonde quickly responded, putting his fist into his open palm and bowing his head in submission.

“I will do our Tribe proud, Tribe Leader. I will not let the God’s gift go to waste,” he said the ceremonial lines, though his voice held more seriousness and promise to it than any of his peers. It was more than just reciting something he’d been told to recite because it was tradition. No, to Katsuki, this was a promise, and one he intended to keep. All Might nodded in acceptance.

“Go now, young Bakugou. May the Twin Moons guide your path when the Sun cannot do so,” he said. Katsuki bowed again before stepping aside and moving towards the line of the Elders that were waiting right behind the Tribe Leader. One of the Elders, the oldest and smallest called Lady Shuzenji, beckoned him closer and Katsuki stepped up to her, bowing like he had to All Might. The old woman smiled at him and motioned for him to lean forward so she could comfortably put the necklace she was holding around his neck.

It wasn’t very intricate or big. A simple, yellow beaded necklace with two small canine teeth close to its center. The beads didn’t even reach his collarbone once the necklace was placed around his throat.

“May the Twin Moons guide your path when the Sun cannot do so,” she said and Katsuki bowed again before moving towards the other Elder. A tall woman with long black hair and large, red framed around her eyes, Lady Kayama looked down at him as he bowed again, then straightened and turned his head so she could reach his free ear. Lady Kayama leaned forward and with a quick and efficient movement stabbed right through his earlobe, piercing the matching earring to the one he had in his other ear easily enough.

“The magic beads around your neck to protect your soul from harm and the blood-red earrings to in your ears to sharpen your senses and strengthen your body. Those are Tribe’s welcoming gifts. From this point on ‘till the end of time, you are one of us. Walk tall and make the Tribe proud. May the Twin Moons guide your path when the Sun cannot do so.”

And with that, for Katsuki at least, the ceremony was over. He walked back into the crowd after bowing one last time, looking around in an attempt to find his parents. He didn’t see the way the Elders, with the exception of Lady Shuzenji and Lady Kayama, glanced after him with narrowed eyes. Neither did he really pay any mind to the way some adults frowned at him as he passed. He was too excited to notice. And even if he hadn’t, he was too young yet to really understand the meaning behind those looks.

In fact, it wouldn’t be until several years later that he really understood that what happened that night wasn’t quite normal. Or rather, that while it was normal for specific families, his was not one of them. And that not everyone liked it when the Gods favored someone new…


The days following the ceremony weren’t much different than the days before with two exceptions. The first one was that Katsuki now got up together with the sun. With his magic manifested, he couldn’t wait to see what he could do with it besides making his hands spark. Not to mention that if he wanted to learn how to use it, he had to train. There was only so much daylight in a day, however, so between his daily excursions to the forest to train his body and his responsibilities and chores at home, there was simply no way to squeeze magic training into his daily routine. Not without sacrificing some sleep at any rate. So that was what Katsuki did. It was a bit difficult to adjust at times, but the boy was nothing if not determined.

The second change between the days from before and after the ceremony was that now, nobody called him by his first name anymore. Of course, few people did to begin with, but his parents used to call him ‘Katsuki’ more often than not, even if they did have alternatives. But now they no longer did. Katsuki wasn’t sure why beyond knowing that it was something that just happened once you manifested your Magic. It was the same for everyone. So at first, he didn’t really question it. It was just how things were.

In the end, however, childish curiosity won out. Katsuki definitely blamed the Magicless child from his dreams for that. The other had to have infected him with the need to ask questions, Katsuki was sure of it. Especially considering how inquisitive Magicless had been in the last dream Katsuki had. That dream had been short, mostly because both Katsuki and Magicless had taken most of their sleeping time to shake off the haze. With all of the questions Magicless had asked about pretty much everything, Katsuki had been half-disappointed (because he couldn’t show off his knowledge) and half-glad (because at length, the incessant questions were becoming annoying).

So yes, Magicless was very curious and asked a lot of questions. Katsuki blamed it on him that his own curiosity finally got the best of him one evening as he sat at the table eating with his parents.

“Why aren’t you calling me by name anymore?” he asked, his question cutting through the silence. He held back a cringe at how out of nowhere the question came, but didn’t back down and stared at his parents expectantly, awaiting an answer.

“What are you talking about, brat?” his mother asked before taking a large chunk of meat into her mouth and chewing at it aggressively. If Katsuki didn’t know her as well as he did, he might have thought she was annoyed.

“That,” he replied simply, motioning to her as if that explained everything. “You called me that before, but you also called me by name. You don’t anymore. Neither does father. Why?”

“It’s simply not our place anymore, champ,” his father replied calmly. Katsuki blinked.

“Why?”

“Because you manifested your magic, brat. Why else?”

“What the crap does my magic have to do with anything?”

“Everything. It’s a part of you. It affects you. You can’t tell me otherwise, brat. Or don’t you feel its hum in your body at all times?” his mother asked, causing Katsuki to pause with a frown. Well yes, she was right, he did feel his Magic at all times. Never as strongly as during the ceremony, certainly, but still. What he didn’t understand was what that had to do with his parents no longer calling him by his first name.

“What the crap does that have to do with you two no longer using my name?” he asked again, his frown deepening a bit as his frustration rose with his lack of comprehension.

“I just told you: everything, brat!” his mother’s temper was evidently snapping as quickly as Katsuki’s. The little boy wasn’t intimidated by her yelling, though. Instead, he yelled right back.

“And I asked for a damn explanation, old hag!”

“There’s nothing to explain! Your magic affects your name and that’s why we can’t call you by it anymore. That’s all there is, you damn brat!”

“How does my magic affect my name, then? Why won’t you explain that?!”

“Because it’s something you’ll fucking find out on your own when you’re older!”

“But I want to understand it now , old hag!”

“You don’t need to understand it! When you’ll need to, you will! So fucking drop it you brat!”

“Why the heck can’t you just explain it to me?!”

“Now now, let’s all calm down,” Katsuki’s father’s voice cut into the argument. The young boy and his mother both looked at the man to glare at him and he raised his arms in a placating gesture. Katsuki’s mother huffed and sat down while Katsuki bit his lip and did the same. He hadn’t even noticed when the two of them had stood up (on the chair, in his case) or when they slammed their hands on the table during their shouting match. But then again, it wasn’t like it was anything unusual for their household. In fact, Katsuki and his mother got into shouting matches all the time.

“Alright, champ. Read that and tell me what it means to you,” his father said and Katsuki looked up at him. He blinked, eyes falling to the table to see a piece of parchment with his name written on it. He scowled, not understanding what his father wanted of him.

“It’s my name,” he said simply. His father nodded, patient as ever.

“Yes, but what does it mean ?” he asked again. Katsuki’s gaze fell back to the little paper and the symbols written there. The symbols that made up his name and its meaning. He pointed to the first one.

“Strength,” he said, his finger then moving to the second character and then the third. “Loyalty, perseverance,” he looked up at his father then, waiting for an explanation. The man was smiling gently.

“Indeed. That’s the meaning of your name, champ. But it’s a meaning based on our language. So the meaning is the same to everyone. There’s another meaning names have, champ. That one is personal. No one else’s name will ever have the same meaning as yours, even if they happen to have the same name. That meaning is something only someone else can give you. And it should be someone who’s special to you. More so than your mother and I. When that special person or people call you by name, your magic will respond and you’ll know what meaning it shall have,” he explained. Katsuki nodded slowly, processing the information.

“Why the heck does my name need a second meaning? It already has a pretty damn good one,” he said in a low tone, more than a little confused. He understood now why his parents were no longer calling him by name and why no one else likely would, but he didn’t understand why his name needed a second meaning when it already had one he liked. He just exchanged one question for another and it was frustrating as heck.

“That’s something we can’t really explain to you, champ. But you’ll understand when someone special to you gives your name that second meaning,” his father replied. Katsuki couldn’t help the petulant scowl that crossed his face.

“I want to understand now,” he muttered under his breath, but it wasn’t low enough for his parents not to hear.

“You will when you’re older. You’re a brat, brat, so act like one and just let it go. It will fucking happen whenever it happens and you’ll understand everything whenever it does,” his mother said and ruffled his hair roughly in a rare display of affection. Katsuki growled and glared at her a little from under his bangs, but didn’t slap her hand away.


The third waking dream sent to him by the Gods had been similar to the second one. A lot of the dreamy haze, little actual wakefulness and most of what little wakeful time they had was filled with showing Magicless around the forest and answering his incessant questions to the best of his abilities. Though on the upside, he managed to convince Magicless to learn how to climb trees. The greenette could follow him up through the branches now, if at a slow pace. And he never actually climbed all the way up. Katsuki gave up on understanding why.

The fourth dream was different. It was different because while Katsuki was slowly starting to get used to the dreams and was thus able to force the haze to lift sooner, it was never instant before that dream. It wasn’t because Katsuki suddenly got amazingly good at recognizing his waking dreams, though. No, it was due to the fact that for the first time, he wasn’t in the forest near his village. In fact, he wasn’t in a forest at all.

He blinked and stared with wide eyes at the scenery he found before him. It was a bit like an open field in that Katsuki didn’t see any trees in the vicinity. There were odd contraptions he couldn’t see very well beyond the fact that they had four black wheels made out of something he didn’t recognize. The majority of the upper part of the contraptions (or at least he assumed they were contraptions rather than living beings, since there never were any animals in these dreams) was covered by snow, hiding them from his sight. The ground felt odd under his boots as well, far harder than what he was used to. Looking down, he noticed it was made of… probably stone? That would explain the hardness, but Katsuki had no idea how someone could make stone so perfectly smooth. He understood even less why only parts of the road he was apparently on were made with stone while another part looked as if it was black, burned-down earth.

“What the crap is this place?” he wondered out loud as he continued to look around, briefly looking down at himself when the presence of snow (and what it meant) actually clicked. He wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t feel the chill of winter if he had his winter gear, but that wasn’t the case. He was still in the day clothes meant for the warmer weather of the summer - the orange sleeves that covered his forearms up to his elbows, the dark brown pants and boots and the fire-rat-red vest over a yellowish-white shirt - as was the case for any other waking dream he had. Only this was the first dream in which it wasn’t actually summer. And yet he was not cold at all. “Weird…”

Hearing a slight sound in the complete stillness of his surroundings, Katsuki turned his head sharply, muscles tense as his fight-or-flight instinct kicked in. He blinked and relaxed a moment later, however, when he saw a familiar head of green, curly hair. Magicless was in a field on the other side of the black earth part of the road, beyond the second stone part of it that was on the other side, playing in the snow. Katsuki frowned a bit. Of course, it made sense that this was another dream sent by the Gods to him, but he was still confused as to where he was. He’d never seen a place like this, after all. Never had even thought such a place could exist in the first place.

“Oi, Magicless!” he called, cautiously stepping onto the black earth, uncertain at first if it was actually safe. When nothing happened, he trotted over without fear. The black thing beneath his soles felt harder and rougher than dirt had any right to be, so it was probably something else. Katsuki quickly decided that he should have expected as much. This was a dream sent to him by the Gods and Magicless was here as always. The only thing that changed were his surroundings, because it definitely wasn’t his forest. The only logical conclusion, then, was that this was Magicless’s world. The realm of the Gods. So of course, whatever the black thing that made up the road was, it couldn’t be dirt. The Gods wouldn’t ever harm Nature like that.

Katsuki wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit awed at the fact that he was getting to see the Gods’ realm. As normal as it was for the Gods to send dreams for one reason or another (Katsuki believed that in his own case, it was a test to somehow test his worthiness, since he was the first in his family in several generations to possess truly strong magic), the young Yuueian doubted many got the chance to dream of the Gods’ realm of all places.

Arriving next to Magicless, who had yet to notice him, Katsuki finally took note of the big ball of snow the other was trying - and failing - to push forward. It was big enough to reach both of their necks, so it wasn’t really that odd that the other child had problems with moving it. Even Katsuki would probably struggle if he tried it.

“What the heck are you doing?” he asked, failing to see any point in trying to move a huge ball of snow. At least aside from potential strength training, but there were better ways to train, even in winter.

“Oh, hi!” Magicless finally seemed to notice him and turned his head to greet him, stepping back from the big snowball. His eyes seemed a little unfocused. “Look, it’s so big now! Do you want to help me?” he asked, motioning to the ball of snow he’d been trying to push. Katsuki crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, glancing at the snowball briefly.

“With what?” he asked flatly, still not understanding what the other was trying to do. Or what the point of was.

“Rolling it, of course! I’m gonna make the biggest snowman!” the green haired boy replied, arms stretching wide to show just how big a snow creature he wanted to build would be. Katsuki still failed to see the point of it. It seemed like a waste of time to him. Time that was better spent doing something more productive. Especially considering how big Magicless wanted that ‘snowman’ of his to be. “If we make him reeeeeally big, he’ll come to life!” the other child continued and Katsuki couldn’t help but be reminded just how much of an idiot Magicless could be. He stared at the other child for a moment, trying to relay what he was thinking with just a look, then glanced briefly at the inanimate snowball before looking back at Magicless again.

“Hah?! How would that even work, dummy? It’s just crappy snow.” Unless there was something in the Gods’ realm that made it possible? Katsuki had no way of knowing. He knew that in his home, his parents always told him to be careful if he went into the woods in winter. The various beasts and animals living there might be less active because of the cold, but the cold was what made winter spirits come out. They weren’t anything a mortal could see, but they could be heard if they wanted to be and they tended to lead unsuspecting people astray until they couldn’t find their way back home. In time, the cold would kill them and then the winter spirits would take over their body to experience what it is like to be alive for a while. Maybe in the Gods’ realm, instead of taking the bodies of the living, winter spirits could just possess bodies of snow humans made for them if they were big enough?

If that was the case, then maybe the winter spirits of his home could be satisfied with a body made of snow as well. Katsuki decided it could be worth a try, so he might next winter.

“Uhm... “ Magicless hesitates for a moment, but then smiles and proclaims happily, “because it happened before!” he says before crouching down to gather more snow into his hands, starting to make a second ball. Katsuki grunts in pensive acknowledgment. He knew for a fact that if it had happened before, then it couldn’t have been Magicless’s doing. He had no Magic, after all, and certainly not the kind to bring snowy sculptures to life. So it had to have been spirits of some kind. Winter spirits or some other spirits. Or maybe the Gods themselves decided to humor the magicless boy. He had to have at least some of their favor if they were sending him dreams allowing him to meet with Katsuki, after all.

“I’ll work on the head! See if you can find his magic hat! I had it before, but the birds stole it,” Magicless kept talking as he added more and more snow to this second ball that quickly grew in size. Katsuki blinked.

“Hah? How would you have a crappy magic hat?” he asked, scowling at the other. “You said your world didn’t have magic. Or was that a lie, Magicless?” Katsuki’s voice lowered at the mere idea. If there was one thing he hated with a passion, it was liars and being lied to. The other boy didn’t respond, however, as if he hadn't heard Katsuki’s at all. The blonde’s eye twitched in irritation. “Oi, don’t ignore me!” he yells, but it’s almost as if the other child suddenly went deaf. Katsuki huffed and finally glared in the direction Magicless had pointed earlier.

His eyes fell on the first tree he’d seen in this realm. It’s only one, its branches devoid of leaves and covered with snow. There’s a flock of odd birds Katsuki has never seen before sitting on one of them, munching on what the blonde assumes is the ‘magic hat’. The birds didn’t have feathers and their skin looked rough. Their wings frankly reminded Katsuki more of bats than actual birds and they had really long beaks. An odd horn-like structure protruded from their heads, leaning towards their backs. Considering the roughed up state of the hat they were munching on, Katsuki suspected they might have teeth, too, though he couldn’t be sure from that distance. He frowned as he approached the tree, glancing briefly towards the green haired child again before deciding the birds probably weren’t too dangerous, or else Magicless wouldn’t be so calm. And he clearly asked Katsuki to retrieve it because they both already knew Katsuki was way better at tree climbing. Though why Magicless wouldn’t know how to do something so elementary had been something Katsuki hadn’t been able to understand at all. Seeing the lack of trees in the Gods’ realm, however, it started to make at least a little sense… even if other things didn’t. Like why the Gods, who loved and protected Mother Nature and required of humans to do the name, didn’t have many of Nature’s gifts in their own realm. At least from what Katsuki had seen thus far.

The climb wasn’t hard and Katsuki reached the birds in no time at all. They scattered with loud, annoying caws when he got near and flew off to a higher branch, leaving the hat behind. Katsuki watched after them for a moment to make sure they wouldn’t descend on him to attack him after all, then grabbed the hat and nimbly climbed back down to the snow-covered ground.

“Here,” he said, holding out the hat to the green haired boy. The snowball the other was working on had gotten quite big by now. Katsuki was a bit surprised. He didn’t think it should have gotten this big in such a short time. And wasn’t it supposed to be the snowman’s head? Then why did Magicless make it even bigger than the ball he already had? Katsuki really didn’t understand what the other boy was doing anymore.

Not that he understood it before, really.

Magicless turned to him, eyes still glassy and a bit unfocused as they stared at Katsuki, then the hat in his outstretched hand, then at Katsuki again before smiling delightedly.

“Oh! You found your hat! I’m glad,” he said before turning around, returning to working on the snowball. Katsuki blinked owlishly at him, even more confused than before. What the heck? Sure, Magicless had always been a little weird, but he’d never been this weird.

“HAH?! It’s not mine, you dummy! You wanted it!” he screams at the other, frustrated and mildly irritated. Magicless was being irritating. Katsuki was starting to think he was doing it on purpose to mock him and he didn’t exactly enjoy the idea. The other boy’s confusion at the exclamation wasn’t exactly doing anything to help him calm down, either.

“I didn’t want your hat. You were looking for it, weren’t you?”

“Because you told me to!”

“Oh,” Magicless doesn’t seem too bothered by Katsuki’s angry screaming. The blonde had to focus really hard to reign in his magic as it started to swirl within him. He was still getting used to the feeling and thus still had trouble controlling it at times, especially when he was particularly angry and frustrated. Which definitely was the case now because Magicless was clearly trying to play him for a fool. Katsuki should just blow up his stupid magic hat in retaliation. It would help him vent some frustration, anyway.

Katsuki couldn’t really do that, though. Magic items were rare, after all, even in his world. Surely they were even rarer in Magicless’s world, since the people living there didn’t have magic. The greenette made it sound like his world didn’t have any magic before, but Katsuki figured it had to have some magic if magic items existed in it. So in the end, despite wanting to, he didn’t blow up the hat. He wasn’t able to fully reign in his magic, however, and so his free hand let out a few sparks in response to his irritation.

Magicless wasn’t perturbed at all. He didn’t even seem to notice as he climbed the snowball he just made. Katsuki watched him, arms crossed over his chest. The green-haired boy seemed to have completely forgotten what he had been doing before as he looked out to some odd contraption a small distance away. Heck, he seemed to have forgotten that Katsuki was there, too. Before the blonde could ask him what he was looking at or why, the other boy turned his gaze away and jumped from the snowball he was on to the other one. The white fluff crumbled under his weight, the ball falling apart instantly and leaving Magicless sitting dazed in the pile left behind. Katsuki gave him a flat stare, then huffed a short, mocking laugh.

“Idiot. What did you think would happen if you did that?” he asked before glancing between the still remaining ball and the now-destroyed one. Magicless implied he needed both to make the ‘snowman’ for the winter spirits to inhabit, didn’t he? So why did he destroy one of the balls? “Talk about useless…” Katsuki muttered under his breath as the other boy sat up, his expression sad.

“Oh man… I thought it would catch me,” he said quietly and Katsuki has to wonder just how stupid he’d have to be to think that. Sure, Magicless was weird and a crybaby who got easily scared most of the time, but Katsuki hadn’t pegged him to be really stupid. Uninformed, yes, and now he knew it was because Magicless wasn’t from Myordice but from the Gods’ realm, but not stupid. He was starting to think he might need to reevaluate that opinion, though.

“NO! My snowman!” Magicless cried, pouting as his eyes teared up, as if he realized only now what the destruction of the snowball meant. Katsuki rolled his eyes at his antics. If this was how Magicless always behaved while in the Gods’ realm, the blonde found himself sincerely hoping they’d only have dreams in Myordice from now on. At least there Magicless made sense.

The green-haired boy climbed to his feet, watery glare trained on the birds still perched on the tree Katsuki had climbed earlier. He stomped his foot against the ground in apparent frustration, maybe even anger.

“This is your fault!” he yelled and Katsuki has had enough. He bonked the other on the head with his knuckles lightly.

“No, dummy, you did it yourself. Stop blaming other living creatures for your own failings. Mother Nature doesn’t like that,” he reprimanded as the other boy rubbed his head, turning to look at him with watery eyes. Katsuki wasn’t impressed. The other boy’s eyes seemed more focused now as he blinked, however. He seemed... more aware of what was going on, Katsuki supposed.

“Kacchan?” he asked and Katsuki gave him a flat look.

“Do I look like someone else, dummy?”

Magicless startled and took a few steps back, losing his balance and landing on his behind in the snow. Katsuki snickered a bit at his clumsiness, for once not annoyed by the other’s apparent shock.

“Kacchan! What are you doing here?!” the stunned question made Katsuki blink, because as weird as he was being before, Magicless had still acknowledged and talked to him. So why was he acting as if he only realized now that Katsuki was there? The blonde didn’t know. He shrugged, the action an answer both to his own thoughts and to the greenette’s question.

“Beats me. The Gods sent the dream to me, so I’m here,” he said simply, because as far as he was concerned, it really was as simple as that. There wasn’t any further explanation needed. Unfortunately, Magicless didn’t seem to agree. Or maybe he just didn’t grasp what Katsuki was saying.

“But I’ve always dreamt of your world, not mine. When I… lucid dream,” he said, hesitating a bit before finishing his sentence as if struggling to pronounce his own language. Maybe he did. Katsuki wouldn’t admit to it, but there were complicated words even in his own language that he had trouble pronouncing sometimes. So Katsuki ignored the hesitation and simply shrugged again.

“Maybe the Gods wanted me to see your world for some reason. I dunno,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. To be honest, he had no idea why the Gods might want him to see Magicless’s world. Or, if his assumptions were correct, their own realm. But he was here and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little bit curious. Not that he was going to openly admit that. “Show me around and maybe I’ll understand.”

“Um, ok,” the other boy agreed easily enough, looking around a bit. “This is my playground! It’s not too far from my house. Mommy takes me here sometimes. And I play with the neighborhood kids here, too,” he said, motioning around them. Katsuki followed to where his arms pointed, taking in the ‘playground’ in full for the first time.

It was an odd place, to say the least. There were several contraptions made of a mixture of colorful metal and ropes, none of which Katsuki could even begin to comprehend the use of except maybe one of them, because it looked like a place to practice climbing. The blonde didn’t really understand the need for it, however, because there were at least a couple of trees in the vicinity and those were always better for climbing. He could admit that the hanging ropes were a good idea, however, because getting up one of those was different than climbing a tree or a rock.

The other contraptions, however, were a total mystery. In one case, the metal made up what Katsuki could compare to the skeleton of a tent, only bigger. Despite its similarity, that probably wasn’t what it was, however, because there was nothing draped over it to actually make a semi-functional tent. Instead, two sets of ropes hung from the horizontal metal bar, each holding a flat plank of wood about a foot off the ground.

Another contraption was a simple ladder leading up to an oddly shaped piece of metal that then led back to the ground. Katsuki couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was used for. The term ‘playing’ wasn’t exactly one he was familiar with, either.

He also noticed the distinct lack of nature, at least in comparison to his home. Sure, there were some trees, but not very many and definitely not growing densely enough to imitate a forest. It got a bit better a little ways off, but the area was closed off by some sort of a metal blockade. It didn’t look all that tough. Katsuki could easily climb it to get to the other side, probably even destroy it if he used his magic. Beyond the few trees he could see, the large, blocks of grey stood stark against the sky. Looking at their height, Katsuki supposed they might be how trees, or some other plant that mother Nature did not deem fit to give Myordice, grew in this realm.

“So…” he trailed off, a bit uncertain, but then finished, “you come here to train or something?” Because really, that was the only conclusion he could come to that made sense.

“Huh? No! Well… not how like you train, I think. It’s just for fun. Like…” Magicless hesitated a bit, then walked over to the contraption with the ladder and started to climb it. Katsuki watched him curiously to see what he’d do. Of course, he knew what fun was. His running around in the forest, as well as tree and rock climbing were things he did for fun. It was just these activities also had other uses. Running helped him with his endurance and his ability to move fast through the underbrush and between the trees, which would be important once he started to hunt. Climbing would be necessary if he wanted to explore certain parts of the forest or hide in the trees or something to surprise his potential prey from up high. Every activity he did was something that would help him get stronger first and foremost. He never did something that wouldn’t benefit him just because it would be fun. It wasn’t a good enough reason.

“Like this!” Magicless called from the top of the ladder before sitting down on the metal part of the contraption and pushing himself forward. He slid back down to the ground with a gleeful cry. Katsuki watched him as he came to a stop at the bottom, grinning like an idiot. The blonde raised an eyebrow. He didn’t see any appeal in what the other just did, nor any use.

“Looks like a damn waste of time,” he commented and Magicless gave him an exasperated look.

“It’s not supposed to be taken seriously,” he replied before standing up and grabbing Katsuki’s hand, pulling him towards the ladder. “Why don’t you try it? Here! Watch me!”

“Oi, let go of me,” Katsuki ordered, but he didn’t actually try to pull his hand away from the other’s grip and allowed himself to be pulled. The green-haired boy grinned at him when they reach the base of the metal ladder, hands already holding on to the bars.

“I’ll go first!” were his confident words. Then he climbed back up just like before, stopping at the top to look down at Katsuki expectantly. The Yuueian huffed, but nimbly climbed after him, not one to refuse a challenge. Magicless gave him another smile before sliding down on his stomach and after another second to ponder the utility of it all, Katsuki followed without hesitation. The contraption might have been a bit higher than he expected when looking at it from below, but it wasn’t a height he wasn’t used to.

The way down was short, but felt oddly nice. Liberating, even. It felt a lot like when he was running through the forest during windy days, when the wind blew into his face and hair, making him feel like he was moving far faster than he actually was, only he didn’t even need to be running. It was like the wind itself had carried him down.

“See? Isn’t it fun?” Magicless asked, grinning from ear to ear. Katsuki looked away from him and rubbed a finger under his nose, feeling his cheeks warm slightly with a flush of embarrassment.

“I guess…” he admitted begrudgingly and the other boy beamed even more. Katsuki hadn’t even thought that was possible.

“Oh,” the green-haired boy seemed to startle, looking Katsuki over with a suddenly worried frown on his features. “Wait, aren’t you cold? Where’s your winter clothes? You’ll get sick!” he exclaimed. As if on cue, the wind blew again and Katsuki suddenly felt the bitter chill of winter. He shivered, wrapping his arms around his body on instinct and rubbing his arms a bit.

“What the heck? I wasn’t cold a second ago, even with the crappy snow everywhere,” he complained in a low tone, scowling at the ground as if it was the snow’s fault that he could suddenly feel the chill in the air. Nevermind the fact that the white fluff had been there since the start and the chill only came along now.

“You weren’t cold?” Magicless seemed surprised. Katsuki looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

“No. Make it so I’m not cold anymore,” to him, it was a perfectly understandable demand. He hadn’t been cold until the other boy pointed out that he should be. This was the Gods’ realm and the greenette admitted that this was where he lived. In which case he was somehow connected to the Gods and likely had some power in this dream. He made it so Katsuki was cold, he could also make it so he didn’t feel the chill anymore. Simple logic.

Unfortunately, Magicless misunderstood what he meant entirely and instead of just making it so that Katsuki couldn’t feel the cold like before, he took off his odd vest and handed it over to the blonde.

“Here!” he said, his arms already similarly wrapped around himself to ward off the chill. What he wore underneath looked to be made out of wool, or something similar to that, and while Katsuki was well aware how warm wool clothes were, it was also pretty obvious they were not enough to keep the other boy warm. The Yuueian spluttered and firmly shoved the clothing offered to him back at its owner.

“You dummy! You’ll get cold like that! Keep it! I can handle a little crappy chill,” he said loudly. He meant every word, too. Sure, it was chilly, but it didn’t really compare to the cold of the particularly harsh Myordian winters.

“No!” Magicless called back stubbornly. “I’ll be fine. Your clothes are really thin! Please, Kacchan!” he insisted, pushing the article of clothing towards Katsuki just as vehemently as the blond was pushing it back. “It’s really, really warm!”

“Then use it to stay warm yourself!” Katsuki replied, still stubbornly refusing to take the offered garment. “I can just warm myself up with my magic,” he pointed out, briefly wondering why he hadn’t thought of it earlier. It should have been the obvious course of action to take. “So I’ll be fine. Stop being stupid.”

“I’m not being stupid,” the other boy replied with a pout, then shoved the vest at him again and backed off before Katsuki could push it back. The blond held on to the fabric this time, if only to avoid it falling into the snow and getting wet. Magicless seemed a bit nervous, but determined. Which was evident in the way he didn’t even let Katsuki get a word in edgewise. “A-Anyway! Let me show you more before I wake up! I feel like I haven’t talked to you in forever!”

Magicless wasn’t the only one. Katsuki sort of felt that way, too. They didn’t have these waking dreams too often, after all, so their meetings were few and far between. Still, the blonde found himself looking forward to them whenever they happened, and he supposed he’d look forward to them even more now that he knew he had the chance to explore the Gods’ realm.

But first, he had to make sure the other stayed warm, because Katsuki was sure the Gods wouldn’t look at him with kindness if Katsuki let someone connected to them get sick over him. So the Yuueian gave the greenette an exasperated look and then got in his face, throwing the vest over his shoulders in one fluid motion. Then he stepped away before the other could protest, walking towards the odd road of stone and burned earth (well, he knew it wasn’t really earth, but he didn’t know what else it could possibly be). His hands already sparked with his Magic, the warmth from the little sparks he conjured enough to ward off the winter chill now that he was moving again.

“Well, let’s go then,” he commanded, not waiting and trusting the other to follow and then take lead when necessary. If he had looked back, he would have seen the ‘child of the Gods’ pout.

“Kacchan is stubborn,” the other boy said under his breath, but Katsuki still heard him and whirled around to glare at him.

“Shut up, Magicless!”

They ended up looking around the city of the Gods more than anything else. Magicless did show Katsuki what he called a ‘park’, explaining it was pretty much the only place in the vicinity where nature could thrive. Katsuki couldn’t understand why anyone would want to reign in and limit Mother Nature like this, especially the Gods themselves, but after a bit of thought, he realized that it was possible the Gods loved nature as much as they did and scorned humans for harming it precisely because it wasn’t as ever present in their realm as it was in the human one.

The greenette showed him a lot of other things, too, but most of the names for the contraptions mentioned went right over Katsuki’s head, spoken too quickly for him to try and replicate the words even if he tried. He didn’t mind, though. He couldn’t mind because he was far too busy being amazed at everything that was around him and trying not to gawk too much. He couldn’t believe he really got to see the realm of the Gods. Why they showed him such favor, he had no idea, but he resolved he would do anything and everything in his power to prove he deserved it.

Magicless eventually lead him close to his house. It was one of the huge, blocky, grey things Katsuki had assumed were godly trees. Apparently not. Apparently, this was where those of the godly plane lived. This time, Katsuki couldn’t stop himself from staring. That house was huge. Bigger than any other he’d ever seen. Bigger even than the Tribe Leader’s house.

Did all people from the realm of the Gods live in such gigantic houses? What did they need so much space for? Or was it like in Katsuki’s tribe and a house’s size was an indication of the family’s social standing? If it was the latter, Magicless’s family must be pretty important. Which would make sense since the Gods chose him to send to Katsuki as part of his dreams.

If only Katsuki knew why he was chosen as the receiver of those dreams, though… So far, his only explanation was that it was a test of some sort. A test to see if he was worthy of the powerful Magic granted to him as the first person in his family to have been blessed like this. What exactly he needed to do to pass said test, Katsuki wasn’t certain, but he believed he could figure it out and manage. He would prove himself. He’d be worthy.

The Yuueian was so lost in his musings and observations that he didn’t even notice when they approached the house Magicless lived in. Katsuki would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious to see what it was like inside. However, he didn’t get the chance, because just like the time he tried to lead Magicless to his village, the dream wavered and ended before they reached the gate separating the road from the gigantic house.


Katsuki woke up to the sun shining in his eyes as it rose. He yawned a little and stretched in his bedding, shaking off the remnants of sleep, but allowed himself to remain in bed a moment longer, staring at the ceiling of his family hut. Then a grin stretched on his face. He’d seen the realm of the Gods.

The Gods sent him a dream and allowed him to see their realm in it!

He was giddy with excitement at the thought and had to cover his mouth with his hand to muffle his giggles. He didn’t want anyone noticing and asking for the reason. These were his dreams. He didn’t want to share them with anyone. Maybe someday, if he found someone he trusted enough with the knowledge, but for now, there was no one like that except his parents. And they both had told him that his waking dreams were better kept to himself. The dreams Gods deemed fit to send weren’t something to be bragged about, after all.

After a few moments, the excitement and giddiness lowered to a manageable level. Katsuki could still feel himself grinning like a fool, but it wasn’t so bad that he thought anyone would question his mood. Stretching again, he sat up in his bedding, the furs pooling around his waist and the cold air making his skin prickle with goosebumps. It wasn’t winter yet like in his dream, but it was getting chilly as fall was well underway.

Climbing out of the nest of furs that was his bed, Katsuki rubbed at his arms a bit before grabbing his clothes and quickly pulling them on to ward off the chill, now that he was no longer wrapped up in the warm furs. The hut was silent. His parents were probably already out hunting. Katsuki was too young to hunt yet, but he hoped he’d be allowed to at least accompany them soon to observe and learn that way.

But before that, he needed to work on his magic. His control was getting slightly better, but it still left a lot to be desired, and so with a determined nod and a quick breakfast, he headed out into the woods to train as he did every morning.


Over the course of the following seasons, life continued as normal, with few changes. Katsuki still helped his parents with the house chores and the preparing of the game they hunted, skinning the beasts and working the furs with his father or preparing the meat and bones for consumption and storage with his mother. He still trained his magic in the early mornings and his body in the evenings before the sun set. He still dreamt of the magicless boy who lived in the Gods’ realm.

When he was six, his training in the woods came to an abrupt end when, after that year’s night of the twin full moons, all those who’ve seen their sixth celebration of birth come and go started to be officially trained in the usage of their magic, stealth and general physical abilities. It was a preparation for the specialized training they’d undergo if they wished to become Hunters or Warriors. They had four season-cycles to prove they had what it took for that and Katsuki was determined to do just that.

The night of the twin full moons of that year changed something else for Katsuki as well. He hadn’t really paid that much attention to the Awakening of others during his own Manifestation Ceremony, nor had he done so during any ceremony before his own or the one of the year following his. But at the fourth ceremony he got to witness (well, technically sixth, but Katsuki didn’t exactly remember the first two ceremonies he might have witnessed in his life), something caught his eye.

It was one of the children who underwent their Awakening. A boy with messy black hair in a coat black as night. Katsuki didn’t know his name or his family’s Guardian Beast, the boy had spoken too quietly for him to know, but that wasn’t what was important anyway. The important thing was that once the boy had drunk the unicorn blood, black smoke seemed to leave his body. It covered the four-year-old and All Might entirely, swirling and eventually taking the recognizable form of some kind of bird with glowing eyes (since the smoke somehow left ‘holes’ in itself for the eyes and the light of the red full moon shone right through them), arm-like wings spread out as if in flight. It stayed in place for maybe a minute or two before the wind blew it away and the ceremony continued normally afterward.

When Katsuki asked his father about it at home, he heard that the smoke was a manifestation of the magic called forth by the unicorn blood the awakenees drank and which was also contained in the ceremonial paint. For most children, it was hardly visible and only covered them for a second before dissipating. But for people with stronger magic, it was denser and could make clouds. Particularly strong magics, like the one he’d witnessed that night, could even take on a distinctive shape.

Hearing about it, Katsuki remembered the red haze he’d seen during his own Manifestation and decided to ask his father if that happened with him as well. His father’s response was an oddly sad smile and a silent nod. Excitedly, Katsuki had asked if the smoke had taken on a form, as well, and heard that yes, it had. It had taken on a form so big even the Elders were surrounded by the smoke, though it was not as dense as the black one Katsuki witnessed earlier because it had spread out further. No one could blame Katsuki for aggressively begging his father to tell him what form it had been. And no one could blame him for the way his face lost all color when he heard the answer, either.

Katsuki’s Magic had manifested in the form of a red dragon.


Physical training and stealth were not things Katsuki had problems with. It would be odd if it was considering how much time he’d spent in the woods playing and training on his own. The other children could hardly keep up with him and looked at him with wonder and awe at how effortless he made everything look. Katsuki preened under the attention and bragged about his accomplishments, always ready to tell whoever was willing to listen how easy a given day’s training was compared to what he had done in the woods before.

The same couldn’t be said for his Magic, but that made sense considering he hadn’t had as much time and possibility to train it on his own. Plus, it was powerful and thus more difficult to control. It was something Katsuki had noticed early on, even before he began being officially trained. Unless he concentrated really hard, his Magic tended to go off much more strongly than he intended it to. It was easier to control in his dreams (and less painful if he messed up, too, but that was beside the point). But that only frustrated the blonde, because in his own eyes, if he could control his Magic in a dream sent to him by the Gods, then he should be able to do it in reality just as well.

He clearly wasn’t the only one thinking he should be better, either. Master Sorahiko agreed with him, if the way he pushed him every day was anything to go by. Katsuki didn’t mind. He knew he had to get stronger. Get better. He might have strong Magic, but he wasn’t from a family known for strong Magic. So he needed to prove he deserved what the Gods have gifted him. He had to prove he was worthy of their favor. The only way to do that was to work hard and master their gift.

As the training went on, Katsuki started noticing small oddities, however. He noticed how he and the two other extras from his age group, who had stronger magic than the rest of the children who manifested with them, always trained longer and harder than everyone else. He noticed how between the three of them, Master Sorahiko seemed to nag at him the most when he had difficulties controlling his magic. He noticed how during training itself, the other two didn’t get scolded as much if they took a break.

He noticed all of that, but he didn’t really care at first. It was to be expected. It was normal. He and the other two all had powerful magic, but he was the only one from a family that hadn’t manifested powerful magic for generations. He was the only one between the three of them who had to prove himself. So of course Master Sorahiko was being a bit harder on him. It only made sense. He had to work harder than the other two, after all.

Chapter 3: Deku

Chapter Text

Izuku was gathering up his items from his desk as the last bell of the day rang. His classmates began to chatter excitedly and chairs scraped across the ground as they climbed to their feet. Izuku was careful with his colored pencils and closed his notebook to make sure his pictures were safe. They still weren’t exactly works of art, but they were getting better. His mother had bought him a proper notebook where he could practice his kana and half of the book was already filled with doodles and words. In Izuku’s bag was another book that was currently blank. It was his dream journal that his mother had recommended he should start writing in. He wanted to do so, but he hadn’t had another dream with Kacchan in it since he had received it.

“Izu-kun, hurry up!” Ochako said with a soft whine in her tone. Izuku looked at his friend. Her hair had become much longer since they were little. It went all the way down her back and was held together with a bow. She had become cuter over the years, but Izuku was still getting used to her with long hair. She’d always complained about it before because long hair got in her way. She told him she just wanted to try it out, though, so she had grown it out.

“Almost done.” He assured her, and put everything into his bag. He stood up and adjusted his backpack on his shoulders. He turned around to smile and let his friend know he was ready, but he saw she was caught up in another conversation.

It was Monoma Neito and some of his friends. It wasn’t an uncommon sight to see them hanging out with Ochako and her with them. Ochako was popular in a way that Izuku wasn’t. While people had been fascinated with Izuku’s stories and had learned to associate him with the “fantasy boy” that he talked about, Ochako was known for being more traditionally popular. She was outgoing, but not excessively so. She got along well with the girls and the boys in the class seemed to like her too. Especially Neito and his group of friends. Izuku couldn’t seem to really fit into that picture, though. He couldn’t quite keep up with Ochako, but he still enjoyed hanging out with her and whoever she was with at the time. 

“Hi.” Izuku called to the boys and girls of the group. Ochako glanced back at him and perked up to see he was ready. While she was turned away, Izuku received a sour look from Neito. Izuku’s smile turned a little sheepish. He hadn’t meant to interrupt. 

“Izu-kun! Neito-kun was just inviting me to go hang out with them at the park. Did you want to come with us?” Ochako asked. 

“We didn’t even invite him.” Neito grumbled. He was nudged by Itsuka, who sent him a sharp look. He huffed and brushed it off.

Izuku wondered what he did to make Neito not like him, but he couldn’t say it got to him too much. It was possible he was just like Kacchan in that way where he was just grumpy towards some people and things. He had seen the other boy smiling and bragging in class too. Maybe Izuku just needed to get to know him better, like he did with Kacchan.

“Just bring him along. It’s not like he does much anyway besides talk about his imaginary friend.” Yosetsu said as he gazed at the gaming system in his hands. Tiny noises were coming out of it as he half-paid attention to the conversation.

Some of the kids snickered a little. Izuku felt a little stab of hurt at the mean words. It wasn’t like he only talked about Kacchan. He talked about other things too! But Kacchan was the most exciting. He recovered pretty quickly from it for the most part. He was used to meaner words, after all. It didn’t mean that he liked them.

Ochako didn’t seem to completely notice the tease. But then again, she was never around to hear how people had grown tired of Izuku’s stories. “Those are fun too!”

“Only little babies actually have imaginary friends.” Neito sneered. 

“He’s not my imaginary friend…” Izuku murmured. He didn’t picture Kacchan in his world and run around with him. He only saw him in his dreams. They weren’t the same thing.

“He might as well be.” Kosei said.

“Come on, guys. We don’t make fun of you for your anime obsessions!” Itsuka tried to mediate, frowning at them. 

“Itsuka-chan!” Neito and Kosei cried in betrayal. Ochako giggled as Itsuka crossed her arms and smirked. Yosetsu only let out a scoff and smiled as well. Izuku supposed that only the two of them were really obsessed with anime. He had seen the boys carrying around some merch that Izuku was actually into, but he had been nervous to talk about with them. Mostly because they didn’t seem to really want to talk to him without Ochako there.

“Just… fine!” Neito finally decided. “He can come.”

“Yay!” Ochako grabbed Izuku’s hand. “Which park are we going to?”

Izuku joined in with the kids going to a park near their school. It was one of the bigger playgrounds that had plenty of families gathering in it, so it was kind of busy with the after school kids. Izuku had come here with Kacchan before and smiled to himself as he remembered how cool it had been seeing Kacchan show off some of his training moves on the equipment. They had also played a game of hide and seek that Kacchan had been way too good at. Izuku was sure that Kacchan would’ve been able to find all of them in no time if they all played together. He supposed that was just what happened when Kacchan lived in a world where he had to hunt for food.

The tensions between the kids died down as they all hung out and chatted or played on the playground equipment. Izuku in particular like Itsuka more than the other boys because she was always nice to him. Although they were the same age, she gave off the air of an older sister. Just like when he had been younger, the girls of the group just seemed to gravitate to him more. He found the boys glaring at him for that and he didn’t like it.

It wasn’t like he could really help it. Izuku liked having boy friends, but a lot of them considered him too weak. They pushed him around even though Izuku knew he could wrestle with the best of them after all of the different play fights he’d had with Kacchan. But he never used those skills on anyone here because wrestling wasn’t allowed. So the other boys would dismiss him for being too wimpy. Izuku was fine with having girl friends, but the rejection from his peers still kind of hurt. That was why he liked playing with whoever Ochako was hanging out with that day. They always accepted him then. 

“So you just dream of him sometimes?” Itsuka asked, standing on a swing and rocking back and forth. Ochako was on the swing next to her trying to get as high as she could. Izuku was considering seeing if he could climb up the swingset like he’d seen Kacchan do before. “And he becomes real?”

“No.” Izuku shook his head. He was pleased to be able to tell someone new about Kacchan. Especially one so willing to hear him. Itsuka was still pretty new to the school and had only heard rumors. When she had asked him more about his dreams, Izuku had been all too willing to share. “He’s not real or anything. Well, I don’t know for sure. We only meet in my dreams!”

“You think he might be real?” Her eyes widened, but there was a skeptical tone to her voice. Izuku was very used to that too.

“I don’t know.” He confessed. “I mean… what if it’s like the stories we read in books? Like… magic is connecting us? He might be real! Just from another world!”

“Yeah!” Ochako agreed as she swung by swiftly. “I think so too! Especially since Izu-kun’s dreams are like a story!”

“What do you mean? Like how he tells them?” Itsuka asked.

“No, like how it continues in the next dream! Like… it doesn’t start over! They both remember what happened before!” 

Izuku definitely agreed on that. There were a lot of days where he sometimes thought that Kacchan might be fake, but he’s never had dreams that had the kind of continuity that his dreams with Kacchan had. Kacchan acted like he had an entirely different life outside of Izuku’s dreams. And he spoke of waking as well. It only made sense to Izuku that if he was dreaming, maybe Katsuki was in his world as well? Just the thought of a world where actual magic existed and that he was connected to made him giddy.

“That’s why Kacchan is definitely real!” Izuku said. 

“That’s so cool.” Itsuka sighed. “I wish I could meet someone like that.”

Izuku let out a little laugh. “Maybe when Kacchan gets bigger he can learn magic that might let him come here? If his Gods want him to, I mean.”

“His Gods?”

Izuku decided to give up the ghost. He walked over to the swingset pole and grabbed onto it. There weren’t any handholds like Kacchan had shown him, but he had seen how the boy had climbed it before. He wrapped his arms around it and prepared to climb as he explained, “Kacchan thinks his Gods are sending him the dreams where he meets me. I think his Gods are really important, though we haven’t really talked about them much.”

“Why not?” Itsuka hopped off of her swing to watch as Izuku began to slowly sidle up the pole. It kind of hurt for his skin to catch on the pole, but it held him firm. His arms strained from the climb. It was a lot harder in real life to do these things. He figured it was because he wasn’t that strong when he was awake no matter how much training he did with Kacchan in his dreams. 

Izuku grunted a little and paused to survey his progress. He wasn’t sliding, so that was a good start. He looked down at Itsuka. “Because… Well, Kacchan doesn’t like me asking so many questions. And because I’m not always awake in time to ask him much stuff. It’s hard to wake up in the dreams.”

Itsuka’s eyebrows furrowed. “What does that mean?”

“Be careful, Izu-kun!” Ochako called out as Izuku climbed higher. Both of the girls were watching as he made it to the top. Ochako slowed her swinging to a stop so it wouldn’t rock him too much. Looking down it wasn’t nearly as high as some of the trees Kacchan had managed to coax him into climbing. Sometimes tricked him into climbing by mocking him for his cowardice until Izuku’s determination kicked in and he had kept climbing. Now he wasn’t even scared of this relatively short height. If he jumped off, his legs would probably only sting a little bit. 

“I’m okay!” He assured her. He grabbed onto the top bar and pulled himself across it to hang from it. He wanted to get stronger. He wasn’t quite sure how, though. Hopefully P.E. would help with that. He swung his legs a little while he still had the strength to hold on. To answer Itsuka’s question he said, “I’m awake in my dreams with Kacchan! Like… I can think. Like how I do now! It doesn’t really feel much different than when I’m actually awake.”

“Except you can’t smell anything.” Ochako added.

“Yeah, that’s always really really weird.” He admitted. He never realized just how much he smelled every day until he was dreaming with Kacchan and realized he couldn’t smell anything at all. Izuku was curious about what Kacchan smelled like and if he could smell Izuku. It didn’t bother him now, but knowing the scents of the people close to him felt instinctive. It was just weird not to know.

His arms began to strain, unused to holding his weight. It happened a lot faster than it did in his dreams. He judged the distance and allowed himself to drop to land on his feet. He grunted, feeling little shocks run up his legs, but he stood up fine. The fall was never as high as it seemed. Just like with that cliff face. Kacchan was always right, of course.

Ochako hopped off of her swing and stood, brushing off the seat of her shorts. “Izu-kun said he’s gone places with Kacchan around here too!”

“Mm-hm! We came to this playground!” His hands were stinging a bit. He rubbed them on his shorts.

“Really?” Itsuka asked, starting to look more into it. Usually the kids did get into his stories. Izuku enjoyed the excitement until it died down. He appreciated people who listened to his rambling. He knew it would fade eventually, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the time while it lasted. He liked talking about Kacchan and his cool world. He was like one of the characters out of the books that he loved to try to read.

“Yeah! Kacchan is really cool! He can-”

“Ochako-chaaaaan! Itsuka-chaaaan!” Izuku cut off as the girls’ names were called. The three of them looked over to see Kinoko waving where she was on top of the jungle gym. Yosetsu waved them over as well. “Come here!”

“Okaaaay!” Itsuka called back. She looked to Izuku. “Tell me more later, okay? I wanna hear!” She and Ochako then ran off together and scrambled up the ropes and ladders to join the other kids. Izuku moved to follow them, but a voice disturbed him and made him pause.

“Kacchan Kacchan Kacchan.” Neito sneered as he walked up and wrapped an arm around the pole of the swingset, falling a little forward as he leaned forward on one leg. “All you ever talk about is your imaginary friend. Don’t you ever talk about anything else?”

Izuku began to feel a little nervous and fidgeted with his fingers. This wasn’t the first time he had been teased about this kind of thing. “I do.” He told them. The idea occurred to him to bring up the anime that he saw Neito carrying around. “I talk about-!”

“It’s so weird and lame.” Kosei added, hopping up onto the swing to stand on it. He towered over Izuku now. Izuku hadn’t even seen him approach. “What are you, a puppy?”

“I’m not a puppy.” Izuku insisted. “And Kacchan isn’t my imaginary friend!”

“‘He’s not my imaginary friend!’” Neito mocked, mimicking Izuku’s voice. 

Izuku frowned, curling a little on himself. “Why are you guys being so mean?”

“We’re not being mean!” Kosei said. “How are we being mean?”

“You’re saying mean things!”

“We’re just telling the truth. That’s not mean.”

“Yeah, and we don’t want you boring Itsuka-chan with your fake stories.” Neito added. 

“U-Um, actually Itsuka-chan said that she liked-” Izuku tried.

“Itsuka-chan is just being nice to you, stupid. She’s nice to everyone!”

Izuku didn’t like this at all. He was right in that Neito was like Kacchan, but not in a good way. He didn’t mind as much when Kacchan talked to him like this because Kacchan was his best friend, but he didn’t like hearing it from these boys. It felt crueler.

“That’s not true.” He didn’t want to believe that.

“You’ll see!” Neito said and pushed off of the swingset. “Soon even Ochako-chan will get tired of your lame stories too!” He motioned to Kosei and the two snickered together before heading off to the jungle gym.

Izuku hesitated, his chest swirling with a cloud of bad feelings, before he followed after them. He would try not to talk to them too much if they were going to be like that.


Avoiding them didn’t work. Izuku’s school was bigger than his preschool, but not so big that the same years of the elementary school were separated for many activities. Ochako and Izuku both became more entrenched into the friend group that Neito and Itsuka both seemed to lead. It was a nice mix of boys and girls that all mostly got along. Izuku liked hanging out with them, and most seemed genuinely happy to include him too. He didn’t feel like he was just hanging around them because Ochako was. He loved how friendly they all were. It was a good start to a psuedo-Pack that most kids their ages were starting to form.

But they also had a habit of teasing him. Neito, Yosetsu, or Kosei would usually lead the charge, picking on him for one thing or another. Most of it was innocent enough that even some of the others in their group would join in, like Tooru or even Ochako when it was less obvious about the cruelty behind it. But other times the boys were meaner. They would say sly or sarcastic remarks that would hurt Izuku deeper than most thought it did. They would be dismissive of whenever he brought up something Kacchan taught him no matter how cool he thought they would find it. They discouraged interest in Izuku’s stories and anything that made him interesting. They usually didn’t invite him to hang out with them. 

Most of these cases occurred when they were more alone with Izuku. Often times it was when Ochako was gone. Izuku noticed that the boys were nicer to him when Itsuka or Ochako were around. They mocked him for being girly and a puppy when he began to cry from their teasing. They told him that that was why none of the boys wanted to hang out with him even though Izuku knew it was because they kept discouraging it.

One time Izuku confessed to Ochako how mean the boys were being. He explained how he didn’t really want to hang around them when they acted like that. Ochako had gotten angry over it even when Izuku had tried to tell her not to worry about it. She had confronted them immediately, but the other boys had just played it off. Some of the girls even came to their rescue citing that they were just playing around and that everyone messed with each other. Tenya’d had to hold Ochako back as she had threatened to tell on them and beat them up herself. The usually-sweet girl had surprised everyone with her protective nature of someone she saw as Pack, and the teasing had died down, but it didn’t take too long before it had restarted with a vengeance.

Ochako’s warning had only seemed to incite more anger. It was like the fact she was on Izuku’s side had only irritated Neito more. And since Neito had more sway over their Pack than Izuku did, they’d started turning on him more. Somehow other children their age had gotten involved. Izuku’s shoes started disappearing first. Then they would appear soaking wet. Cruel notes were left in his locker and sometimes his stuff would go missing. It wasn’t unusual if Izuku found people ignoring him when he wasn’t around some of his Pack.

It hurt. Izuku didn’t know what to do about it. He’s not sure what he had done wrong. But trying to talk with them himself had ended in failure each time. He didn’t really know who to turn to.


Izuku’s closed eyes opened to find himself on the edge of a wide lake. It spanned farther than Izuku could see from his angle of sitting down on the shore. He could see the tops of trees peeking over the horizon, though, so he knew there was an end to the lake. The water was clear enough that he could see everything within it as far as the blue haze in the water would let him. Gentle ripples fluttered against his heels. His bare feet were in the water. His bottom was drenched with the mud that he sat in, but he didn’t mind. He recognized the dream for what it was and knew that nothing that happened to his clothing here mattered.

There were a few boats on the lake, but no people that Izuku could see. They weren’t normal boats, though. They looked like a mixture of rafts and canoes. Some were tied up down the way where Izuku could look. Further away from the shoreline there were more flowers than Izuku was used to seeing in Katsuki’s world. Izuku didn’t know if that was because it was spring or not. They didn’t usually go to this lake while dreaming in Katsuki’s world. It made his little eight year old body seem very small in comparison.

Izuku pulled his legs up to his chest. Instead of wearing his pajamas like he usually did in his dreams, he was wearing his day clothes. They were the same clothes he had been wearing at school earlier. There were a couple of bandages on his arms and face. His knees were scraped up. There was a big bandage on his left one. He couldn’t feel his wounds for real, but he imagined he still could. He remembered their sting from when he was awake.

Izuku stared across the lake morosely. He had been hoping to forget his sadness in his dreams, but it seemed that wasn’t to be the case. He supposed that there wasn’t really anything he could do about it. His mother said that it was fine to be sad about these kinds of things. But when he heard soft footsteps approaching from the grass and stepping onto the mud of the shore, Izuku felt himself become a little sadder. He didn’t really want Kacchan to see him like this. Izuku didn’t even acknowledge Kacchan’s presence until the boy was standing next to him. Izuku knew better than to try to ignore Kacchan. 

He lifted his head and gave his friend a weak smile, more for the appearance to show that he was pleased to see Kacchan rather than because he was actually happy. Kacchan’s eyes seemed sharp as they looked him over. He took in the bandages and frowned down at him with his lips pursed into a thin line. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“What the heck happened to you?”

Izuku only looked down and back at the water. He imagined that the ripples against his feet were chilly, but he couldn’t feel the temperature of them. He could only feel the water itself as it lapped at his ankles. “It’s nothing.” He told the boy because he didn’t really want to discuss it. He rested his chin on his knees. “What’s up with Kacchan?”

Kacchan scowled harder at him and fell into a squat next to Izuku. He reached out and flicked the younger boy’s head, making him yelp in surprise. “Don’t try to feed me that bullcrap.”

Izuku pouted a little and rubbed at his head. It didn’t really hurt in the dream. He didn’t want to talk about the truth behind his wounds. He didn’t want to have to deal with that in his dreams. Dreaming of Kacchan was an escape for him. A glimpse into a different world. A fantasy place just for him and Kacchan where they could do whatever they wanted.

“It’s really nothing, Kacchan. Just… Let’s do something fun today! I think I can make the bandages go away if you’re worried.” He tried to smile so as to appease Kacchan. He wasn’t so sure he had succeeded. He’d never been very good at hiding his emotions. “They’re not real anyway. I’m not sure why they came with me here. Usually I’m in my pajamas.” He uncurled a little bit. He already began to focus on imagining himself without his bandages. He’d learned over the years of testing that he couldn’t do much in terms of altering Kacchan’s world. He could only really alter himself, like his clothes and such. And the same was for Kacchan in Izuku’s dream world, although Izuku wasn’t certain if that was just because Kacchan wasn’t willing to try harder or because he was restricted like Izuku was. Kacchan just wasn’t interested in controlling dreams, which Izuku found pretty weird.

Kacchan wasn’t letting himself be distracted. “They’re real enough when you wake up, idiot. So out with it. What the heck happened?” Izuku didn’t really understand why Kacchan’s words never hurt him like Neito and the others’ words did. Kacchan called him an idiot, or stupid, or useless all of the time, but the punch wasn’t there. Maybe it was because he had known Kacchan longer? Or was it because Kacchan didn’t really think of him as stupid? Izuku wasn’t sure. But he was also kind of sure Kacchan thought of him as at least a little bit stupid, so his theory couldn’t be completely correct.

Izuku sighed and gave up on trying to avoid the topic. If Kacchan was being stubborn, it meant that he wouldn’t be able to escape it easily. He didn’t have the strength to be stubborn himself that night. He just wanted to move on and do something fun. “It’s just...some kids at school. They’ve been kind of mean to me for a while, but today things got, um, a bit rough.” He looked down at himself as if that was enough of an explanation despite knowing there was a bandage on his face too. He remembered the sting of his mother cleaning up his wounds earlier. He was really glad they didn’t hurt anymore. “It’s no big deal.”

Kacchan looked him up and down and looked disgusted. He stood up and let his arms drop out of their crossed positions, his fists clenching by his side. “Stop trying to feed me bullcrap, Deku. I know what it’s like when ‘things get a little rough’. Heck, I do it all the time even with you, and things don’t ever get this crappily bad.” He and Kacchan did roughhouse a lot, especially now that they were both getting older. Kacchan didn’t really know how to have fun normally without some kind of fighting, so him and Kacchan wrestled a lot. He kind of liked it because it helped to burn off energy. Plus it felt kind of good to do it. It satisfied a somewhat restless urge in him. It was true that Kacchan obviously wasn’t trying to hurt him even when the two of them got really into it. “Wouldn’t outside of the damn dream, either.” Kacchan continued, face darkening with anger. “So someone wanted to do worse than that. How can that not be a big deal?”

Izuku uncurled a little further and began to fidget with his fingers, nervous under Kacchan’s anger. He was a little happy that his Packmate was getting angry on his behalf, though. Not that Kacchan could do anything anyway. “Because…” He didn’t really have a good excuse. “I don’t know… I just don’t…” He hesitated. As much as Neito and the others were mean to him, Izuku didn’t hate them or anything. There had to be a reason why they disliked him. From what he could tell, they didn’t like him talking about Kacchan so much and because the girls liked him more. He couldn’t help either of those things. 

“They’re just jerks. They’ve been messing with me for a while. I didn’t think they would get this mean, though. They never have before.” They never had gotten physical before, that was true. Izuku wasn’t even sure what was different about this time. He had probably gotten too mouthy with them. They had started shouting this time when he had been shoved into his desk and had fallen. The clatter of everything had scared the other boys off fearing that a teacher would come. They had ignored Izuku’s injuries as the boy had cried while he’d been found. 

“They’ve been giving you crap for years?” He looked affronted. Izuku had never told him. He didn’t really see the point in doing so. “Then why do you put up with it? Just effing tell them off! Like you do with me.”

Izuku could almost laugh. He had already tried a couple times before. “It’s not… it’s not that easy, Kacchan. They’re…” He didn’t really know how to explain that Neito and the others were clearly higher up on their social ladder than he was in their group. Between Neito and Itsuka, one of them would be considered the leader of their Pack even if none of them had presented yet. Itsuka sided with Izuku whenever the teasing went too far, but it wasn’t easy for Izuku to fight their other leader. Especially with so many people backing the boy. Izuku just didn’t have the nerve to try and risk being ostracized from their Pack. “I’ve tried to tell them to stop, but it gets worse when I do that.” 

Kacchan only frowned at him. Izuku gave up and decided he would just have to explain properly, “They teased me for being best friends with Ochako-chan because she’s a girl and because all of these girls like me. They keep calling me a wimpy Omega because I get along so well with them and don’t fight back. And then they started getting meaner. They would steal my books and pencils and my notebooks. They mess with me when I’m talking about our adventures too. They keep calling you my imaginary friend even though I tried to explain you can’t be because you’re only in my dreams! And then they mocked me for that too!” His voice was getting louder as tears of frustration appeared in his eyes. He was more upset that they would mock Kacchan and his existence rather than because they were mocking him. He didn’t like anyone ragging on Kacchan. “They kept telling me you’re not real and stuff! They don’t stop even if I tell them to! Even Ochako-chan told them to stop and they wouldn’t!” He hit the water in his frustration, splashing the two of them with the spray, and he let out a little hiccup of a sob. He sniffed and wiped at his face.

Kacchan gave him a few moments to calm down, which Izuku took. The older boy only huffed after Izuku’s rant. “Well, they’re crappy dummies.” He said, glaring at the water. Izuku let out a tiny laugh. “Uraraka might be a girl, but from what you’ve told me she’s as tough as they come. Who cares if she’s female? If she’s someone you effing get along with, then it’s no one else’s business.” Izuku looked to Kacchan. Kacchan met his look. His confidence wrapped around him like an old cloak. It was something Izuku had always admired and envied about him - his ability to talk and move as if nothing and nobody could affect him. “And if they don’t believe about what we’re doing or that we’re even meeting, then just don’t tell them about it anymore. They don’t need or deserve to know, anyway. I don’t need any extras I’ll never meet either way to think I’m real. I know I am. You know I am. That’s all that matters.”

Izuku opened his mouth because he did have some doubts about Kacchan’s existence. It was hard for him not to considering their circumstances. But hearing Kacchan’s words calmed him. His doubt in Kacchan was more of a little voice in his head telling him to be realistic. But Kacchan was too real to be fake anyway. That’s what he liked about him. Everything they had done together couldn’t be fake.

“I wish you could tell them that, Kacchan. They would listen to you in a heartbeat.” He said a little sadly even as he was smiling. “You’d be the leader of our Pack if you were with us. They’d listen to you right away.” It was just natural with how Kacchan was. Just like how he walked in and cheered Izuku right up, he would walk in and take over their Pack without any effort. People would just want to follow him. Kacchan was too amazing not to admire and follow.

Kacchan’s chest puffed out a little as he smirked. “Of course I would be.” But then an idea occurred to him and his smirk turned into an angry scowl again. Izuku could tell it wasn’t directed at him, though. “Show them to me.” He commanded, startling Izuku, “I’ll damn well tell them to back off if you want me to.”

Izuku’s smile shifted in confusion. “What? How can I? You’re not- You’re not from my world.” It wasn’t like Kacchan could just appear in real life and then threaten Izuku’s friends.

Kacchan motioned vaguely around them. “You were the one constantly going on and on about how we could change this world ‘cause it’s a damn dream. Use it. Show me the damn assholes and I’ll deal with them.”

“I-I can’t!” Izuku stuttered and climbed to his feet. “This is your world! I can’t change anything here.”

Katsuki looked irritated. His eyebrows were scrunched with concentration and there was a fiery determination in his glare that usually spelled trouble for whatever he and Izuku were about to do. “Well maybe you can and you just haven’t tried hard enough before? Try again.”

Izuku had tried plenty of times before. He definitely knew he wasn’t wrong. He didn’t really like that Kacchan was so fired up over this. “I-It’s not really a big de-”

“Like hell it isn’t!” Kacchan yelled, tired of his excuses. “Stop trying to protect cowardly assholes who don’t effing deserve it, Deku!”

Izuku cringed a little at his Packmate’s command and thought back to earlier in the day. How his desk had been trashed and drawn all over for the third time that year. How Neito and Yosetsu and Kosei had mocked him when they had found him alone in the classroom cleaning it. Neito had shoved Izuku when Izuku had grown tired of it and had yelled at them to leave him alone. He remembered the shock on their faces as Izuku had toppled his desk and two chairs and had become injured. The way they had fled when Izuku had started crying because they hadn’t wanted to get caught.

And suddenly the three boys appeared on the shore as well. Izuku gasped to see them there. None of them actually talked, though. They were standing perfectly still like 3-D cardboard cutouts of his Packmates. There are the usual mocking smiles and sneers on their faces. Neito looks angry, yet cocky. He seemed to be caught in the middle of laughing at Izuku’s pain. There was a fake quality about them that, despite looking exactly like their real life counterparts, let Izuku know for sure they were just a dream. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what made them seem so fake though. Maybe the unusual stillness.

“Oh my god, it worked.” Izuku said quietly, stunned. He didn’t know why he had been able to bring the bullies here. He had never been able to change anything in Kacchan’s dream world before. Was it because Kacchan had wanted to see them too? Izuku had no idea.

Kacchan’s lips twisted into a sneer of his own as he cracked his knuckles. He didn’t need to say anything for Izuku to know exactly what he was thinking. His intentions were clear enough. “Wait- What?! No!” Izuku scrambled and got quickly between the boys and threw his arms out. “Don’t fight them!”

Katsuki scowled furiously at him. “Why not? They hurt you. In a damn unfair fight. They deserve to be put in their effing place for that!” 

“Because…” He didn’t actually have a good reason when he thought about it. He just didn’t really agree with fighting in general. His mother had taught him there were better ways to resolve a disagreement rather than physically fighting back. Even if Kacchan clearly thought and had taught him differently. As much as he didn’t like Neito and the others harassing him, he could admit to himself that he still felt some loyalty to them. Even if they were mean, they were still his friends. They weren’t always jerks to him. But he didn’t think Kacchan would handle that well if he told him that. So instead he finished lamely, “They’re not even real.”

“They’ll be as effing real as I want them to be! Now let me at them!”

“No! I’m not… I’m not from this world, Kacchan! I can’t go beating up everyone and think it’ll be fine! I’ll get in big trouble!”

Kacchan hesitated, giving Izuku one of those looks of irritated confusion as if his words didn’t make sense before he finally relaxed his hackles and huffed. “Fine. I won’t touch them, then. I’ll just scare them a little.” Then, under his breath quietly as if Izuku’s ears couldn’t pick him up easily enough, “Or a lot…” Izuku didn’t get the chance to say anything before he raised his voice again back to his normal level, “Will you let me effing help now?”

Izuku knew how rare it was that Kacchan would actually offer to help him. He lowered his arms so he wasn’t blocking the way anymore. He didn’t really see the point in Kacchan screaming or scaring some fake people, but that was also the reason why he didn’t see any harm in letting it happen. 

His heart was beating faster in his chest. His body felt warm at the thought of his Packmate defending him. He hadn’t felt this nice since Ochako had done it. Somehow it was even better when Kacchan did it. “Okay.” He said and stepped aside.

Kacchan nodded once in approval that Izuku also preened just a tiny bit at and he stepped forward. He looked the illusionary bullies over before he took a breath and started screaming at them. Izuku watched with both baffled shock and fascination as all kinds of curse words and threats came from Katsuki’s mouth. He yelled and let explosions go off in his hands like he was intimidating actual people. He never actually growled like Izuku expected one to threaten someone with, but the explosions were probably enough. Izuku found himself giggling at the sight because of how ridiculous it was. The bullies did nothing and didn’t react until they faded away completely.

Kacchan spun around to face Izuku with a grin on his face, looking happy and pleased with himself as Izuku continued to laugh. It was even funnier that Kacchan was so proud of what he had done. It all made Izuku feel both grateful for Kacchan cheering him up and defending him. His cheeks felt hot as he looked at Kacchan’s smile and he resisted the urge to hug him. He wanted to show his gratefulness, but wasn’t sure how. So he only ended up staring at Kacchan like he’d hung the stars in the sky. His admiration for his best friend only grew.


Izuku awoke feeling lighter than when he had when he had gone to sleep. His wounds stung a tiny bit as he uncurled in his bed and stretched with a yawn. It was just about dawn, which was around the time he usually woke up when he dreamt of Kacchan and his world. Izuku took a few moments to lazily stare at the few sunbeams that broke through the pastel color of his curtains. His eyelids drooped with his sleepiness. He could still feel the smile on his lips from having played with Kacchan for so long. They had tried boating out on the lake together to mixed success. The laughter was still in Izuku’s lungs even after waking up. He was sad that it had ended.

He rubbed at his eyes. He could still see Kacchan in his mind’s eye, smiling that proud and happy smile. It had taken so little for the other boy to cheer him up. It only really confirmed for him his original thoughts about Kacchan and how he was his best friend. Kacchan had really proven to be part of his Pack. He wanted to show his appreciation for the other boy, but he wasn’t quite sure how. He didn’t know if he would be able to.

Kacchan made his chest feel warm. It was a fluttering feeling that Izuku sometimes got around Ochako as well, but it felt different. More solid and stronger. Like a little butterfly in his chest that flittered a bit more wildly whenever Kacchan laughed or grinned at him. Whenever he had looked at Izuku proudly. Izuku wondered what the feeling was. He figured he should ask his mother when he told her tonight’s adventure with Kacchan.

He fell asleep before he could think about it much more, his sleepiness pulling at his consciousness and tugging him beneath its tempting waves. 


A couple days passed since Izuku had last dreamt of Kacchan, but Izuku had made sure to remember everything Kacchan had said. That was because Neito seemed angrier lately and Izuku wanted to keep Kacchan’s reassurances in mind. Neito had been bitter towards Izuku, glaring at him whenever he could. His cold shoulder and scorn had only seemed to increase even to the point that the others in the group had actually noticed. Both Ochako and Itsuka had called him out on it, but he had ignored them.

Izuku knew what it meant the moment he was alone with Neito, Yosetsu, and Kosei again. Their scents were bitter around him, but none more so than Neito’s. Izuku didn’t know what he had done. Neito had only yelled at him and had said something about how his “stupid stories were invading his dreams now”. He had torn up Izuku’s notebook, scattering the pages. Izuku had tried to grab as many of them as he could before Neito had pushed Izuku roughly into the school pond. They had all laughed at him and left. Izuku had only gritted his teeth, upset. He couldn’t control anybody’s dreams. He hadn’t known why Neito had been blaming him.

Izuku wondered what Kacchan would’ve done in that kind of situation. He probably would’ve gotten angry and fought back. Maybe blown off a couple of explosions before flying at the other boys. He would win a three-on-one fight easily. But Izuku was not Kacchan, and he didn’t really like fighting. He didn’t really know what he should do. 

The treatment only worsened a few days later. Neito had looked tired and he had confronted Izuku again with the others. There had been anger on his face, but fear in his scent. Once again he had yelled at Izuku about his stories. He had called Izuku a freak. Izuku had clutched his notebook close expecting another attack, but it hadn’t come to his book. It was thrown aside and instead the three jumped him to throw dirt and hit him. Izuku had begged them to stop. They had ignored him. He had fought back where he could, getting a couple of injuries in, but three on one meant that Izuku couldn’t do much. Especially not when the boys were physically stronger than he was. He had gone home even more beat up than before, crying to his mother. She had been furious and distraught wanting to know who could’ve hurt him like that. Izuku still did not say. He wished that he could see Kacchan that night. 

Izuku had cried himself to sleep that night, angry and hurt. He couldn’t keep living like this, he decided. He had tried avoiding and talking and every way he could think of to get Neito to stop outside of getting an adult. He didn’t want to get an adult involved with this stupid spat. Kacchan always took care of issues on his own. He wasn’t worried about fighting some kids who were mean. Maybe Kacchan was right in how to handle this kind of situation. Izuku hadn’t planned on using the moves Kacchan had taught him on someone, but if the bullies came back then he was going to fight them. Kacchan was never wrong anyway about that kind of stuff. Even if he got in trouble, Kacchan was right: they needed to be put in their place. He wouldn’t be a punching bag anymore.


Izuku had learned while reading books that situations always got worse before they got better. And that bad things came in threes. Izuku had wondered if it meant that Neito with his friends were the three, but he was wrong. In this case, the situation definitely got worse. And just as Izuku had expected, Neito and his friends came back for a third time to physically confront Izuku.

This time Neito had looked exhausted. He had seemed kind of jumpy in class. His glares would turn on Izuku no matter what time of day. Izuku found it difficult to share their group of friends when it was clear there was tension in their group. Ochako and Tenya had started to gather closer to Izuku over the course of it, both noticing how Izuku was being treated by some of the others. Most of their group seemed confused as to why there was so much tension. Itsuka only became riled up and kept trying to get Neito to calm down because he was making everyone uncomfortable. The acrid scent in the air from the boy’s anger and fear put everyone on edge. Izuku’s bruises and cuts were obvious as well. Izuku usually had to calm down Ochako when everything got to her too much.

It came to a head after school that day. Izuku had expected it to do so just because he knew all of that anger would have to go somewhere. This time he would be prepared. He was confronted in the park on his way home from school, but it was Neito alone. He did not bring his buddies with him. Izuku gave him a wary glare and gripped the arms of his backpack as Neito stepped in front of him.

“You-” Neito began, but Izuku cut him off,

“What’s wrong with you?!” He demanded, half-desperately, “What have I done to make you hate me so much?!”

“It’s not fair!” Neito yelled. “You’re nothing but this… weak kid! You’re just some stupid Omega boy! I don’t know what she sees in you!”

“Who?!” Izuku asked. He ignored the Omega comment, but it did sting him a bit. He didn’t understand why being an Omega was a bad thing, but he wasn’t even an Omega! He was pretty sure he was going to be a Beta! 

Neito only let out a frustrated noise and stomped his foot. There was a grumble in his chest that Izuku was sure was supposed to be a growl, “You’re so freaking annoying!”

Izuku tossed his backpack aside. He didn’t want to have to do this, but this was how it would be. He would prove that he wasn’t weak. He had seen plenty of Alphas on TV who had resolved their issues with fighting. And Kacchan resolved his with fighting too. So Izuku would as well! He just wanted to stop all of this bullying. “If you… If you want to fight so much then… Then I’ll fight you!” He put up his fists in preparation, just like Kacchan had taught him. He postured and made a growl in his own chest, trying to copy the sounds he had heard on TV before. He thought it sounded rather threatening, even if it didn’t reach nearly as deep as the adults’ did. “I’ll-I’ll show you!” Neito looked surprised by this announcement. Izuku felt himself trembling, but he was determined. He would stand his ground. “If I win… You stop messing with me! A-And you tell me why you’re being so mean!”

Neito gritted his teeth. He glanced around them warily before he turned his glare on Izuku. They were in the clear. No adults around. “Fine!” He charged him without any kind of warning. Izuku startled from the sudden attack as a fist flew at him. He was surprised at how quickly he reacted to it, ducking under the attack and out of the way. Neito almost toppled forward having not expected Izuku to dodge his hit. Izuku swung a kick at him and got him in the side. The boy went to the ground. Izuku only stared at him in shock. His body wasn’t moving as fast as he was used to in his dreams with Kacchan but…

“Crap!” Neito grumbled as he climbed back to his feet, but Izuku was on him the next moment. He tackled Neito back to the ground and punched him in the face. Neito cried out and grabbed Izuku’s shirt desperately, yanking him forward to headbutt him. Izuku cried out as he felt the pain of the fight for the first time. Neito punched him in the eye and threw him off, but Izuku yanked him with him as he grabbed his wrist. He bit down hard on the boy’s arm and kneed him.

The boys fought and wrestled and attacked each other. Shouts filled the air and tears came to both of their eyes as they cried. Neito had a bloody nose. Izuku hurt his thumb. They yanked on each other’s hair and bit down on each other as they screamed with anger. The noises were what had brought adults running who had seen the kids fighting. They were forced apart where the two of them both ended up sobbing. Izuku couldn’t see through his swollen eye. Neito was covered with blood. 

There wasn’t a winner to the fight as their parents were called. Izuku went home and continued to cry as his mother got angry with him. He was scolded, patched up, and grounded after he had confessed to starting the fight.

“Why would you do such a thing?!” His mother cried, appalled and legitimately shocked that Izuku of all people would start a fight.

“Because Kacchan said to!” Izuku said through his tears, only crying harder because he was in trouble. “Because N-Neito wouldn’t st-stop bullying me!”

His mother didn’t say anything to that. She just stared at Izuku with a look on her face that he couldn’t understand. She was a little pale despite the flush of anger to her cheeks. She just closed her eyes and pointed to Izuku’s room. “Room. Now. You’re grounded, Izuku.”

Izuku had thought that he would feel better after he had fought Neito. He had thought he would feel successful. Instead, he had felt worse than before. Izuku went to bed that night wishing that he would dream of Kacchan, but he didn’t. 


Izuku stayed home from school the next couple of days because his mother didn’t want him going to school with so many injuries and because the bullying was bad enough that she was scared for him. She didn’t look happy when she saw Izuku doodling Kacchan or Myordice in his book and asked him not to tell her any stories for the time being. Izuku stayed in his room and wasn’t allowed to play any video games or watch TV. He spent his few days doing homework that Ochako brought him and reading and drawing. Ochako had tried to talk with him, but Izuku’s mother had always sent her home because he was in trouble.

It wasn’t too bad, although Izuku did cry a couple of times. He felt like he hadn’t been successful in his attempts to get through to Neito. He still didn’t really understand how their relationship had soured so much. Fighting hadn’t done anything but hurt him more. Izuku wished that he could see Kacchan and speak with him. Kacchan would make him feel better. And dreaming without the pain of his injuries would be nice.

A knock on the door one day brought Neito over with his parents. Neito looked repentant as his parents had been let inside with the boy. His scent was scared and guilty. His parents were firm but kind as they had introduced themselves properly. Izuku hadn’t had them visit before.

“Our son has come to apologize.” Neito’s dad said, his hand on the back of his son’s neck. Neito did not struggle as he instinctively went lax under his parent’s hand. They were still young enough to react in such a manner even if it wasn’t a full scruffing. “He has explained to us the reason for all of the fighting. Apparently his hormones are kicking in a little early for his age and he’s been taking it out on Izuku-kun.”

“So he’s been starting fights.” His mother added, sounding repentful. The family of three bowed to the Midoriyas. “We’re very sorry for the trouble he’s caused!”

“I-It’s okay!” Izuku said.

“Izuku.” His mother said gently but firmly. “Let them apologize.” Izuku hunched his shoulders some. The family straightened.

“Neito, you apologize as well.” Neito’s father said.

“Can… Can we speak alone?” Izuku asked, glancing at his mother. “We won’t fight.” He could tell by Neito’s scent that the anger had gone out of him. If anything he seemed scared to be alone with Izuku. Izuku didn’t want Neito to be scared of him. Despite everything, he didn’t hate the boy. He was just so terribly confused. He wanted his friend back. He wanted his Pack back together again. “Please?”

“Y-Yeah…” Neito added, glancing at his own parents although his gaze kept sliding nervously back to Izuku. “Can we?”

The parents all looked towards each other. After a moment, Izuku’s mother sighed. “Alright.”

“Thank you mom!” Izuku said and then grabbed Neito’s wrist. The boy startled a little, but didn’t resist as he was tugged down the hallway. The parents could still see them, but couldn’t hear them as Izuku spoke in a low voice, “Neito-kun… I’m sorry.”

“What? Neito asked, shocked. “ You’re sorry?”

“Yeah.” Izuku looked at his feet. “I… I didn’t know what to do anymore. But… I shouldn’t have fought you. That was mean.”

Neito only stared at him for a long moment before his face crumpled. “Why…?” He asked, his voice sounding a little choked off, “Why are you apologizing? I… I shouldn’t… I was…”

“It’s okay!” Izuku said quickly, not wanting his friend to cry. “I forgive you! Really!”

“Why though?!” Neito cried before lowering his voice. “I was so mean! I don’t… You shouldn’t forgive me!”

“But you’re my friend.” Izuku said. “And I… I still want to be your friend. You’re Pack.”

Neito let out a bitter sob. “I’m hardly Pack. Pack doesn’t do what I did… I even had the others hurt you.”

“That wasn’t okay.” Izuku agreed. “But… if you all apologize and stop… I still want to be friends.”

Neito sniffled and didn’t respond. He wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve as he hiccupped. There was a hint of a whine in his throat every time he breathed out. An unconscious noise. Something in Izuku twisted, uncomfortable with the sound. He hesitated and then reached forward to brush his wrist over Neito’s scent gland. He wasn’t quite old enough to produce calming pheromones, but the movement did relax Neito a bit. It was instinctive. He closed his eyes and tilted his head a little into the movement before he hiccuped again and reopened his eyes.

“Okay.” He finally said. “I… really am sorry. I was just… I was mad because Ochako-chan liked you more.”

“Really?” Izuku asked with surprise, eyes wide. “That’s why?”

“Yes!” Neito said, sounding a little put out. “It’s not fair that she likes you so much!”

“She’s my best friend.”

“She likes you, stupid!”

“She doesn’t!” Izuku said with a huff. Ochako would’ve told him if she liked him. “She just likes hanging out with all of us! All of the girls do!”

“The girls like you so much too.”

“I don’t know why.” Izuku said.

“Probably because you’ll be an Omega or something.” He grumbled.

“I think I’m a Beta.” He said defensively. “My mom and dad both are. The girls just… I don’t know. Always liked me. They’re like that.”

Neito picked at a stray thread on his shirt. “...I guess.”

“They like you too, Neito-kun. But Ochako thinks you’re a jerk right now.”

Neito winced. “Y-Yeah… that’s true. Guess I ruined that, huh?”

Izuku shrugged. “We’re still Pack. I think she’ll forgive you if you’re nicer!”

“Yeah?” He asked hopefully. Izuku smiled and nodded. He sighed. “I’ll try, then. I’ll tell the others we made up.”

“We both will.” Izuku paused. “When I’m not grounded.”

Neito gave him a rueful smile. “Me too.” Izuku was relieved to finally have his friend back. Neito looked terrible, but Izuku knew he looked just as bad. His heart felt lighter than it had in days. Maybe Kacchan had been right about fighting after all. It had saved his and Neito’s friendship. Fighting might not be such a bad thing, although it didn’t feel that good. Izuku needed to get tougher, he thought. 

“Oh, Izuku,” Neito added after a moment. He looked uncomfortable as he gazed at his feet. The fear-scent was back, leaking a little into the air. “C… Can you tell… Can you tell Kacchan to leave me alone? That I stopped fighting you?”

Now Izuku was stunned. Was Neito meeting Kacchan too? “You met Kacchan?!”

“I don’t know.” He confessed. “It was him but… I didn’t know he was real! He… I saw him in a dream last night and… He was so mad! He was making explosions and threatening me!”

Izuku winced. “That sounds like Kacchan…”

“You’ll tell him to stop, right?!” He asked desperately. “Please make him leave me alone!”

“I’ll tell him!” Izuku assured him. “Next time I see him, I’ll tell him.”

Neito’s entire body relaxed with relief. “Thank you.”

Izuku wasn’t sure what the sick feeling in his chest was. There was a mild pain in his heart at the thought that Kacchan and Neito had met in their dreams. Izuku hadn’t even seen Katsuki in a little while. That wasn’t exactly fair. And what let Neito meet Katsuki? Would he meet him a lot? Izuku had thought that he had a special connection with Katsuki. Maybe that wasn’t true anymore? 

It saddened Izuku a little to think of it.


Izuku woke up from his dream haze to find himself in his bedroom. He was confused and a little disoriented at first. What was he doing in his bedroom? Did he actually wake up? It was still dark outside, though, and he didn’t feel tired. He didn’t feel sore either and he could see well through his black eye. He glanced down at his hands and saw that he was still wearing the bandages he had fallen asleep with, but prodding at them didn’t spark any pain. He sniffed the air for the familiar and comforting scent of his room, but it was absent. 

It didn’t take him long to spot the other person in his room. It was Kacchan with his easily-recognizable strange clothing and marked skin. He had an angry scowl on his face and was looking around with confusion and fury. He was pissed off for some reason, but there was nothing in Izuku’s room that would’ve pissed him off. At least, he didn’t think so. He didn’t seem to have spotted Izuku right away on his bed. Not until a moment later when his eyes met Izuku’s.

“Kacchan! I didn’t think I would see you tonight!” He cried when recognition blinked onto Kacchan’s face. His angry scowl turned into a bright grin that made Izuku feel warm inside.

“Hey, Deku.” He said the name in a way that sounded slightly different from normal. Like he put the emphasis on part of the sound a little differently or something. Izuku wasn’t completely sure what had changed. Maybe it was his happy tone. He didn’t say his name like it was an insult anymore even though Iuzku knew it still was. Maybe at this point it was just a nickname. 

Kacchan looked around him for real now, wandering a bit as he took in everything. Izuku watched him, just happy to be in the presence of his best friend. He had missed him over the past few days. He was glad that Kacchan looked well. He assumed the boy would always look well, but considering how dangerous his world was Izuku was just glad to get the reassurance. He couldn’t wait to hear what kind of stories he would have this time. “Where the heck are we this time?” Kacchan asked. 

“It’s my room!” Izuku told him, somewhat proudly. His room had his favorite stuff displayed. He was rather proud of the set up. Izuku thought it looked pretty mature for his age, or at least that’s what his mother told him. Kacchan only blinked in surprise at him and then reevaluated the room. He looked a lot more impressed. That was when it hit Izuku that Kacchan had never been there before. He gasped, “That’s right, you’ve never been here!” He scrambled off of his bed and over to Kacchan to grab his hand. His friend flinched at the sudden touch. “Look, look! I wanna show you my stuff!” He tried to pull Kacchan after him and over to his toy box. He thought that his Gameboy would really interest the boy. 

But Kacchan only yanked him backwards, startling Izuku. He saw that his friend was scowling, baring his teeth at Izuku’s arm. “What happened?” He demanded when he saw the bandages on Izuku’s arm. “Did the assholes from before do something to you again?” His tone was low and bristling. Izuku shivered a little, instinctively wanting to calm Kacchan. He didn’t really understand the reaction, but he supposed that was just how it was with Kacchan. He was so Alpha-like sometimes that Izuku just knew he had to be one when he was older.

His excitement bled away and he smiled sheepishly. Inside he preened a little. It was kind of embarrassing to have Kacchan be so protective of him, but he couldn’t say that he didn’t like it. In this case, though, it was Izuku’s fault. He gave an awkward laugh and shook his head. “Um, yeah. These are… from the other day.” Kacchan’s face darkened. He hurried to explain before Kacchan got any angrier, “I took Kacchan’s advice and fought Neito-kun because he kept getting meaner and meaner to me. We both got in a lot of trouble. I’m grounded at my house now.” 

Kacchan looked confused for a moment, then a grin broke out on his face. Pride flooded his entire body as his chest puffed up. Izuku’s eyes widened at the sight of Katsuki’s eyes sparkling like they usually did when Izuku praised him. Instead Kacchan seemed to be proud of Izuku. He couldn’t help but gape a bit as his friend huffed a laugh and said, “I bet the other guy looks way worse then.” 

Heat pooled in Izuku’s cheeks. His heart was filled to the brim with joy and pride in himself. Kacchan was proud of him. And because of that, Izuku felt himself puff up as well. He stood a little taller and lifted his chin. Kacchan’s smile only widened in response.

“Oh!” Izuku suddenly remembered. Speaking of Neito… “Neito-kun actually came to see me today.” His pride-filled look dropped away as he gave Izuku a baffled frown. “He asked me to tell you to stop bothering him. Kacchan, have you been seeing Neito-kun in his dreams as well?” Izuku tried not to let the weird, unpleasant sensation he felt seep into his questioning tone.

Kacchan scowled and crossed his arms. “Yeah.” He admitted in a grumble before he dropped his glare to the ground. “Saw him about three times since we last talked.” Izuku’s heart stuttered unpleasantly. Neito-kun got to see Kacchan that much when Izuku never got to see Kacchan that often…? “I have no effing idea why, but if I had any damn say in when and who I meet in my dreams, I’d tell you to let him know I’ll back off only once he stops treating you like his damn training dummy.”

Izuku huffed a laugh and he opened his mouth to say something when Kacchan spoke up again, a thoughtful frown on his face as he said, “Actually, you can tell him that anyway. The Gods probably allowed me to meet him for that very reason. So I’m not going to leave him alone until he leaves you alone. Let him see what it’s like to be on the receiving end for an effing change.”

Izuku’s eyes widened and he let out a high, shocked whining noise. He was thrilled to hear that Kacchan had been defending him, but he was also horrified that he had threatened his friend for real. Neito had said that he had used explosions on him! Had he actually hurt him? “Kacchan!”  He cried, “Did you hurt him like you said you would?!” His grip tightened around Kacchan’s wrist. “I mean, I know we can’t really get hurt in dreams… but that must have been scary… Kacchan can be…” his voice trailed off, suddenly really worried for Neito. No wonder he had been giving off fear-scent. How many times had Neito been threatened? Was that why he had doubled-down on Izuku?

But… Kacchan had defended him. Very adamantly too. And Izuku… didn’t dislike that. He’d had friends defend him but… it was different with Kacchan. He couldn’t really explain why. It felt right for Kacchan to defend him. It slotted something comfortable in Izuku’s chest. It made him feel shy with the happiness glowing in him as he gave Kacchan a bashful smile. “But um… thank you.”

To his surprise, Kacchan’s cheeks darkened a little. He looked away quickly and scowled and grumbled under his breath. Izuku only smiled a bit more to see his friend shy. It wasn’t often that he ever looked that way. “Whatever.” He muttered. Then after a moment he added, “And I only scared him. I didn’t hurt him… much. Maybe broke his nose once, but he effing deserved it.” 

Izuku gaped, shocked to hear that, but then he laughed a little. He felt guilty over hurting his friend, but he couldn’t help being a little amused too. “I… did too, I think.” He confessed. “It was bleeding a lot.”

Kacchan blinked with shock, doing a double-take as he looked at Izuku again. Then a new grin spread across his lips, cocky and proud at the same time. “Yeah, I saw.”

“You did?” Izuku ased. “You must have seen him yesterday or the day before, then.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. A warm silence hung between the two, the very air filled with their pride. It was funny in a way that really shouldn’t be funny considering Izuku had hurt someone. He wasn’t going to tell Kacchan that he agreed to violence as the answer, but he did see some merit in knowing how to fight well. His mother wasn’t too happy that he had been fighting. She had scolded him plenty for that. He wondered if he could get her to sign him up for some fighting classes. Maybe he would be able to spar well with Kacchan someday. 

For the time being, though, Izuku decided to change the topic. He was still very excited to show Katsuki some of his things, after all! “Um, so!” He called, “Do you want to see my stuff? I think I have some toys you might like!”


It wasn’t easy recovering their Pack dynamic after what Neito had done to them. There was a defining split in the group that cracked the relationships into three different sections: the group that sided with Neito and liked him more, the side that sympathized with Izuku and disliked what Neito and his group were doing, and the side that didn’t want their friends to fight but didn’t know how to stop it. Izuku and Neito coming back to school on the same day and sitting down to talk with each other like normal people helped to bring the glue that put the group back together, but it wasn’t the same. Or, at least, it wouldn’t be for a while.

Part of what helped with the recovery was Neito agreeing to explain to everyone in their friend group why he had done what he did. He confessed to being jealous and how he had acted childish. Izuku sided with him and said that they had already forgiven each other. Ochako did not forgive Neito, though, and did not forget. She did not speak with him for a long time. Her snubbing felt deserved by most of the group. Izuku tried to speak with her about forgiving and forgetting, but she refused to do either.

“He’s a jerk!” She cried to Izuku when they were walking home together after school one day. They had decided to stop for ice cream at the corner store first. “There’s no way I’ll forgive him!”

“Ochako-chan…” Izuku sighed.

“No!” She adamantly refused no matter how many times Izuku tried to speak with her about it. So eventually he gave up.

And time passed. Their friend group never recovered completely, though they didn’t fall out of touch with each other. Izuku had watched as one by one their friends found other friends to hang out with primarily. Ochako and Izuku stayed close to one another, always best friends. Tenya hung out with them often. And surprisingly enough, Neito joined in with their group often as well even if he was no longer a central figure. Itsuka still ate lunch with them sometimes, but she also didn’t hang out with them much. 

Izuku had a great summer despite the rougher school year that he’d had. Izuku’s summer was spent with meeting different people, but never feeling as close to them as he used to. He also went camping with his mother for the first time and had seen the mountains. He already knew he would be sure to show Kacchan when he got the chance. His mountains looked nothing like Kacchan’s mountains, after all. 

Izuku formed a small group with Ochako and Tenya. It wasn’t really a Pack like their last one had been, though. A proper Pack wouldn’t be able to form until they were older anyway. Ochako tentatively allowed Neito to join them. Over the coming weeks and months, her anger towards him calmed down. She never did forget what he had done, but she did forgive him. Izuku’s relationship with Neito only got better with time.

Neito didn’t like hearing about Kacchan still, but he listened to Izuku’s stories. Now that he had met Kacchan personally, he had a better frame of reference. And he could point out things about Izuku’s drawings that would help him. Ochako and Tenya had both been impressed and jealous in turn to hear that Neito had gotten to meet Kacchan.

“Do you think he’ll visit me too?” She asked hopefully.

“I don’t know.” Izuku admitted while he tugged off his shirt. The four of them had snuck out to the beach together. It was kind of far for them to travel alone to, but it had been worth the risk. He had his cell phone just in case he needed to call his mom, and so did Tenya. “He can’t control it, he said.”

“Pretty sure he only showed up to threaten me.” Neito complained.

“You deserved it!” Ochako said.

“Ochako-chan!” Tenya cried from where he was blowing up a beach ball. “Please, do not be so mean!” She only huffed and kicked off her sandals. Izuku sighed and didn’t argue about it. Neito himself didn’t even seem too put out when she said those things anymore. Izuku supposed that his crush on her must have finally faded. 

“I can ask Kacchan if he can go meet you guys too, but I don’t think it will work.” Izuku told them. “We can’t really figure out why we can meet each other at all. He thinks his Gods are allowing it.”

“But wouldn’t those gods not exist here?” Tenya asked.

“That’s what I think too.”

“Well he also has magic! And we don’t have magic. So maybe it’s possible?” Ochako suggested. “Just ask him to think of us before going to bed or something!”

Izuku laughed. “Okay, I’ll bring it up next time I see him!”


Izuku did not bring up his friends very often in the coming dreams, though. Kacchan was stressed out and looking sadder by the day. He came to the dreams they shared with more and more injuries. His usual confident attitude seemed to have taken a bad hit. And Izuku could only really watch without actually knowing what was going on. Kacchan had an entirely separate life from Izuku, and if Kacchan didn’t tell him what was happening then Izuku would never know. 

It was frustrating and disheartening. Kacchan was training to be a Warrior. It was his dream, and Izuku knew that Kacchan had the motivation and determination to follow through on anything he desired to do. It was something that Izuku admired so greatly about his best friend was that he wasn’t discouraged easily. He tended to get angry if someone discouraged him, making him do the opposite and fight even harder instead out of sheer spite. His magic was injuring him from using it so much. But still Kacchan persisted.

Izuku wanted to help him, but there was also nothing he could do but be a listening ear. Kacchan would talk a little bit about what happened with him, but it was so vague that it wasn’t very helpful. He usually asked Izuku to distract him instead. Izuku’s visits with Kacchan became less about hearing stories from his friend, and instead sharing more of his life. They didn’t talk about themselves and instead explored their worlds. They shared information about the differences and that was it. Izuku enjoyed these too, but he couldn’t fully put his heart into them when he was concerned with Kacchan.

He tried to talk about it with his mother, but she didn’t really have any advice. Since Kacchan was from a different world, there were probably different customs. When Izuku would ask for more details, she usually didn’t give many. She didn’t seem as interested in talking about Kacchan, although she did listen. Izuku resorted to his other friends instead, but they, too, didn’t provide many answers.

It came to a head one day in one of their dreams. Kacchan had been more injured than ever before. But it wasn’t just the physical injuries, but also emotional ones. It was the first time Izuku had really seen his friend beaten down. Defeated. And it had made something angry click in Izuku. Some protective part of him had flared up, and he had become furious for the first time. He had wanted to visit Kacchan’s world for a reason other than just to visit it. He wanted to yell at his Master who was making Kacchan hurt himself from training too hard. He wanted to yell at the people who just always seemed to test Kacchan. It had to be unusual to force a kid to go through so much, right?

But Kacchan didn’t agree. He acted like it was normal. Izuku knew it had to be abnormal. Kacchan was amazing at everything he did and Izuku didn’t doubt that he was amazing at training too. Everyone must have their expectations set way too high. But nothing Izuku really said got through to his best friend. He was powerful with his magic and that put a lot of pressure on him. But those injuries weren’t good. They probably looked worse in real life than they did in the dream.

Izuku spent his summer trying to figure out ways to help Kacchan. It wasn’t unusual for him to spend time with his friends thinking of plans that he could take back to Kacchan. He hoped that some would help. And his friends were happy to think of ideas. Even if not all of them made sense. Izuku just wished that Kacchan would tell him more about how his world and people worked. But the dreams he had with Kacchan just spending time with him and playing like he would with any of his other friends were fun too.

The older Izuku got, the more that he loved to read. Visiting Kacchan’s fantasy world and hearing all of the wondrous things his friend got to do had Izuku daydreaming about what life would be like living in such a world. He was reminded of his childhood days of pretending he had his own magic, but the ideas had begun to transform too. He primarily read fantasy novels now, although he definitely dabbled into romance as fantasy romance became more prominent in the books he could read as his reading comprehension developed. If he wasn’t out with his friends, Izuku could be found reading. He always had at least one book on him and more than once he had gotten in trouble in class for reading the novels instead of paying attention. He couldn’t bring himself to really care. His thoughts were off in another world.

When he got a bit older he started to pick up books about dreams. He still didn’t understand a lot of what he was reading, though, because it used a lot of big words and phrases that just didn’t make sense to him. Plus his kanji wasn’t great, and the books he found used a lot of kanji. It wasn’t too bad, though, because his mom would read some for him and explain what she had read. She encouraged his learning, and Izuku loved that about her. 

He began to write stories as well. Sometimes they were completely fictional stories about himself living in a fantasy land of his making. Or a fantasy land that he had read about with him being the main character. He would draw himself and he would draw Kacchan with him. Kacchan was always with him, of course, because they were best friends and would do everything together. If Izuku was ever a prince, Kacchan was usually his knight or some kind of warrior. He was always the strongest, and Izuku was always the second strongest. Izuku sometimes wrote himself being stronger than Kacchan too, but even to him they felt a little too fantastical. Kacchan was stronger than him and Izuku knew this, but that was because of the fact that Kacchan trained every day where Izuku did not. Izuku may be a dreamer, but he was a realist as well.

His elementary school classmates were used to Izuku and didn’t mind him chattering too much about his stories. Izuku had learned not to just spread it around anymore as he got older. But by that point he was already infamous for being the kid with an imaginary friend. He didn’t like them calling Kacchan imaginary, but by the time he had reached middle school he had already understood where they were coming from. He couldn’t prove that Kacchan was real, after all, so naturally they thought he was just an imaginary friend. Izuku knew his friends knew the truth at least, so that was what mattered to him.


“Middle school is so different.” Ochako said while the two of them walked the hallways of their new school. It was a few days after the first day in middle school. Ochako looked pretty in her uniform. Her hair was long again, trailing down between her shoulder blades. Izuku admired the shine of it in the light that came in through the windows. Izuku couldn’t quite name it, but something about Ochako was becoming more attractive.

“Yeah.” Izuku said, slightly uncomfortable as he looked away from her. He felt bad for staring. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked as she caught him looking. She knew her friend’s habits enough to know when he was being weird. “Those boys again?”

“What?” Izuku looked to her with surprise. “W-Wait! How do you know about that?”

Ochako let out a sigh of frustration and stared hard at her friend. “Of course I know! Izu-kun, everyone knows who you are! I hear things all of the time from the other girls!” She puffed out her cheeks. “If those guys are being jerks to you again, you let me know and I’ll handle them!”

Izuku sighed. Of course Ochako had already found out how he was being picked on in his new class. It was to be expected, Izuku thought. The kids who had come from Izuku’s elementary school had known how he had gotten into a fight with Neito, but the new people did not. And the boys in class have noticed a nerdy, small kid and had started picking on him. Izuku knew all about it. Movies and books talked about how middle school was arguably some of the worst times for kids. Izuku knew from his reading romance novels that with all of the hormones in the air and the various puberties going on, it left them all in territorial battles for dominance. Packs were really starting to form then and it was a confusing time for all of them.

Izuku was just starting to really get into his first puberty judging by the way his voice had started cracking on occasion and the way he was constantly hungry. His mother had assured him that he was growing up. His sense of smell and his hearing was getting stronger than it used to be, which was a bad time because now everybody reeked and so few people actually used deodorant. 

He knew how he came off to others: weak and scrawny. He cried when he was picked on, but he couldn’t help it. He had always been an easy crier. The other students took advantage of that. He also didn’t exhibit many pre-Alpha behaviors, so Izuku already had a feeling he wouldn’t present that way. He was certain he would be a Beta. Which was fine with him, but a lot of kids were posturing and attempting to claim superiority over others. Izuku didn’t really have an interest in that and stayed out of it, which made him prime bullying material. He could tell he would have a rough time in middle school. He didn’t want to start more fights if he could help it. He already knew that Kacchan - no doubt an Alpha boy himself - would encourage Izuku to put the assholes in their places.

“I can take care of it, Ochako-chan.” He said, giving her a small smile. He wished that any of his friends were in his class, but none of them were. Izuku had to start over completely alone in a class full of people he didn’t know. He recognized some from his elementary school and could greet them by name, but it was the ones he didn’t know that he had to worry about.

“You should take self-defense classes.” She recommended. “My mom and dad have been thinking about putting me in some. And you already have training from Kacchan!” 

Izuku scratched at the back of his head. “I want to, but my mom’s against it right now. I think I can convince her, though.”

“We can go together! That way we can watch each other’s backs.” Ochako suggested and stepped closer to Izuku. He knew what she was doing. He tilted his head to expose his neck a little as she pressed her face to it to hug him. He shivered at the contact, still not used to this kind of attention nor Ochako’s size. She was bigger than he was at the moment. Her teeth skimmed his scent gland, but didn’t bite. No Pack bites would actually stick until they had the teeth and the hormones to create a proper bond. But it still felt good to fake it. Izuku’s body relaxed a little at her touch as her familiar scent filled his nose. He returned the gesture as she pulled away, licking before nipping the skin of her neck. They released each other then.

Izuku rubbed at his neck where it felt like his skin was throbbing with his pulse. It was a strange sensation and made him feel itchy in a good way. He liked Ochako’s scent. She smelled slightly sweet and earthy. Some part of him recognized her as developing. He wondered if he smelled the same.

“They’re just idiots.” He said as he brought the conversation back around to the bullies. “They’ll get over it at some point. Once I present as a Beta and form a Pack, they’ll leave me alone. Besides, I bet half of them are Betas too.”

Ochako laughed. “You sound like such an adult, Izu-kun!” 

“It’s the truth, though! Kids are stupid idiots.”

“I bet you sound like Kacchan.”

He flushed a little. “A-At least I don’t curse as much.”

“Only when you’re angry.”

“When am I angry?!”

“When we’re playing video games!” 

Okay, she had a point there. Izuku did sometimes get pretty worked up depending on what games they were playing. Even if it wasn’t a video game and it was wrestling or play-fighting, he got pretty into it and cursing. He couldn’t help it. When he trained with Kacchan in their dreams he had picked up on the boy’s language.

“My mom’s gonna kill me…” He muttered.

Ochako only laughed more at his lamentation.


“Do you ever wonder what kind of magic dreams you’re having?” Tenya asked Izuku one day when they were sitting down to eat lunch. The other boy had come to his classroom to join Izuku after Izuku had begged at least one of his friends to break away and join him. He was lonely in his class, and lunch time was prime bullying hour. Even as he sat with Tenya he could see some of the other kids staring him down. The whispers felt louder than normal that day.

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked as he firmly tried to ignore all of the whispering. Kids were just jerks, and he knew that. Kacchan had problems that were similar, but Izuku couldn’t just fight everyone he came into contact with. They had yet to get physical with him anyway, so he wasn’t going to start picking any fights. Whispers were fine. He could deal with whispers.

“You tell us about the stories you read, but what kind of magic world is Kacchan’s world?” Tenya asked as he stirred some sauce into his rice and veggies. “Is it a dream world that you created in your own mind, maybe?”

Izuku gasped. “Oh my god!” He quickly lowered his voice and said in a rush, “How have I not thought of that? It didn’t even occur to me to question what kind of world Kacchan is living in and how I’m connected to it!” He looked up at his friend. “What do you think, Tenya-kun?”

Tenya thought seriously about it. Amongst Izuku’s closest friends, Tenya was the one who took Izuku’s dreams rather seriously. He liked to consider how they could function and why they were going on. “If Kacchan had managed to visit Neito-kun, I don’t think he would be only in your mind.”

“Good point.” Izuku said with a nod and a hum as he popped some rice into his mouth and chewed with thought. When he swallowed he said, “So he probably is in another world. But I don’t wanna say he’s not completely in my head too. It could be a mixture of magic. Like...maybe I made him so real that he can do things like travel?”

“I did not even consider that!” Tenya said, sounding impressed.

Izuku gave a small smile. “Although Kacchan said he can’t control it. So it’s still a possibility.”

“I have yet to meet him-” Izuku’s desk rattled as a girl passed by and kicked it with her foot. He yelped and grabbed his drink before it could spill.

“Watch it, stupid.” The girl sneered.

“You were the one who ran into him!” Tenya cried with affront as he stood up sharply. “Apologize immediately!”

The girl only rolled her eyes. “I didn’t run into him at all! His desk was in the way and I nearly tripped! He should apologize to me !” 

“It certainly is not! I have made sure that-”

“Tenya-kun, it’s okay.” Izuku said and grabbed his friend’s sleeve. The girl grinned at him with superiority at her win as Izuku backed down. It grated on Izuku a little to do so, but it was better to submit than to fight back. 

“Izuku-kun!” Tenya tried to protest, but Izuku shook his head. Tenya gave him a conflicted and sad look before he turned his glare one more time on the girl and sat back down in his seat. The girl turned her nose up at them and continued on before joining her friends on the other side of the classroom. There were a couple of snickers from them. “Why didn’t you stand up for yourself?” Tenya hissed under his breath, concerned and angry for his friend at the same time.

“It doesn’t matter.” Izuku said with a sigh. “They’re just being stupid. They’ll stop if I don’t rise to the bait.”

Tenya sat on the words for a moment before he nodded in hesitant agreement. “Yes...My brother did warn me about the cruelties of middle school. It is certainly brave of you for putting up with this, but call a teacher if it gets worse. I do not want it to end up like it did with you and Neito-kun.”

Izuku let out a laugh. “I think Ochako-chan would fight everyone in this room before I’d even have a chance to take a shot.”

Tenya smiled a little as well. “That’s not good either.”

“We’ll see.” Izuku reassured him. “I think we should just be glad that we don’t have an official Pack yet, although I wouldn’t mind a leader.”

“Soon.” Tenya said, puffing his chest up a little. “Though you may be that leader.”

“Fun.” Izuku said with a sigh at the very thought. He had mixed feelings about being the leader of a Pack. He would just have to see where his life led him.

His eyes slid to watch his classmates again. Most had gone back to ignoring him and the scene that had occurred. Izuku just wished that they would grow up already. He hoped that Kacchan’s life was at least easier with those bullies in his tribe.


Izuku woke up from his dream haze immediately upon the beginning of his dream and he had to say that he was rather impressed and proud with himself. He had become so much better at recognizing when he was sharing a dream with Kacchan. Now he wasted absolutely no time in being lost in his own mind. He never remembered when the dream actually began, but that was okay. He had just woken up already walking with Kacchan by a river in the forest near Kacchan’s village like it was normal. And to Izuku, this was normal and appreciated.

He glanced at Kacchan and really looked his friend over. The boy had changed so much over the years as well. At 11 years old (12, according to Kacchan, but Izuku wasn’t actually sure if Kacchan was older than him or not considering their time-keeping was different) Kacchan was already well-toned and strong. His clothing had changed over the past year in a way that Kacchan had told him signified his adulthood and his coming-of-age. He usually appeared in the dreams with an open vest instead of the tunic he used to wear. The sleeves he wore on his forearms were longer and extended up past his elbows. He wore more jewelry as well, decorating himself in a way that would be strange and possibly scandalous in Izuku’s world. He still wore his necklace that he had gotten years ago, but it was smaller on him as he had grown. He also wore a second necklace, red in color and much longer than the first one. It matched the fang-shaped earrings that he wore, which were also bigger. The significance of these changes were lost on Izuku because Kacchan didn’t explain them very well.

The biggest change though was the ink on Kacchan’s skin. He had a tattoo that was brand new to Izuku. It looked almost like an upside down horseshoe with serpent-like dragons around it. There’s a rune in the middle, but Izuku didn’t recognize it at all. He carried around a sword on his back and had leather protectors on his forearms. 

Izuku could only stare at his best friend to see how much he had changed. Each year they aged, Kacchan looked more and more like the warrior that he claimed he was becoming. It wasn’t unusual to see a weapon on him, but it still made his heart race to see Kacchan like that. Everything about him was sharp and strong. Seeing this boy, Izuku didn’t know how anyone could possibly be impressed with all of the posturing Alphas in his world. Kacchan was a true Alpha even though he probably had yet to present. Izuku admired him and kept trying to sniff the air hoping to catch what he would smell like. He also wished that he could greet Kacchan like he did with his close friends, hugging them and giving them a nip on the neck. 

But Kacchan didn’t like that kind of stuff. He wasn’t affectionate, and he usually gave Izuku weird looks if he attempted to do anything. Last time Izuku had nipped at Katsuki, he had bitten his cheek hard enough that it hurt. Izuku hadn’t tried it again since. Considering Katsuki’s people were hunter-gatherers, he assumed they had different ways of greeting each other. He wouldn’t push it.

But that actually reminded him of something that he had wanted to do. And it brought attention to the fact that he was already carrying a notebook in his hands. It was full of scribbles, but they were illegible. He never could read things in his dreams, so that was probably what was going on. He must have imagined the book, but didn’t actually have anything to put in it so his mind just filled it in with nonsense. He already had a pen in his hand and poised to write even as he was walking.

Izuku took the time to fill in everything he knew about Kacchan’s warrior people underneath the scribbles. He couldn't sketch how Kacchan looked, but he wanted to write down all of the details of Kacchan’s new look. It was significant, but it was a matter of getting the information out of Kacchan. He knew his friend would at least be forthcoming in bragging about his successes, so Izuku figured he would get answers soon.

“What the fuck are you writing so much about, Deku?” Kacchan demanded, peeking over at Izuku’s notebook but pretending not to. Izuku turned his book away a little, unsure if Katsuki could actually read what he was writing considering it was in Japanese, but not wanting to take the risk. It was about Kacchan, after all, and it was a little embarrassing. He didn’t want his friend to know how much he was studying him.

“I want to write down everything I learn about in this dream world.” He explained while he continued to write. He stopped to think for a moment before he wrote down his own theories about what Kacchan’s new look might mean. He could compare the truth to what he actually would learn. His notes were a complete mess, but he was certain he’d remember them. Writing them down kept the ideas fresher in his head. This wasn’t the first time he had attempted to write down his observations in his dreams, after all, and it'd worked out well for him. He wondered if somehow he could make this same notebook - with all of its observations - appear in their next dream together too. Like a literal dream journal.

Kacchan frowned and then scoffed. “Might be ‘just a dream’ to you, but it’s as fucking real for me as the Gods’ realm is for you.” He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his pants.

“What?” Izuku looked up from his notes to blink at his friend in surprise. “Of course!” Actually now that he thought about it, of course Kacchan would see his world as the real world. Whether it was because his world was something Izuku had dreamt up, or if it was an actual separate world, it was real to Kacchan. It was unfair of him to call it a dream world. He felt a little bad and tried to clarify, “I-I mean the dream version of our worlds. And about your world, Kacchan! Haha… Sorry.” He looked down and tapped at his cheek with his pen. 

Kacchan only clicked his tongue at him and didn’t respond. The two fell into a gentle and comfortable silence, just listening to the sounds of nature as they walked. Izuku had stopped writing and instead glanced at his best friend. His cheeks warmed a little under the bright sunlight and his eyelids felt a little heavier as his eyes trailed over Katsuki’s exposed arms and torso. He was beautiful, even with the scars that were on his body. His skin was darkened from days in the sun in a way that Izuku could never be. He wished he could be like Kacchan. Maybe he could get that strong too.

What he wanted most was to meet Kacchan in real life, though. He wanted to see his world and his people and his village while it was full of people. If the type of magic that was occurring was not actually Izuku’s dreams but the two of them actually meeting from two worlds, then did that mean he might get to meet Kacchan in real life sometime? His books had yet to give him a way to do so, though. Maybe Kacchan would have some kind of idea once Izuku knew more about the magic of the world and how it functioned. After all, if this really was a real world and not some kind of dream world, surely there was a reason they were somehow able to meet here in this dream realm? Maybe some kind of magic from Kacchan’s end?

“Fucking what?” Kacchan demanded, and Izuku startled out of his thoughts to realize he had been staring at Kacchan for the past few minutes. The other boy’s scowl had deepened with irritation. Kacchan seemed grumpier lately and more prone to anger. Izuku was pretty sure that was the hormones messing with him too just like all of his classmates. He didn’t hold it against his friend. 

Izuku quickly turned back to his book, his face on fire because he had been caught staring. “Nothing! Just… uh… just looking a-at your new stuff?” He felt lame saying it like that, which only embarrassed him more. He cursed himself for being such a little dork.

Kacchan looked down at himself and grunted in acknowledgement. “These?” He pointed to the sword on his back and the leather protectors on his arms. “I told you I’m a Warrior now. Did you expect me to run around the woods without a weapon? We’re not fucking kids anymore, Deku. We can go wherever we want, but that means I need to be prepared.”

Wow! So this was the outfit of a Warrior. It wasn’t anything like what Izuku had pictured, but it still definitely looked like a Warrior. “I already got that! It’s still… really weird for me to see another kid running around with tattoos and weapons, though.” Kacchan may not think of himself as a kid, but Izuku knew the truth. Unfortunately they were still kids. They hadn’t even reached second puberty yet. It was almost scary to think Kacchan came from a place where they made kids into Warriors, but it hadn’t bothered Izuku in a long time. After all, Kacchan had been training their entire lives to become one. It was normal now.

He got that Kacchan was a Warrior and had to be ready to fight and everything but… “It’s not like anything will attack us here… It’s just a dream.” He muttered under his breath.

“HAH?!” Kacchan cried, and Izuku flinched while he waited to be scolded. “I’m not a fucking kid, Deku!” He looked away with a huff. Izuku only let out a silent laugh. So he hadn’t heard the second part. Now Kacchan was all irritated, but he usually was anyway, “And maybe it’s just a dream-” Dammit! He had heard him, “-but that doesn’t mean I should slack off. In reality, the woods are dangerous. I’m not gonna let my guard down just because it’s a fucking dream and nothing should be here. Doing that is the best way to get fucking killed.”

Izuku still disagreed, but he knew better than to argue about it. Stubborn Alphas. Instead he got excited. This was his chance! “Really? Like what? Actually!” He flipped quickly through his book to a blank page and readied his pen. “Kacchan! Do you know anything about the plants and stuff here? What do you guys eat? What kinds of plants are used for medicine? How about herbs? What animals do you eat? What do you kill just because they’re monsters? Can you eat all of the monsters you kill, or are some poisonous? Do you have, like, snakes and such? You’ve never shown me any of the creatures from your world except for the Mankyoods.” He paused and then muttered under his breath while frowning, “Maybe it’s because I just don’t have the imagination for it? But I’ve read a lot of different stories. Would the monsters here be like monsters from my books, or would they be completely different? I-”

Kacchan groaned loudly in exasperation and annoyance, having finally had enough of Izuku’s talking as he slapped a hand over his mouth and growled, “Fuck, do you ever SHUT UP?!” He glared at him in silent warning not to speak anymore. Izuku blinked at the callouses he could feel on his lips and instinctively shrunk a little bit. Kacchan may not be a full Alpha, but Izuku felt the urge to submit nonetheless. Kacchan was the leader of his group. He didn’t like upsetting him. He hunched his shoulders a little to show that he wouldn’t disobey and to calm Kacchan. Kacchan moved his hand away after a moment and continued, “If you want any fucking answers, keep it to one question at a time. Then maybe I’ll consider answering.”

Stingy. Izuku thought with a sulk. “Oh god, how do I limit it to just one?! Umm…” Kacchan didn’t wait for Izuku to try to figure it out before he stomped off with his thumbs shoved back into the waistband of his pants. His shoulders were hunched. Izuku automatically followed after him as he tried to figure out what he wanted to ask first. He figured the basics would be best, and nodded to himself as he came to his decision. “Okay! What do you guys eat? Like, monsters, animals…? I’ve shown you animals from my world, but you never show me yours!” Usually the two of them spent their dreams together chatting, exploring, or training together whenever they were actually in Kacchan’s world. Kacchan was more of an action kind of guy and refused to just sit and talk like a normal person. So Izuku learned that they needed to be doing some kind of activity whenever he tried to coax anything out of Kacchan. Their favorite activities were swimming, climbing trees and cliffs, and practicing fighting. Although a lot of times Kacchan trained on his own while Izuku watched considering Izuku couldn’t do any magic. Izuku hoped to maybe learn how to use a sword from Kacchan.

Kacchan shot a smirk to Izuku. “That’s because you’d shit your pants and cry if you saw most of them just like you did a few years ago. We’re already twelve, but you’re still a fucking crybaby. You’d probably just do it again.”

Izuku let out an offended noise, cheeks heating up at the reminder of such an embarrassing time. “IT WAS ONE TIME, KACCHAN! And it wasn’t even poop!” He hid his face in his book as he regretted not for the first time telling Kacchan about why he had woken up early from one of their dreams together. He’d had to pee really badly in the dream when they were seven and Kacchan had told him to just go, but it had actually caused Izuku to wet the bed and to wake up. Kacchan had never let him live it down. So much for best friends.

Kacchan only cackled at once again getting Izuku, thoroughly enjoying his friend’s embarrassment. Izuku pouted. “It’s not funny! Stop bringing it up!” He grumbled to himself, “Shouldn’t have told you…”

Kacchan was still chuckling as he said, “Then stop getting so riled up about it.”

Izuku didn’t stop sulking. He decided it was better to just move on. Kacchan would just continue to tease him and Izuku just wanted to get more answers. “Just… I wanna know the answer, okay? I’m not that much of a crybaby!” It kind of stung that Kacchan also made fun of him for being a crybaby. He should really work on not crying so easily… It wasn’t very manly, he thought.

Kacchan’s mirth died down. “Whatever.” He looked towards the denser foliage near them. “Still not gonna show you anything, though.” Izuku deflated a little. “We mostly eat meat, but we also grow vegetables and shit.” Izuku straightened. Kacchan was actually answering him! He moved to quickly write everything down. “That’s why hunting is the one thing everyone needs to be good at. If you can’t hunt, you starve. Especially in winter because nothing fucking grows then.”

“Is everyone like that?” Izuku asked as he crossed something out and corrected it, “Or is it just the Alphas of your group? Maybe even the Betas?” His voice lowered a little as he spoke more to himself than Kacchan, “Oh wait, you said that everyone needs to hunt. So that means it would be Alphas, Betas, and Omegas.” That made sense. It was pleasantly surprising that it would be split amongst all of them. There was a stigma in his world that Omegas were weaker just because they were supposedly built more towards motherhood. Izuku didn’t believe it, but now he at least understood why Neito had thought it was an insult.

Louder, he said, “Would you only have Alphas as your Warriors? How would you guys know if they’re an Alpha if you train to be Warriors before you present? And is all of that normal for everyone on Myordice? Or just your tribe? Your…” He searched for the word. “Your people?” He muttered under his breath, “That sounds weird. That’s probably not it.” Louder again, “You’ve mentioned cities with ‘Todoroki-people’ in the past. Do they live differently?”

“Shut up!” Kacchan snapped at him, clearly losing more patience at Izuku rambling once again. “I said one fucking question at a time!” He groaned when Izuku mentioned ‘Todoroki-people’, though. This time it was his face that flushed in embarrassment. He covered his eyes with his hand and dropped his head to hide his expression as he grumbled quietly, “You just had to fucking bring the ‘Todoroki-people’ shit up, didn’t you…”

Izuku blinked in surprise, not understanding Kacchan’s reaction before he remembered that Kacchan hated being reminded of some of the childish things he had said in the past. They had a proper name, Izuku knew. He hadn’t meant to remind Kacchan because he had just been rambling, but it felt nice to get his petty revenge. He’s not mean enough like Kacchan to keep teasing him, though.

Kacchan dropped his hand away and gave Izuku a confused frown then. “And what the fuck are you talking about? ‘Alphas’?” His tongue mispronounced the word and sounded strange in his dialect. It took Izuku a moment to understand what he said because it didn’t translate. He gave Kacchan his own confused look and stopped walking.

“Alphas?” He corrected. “You don’t know that word?”

Kacchan came to a stop as well when he noticed Izuku was no longer following and scowled at him. “I wouldn’t fucking ask if I did, would I?” Izuku had offended him a little bit, he could tell. Kacchan didn’t like it when there were things he didn’t understand. Usually it was only with terms and such, though, but it could happen if Izuku showed him something he thought was completely normal and thought Kacchan should know about.

“Oh.” He said with surprise, but he wasn’t bothered by Kacchan not knowing. He murmured to himself, “Maybe it’s a different term in his language?” He said louder, “It’s a secondary gender thing. Do you have different terms for it?” He gets a little excited at the thought. More things to learn! “What are they? I’m gonna add them! I’ve been wondering for a while, actually. You don’t react to things like I’m used to! Maybe your culture has different habits-?”

Once again Kacchan stalked closer and slapped a hand over Izuku’s mouth. “Shut. The fuck. Up already.” Izuku closed his mouth and his head instinctively tilted a little to the side. Kacchan didn’t react to the show of submission and pulled back again. “What the fuck are you yapping about?”

It took a moment, but it finally clicked for Izuku that it wasn’t just the fact that Kacchan didn’t know the terms he was using, but maybe he didn’t actually know what secondary genders were either. He gaped at him. “You don’t have secondary genders?! Like… second puberty and stuff?” His voice cracked and he covered his mouth in mortification. He shifted a little on his feet. Despite being at that age, talking about puberty embarrassed him a little. That, and his voice was a jerk for when it decided to break.

Kacchan only looked more confused, his eyebrows and nose scrunching up in a way he hadn’t grown out of from childhood. “The fuck is ‘puberty’?”

Izuku knew he had mentioned it in the past because he’d been through health classes already and because everyone in his school was talking about it. Kacchan must not have known what it was back then either. He blushed harder and his hands dropped from his mouth. He hadn’t really expected to have to be the one to explain what puberty was to someone. He was still waiting for his own mother to give him “The Talk” even though Izuku had a pretty good idea about some of that stuff already. He had access to the internet, after all, and Neito wasn’t exactly quiet about these things. “It’s-uh… It’s… you know . When you… get hairy… and your voice changes…” He felt like he was on fire. He tugged at the front of his nightshirt. He was sure he was bright red. Why did he have to talk about this in detail?! “And girls get… breasts… Th-That’s first puberty… a-and then second puberty with Heats and-” He covered his face, unable to continue. “Kacchan, don’t make me explain it more!!”

Kacchan’s amusement was in his voice even if Izuku couldn’t see the smirk on his face as he tried to say nonchalantly, “Oh, you mean when making babies, fucking, and all that shit becomes what basically everyone starts to think about?”

Izuku dropped his hands and shook his head once. “No… that’s usually after second puberty.. .although they do happen kind of close to each other…”

Kacchan raised an eyebrow at that, sounding vaguely impressed, “You go through that shit twice? Damn…”

Izuku gaped at him. “Wait, you only go through it once?! Does that mean… does that mean everything hits you at once? Like… your presenting and everything?” He wondered how that would work. Second puberty wasn’t as slow as first puberty, or so Izuku had been taught. Betas didn’t have to deal with much during their presenting, but Alphas and Omegas had to deal with a week of pre-heat and pre-rut before they really got into their three day cycle. The first one was usually the worst. Izuku shuddered at the thought of having a drawn out puberty of both smashed together. How would anyone concentrate on anything? Maybe it was easier since Kacchan’s world seemed less like a city and more like a village?

“I guess…?” Kacchan said, not sounding completely sure and a little disturbed by Izuku.

Izuku didn’t respond for a moment. He was still kind of in shock. If that was different about them too, Izuku wouldn’t be surprised if Pack dynamics and behavior were different as well. No wonder Kacchan didn’t want him to get too close and such. “I don’t know if I’m jealous or not. Does that mean your heats are longer when you present? Or ruts? Oh god, it must be horrible…” He couldn’t help the pitying look he gave Kacchan. It must be painful. No wonder Kacchan was already grumpy. He would probably be intolerable during pre-rut. Izuku had seen how some Alphas acted during the early stages and it wasn’t pretty.

Kacchan’s confusion turned into anger as he bristled at Izuku’s pity. “Oi, wipe that look off your face, Deku! Don’t you look down on me, asshole!”

Izuku yelped at the shouting. “I-I’m not! Sorry! I just- Just, wow. I think I would rather just go through the two puberties.” He wanted to ask more, but he was already kind of too embarrassed to do so. He had also completely forgotten to ask about the behavior and Pack dynamics because he had been caught up in the logistics of the puberty. It didn’t feel right to ask then.

“You’re weird as fuck…” Kacchan muttered under his breath, still unhappy but no longer angry.

Izuku personally thought that Kacchan was really weird too, but he was smart enough to know not to say it. He started walking again instead and wrote in his book. He heard Kacchan’s footsteps as the boy cut a little in front of him to walk ahead by a step. “So you guys don’t separate yourselves by secondary genders? Or do you just not have terms for them since you go through puberty all at once?” Kacchan only shrugged instead of responding. Izuku felt a little disappointed, but that wasn’t unusual. He was being difficult, and Izuku didn’t like that part about him but he put up with it. It was either him being difficult, or maybe it was just a thing for Kacchan. Maybe he was even embarrassed? Izuku sighed. It was probably just him being difficult.

He decided to move on, “Okay. So… is it like that for everyone? Or do people outside of your tribe also live the same way? Hunting and gathering and stuff?” He remembered Kacchan’s embarrassment and decides to be a little petty as he added slyly, “Like the Todoroki-people.”

Kacchan’s cheeks reddened again and he shot a glare at Izuku. He didn’t blow up, though, and only scowled as he said, “Shut up about that already.” Izuku bit back a smile as the other boy huffed in irritation before speaking loudly, “Nah, the people of Lyca live in big cities further from the woods. I don’t know how they get their game, but I’m pretty sure they don’t hunt.” His voice darkened just a little bit, “I know they don’t respect Nature as much as they fucking should, either.”

Izuku could tell he had touched on a problem. He didn’t want to get into it and risk Kacchan’s ire, so he decided on a different question rather than to follow up on the Lyca people, “So what about you? Is it just your tribe, or are there others like you? I’ve only really heard about your tribe. Do you fight with others Warriors and such? Are there wars?”

Katsuki shot him another glare and bared his teeth. His canines were a little sharper lately. Longer. Maybe he really was growing up “I said : one. Fucking. Question. At a time.” Izuku was getting used to Kacchan’s irritation as he understood it really was just Kacchan being grumpy. He didn’t tilt his head this time because he was a little bothered by Kacchan’s attitude as well. The other boy huffed and turned away. “And there are others, but we aren’t in contact since they’re mostly on the other side of the mountains.”

At least Kacchan was actually answering questions despite his grumpy demeanor. They weren’t even doing anything other than walking! He really hoped that he remembered all of this when he woke up. He may be grumpy, but maybe he was actually in a good mood? Izuku wanted to follow up on his other questions, but he figured Kacchan would be more forthcoming with this topic. “Oh yeah! I’ve seen the mountains! Have you ever been over there? Can we go there now? I’ve been on a mountain once or twice when I was hiking or during a school trip and that one time I went camping with my mom. I’m sure your mountains are a lot different, though. Ours aren’t as tall, I think.”

“No.” He said firmly, leaving no room for discussion. “I won’t take you to the fucking mountains. That’s where the dragons live and they don’t take kindly to humans trespassing on their fucking territory.”

Izuku stumbled and his jaw dropped. “DR-DRAGONS ?! You have dragons in your world and you never told me?!” He yelled.

“Stop fucking yelling!” Kacchan yelled back. “And you never fucking asked!”

“I THINK I WOULD WANT TO KNOW!! Oh my god, this opens up so many possibilities! Are they like dragons that can fly? Spit fire? Are they water dragons? Are there different elements? Are they big? Small? Are there tiny dragons? Have your people tamed any?!”

Kacchan had enough as he let out some small explosions and shouted, “SHUT UP ALREADY!!”

Izuku squeaked at the explosions and cringed. He was used to Kacchan’s explosion magic, but it still scared him sometimes. Especially when Kacchan used it to punctuate his anger and yelling. “S-S-Sorry!”

Kacchan scoffed and dropped his hands, turning away so he wasn’t looking at Izuku. “Whatever. Stop asking about those damn lizards already. Nothing good comes of being curious about those fuckers of all things.”

Izuku’s pen hesitated on his paper. “So… They’re probably really dangerous?” He was picturing all kinds of stories where the dragons were helpful, but they were probably actual monsters here. Ones that humans had to fight. He just wanted a clear picture about what kind of dragons were in Kacchan’s world since they were real. “...What do they look like? Are they magic too? I’ve read stories where some dragons are really smart because they’re old and can talk and stuff. But are yours just monsters?”

Kacchan let out a grumbling noise. Izuku wondered if that was actual growling from him. “Ask someone who’s fucking met one. Assuming you can talk to the fucking dead, being of the Gods and all.”

Izuku’s mouth opened his mouth to ask about Kacchan’s growling because it didn’t sound like normal growling. It was higher, sounding like it was coming from his throat rather than his chest. But he stopped because of Kacchan’s words. He was starting to feel weird with Kacchan thinking that he was from the Gods. If this was actually a dream that he had made up, what did it say about him that he would create someone who thought that he had such a high status? It made him feel like he was on a higher pedestal than he was. But at the same time if Kacchan was a real person from another world, he could see how his friend would get that impression. With this craziness going on, Izuku would think Kacchan was possibly godly as well.

On top of that, Izuku was curious about the Gods that Kacchan mentioned a lot. It was clear that he held reverence for them. He thought the dreams came from them, after all. Izuku didn’t really know if he was right, though. He didn’t know how involved in Kacchan’s world his Gods were. But he wasn’t sure if that moment was the time to really get into it. He wanted to stay on track and not go on too many tangents so that he could keep his information kind of straight in his head when he woke up.

Nevertheless, he said, “I’m not actually from your Gods’ realm, Kacchan. I’m just a normal boy. From… a different world, I guess. I’m not, like, an angel or some mythical being.”

“What the fuck is an angel?” He said the word ‘angel’ strangely. It must not be a word he knew, then. Or had a translation for. “And that’s the same fucking thing, Deku. The Gods’ realm isn’t the same fucking world as this one. So you don’t know my tribe’s Gods, big fucking deal. You know others. You’re from the Gods’ realm.”

Izuku didn’t really want to get into it, but he was going to anyway since he was on the topic. “But if I don’t even know your Gods, then why do you think they would send me to your dreams? It doesn’t make sense, Kacchan. And magic isn’t really a thing in my world. All this,” he motioned around them, “is the stuff of fantasy. There are books where people make stuff like this up. It’s fiction! So I can’t be from the realm of your Gods or anything. Unless your Gods have, like, computers and stuff. In which case, maybe?”

Kacchan had started growing a little surly as Izuku talked without letting him interject, but only became confused when Izuku mentioned computers. He shook his head and muttered something under his breath. He waited until Izuku was done and then said, “I didn’t fucking do anything. The Gods send me the dreams and they have their reasons for it, that’s all there is to it. You’re overthinking it, idiot. The Gods send waking dreams to people all the time.”

Izuku paused. “...They do? Like, this,” he motioned between himself and Kacchan, “is normal in your world?”

“I mean, people don’t talk openly about it. When the Gods send you dreams, it’s a fucking private matter.” He shrugged. “But yeah, it’s common knowledge that it can happen.”

Izuku frowned. That only made all of this seem even more like a dream. Something he made up so that his presence wouldn’t be seen as weird to this fake Kacchan. Because Gods talking to people wasn’t normal in his world that Izuku knew of. But if it really was normal in Kacchan’s world… he can’t help the flutter of tentative hope as he asked, “Does… I mean… is there magic like this? Like… Have you heard of any of these God Dreams where… we could actually meet? I mean… There has to be a reason why we’re meeting, right?” His heart raced in his chest. He rubbed at his arm and glanced at Kacchan and away.

Kacchan leaned back against one of the trees they were near since they had stopped walking. He crossed his arms and legs. “Well duh, there’s a reason.” Whatever the reason was, though, Kacchan didn’t elaborate on it. If he even knew. “There are stories about people crossing over to my world from the Gods’ realm. Farfetched shit, but there are definitely some. None say how, though. And most people don’t really believe those stories to be real.”

Izuku deflated a little. “So you can’t think of any way it could happen?” So much for his fantasies that he had been thinking of in his spare time. That crossed out a lot of the stories Izuku had written. That, and about ten different dreams he’d had about Kacchan that hadn’t been lucid dreams. Kacchan just shrugged again, looking a little bored. He didn’t seem to care. Izuku felt hurt at the thought that Kacchan didn’t seem to want to meet him in real life. “Oh…” he said quietly and then didn’t speak anymore. So it really had been just him that had been hoping for a real meeting to occur. He had thought that maybe Kacchan would be just as excited as him… His chest ached. His eyes threatened to water, but he managed to bite it back. Was Kacchan’s disinterest because he didn’t want to, or was it because Izuku couldn’t ever meet him? The thought hurt almost as badly as Kacchan saying that he didn’t even want to try. 

He looked away from Kacchan, hiding his expression behind his curls. He stared down at his notebook, but no longer felt very enthused about writing anything. He took a breath and slapped on a strained smile before looking back at Kacchan, “Yeah… I guess it is pretty farfetched. After all, magic doesn’t really exist in my world, haha…” He scratched at the back of his head. “Meeting like this should be enough, after all. We’re lucky to even have this.”

Kacchan frowned at him. He didn’t respond for a moment, and then something seemed to click for him. He raised an eyebrow, “Wait, do you want to meet for real or some shit like that?”

Izuku opened his mouth, and then closed it. He was afraid of that disbelief. He didn’t know if Kacchan would mock him for his desire. Kacchan didn’t seem interested in meeting. He just shrugged and said quietly, “I think it’d be cool…”

Kacchan smirked a bit. “You wouldn’t want to leave the village to go anywhere after one day of seeing how Myordice is in real life.”

“Wha-?! I would too!” He denied. “I would learn to be a Warrior as well and be strong like Kacchan! I would be the strongest Warrior in your village! I would just need to train more! With my real body, not just my dream one!”

He was quiet for a moment and seemed to genuinely think it over. Izuku watched him as his expression brightened briefly before it slowly faded away into a frown. He scowled and said in a low tone, sounding a bit irritated, “No, you wouldn’t be.” Izuku’s eyes widened. Kacchan’s hands tightened around his own arms. 

“I know I couldn’t now , but if I worked at it I’m sure-”

“It doesn’t matter how hard you’d work!” Kacchan snapped at him, his mood getting worse by the second. “You could never be a Warrior, Deku!”

Izuku startled at his vicious tone. “What? Why?”

For just a moment, Kacchan looked startled himself. It was almost as if he had realized what he had said. Maybe he was going to apologize? But no, Kacchan only gritted his teeth and said, “Doesn’t fucking matter. You just couldn’t, that’s all.”

Izuku frowned in confusion. That wasn’t normal. Kacchan didn’t usually backtrack like that. There was no way Izuku was backing down. “But why?

He growled a little and continued to dodge, “Because. Now don’t you have other goddamn questions you wanted to ask? You couldn’t even begin to shut up earlier.”

“Yeah! I want to know why I can’t be a Warrior!”

“Deku…” There was a warning in his tone that Izuku did not heed.

“Stop avoiding the question! What’s so weird about me being a Warrior? Because I’m not from your tribe or something? I’m sure they could let me-”

Kacchan stood up sharply with smoking fists clenched tightly by his sides as he shouted, “BECAUSE PEOPLE WITHOUT MAGIC GET FUCKING BANISHED FROM MY TRIBE!!!” Izuku reeled, stunned. Kacchan glared at him with fire in his eyes before he looked away with an angry huff. “Happy now? You wouldn’t even be allowed to fucking stay. That’s what happens to Deku in my tribe. Get it? So fucking be glad you live in a different world. People like you are better off there.”

Izuku curled a little into himself, still stunned because he wasn’t used to being shouted at like that by Kacchan. The other boy was loud a lot, but he never screamed at him like that. Silence echoes at the end of Kacchan’s outburst. Izuku’s chest ached as he realized that he would never be accepted by Kacchan’s tribe, then. Even if he could visit, his tribe would turn him away. Shun him. Banish him. Just like the bullies in school did. 

But worse than that, Izuku finally understood what it meant to be a Deku. He knew why Kacchan didn’t want to meet him in real life. Izuku was Deku. Kacchan’s insult wasn’t just him calling him useless, but he was also calling him something that deserved to be banished. Shunned. 

Izuku’s heart broke a little. All of this time he had thought Kacchan was his friend, but he had been calling him such a horrible nickname? Was he labelling him as someone worthless? Was their meeting in the dream really just… circumstance? Something forced on Kacchan? Was their friendship actually fake? Would Kacchan turn on him as well? He couldn’t believe he hadn’t made the connection before. No wonder Kacchan didn’t want to meet him - he was ashamed of him. Disgusted, probably. 

“...So that’s what you meant by ‘useless’.” He said quietly, not looking at Kacchan. He couldn’t. His eyes watered. “I’m just… ‘Deku’. I’m not… I wouldn’t even…” His voice broke a bit. He could feel anger bubbling up in him, but he’s mostly angry at himself as his tears spill over onto his face. He started crying again. He hated that he was crying. He hated that Kacchan was seeing him cry again. Crying only made things worse. It made bullies pick on him more. And Kacchan was just like them, wasn’t he? Just another person hurting him. He always did make fun of Izuku when he had cried.

He closed his notebook and dropped it to the ground along with his pen. He still didn’t look at Kacchan. He didn’t want to see the notebook anymore. He turned away and let out a small sob before he wiped his eyes. He glared at the ground through his tears as he said softly, “...I wanna wake up.” He walked off quickly, hoping his desire would somehow wake him up. He had never tried to wake himself up before. He had never wanted to leave a lucid dream early. He didn’t care where he went. He wasn’t going to get hurt either way.

He heard footsteps hurrying after him. “Oi, Deku!” Izuku flinched at the nickname again. It was another blow to him. Even now he was calling him that horrible nickname?! “Where the fuck are you going?!”

Izuku refused to answer and only walked faster. He was tempted to break out into a run. He just wanted to get away from Kacchan. He didn’t want to hear his voice. He didn’t want to see his stupid face. He wanted nothing from him! So he tried to break into a sprint, but Kacchan was faster. He caught Izuku’s arm.

“Oi, Deku!”

“I’m NOT Deku!” Izuku shouted and ripped his arm from Kacchan’s grip. He glared at his old friend through the furious tears on his face. “I’m not magicless and I’m not useless ! Stop calling me that already-!”

“What the fuck!” Kacchan cried. “I’m not calling you useless! I haven’t for fucking years!”

What the heck was that supposed to mean? He had just said it! “You don’t have to say it! Every time you call me Deku I know what you’re saying now!” He backed away from Kacchan and shook his head. “Just someone to throw out of your village, right? Just let me get eaten by monsters?!”

“That’s not what Deku means!” Kacchan said as he pulled at his hair in frustration.

“You told me the very first time we met that Dekus are useless! I can hear it just fine when you say it! I can still hear your language, Kacchan!”

Kacchan continued to yank on his hair, pacing a moment, and then dropped his hands to glare at Izuku. “You can fucking hear it, but not understand it! ‘Deku’ is what we call people without magic and yes, I fucking called you that when we were kids when I didn’t fucking know the implication of the word, alright? Do you have any fucking idea what it was like to see a banishment for the first time and fucking realize just how cruel I was being without meaning to? I may be an insensitive and rude asshole, but I’m not that fucking cruel! And if you think I am then you clearly don’t know me! I didn’t want to call you that since I had found out and I fucking didn’t! ‘Deku’ isn’t ‘Deku’! ‘Deku’ is your nickname and its meaning is different! You gave it a new goddamn meaning!”

Izuku wiped at his eyes, not understanding what Kacchan was saying but understanding there was some kind of miscommunication. Kacchan wasn’t usually this incomprehensible. He had actually seen someone get banished? “But… I still don’t understand. How does Deku not mean Deku? How did I give it a different meaning? You’ve been calling me Deku basically our entire lives. You’re not making any sense…”

“Fuck…” Kacchan said and took a deep breath. He was quiet for a moment, thinking, and then said, “Okay,” he looked up at Izuku and spoke slowly, “Deku.” He paused. “Deku.” Izuku just watched him. “The first one was the insult. The second was your nickname. Did you hear a difference?”

Was there any kind of difference? Izuku only shook his head.

Kacchan cursed again. He stopped to think again and then hit his fist against his hand. “The book you were writing in. Give it to me. I’ll write it.” Izuku had dropped it, but he knew how to summon it back. He hesitantly did and handed it over to Kacchan along with a pen. The boy opened the notebook and blinked at the paper, running his fingers over it curiously, and then shook his head. He flipped the papers until he found a blank page. He sat down cross-legged on the grass and gave the pen a curious look as well before he started writing. Izuku sat down too and watched with wide eyes at the runes Kacchan created. They looked nothing like anything Izuku had ever seen before in his life with the exception of the symbol on Kacchan’s arm. It must be a word then.

Kacchan finished and handed the notebook back to Izuku to look at. Izuku marvelled at it. “The upper one is what I first called you. ‘Deku’.” He said the term slowly. “The one below that is your nickname. ‘Deku’.” He said again.

The words were made by completely different runes despite how similar they had sounded. Izuku understood that the second word was completely different and actually heard a slight difference in Kacchan’s speaking. The inflection was different. The gutteral sound rolling a little smoother across his tongue in comparison to the first one. It was slight, but it was there. Izuku couldn’t even begin to figure out how to mimic the sound and pronounce it the way Kacchan did, but he was very curious. 

But moreso than the sound was the amazement he felt when he saw that he could actually read what Kacchan had written. Just like how he could hear Kacchan’s native tongue as well as the translation in his head, he could read Kacchan’s words as if they were in kana as well. Izuku simply understood what had been written. Just as Kacchan had said, the top word had translated not to ‘Deku’ but to ‘Magicless’. The bottom word sparked no meaning at all. Certainly not ‘useless’ like Izuku had expected. They were just meaningless symbols. A word Kacchan had created to be his nickname. 

“Oh… Wait, so…” Izuku took the pen from Kacchan and wrote ‘magicless’ under the first word in kana. “ That’s what it means? You can understand it, right?” Kacchan turned the book to read what Izuku had written. The boy nodded in agreement. “Okay… I think I get it now.” Izuku said. To him the word ‘Magicless’ wasn’t actually insulting, but he understood that it had a lot worse connotation to Kacchan in his language. He brought the book back into his lap and wrote a few more notes. “I…” he said and then stopped. He understood then what Kacchan had changed, although he didn’t actually understand if there was any meaning behind his new nickname. He assumed it was simply a nickname like any of his other friends might give him. It was kind of nice to have a personal nickname even if it did stem from a bad place.

“Um… Thank you for changing my name. Although you really can just call me Izuku.” He liked the idea of Kacchan finally calling him by his name. It sent lovely flutters through his chest and stomach. He could almost laugh at how quickly his mood had changed. Even his tears had cleared as if they had never been there. He had been friends with Kacchan for most of their lives, but the thought of hearing his actual name from Kacchan’s mouth did… weird things to him. He wasn’t sure what the sensation was. He wanted to hear his name properly from Katsuki. “I’d like it better, you know.”

Kacchan tensed a bit from next to him and gave Izuku a baffled look. It seemed somewhere between stunned and lost. “Hah?”

He gave him an encouraging smile, “We’re friends, right? I mean, I don’t mind you calling me Deku since you let me call you Kacchan, but you don’t have to use a nickname.” Besides, as much as he liked that Kacchan was close enough to give him a nickname of his choosing, he didn’t really like that it was so close to that insult. Was Kacchan just not creative with nicknames? At least Izuku had the excuse that he had the excuse of having been little kids when he had given Kacchan his nickname and it had stuck.

“You want me to…” He sounded a little lost. He shook his head and frowned with thought. After a beat his shoulders slumped a little with whatever he was thinking before he hid it behind his usual grumpy face, “Do all your friends call you by your first name?”

“Kind of!” Izuku said. “They call me by my nickname usually. Ochako-chan calls me Izu-kun and has the others in our Pack doing it.” Sometimes, anyway. It was becoming more and more of a habit, although the boys seemed to be struggling to kick said habit. Ochako found it hilarious when they would try to correct themselves. He didn’t mind being called by either his nickname or first name. “You can call me that too if you want!” 

“But they don’t call you your actual name?” He pressed.

He was a little confused now. “Not really…?” His words dragged out a bit with his question. Why was Kacchan so caught up on this? 

Kacchan didn’t respond right away. Then he asked in a quiet voice, “But you want me to do it anyway?”

Now Izuku was getting weirded out. Was this some kind of thing for Kacchan? Did friends not call each other by their names in his world? Why was he acting all strange? He tried not to let it show on his face as he nodded. “Yeah.”

Kacchan wasn’t looking at him, but still looked surprised at the confirmation. He blinked at Izuku. He appeared wary with his eyes narrowed at him. “Really.”

Maybe it wasn’t Kacchan who was being weird. Maybe Izuku had insulted him somehow? Why was he questioning this so much? Maybe Kacchan was actually messing with him. Was this because he was trying to get Kacchan to use a different nickname? He was suddenly anxious. His mind flashed with all of the times his bullies had messed with him as well. Kacchan could be mean like that too sometimes. He didn’t want it to be happening then, but maybe that was what Kacchan was doing. “I mean…” he muttered self-consciously, “you don’t have to if you don’t want to…” His voice was nearly too soft to hear as he said, “You don’t have to tease me.”

Kacchan scowled at him, “I’m not. I just don’t ge-” He cut himself off abruptly and turned his glare to the grass. Whatever he was about to say never got voiced as he shook his head and decided, “Whatever. I’ll just keep calling you Deku.” Then to himself he muttered under his breath, “At least I know what that means.”

Izuku gave his friend a worried look. It was kind of disappointing, but Kacchan had always been a little weird about the craziest things. He wouldn’t argue if the other boy preferred to use whatever nickname he had created even though Izuku wished that he would just tell him what it meant. “Okay.” He said and decided to change the topic. He had more questions. That would be a good way to forget this. He could be content enough just knowing that Kacchan wasn’t calling him an insulting nickname anymore. Plus he didn’t know when he would wake up. He needed to get answers now. 

He held out his book again. “Can you show me more of your words?”

Kacchan must have been thinking somewhat similarly to Izuku because he indulged him without complaint. The tension between them dissipated as they wrote and talked together. Kacchan explained how each rune had its own meaning and that was what had created the word as a whole. It wasn’t necessarily a word on its own, but the meaning that the word contained. He pointed out the four runes that created “Magicless” and told Izuku what each rune was: ‘magic’, ‘lack’, ‘person’, and ‘weak’. He refused to tell Izuku what his two-runed nickname meant. Izuku let it slide even if the curiosity ate at him. 

They spent incalculable dream time talking with each other. Izuku was fascinated with Kacchan’s language and had spent it learning to write the runes. He wanted to be able to recreate them when he woke up. He was pleasantly surprised how long Kacchan actually taught him new things before he eventually and inevitably began to grow bored. Izuku’s notebook was filled with failed attempts as well as words in both languages. Kachan only frowned and leaned away from Izuku where he had been leaning into his space to share the notebook. He glanced up at the sky with a thoughtful frown on his face.

Izuku noticed that Kacchan was getting antsy and distracted. He probably just wanted to do something different with their time, so Izuku reluctantly let the questions and the writing practice stop. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

Kacchan’s gaze turned to the ground instead where he scowled and grumbled, “Nothing.” He didn’t actually sound irritated like he did when he got bored. Izuku tilted his head a little in confusion. Kacchan shifted and seemed pensive. 

Izuku closed his book and asked, “Do you wanna do something else then? What do you wanna do?” Kacchan didn’t answer, instead lost in his own thoughts. Izuku felt a little nervous as he wondered what Kacchan could be thinking so hard about. Had they been in the dream for a long time? Was he remembering something? He wanted to ask, but he figured it might be better to just wait. So he opened up his book again to keep practicing his writing since Kacchan seemed to be off in his own world.

He didn’t get very far before Kacchan huffed a frustrated noise and muttered lowly, “Fuck it.” Izuku watched him with confusion as the other boy stood up and grasped the knife he’d had since they were children from his belt, sheath and all. He turned towards Izuku. “I wanna give you something.”

Izuku startled at the abrupt change as his eyes dropped to the belt and knife. He knew Kacchan would never hurt him but he did admit it made him a little nervous to see him taking out a weapon unprompted. “Wh-What is it?”

Kacchan’s pensive frown turned a little irritated as he crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. He rolled his eyes and said, “Jeez, be a little less enthusiastic why don’t you?” He looked away with almost a pout on his face. “Forget it. Doesn’t fucking matter.”

“No!” Izuku cried and stood up quickly to grab Kacchan’s arm. “I wanna know! What is it?” Kacchan wanted to give him a present? He definitely wanted it, then!

Kacchan gave him a long, lingering look. He didn’t turn away as Izuku met and held his gaze. He became a little shy from the staring, but didn’t look away either. Katsuki seemed to come to his decision and reached for his belt again to carefully unhook the sheathed knife. “This.” He said, and held the weapon out to Izuku hilt first. Izuku stared at it, shocked that Kacchan was willing to give up his dagger. Kacchan’s expression is serious in a way that he rarely was. “I want you to have it.”

Izuku glanced at his face and then back at the dagger. The sheath was a simple leather sheath with thick cords criss-crossing over it. The hilt of the blade was black and had a few runes and symbols carved into it, but they were too small to really make out. He hesitated to take it, and then reached out for it. He touched the sheath, but did not take it yet. “Seriously?” He asked, a little breathless. “You’re giving me your knife? Don’t you need it, though?”

“Not anymore.” Kacchan said. “I have my sword. And I wouldn’t say I want you to have it if I wasn’t completely sure.” He still had that serious tone. This was… this was something meaningful, Izuku thought. He didn’t know how it was, but he could tell that this meant something to Kacchan. “Are you gonna fucking take it or not?” He demanded, his voice slightly higher. It cracked a bit, which Izuku almost giggled at before he held it back.

“Y-Yes!” He said quickly before he took the knife. It was heavier than he had expected. He had kind of expected it to weigh almost like a kitchen knife, but it wasn’t. It was bulkier. It felt dangerous just holding it. He glanced at Kacchan and then at the knife again before he unsheathed the blade. His eyes sparkled with amazement as he looked it over. It was the first time Kacchan had ever let him hold one of his weapons. The blade was slightly curved, but overall it was still a straight dagger. There was a strange shine to the metal that had almost a blue tint to it. It didn’t look like any kind of normal metal Izuku had ever seen. It was also extremely sharp. Izuku knew its edge would be able to cut very easily. He had seen Kacchan use it on vines and bushes before.

“In my tribe,” Kacchan spoke and drew Izuku out of his examination. The boy was looking away, “people believe that the dagger a Warrior used during training holds his Warrior spirit. What a Warrior knows, what he can do, his experience… a part of it is in there. My people believe that if it breaks, the Warrior’s strength will be cut in half at the very least. So you don’t give it away to just anyone.” He looked at Izuku out of the corner of his eye. Izuku felt his breath catch in his throat. “Don’t let it break. And don’t lose it. Ever.”

“Wow…” Izuku whispered with wide eyes. He sheathed the dagger and held it close to him. He understood what Kacchan was saying. The trust he was putting in him. He felt like he was glowing with it. He shook his head quickly. “I won’t lose it or break it! I promise!” Even if it was a dream. Izuku knew the dagger would be just fine. A smile spread across his lips. “Thank you, Kacchan.”

Kacchan nodded at Izuku’s promise before he huffed and looked away at the thanks. There was a bit of pink in his cheeks. “Whatever.” He didn’t say anything for a moment before he said something so quietly that Izuku couldn’t hear it. Izuku didn’t ask him to repeat it, though, as he stared at the blade. He wondered if somehow he could wake up with it in the morning. He desperately hoped that the magic would let him. He didn’t know how else he would be able to keep it for Kacchan.

Kacchan seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he gave Izuku a curious look. “Think there’s a chance it’ll be in your world when you wake up? That it’ll disappear from mine?”

Izuku let out a laugh since they were both thinking the same thing. “I don’t know. We’ll see, right?” His smile had yet to leave his face. “I don’t know how I would explain it to my mom, though.”

“Yeah… I guess that might be difficult.” He frowned with embarrassment. “I… kinda hope it’ll be there, though.”

“Me too!! I can just hide it from my mom. It would be really cool to learn how to use it.”

He snorted at that. “Just be careful not to hurt yourself.” His tone was a little teasing. “If it does show up in your world, though, take good care of it. Keep it sharp. Don’t let it go dull, got it?”

Izuku nodded a couple of times. “You’ll have to show me how, though!”

“I will.”


When Izuku woke up the next morning, the dagger was in his hands.

Chapter 4: Dragonspawn

Notes:

Some Hero civilian family names so you have an idea who the Elders are, just in case:

Master/Elder Sorahiko - Gran Torino
Master/Elder Hakamata - Best Jeanist
Lady/Elder Kayama - Midnight
Lady/Elder Shuzenji - Recovery Girl

Also, I drew two sketches for this fic, one depicting a fantasy beast that will show up in this chapter, and one depicting Katsuki's warrior tattoo. You can see both right here.

I hope you enjoy this monster of a chapter <3

Chapter Text

As time passed and his Godsent dreams continued, Katsuki found himself thinking about the Boy from the Gods he was meeting. More specifically his name and what Katsuki should call him. ‘Magicless’ didn’t seem like a deserved name anymore, mostly because it implied uselessness. And Katsuki had already learned that though weak, Magicless was not actually useless.

The Boy from the Gods was a weakling, but he could get stronger if he trained and he was willing to try. Katsuki had already taught him to climb trees and the other was getting better at it, even if he still sometimes refused to climb what he considered to be ‘too high’. He was an easily scared crybaby, but he had courage hidden somewhere inside of him that he could let out with the proper encouragement. Katsuki found that out when he teased the other once and goaded him into climbing higher than he originally wanted to and had continued to tease and goad him to teach him to bring that courage out easier ever since. As the years went by, that also led to Magicless learning to talk back, making their banter more interesting and the teasing even more worth it - both in the case when he simply got flustered and in the case when he talked back.

Katsuki had honed in on that potential like a Magipass and had quickly decided to ensure it wasn’t wasted. He figured that just might be the reason why the Gods sent him these dreams in which he could meet the other boy. To teach him. Make him stronger. Pull out his potential from whatever nook or cranny the other had hidden it in. This was his test, his way to prove his worthiness to the Gods directly. Or at least that was what he believed.

The only thing he couldn’t help Magicless with was Magic because he was… well, magicless. He had no Magic, so Katsuki couldn’t teach him anything about it. Instead, it was Magicless who helped Katsuki with his Magic, mostly by giving him ideas of potential applications of it. Once, when they were five, Magicless had mentioned that Katsuki could be able to fly. The blond had tried it immediately in the dream itself and although he severely lacked control, he knew once he got better with his Magic that he would be able to fly properly without slamming himself into rock walls. He was seven now, nearly eight and still working on that, but he could tell he was getting better. In his dreams, at least, because he hadn’t really had the chance to try it out in reality.

So yeah, Katsuki knew Magicless wasn’t useless like the name he had given him implied. But the blonde didn’t really know what else to call him, so he stuck to that.

At least until something happened that made him decide he wouldn’t anymore.

It was the night two days after that year’s Twin Full Moons and the Manifestation Ceremony. Katsuki had been kept by Master Sorahiko again to work on his Magic. He was used to it by now and didn’t really mind the prolonged training itself, but the way Master Sorahiko sang praises of his other two students and only kept nagging at Katsuki that he needed to ‘finally get better and be as good as them’ was starting to grate on him. The idiot with the lightning Magic didn’t even train half as much as Katsuki did and tended to overuse his Magic to the point that he became stupider than stupid afterwards and the other guy, capable of manipulating the wind itself, was still as destructive with his Magic as Katsuki, if not even more so. So what if his wind could only throw things around and potentially break them, but not to the point that they were unsalvageable? So what if Katsuki’s explosions blew things to pieces instead? Lack of control was lack of control in Katsuki’s opinion and Blowhard shouldn’t be getting off any easier than the blonde was. And neither should Sparky.

The young boy was so lost in his frustration and irritated musings that he didn’t immediately notice the commotion at the entrance of the village. He was walking back home from the training grounds, rolling his shoulder to try and get the last knicks out of it. He was sore all over after today’s training session and in all honesty, he was looking forward to a warm meal and then going straight to sleep.

That idea flew out the proverbial window when he heard the yells and jeering, though. Stopping in his tracks, Katsuki looked towards where the sounds were coming from and frowned at the sight of a rather large crowd close to the village gates. A lot of them were his own peers, a few were older. There were barely any younger children and only a couple of adults. All Might was there, though, and that was more than enough to pique Katsuki’s interest. Scowling, the blonde walked over to see what all the fuss was about.

“Just throw him out already!”

“Get lost, little monster!”

“Nobody wants you here! Leave!”

“Freak of Nature!”

“SILENCE!” All Might’s powerful voice silenced the crowd and Katsuki’s scowl deepened. He didn’t try to ask anyone what was going on. It wasn’t like anybody was likely to answer. Katsuki had always been more of a loner, what with his frequent excursions to the forest by himself and all, but ever since his Manifestation four years ago it had gotten worse. Before, some of his peers at least tried to talk to him, though he saw no reason to indulge them and preferred to train on his own. But now, he was being actively avoided, or at least that’s what he thought was happening at times. Not that he really minded, since he had more important crap to worry about than whatever games his peers might try to play in the few hours of free time they had in a day.

Either way, Katsuki didn’t bother asking anyone and instead weaved his way through the crowd (sometimes resorting to elbowing people out of his way) to get to the front and see for himself. When he got there, he saw All Might and a young boy who couldn’t be older than four, maybe five. He could have been part of the ceremony two days ago, actually, though Katsuki couldn’t be sure. It was hard to tell what the children manifesting their Magic looked like because of the ceremonial cloaks and even if it weren’t, the blonde hardly cared enough to try and remember their faces.

The young boy was standing with his head lowered and shoulders hunched up, black, messy hair falling into his face. All Might stood before him with his arms crossed against his chest and a severe expression on his face. Katsuki felt a shiver run down his spine. He had never seen an expression like that on their Tribe Leader’s face. The hush that fell over the crowd wasn’t making the situation any more comfortable, either.

“Yamikumo Mikumo, guarded by the Tengu,” All Might’s voice filled the silence, as hard and cold and unforgiving as Katsuki had ever heard it. He hadn’t thought the Tribe Leader was capable of this kind of tone, especially to a brat like the one standing before him. “You, whom the Twin Moons have forsaken. Take your belongings and leave. You are no longer welcome here. The Yuuei Tribe shall henceforth turn you away at the gates. May the Sun have mercy on you, as the Twin Moons did not.”

Katsuki’s eyes widened. A boy whom the Twin Moons have forsaken. A Magicless.

He was witnessing a banishment.

The black haired boy looked up at All Might with wide eyes. He was trembling, hands clutching at his shirt. He looked like he was barely managing to keep standing.

“Tribe Leader…” his voice was quiet. Katsuki could barely hear it despite the utter silence. But All Might was not moved by the boy’s clear distress and he did not consider the unvoiced plea for mercy. A plea to let him stay.

“There is no place for you here. Leave, magicless child,” he said. And as if a bolt of lightning had clapped and woken them up, the crowd started leering and jeering again. The black haired boy flinched and took a step back, his shaking intensifying. Katsuki could only stare.

“Magicless scum!”

“Reject! The Twin Moons see your uselessness!”

“He was forsaken by the Gods! He must leave!”

“Throw him out the gates!”

“Magicless!”

Magicless!

Magicless!!!

Some of the crowd, mostly children around Katsuki’s age or younger, started to throw rocks at the boy. He flinched and cowered, covering his head from the projectiles. All Might did nothing to stop this treatment, only continued to stare hard at the boy, his gaze ordering him to turn and leave. Seeing he had no choice in the matter, the boy bent down to pick up the small bag that lay at his feet - most likely containing his belongings and hopefully at least some resources he’d need to survive outside of the village - and then turned towards the gates to leave. As he did so, his watery, brown eyes briefly met Katsuki’s red ones. And for that split second, Katsuki didn’t see the black haired boy from his tribe.

Instead, he saw sad green eyes and similarly colored curly hair of the boy he met regularly in his dreams. He saw Magicless, covered in bandages as he had been in their last dream just the night before. Bandages that were necessary because some asshole had thought it was fine to beat him up for no other reason than Magicless getting along with females and sharing his stories about his dreams.

Katsuki’s stomach churned. He felt sick.

The short moment passed and the blonde saw reality as it was again. It wasn’t the boy of the Gods but the black haired child who had no magic that was there. He wasn’t looking at Katsuki (because why should he, they didn’t know each other at all). His eyes were instead trained on someone else and he headed in that direction instead of the gates. The crowd jeered and moved back, avoiding being anywhere near him as if he had a deadly disease or something. Katsuki felt his stomach churn worse.

“Mother…?” the child’s voice was quiet as he spoke to the only woman who didn’t step away with the rest of the crowd. She had long, black hair tied into a braid that reached the middle of her back. Katsuki would probably reach somewhere around her hip at his current height. The woman’s own son barely reached her knees. “Mother… that’s not… I don’t have to leave, right…? You’ll talk to the Tribe Leader… won’t you? You want me to stay, right…?”

But the woman, the child’s own mother, only sneered at him.

“You’re a disgrace. You’re no son of mine. Leave and never come back, Magicless,” she said and turned her back on him. Katsuki felt his blood run cold. The magicless child started to openly sob, small hands fisting in the bag containing all that he was allowed to take with him and then hugging it to his chest before he turned and ran out the gates, accompanied by the crowd’s jeers and yells. The gates slammed shut behind him, locking the boy out of the village forever.

Katsuki couldn’t move. Couldn’t look away from the gates. He could hardly comprehend what he had just witnessed.

The crowd started to disperse, people heading back to their homes and whatever chores they had yet to finish. In only a few moments, the square near the gates was nearly empty, only Katsuki, All Might and the magicless child’s mother remaining there. The Tribe Leader didn’t look so severe and unforgiving anymore. Instead, his face reflected grief as he approached the woman and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. He said something to her, too low for Katsuki to hear, and then turned away and started walking back towards his own hut. Noticing Katsuki still standing there, he stopped at his side and gently turned him away from the gates.

“Come now, young Bakugou. Grief is a personal matter. Let us not intrude,” the Tribe Leader said, gently pushing Katsuki forward. The eight-year-old scowled and was ready to protest, because he doubted the woman was doing any grieving at all, but when he looked back over his shoulder at her, he saw her on her knees and with her face hidden in her hands. She was clearly sobbing. Blinking and not understanding the sight at all, especially considering how she had acted only a few moments prior when she disowned her own son, Katsuki turned his head back around and allowed All Might to lead him away.

The twisting in his gut never stopped, even once he reached his home.


Dinner that night was an unusually quiet affair, even taking into account that Katsuki’s mother was out on a hunting trip. With winter fast approaching, larger hunting parties were sent out more frequently to gather enough game to stock up and usually headed towards some of the more distant hunting grounds to avoid lowering the animal population too much in one area. Katsuki’s mother usually took part in those excursions, though Katsuki never understood why it was her in particular out of all the Hunters that the other tribesmen always insisted accompanied them on the furthest trips. Whatever the reason was, that was how things were and so when winter approached, Katsuki ate more often alone or with his father than he did with his mother.

His father wasn’t a very talkative person by nature, but tonight, he was particularly quiet. Maybe he picked up on Katsuki’s mood and was simply waiting for him to speak up about what was bothering him or maybe he was aware of the banishment and was put off by it himself, Katsuki wasn’t sure. What he was sure of was that the silence was only grating on him and making the twisting, swirling feeling in his stomach worse, stealing his appetite. The young boy scowled down at his food as if it was the reason for how uncomfortable and wrong he was feeling.

“Why does the Tribe banish the Magicless?” he asked suddenly, his sullen voice cutting through the silence like the blade of a sharp, curved sword. His father looked up at him from his own meal, blinking in surprise.

“Why the sudden question, champ?” he asked and Katsuki got the distinct feeling his father wasn’t asking just because he was curious. The blonde looked up to meet the older man’s eyes, his own red ones conveying that he was not going to be denied an answer.

“I saw a Magicless being banished today,” he said at length, and though he wanted to, he didn’t look away from his father’s searching gaze. Instead, he allowed his scowl to deepen. “Even his mother told him to leave. She went as far as effing disowning him, too,” he said with as much scorn as an eight-year-old could manage to put into his voice over a matter he didn’t fully understand. That didn’t last, however, and neither did his angry scowl as indignation melted into confusion. “But then after he and everyone else left, she started effing crying ‘bout it. Even the Tribe Leader looked sad. Why the crap would they go through with kicking out a Magicless if they reacted like that as soon as no one was effing watching?”

It made no sense to him. It made no sense because the way they’d acted during the ordeal was very obviously fake. All Might didn’t mean the cruel things he’d said to the child guarded by the Tengu and neither did the boy’s mother. After what he’d seen, Katsuki was sure of that. What he wasn’t so sure of was the reason for the charade.

“Is it because Magicless are weak and useless?” he finally asked when his father remained silent and just kept watching him. Gauging him. Testing him, Katsuki realized, just like everyone else always did. He bristled a bit, but didn’t back down. “Because that’s a crappy reason. Even if they’re weak, they can be strong if effing trained right. They won’t be useless if taught how to be useful. So if no one directly involved wants them to leave, why effing do it?” It really made no sense. Especially since Katsuki knew for a fact that Magicless weren’t weak or useless. Or at least, they didn’t have to be. The boy from his dreams was the best proof of that.

Finally, his father sighed.

“I had hoped to tell you about this when you were a bit older,” he admitted quietly, looking down at his food. Katsuki scowled.

“Tell me now,” he demanded. He wasn’t going to walk away without an answer tonight. He wanted to know the real reason for the banishments. A small part of him could admit that in some way, he felt the need to know. His father heaved another sigh and then looked up to meet Katsuki’s demanding gaze again, his own expression hard and oddly unforgiving.

“We do it to protect the Tribe,” he said and Katsuki blinked. That wasn’t really the kind of answer he’d expected. “Magicless aren’t weak or useless like the world at large believes them to be, champ. They’re dangerous and you must never come close to one, for all they need is a single touch to end you. When their skin touches yours, your Magic will go to them. They will take it from you until there’s nothing left. Until you die. They’re monsters and they need to be kept away from the Tribe for that reason. You must never sympathize with them. Never come close to them. You must avoid them. Understand, champ?” It was worded like a question, but it was really a command. Katsuki’s mind was reeling. He could only stare and nod mutely before he looked back down at his barely touched food.

The rest of dinner went by in a very uncomfortable silence. Despite not feeling like eating much, Katsuki forced himself to finish his dinner without a word, knowing he needed the food to be able to keep up in training the following day. Afterwards, he excused himself from his father and headed straight for his little cot of furs.

He went to sleep thinking of what his father told him. He went to sleep thinking of a green-haired boy without Magic who was bandaged up because someone else thought it would be fun to hurt him since he wouldn’t fight back. He went to sleep thinking of how he’d wanted the other to laugh the other night, how the sad expression didn’t fit him. He went to sleep thinking of how that same boy constantly touched him in some way, either because they played around or because he’d take his hand when leading him somewhere. He went to sleep thinking that at no point had his Magic reacted to the touch in any way resembling what his father had told him.

He went to sleep firmly convinced that Magicless being a cruel monster who could kill him with a touch was a load of bullcrap. And that even if he could, he clearly didn’t want to or he would have done so already.

He went to sleep with the firm decision that he would never treat the green-haired boy the same as his tribesmen had treated the boy guarded by the Tengu, and that he’d never call him ‘Magicless’ again.


Katsuki did not expect to wake up in a place he didn’t recognize beyond the fact that it was clearly the Gods’ Realm. Usually, the dreams send to him by the Gods happened every few days at best. The shortest time he’s ever counted between the dreams (out of sheer curiosity, mind you) was ten days. Never two nights in a row in all the years he’s had these dreams already.

Frowning, Katsuki looked around. It wasn’t a place Mag- it wasn’t a place he’d seen before. The green-haired boy without Magic wasn’t anywhere to be seen, either, which was odd. Usually, when Katsuki appeared in this realm, the two of them found each other nearly immediately. But not this time. Still, Katsuki supposed the other was somewhere around like usual, so he simply started to wander, curiously observing where he’d been brought to.

It was a place similar to the houses the people of the Gods lived in. Only bigger. Katsuki wondered how wealthy someone had to be to live in a building that big. Despite his curiosity, he decided not to go in, unwilling to snoop in someone’s house even if it was only a dream. He explored the outside instead, noting how the premise has been fenced off, likely to separate the owner’s property from the road. Said property was huge as well, bigger even than Katsuki’s entire village. He spied similar contraptions than the ones on the ‘playground’ in one part of it and a little pond with some fish in another. There were a couple singular trees here and there as well, one of them as big as it would be in an actual forest. It was the first time Katsuki saw a tree that big in the Gods’ Realm. Usually, they were smaller. Tamer. Or something like that, anyway. 

The more he saw, the more he was convinced the person living here had to be extremely wealthy. Maybe it was the home of the Tribe Leader of the people of the Gods?

He still hadn’t found the green-haired boy, though. It was getting increasingly odd. As big as the property was, Katsuki figured they should have run into each other by now if the Boy of the Gods was there. He was about to call out for him (despite still not knowing what to call him now that ‘Magicless’ was definitely no longer an option) when he heard something behind the corner of the building. It didn’t sound like the boy he regularly met with, though. No, that haughty laugh definitely wasn’t coming from him. Katsuki scowled, but headed in that direction anyway to see what commotion he was hearing this time.

What he saw when he rounded the corner to the backyard portion of the property (or at least he assumed it was a backyard of sorts) made him clench his fists and bare his teeth in a snarl of anger. The green-haired boy was there, though he was different than usual. More… fake, for lack of a better way to put it. It reminded Katsuki of the dead-eyed bodies of the bullies the other boy had shown him just the night prior in their shared dream. A few other boys were there as well, all with a similarly fake feeling to them, their expressions unmoving and their movements stiff and kind of stilted. None of them made any sound as they pushed the fake greenette around or took his things from him. None but one. A blonde boy whom Katsuki recognized as one of the bullies. He was laughing rambunctiously, clearly enjoying what he was seeing, his arm wrapped around a brown-haired, round-faced girl as fake and silent as the other people there.

The scene reminded Katsuki far too much of the banishment he’d seen just a short while ago. So it really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that he saw red in that moment.

“What the heck do you assholes think you’re doing?!” he roared as he stomped forward. He didn’t go for the fakes, though. He knew better. The only reason he’d gone off on such fakes in his shared dream with the Boy of the Gods was because he’d known it would be ridiculous and had hoped it would make the other smile for real. Which it had. But now, there was no reason to pretend that the fakes deserved his attention, so he went for the only person who looked as real and alive as himself instead.

He grabbed the blonde boy by the shoulder and spun him around before pushing him into the wall behind him, all in one smooth motion. The boy grunted a bit in response, but didn’t seem too bothered by the rough treatment. He looked up at Katsuki with a twisted, condescending smile that made the young Yuueian want to punch him in the face and break his nose.

“I’m only putting the little, weak Omega in his place. He thinks he’s sooo much better than the rest of us, after all. He needs to remember his place in the Pack. He needs to remember that Ochako-chan is too good for him to hoard all of her attention like this,” he says, smile never leaving his face as he motions towards the fake-looking greenette on the ground. Even though he’s not real, Katsuki can see tears in those dead, fake eyes and it only makes him angrier. The blonde before him doesn’t seem to notice. “Do you want to join in? I’m pretty sure…”

Whatever the blonde was about to say, he didn’t get to finish because Katsuki leaned into his face with a snarl, one hand slamming right beside his head. An explosion went off as he did so and while it wasn’t the strongest he could make, it was enough to make a small dent in the wall and to send rather long cracks spidering in all directions. The blonde fell silent, his eyes wide, but glassy and kind of unfocused. Katsuki recognized the look as one the green-haired boy he met regularly sometimes had in the past when he acted particularly weird before coming to his senses in their dreams. It had taken him a while to realize that look meant he was still not awake and in a dream haze, though. So this boy was clearly in the same boat. He wasn’t truly awake in this dream like Katsuki was.

Katsuki did not give a damn about that, though.

“Listen here, you damn extra,” he said in a low, threatening tone, glaring his best death glare at the other boy. The other fake people had disappeared by then, as if they hadn’t been there in the first place, leaving the two of them fully alone. Katsuki barely noticed. “I don’t give an effing crap what your problem with,” he hesitated only briefly before daring to utter the first name, if only because the other wasn’t here (and thus Katsuki wouldn’t risk accidentally giving his name an unwarranted second meaning) and because he didn’t know what else to call him, “Izuku is, but you better get over it. Or effing clear it up with him in whatever way your people do it. And if you want to fight him, have the damn guts to do it in a fair, one-on-one fight, crappy coward.”

The other blonde stared at him, smile long gone and eyes wide. Some minimal amount of awareness flashed in his gaze from time to time, but he clearly wasn’t ‘awake’ yet. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Katsuki didn’t let him. It only took raising his free hand and allowing some sparks to pop to keep the other quiet.

“If I hear you gave him crap one more time, I’m going to make sure you effing regret it. There are no Elders to stop me from using my Magic however I want here, after all,” he said and actually smirked at the boy, letting his expression and his bared teeth make it obvious what he was implying. His free hand sparked one more time for emphasis, close enough to the other’s face that he could probably feel the sparks’ warmth. For a split second, the blonde boy looked at Katsuki with a clear gaze, eyes wide and terrified. But that only lasted shorter than a blink of an eye and then the boy was gone, likely waking up. Katsuki scoffed and pushed away from the now empty wall, turning on his heel to go somewhere, anywhere else, but he woke up himself before he could take so much as a step.

His house was dark and quiet. It was clearly the middle of the night. Katsuki cursed quietly under his breath, feeling even angrier than he had before he went to sleep, then burrowed deeper into his furs in an attempt to get some more shut eye.

However, sleep eluded him for the rest of the night.


He dreamt of the blonde boy two more times after that. The first time (second overall) was five days after the first dream. He’d been in the Gods’ Realm again, but not at the gigantic house from last time. Instead, he’d found himself at the ‘playground’ where he’d landed the first time he got to see this realm. Once again, he’d found the blonde after some walking around. This time, he was alone.

He had called out to the blonde, then, and the other had spun around, eyes wide with recognition despite being glassy and unfocused again, revealing he was in the dream haze. Behind him, Katsuki noticed the green-haired boy, though he was the same kind of fake as he’d been in the previous dream. He was on his knees, movements jerky and stiff as before as he gathered some stuff from the ground that’s been scattered around. Katsuki didn’t recognize most of it, and he didn’t care to recognize it, either. The only thing he did recognize - or at least could take a guess at what it was - was something resembling parchment. Pieces of it were being blown around in the wind and the fake greenette was fruitlessly trying to grab them before they flew off.

It wasn’t hard to put two and two together from there. And if Katsuki had been irritated in the first dream, then he was absolutely pissed in this one. Because he knew the value of parchment in his own world, in his village, and while he didn’t know if it was as valuable in the Gods’ Realm, he chose to assume that it was. And in his village, the only thing you could destroy that was someone else’s possession which would be more valuable than parchment - especially if there was already something of importance written down on it - were their weapons. Katsuki’s tribe didn’t keep much in terms of written word, but what little they did keep was as valuable as their swords and just as important to their survival or culture. So no one in their right mind would destroy such a thing. Not unless they truly wanted that person to die, or be killed in retaliation.

He actually did punch and break the blonde boy’s nose then before pinning him down on the ground, hand on his throat and teeth bared. It was a clear threat to the other’s life and one Katsuki wouldn’t be afraid to act on. Especially since he knew the greenette wouldn’t ever do it.

“Not so sure of yourself now that you’re forced to effing fight fairly one-on-one, are ya, damn extra?” Katsuki spat at him, eyes narrowed in a glare and a snarl of anger still on his lips. He glanced at the scattered things briefly - they were still there even though the fake green-haired boy was gone - before his red gaze returned to the other kid. “I don’t know if you actually did that crap in reality or if you just dream of doing it and I don’t effing care,” he growled at the boy pinned down beneath him. He tried to struggle, but his attempts were so pathetic Katsuki could laugh if he wasn’t so angry. “But this is the last warning I bother giving you. Next time you give my friend this kind of crap, I’ll effing explode your face. And dream or not, I’ll make sure you feel every damn second of it.”

It was only after he’d woken up that he realized he’d called the Boy of the Gods his ‘friend’. And as embarrassed as he was about that, and as much as he’d deny it if said boy ever asked, Katsuki could admit to himself that he did , begrudgingly, consider the other that. When it had started, he had no idea. But it was what he thought of him now. The boy was a friend sent to him by the Gods, even if their original intention was to test Katsuki’s worthiness.

In fact, Katsuki was starting to think that this was part of the test. That maybe rather than just make the other boy stronger, Katsuki was supposed to prove he could care for him and protect him when necessary. To prove that he knew not only how to destroy, which his Magic was perfect for, but also to nurture.

Whatever the case, whether or not the Gods had intended it, Katsuki ended up thinking of the Boy of the Gods as his friend without noticing. And that realization finally gave him an idea on what name to call the other.

He would stick to calling him Deku . Not ‘Deku’ as in ‘Magicless’, but ‘ Deku ’ as in ‘the Friend from the Gods’. The word was mostly the same, with just a slightly different pronunciation to it. That made it a made-up word people from his tribe would either not understand, or think he was mispronouncing it. Unless they tried to give some thought what runes were supposed to make the sounds up, but he doubted a lot of people would bother. That was fine. They didn’t need to understand that word. It was enough that Katsuki knew what it meant.

Deku. The name he came up with for his friend. The name that friend gave a meaning himself. It was a good name, Katsuki decided. Not as good as his own, certainly not, but a good name with a good meaning nonetheless. And since it wasn’t his real name, Katsuki could call him that without having to worry about the second meaning. Because nicknames couldn’t get a second meaning. Only first names could.


The third time Katsuki dreamt of the blonde boy was different. He didn’t wake up in the Realm of the Gods, but in Myordice, close to the lake where his last dream with Deku had taken place, for one thing. And for another, the blond boy Katsuki was getting sick of was, for once, lucid. That much became obvious the moment he started asking where he was.

“You’re in Myordice, stupid. Which means this time, you’re in my damn territory,” Katsuki growled at him and the boy stiffened before looking over his shoulder at him. He didn’t show any real recognition, so Katsuki doubted the boy really remembered, but the skin beneath his bruises still paled at the sight of the Yuueian. Katsuki gave the other a condescending glare, looking him up and down. He was pretty beat-up and had a few bandages (or something similar, at any rate) here and there. He’d clearly gotten in a fight and from the looks of things, Katsuki suspected he’d been on the losing end of it. The Yuueian smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. Clearly, all the roughhousing and attempts to teach Deku a few things had paid off.

“So you actually tried to fight fair, for once, crappy coward? Heh. Not surprised you got beat,” he mocked and the other boy blinked at him before taking a step back. His eyes were so wide it was almost funny.

“You… you can’t be… Kacchan?” he questioned in a trembling voice and Katsuki’s smirk was immediately replaced with a deadly glare as he bared his teeth in a snarl.

“Don’t you dare call me that,” he said, voice low and threatening. The other boy took another step back and Katsuki took that as an incentive to stalk closer, fists clenched at his sides. “Only one person can call me that and it sure as heck ain’t you. Say it again and your face isn’t going to be the only thing that gets to taste my Magic,” because Katsuki had meant his threat the last time he’s seen this boy and if the other didn’t remember it, that wasn’t Katsuki’s problem. He raised a hand to pop a few sparks in it, as if to show what he meant. The other blonde’s eyes darted to his hand briefly and then to his face as he started to scramble backwards. He tripped over his own two feet in his panic, though, and landed flat on his butt. Katsuki didn’t stop approaching him until he was literally looming over the other’s downed figure.

“Wa-wa-wa-wa-wait! What are you gonna do?!” the blonde yelled in clear fright. Katsuki actually enjoyed seeing that look on his beaten-up face. It fit him. The young Yuueian gave his prey a dark smirk.

“Exactly what I said I’d do if you gave my friend crap again,” he said in a low tone, this time not even feeling embarrassed at the admittance. It was better than saying Deku’s new nickname. The person who deserved to hear it first was Deku himself, after all. “It’s time for your ugly face to get acquainted real effing well with my Magic, you crappy, cowardly extra,” Katsuki let a few more sparks to pop in his hand in emphasis. The blonde boy on the ground stared at him, terror clear in his expression. But that only lasted a second and then he jumped to his feet and took off into the woods with a terrified yelp. Katsuki actually laughed at him then. Did that idiot really think he could run away from him? By running into the forest, of all places?

He was about to get a very unpleasant surprise, then.

Katsuki didn’t yell after him. Didn’t tell him to come back. He didn’t need to. Instead, he took off after the other boy, weaving between the trees with an ease the other blonde couldn’t possibly replicate. At one point, Katsuki took to the trees, jumping up to grab one of the lower branches and then climbing up swiftly. He jumped from branch to branch, his body moving with clear habit and practice, no hesitation or fear to be found in his movements or his expression. In fact, he was actually enjoying himself.

The chase continued for a much shorter time than Katsuki was used to. He and his peers could keep something like this up for at least an hour. Deku had pretty good stamina in the dreams himself, even if he couldn’t quite keep up with Katsuki’s speed. But he was at least trying. The blonde that Katsuki was only meeting for the third time, however, was already panting and had to stop after maybe ten minutes of running. Katsuki stopped on a branch not far from where the other kid stood and watched him as he looked around. When the blonde failed to spot the Yuueian, he started laughing, clearly believing to be in the clear.

It was that moment that Katsuki chose to drop down right on top of him, easily pinning him in place and making his laughter turn into a scream. The damn extra tried to struggle, but much like in the previous dream, nothing came of it. Katsuki sneered at him.

“Are you really so stupid that you think you’d be able to run away from me? In an effing forest of all places?” he said, his tone mocking as he held the other down. The blue-eyed boy was staring at him with wide, watery eyes again and was starting to sob. In all honesty, Katsuki found the sight disgusting and pathetic. The other’s pleading voice wasn’t much better.

“D-d-don’t… don’t hurt me… please… I’ll… I’ll do whatever you want me to…” he pleaded. The young Yuueian snorted at him.

“Not so funny now when you’re on the receiving end of the threats of pain, is it, you crappy coward,” he growled, leaning over him as his free hand started sparking again. He only needed one arm to hold the other down, even with his squirming. The pleas continued and Katsuki glared at the boy he had once again under him. “Stop that crappy sniveling. It’s effing disgusting!” he yelled and the blond boy flinched, trying and failing to curl in on himself since Katsuki was still holding him down. In all honesty, he looked just about ready to crap in his pants.

Katsuki supposed that he’d scared him enough. And that he could show some mercy, considering how pathetic the other was being. Still, he scowled deeply and dragged the other up by his clothes as he stood up.

“This is the last effing warning I give you, damn extra.For real this time. Sort your crap out or leave my friend alone. If I meet you like this one more damn time, I’m going to assume you gave him crap again . And I won’t let you off that easily then,” he growled. The blond boy nodded his head furiously, promising he wouldn’t do anything anymore. Katsuki still bared his teeth at him for good measure and then pushed him roughly against a tree when releasing him before stalking off. Before he left fully, however, he turned his head one last time to glare at the other. “I’m watching you,” he muttered lowly. Deku’s so-called friend actually gulped at that, but Katsuki didn’t wait for his response and walked away. He woke up soon after that.


A few nights after that, he ended up in a place he didn’t recognize again. He wasn’t sure where he was, exactly, but he quickly figured out it had to be the Gods’ Realm again. Katsuki scowled furiously, irritated beyond belief. He was expecting to see the crappy blond coward again and honestly, he was getting extremely fed-up with his bullcrap. Katsuki was done being nice. (Or his version of nice, anyway.) This time, he really would explode the other boy’s face the moment he saw him.

But it turned out it wasn’t the crappy coward he was to meet in this dream.

“Kacchan! I didn’t think I would see you tonight!” the person called and Katsuki looked over, blinking when he realized it’s not the blonde from the previous dreams but Deku. A grin broke out on the Yuueian’s face, then. He definitely preferred to see Deku in his Godsent dreams than the damn extra who gave Deku crap.

“Hey, Deku,” he greeted back before actually looking around to look at his surroundings. They were in a place that reminded Katsuki of his family’s hut a bit, though it was smaller and lacked a fireplace. Or a cooking space in general. There was a table, however, so Katsuki assumed that if it was indeed Deku’s home, that was where he ate. It was weird, though. The home had looked much larger than this from the outside. Katsuki hadn’t ever been allowed to enter before, he’d always woken up before he got a chance to glimpse what it looked like inside, but he had been certain it would have been much larger than this. “Where the heck are we this time?” he questioned, eyes still roaming the shelves on the walls and everything else. The sleeping space (or at least he assumed it was where people slept) was odd. It was elevated and no furs were on it. How in the world did the people of the Gods stay warm at night? Especially in winter? The bedding Katsuki could see didn’t look like it could keep someone all that warm.

“It’s my room!” Deku replied excitedly. Katsuki could only blink, staring at him with wide eyes. His room? As in, a room just to himself? He had that? Katsuki could barely wrap his mind around the idea since his own hut was a shared space for everybody. But then again, it made sense considering how big the building was and how small this space was in comparison. It was just a room and there was still the rest of the house Katsuki hadn’t gotten to see. Deku seemed to be realizing something similar if his gasp was anything to go by. His eyes widened in realization. 

“That’s right, you’ve never been here!” His eyes were shining with his excitement as he clambered off the elevated cot and came to Katsuki’s side, grabbing his hand. The blonde tensed minutely at the contact. He couldn’t help it. As much as his father’s words seemed like complete bullcrap, Katsuki knew the man had been serious and truly believed what he was saying to be the truth. So as much as he didn’t believe it, Katsuki couldn’t help feeling a little bit apprehensive for just a moment, waiting for his Magic to suddenly start leaving his body for Deku’s.

But no such thing happened. His Magic didn’t even stir, didn’t react at all. Katsuki should have expected that, really, considering it hadn’t done so before so there was no reason for it to start now. Maybe it was because his father was wrong. Maybe it was because Deku didn’t want to hurt him. Maybe it was because Deku couldn’t steal his Magic since he was from the Gods’ Realm. Or maybe it was simply because they couldn’t hurt each other in their dreams. Whatever the case, Deku’s touch wasn’t hurting him at all and Katsuki relaxed, mentally berating himself for ever thinking anything would happen. Thankfully, Deku seemed far too excited to notice Katsuki’s short moment of uncertain tenseness.

“Look, look! I wanna show you my stuff!” Deku attempted to pull him forward, snapping Katsuki back to the here and now while he was at it. The young Yuueian scowled at the hand holding his, ready to tell Deku to let him go like usual, but the words died on his tongue the moment he saw the brand new wrappings on the other boy’s wrist. Scowl deepening, Katsuki pulled the greenette back instead of allowing him to lead him around and gave him a long look, his eyes wandering up and down his form to take everything in.

He was bandaged in several places and his hands were scuffed up. His face was the worst off, though, showing clear bruises. He even sported a black eye, though it wasn’t really all that bad. Either the hit that caused it hadn’t been to strong or the injury had started to heal already. Still, Katsuki bristled, his earlier irritation returning with a vengeance and making his gut twist uncomfortably. It was obvious that Deku had been beaten up again. Katsuki really felt like punching something (or rather a certain someone) with his Magic, especially since he’d frigging said he was done giving out warnings and wouldn’t be that nice next time.

“What happened? Did the assholes from before do something to you again?” he asked in a low, angry tone that did absolutely nothing to hide how displeased and fed up he was. Katsuki didn’t know why he’d started to suddenly dream-meet with the damn extra who gave Deku crap or if he’d get the chance to do so again, but he did know that nothing would stop him from exploding the coward’s face this time. He had thought he’d been clear with his last warning, but apparently, that wasn’t the case and he had to prove he could and would act on his threats.

Deku gave him a curious look at being stopped, excitement melting away as he smiled sheepishly instead and gave a short, awkward laugh, shaking his head.

“Um, yeah. These are… from the other day,” he admitted and Katsuki’s gaze darkened for a moment before he noticed Deku didn’t seem as upset as the last time. “I took Kacchan’s advice and fought Neito-kun because he kept getting meaner and meaner to me. We both got in a lot of trouble. I’m grounded at my house now,” he pouted as he said that and Katsuki allowed himself a split-second of confusion, unsure what it meant to be ‘grounded’. Weren’t humans always grounded - as in, stuck on the ground? It wasn’t like they could fly, after all. Not unless they had Magic that could help them with it like Katsuki, but the blonde hadn’t actually ever heard of anyone using their Magic to fly. Which was all the better because it meant he’d be the first. As soon as he figured out how to do it without losing control of his speed and direction, at least.

The confusion didn’t last long, though, because as usual, Katsuki decided not to dwell on things he didn’t fully understand and instead chose to focus on things that he could understand. In this case, that Deku actually fought back. He grinned proudly at his friend then, remembering how the damn extra had looked in his dream a few nights ago. He had been pretty beat-up as well and from what Katsuki could tell, he had been on the losing side of that fight. Not that Katsuki expected anything different from Deku, since he had helped him train himself. Even if it was just in dreams.

“Heh. I bet the other guy looks way worse then,” he commented, mostly because he knew it to be true. Deku’s cheeks actually reddened a little, but he preened at Katsuki’s praise, making the blonde grin wider. It was rare to actually see Deku look proud over anything he’d accomplished, which was a shame, because the look suited him.

“Oh! Neito-kun actually came to see me today,” the green-haired boy said, giving Katsuki a long, clearly confused look. “He asked me to tell you to stop bothering him. Kacchan, have you been seeing Neito-kun in his dreams as well?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki admitted, a scowl settling on his features now as he crossed his arms over his chest. He glared at the ground, not meeting Izuku’s eyes, not wanting him to think his irritation was directed at him. Because it wasn’t. It was reserved for that ‘Neito-kun’ asshole. “Saw him about three times since the last time we’d talked. I have no effing idea why, but if I had any damn say in when and who I meet in my dreams, I’d tell you to let him know I’ll back off only once he stops treating you like his damn training dummy.” Because really, that was what the damn extra was doing in Katsuki’s eyes. And the young Yuueian was not going to stand for it. His scowl turned more pensive then before he looked up at Deku again. “Actually, you can tell him that anyway. The Gods probably allowed me to meet him for that very reason. So I’m not going to leave him alone until he leaves you alone. Let him see what it’s like to be on the receiving end for an effing change.”

Especially since Katsuki knew what that was like himself. Maybe not because anyone really tried to beat him up, at least not like they did with Deku. No one dared because Katsuki would fight back and he’d win against any other kid his age, with or without Magic and the adults were too… well, adult to pull crap like that. But that didn’t mean they weren’t doing other things. Like during training. As much as Katsuki could explain to himself why Master Sorahiko and everyone else went so much harder on him than they did on the other children with strong Magic, he was honestly starting to think there was more to it. He just wasn’t certain if it was because he did something to deserve it, because he actually wasn’t good enough despite trying so hard or because Master Sorahiko was similar to the damn extra who gave Deku crap just because he could and had nothing but a flimsy excuse to explain it. That last possibility seemed very unlikely, however, and not only because Master Sorahiko was an adult.

Deku didn’t smile or even seem pleased at what Katsuki said. Instead, his eyes widened a bit and he let out an odd noise that made Katsuki raise an eyebrow at him. He sounded surprised, maybe even shocked. As if he didn’t think Katsuki would actually defend him despite what he’d said in their last dream. In all honesty, the young Yuueian felt slightly insulted.

“Kacchan! Did you hurt him like you said you would?!” he exclaimed, his grip tightening a bit around the blonde’s wrist. Katsuki scowled at the incredulous question, but didn’t really get to answer as Deku kept talking. “I mean, I know we can’t really get hurt in dreams… but that must have been scary… Kacchan can be…” the greenette’s voice grew quieter and quieter as he started to mumble to himself. Katsuki felt his eye twitch, like it often did when this happened, and opened his mouth to remind Deku to either shut up or speak clearly. He didn’t get to make a sound, though, because his friend shut up on his own and then looked up at him through his bangs with a small smile and cheeks that were tinted red. “But um… Thank you.”

Katsuki felt his own cheeks grow slightly hot at the thanks and quickly looked away, scowling and grumbling under his breath. The growing irritation melted away as if it had never been there. His chest felt oddly warm. It felt… nice to be thanked. Especially since no one had ever thanked him before. Deku was the first to ever do that, just like he was pretty much the first and only person to praise him, encourage him, and think he was actually worth something. It felt really nice. Not that Katsuki was going to actually admit to it.

“Whatever,” he replied in a low tone before continuing in an even quieter one. For some reason, he felt the need to reassure Deku. Or maybe just explain himself so his friend wouldn’t get the wrong idea. To be honest, even Katsuki wasn’t sure what made him feel the need to clear that up. “And I only scared him. I didn’t hurt him… much. Maybe broke his nose once, but he effing deserved it.” Actually, he’d definitely broken the extra’s nose, but Deku didn’t need to know Katsuki was actually certain of it. The other boy gawked at him for a moment but then laughed a little, the sound and odd mix of ashamed and amused to Katsuki’s ears.

“I… did too… I think. It was bleeding a lot,” he admitted and Katsuki blinked before looking back at him. Once again, he recalled how the blonde nuisance had looked the other night and grinned proudly, second-hand smugness practically oozing from his every pore. He might not have been the one to do it, but he’d helped Deku get strong enough to do it himself. And honestly, that felt even better.

“Yeah, I saw,” he admitted, biting back an actual, amused laugh at the memory. Finally, the crappy coward got what he deserved. Katsuki had always known Deku would beat him in a fair fight.

“You did? You must have seen him yesterday or the day before, then,” the greenette said, rubbing at the back of his neck and still smiling sheepishly. Katsuki didn’t think much about the assumption of how long ago it should have been, despite Deku being totally wrong because it’s been several nights. He simply nodded, grin still firmly in place and refusing to leave. Deku seemed pleased as well, which only made Katsuki happier. He was glad he could have helped Deku at least a little, for a change, rather than having the boy from the Gods help him all the time without even knowing it. Because it might be all in the little things, but those little things really made Katsuki feel a lot better after each dream they shared, even if he didn’t always realize before they happened that he was feeling a bit under the weather.

“Um, so! Do you want to see my stuff? I think I have some toys you might like!”


Deku insisted on showing him a lot of his odd possessions, most of which Katsuki had absolutely no idea as to the utility of. He understood they were used to have fun and nothing else, but even with Deku’s attempts at explaining, he couldn’t quite understand how it was supposed to work. He couldn’t quite grasp Deku’s fixation on just ‘having fun’, either. When did he have time to do all that crap? Didn’t he have any responsibilities at all? What kind of life did magicless people live if he had that much time for meaningless fun? Katsuki wasn’t sure whether to be jealous of it, or to pity him for apparently never having anything meaningful to do. Katsuki, like most people from his Tribe, was a practical person and he disliked wasting time and being useless as much as the next Yuueian. It didn’t mean he didn’t like having fun. He did. It was just that for him, fun and purpose should go hand in hand when they could. Fun without further purpose was simply a waste of time.

That didn’t mean that some of the things that Deku allegedly did for fun and only fun couldn’t have a purpose, though. Of course, the Boy from the Gods never effing mentioned one, but that didn’t mean Katsuki couldn’t guess, like he had season-cycles ago when he’d first seen Deku build a ‘snowman’.

In fact, since that dream, Katsuki made it a point to build snowmen to offer to the winter spirits so they wouldn’t target his parents when they were out on hunting trips. The first time he’d done it, he’d been a little sceptical. But he’d tried. He built two snowmen and offered a prayer to the winter spirits, asking them to accept the bodies of snow he’d made for them and to not target his parents. He’d felt silly at first, which was why he’d chosen a small clearing in the woods where he was unlikely to be found to do it. And when he’d come back the next day, the snowmen were gone, as if spirited away and his parents returned safe and sound from every hunting trip - including those that became a bit dangerous either due to the weather or because someone else had been led away by the winter spirits and the party at least attempted to find them.

So yes, silly as he’d felt at first, Katsuki had made it a point to build snowmen to offer to the winter spirits every winter since then, though he never told anyone about it.

This winter wasn’t going to be any different. Except it was. Because as autumn turned to winter, the deep chill and the early snow made it quite obvious that it would be a very harsh winter indeed. 

And it was. Two lunar dances into it (out of five), it started to look like their provisions might not be enough as a large part of it (mostly the harvested wheat, but not only) froze over. Which wouldn’t be a problem in and off itself, frozen food could be thawed out if necessary. So long as it wasn’t used as nests and a place to lay eggs or raise young ones by icegleights - little pests no bigger than a fourth of a person’s palm, with seven spider-like legs and round, mouse-like bodies covered in white or bluish-white fur that came out of hibernation in winter and tried to get into anything they could, as long as it was at least partially frozen over. Food, clothes, animal skins, you name it, the little beasts could make nests in it.

Katsuki wasn’t sure who discovered them. All he knew was that one morning, his parents started setting things up for an emergency hunt and told him to head to the food storage shed as soon as he climbed out of his furs and got dressed. His parents’ behavior and tone made it obvious it was something important but Katsuki still frowned and asked for the reason, confused at first. Because it was an odd request. Their own food was not depleted yet, they didn’t need to get more from the storage shed, so there was no reason to send him there. Except there was because icegleights have infested their food and they needed to be exterminated before they spread through the entire village. And one of the few things that could kill Icegleights quickly and effectively was fire.

That had been the first time Katsuki had actually been asked to use his Magic to help destroy something.

With their food reserves all but depleted because of the pests, a big emergency hunt was the only option. They couldn’t get any wheat, vegetables or fruit back that way, but they could get meat, bones and bowels. It wouldn’t be optimal, but it was the only option the Tribe had. So that’s what they did, several big hunting parties forming and starting to gear up, intending to leave that same day.

It was the first time Katsuki’s parents would both go together, leaving him alone for however long they’d be gone.

The young blonde didn’t mind. Not even as he stood in front of his house to bid them goodbye and wish them a safe and successful hunt, the only child who saw both his parents off instead of just one.

It wasn’t an issue to him. Not at first. He took that as a point of pride, because it meant both his parents were exceptional Hunters. And he could take care of the house and the chores on his own in their absence. Not like he had much of a choice.

He left for the forest shortly after they left. He’d already made his offering to the winter spirits that season cycle, what with the early snow and all. But with the icegleights infestation and the emergency hunt that resulted from it, he figured he’d rather be safe than sorry. The Tribe was already in an extremely difficult situation. If any of the hunting parties were taken by the winter spirits, it would only be worse. So Katsuki prefered to give them a second offering, just to be on the safe side.

He made the two snowmen quickly enough, then stepped back to admire his work before nodding at himself that they were good enough. He clapped his hands together and muttered a prayer to the spirits before turning on his heel to head back to the village. He had a lot of things to do, and only so much time to actually do it.

He barely took three steps before a strong gust of wind nearly blew him over. It was only his growing reflexes and a well-placed usage of his Magic with just the right amount of force (for once) that kept him from falling face-first into the snow. The wind almost seemed to be laughing at him. Laughing and whispering things he could not understand. He froze for a moment and looked around carefully, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He scowled and turned back towards the village, intent on returning home.

The wind blew again, as if to stop him, throwing freshly fallen snow into his face. Again, he could swear he heard something like giggling. But it sounded slightly sinister. Like some kind of warning. Katsuki paused and looked around a second time, a bit more frantically this time, but still saw nothing.

His eyes were drawn to the two snowmen he’d built for the winter spirits. They were still there, obviously. Katsuki doubted the spirits would accept the offering with him there.

There was something different about them, though, and it took Katsuki a while to figure out what it was. Namely the pile of snow blown at the snowmen feet. With a little bit of imagination… it almost looked like there was a body - a human corpse - beneath the snow. Katsuki stared for a moment, then shook his head and turned to leave again. He’d done what he needed to do here, he couldn’t waste more effing time.

Except this time, it was his own thoughts that stopped him from leaving. Because he wasn’t an idiot. He knew winter spirits could be capricious as heck. Sometimes even cruel. They have accepted Katsuki’s offers and prayers up until now, but up until now, the blonde’s parents didn’t go out with such a big hunting party in winter. Usually, Hunters hunted alone or in pairs. Katsuki’s parents usually hunted each on their own and the young boy usually made one offering to the winter spirits for each of them.

But this time, they were part of a big hunting party. Who was to say the winter spirits wouldn’t take the offering as lacking considering there were far more than two people? Who was to say they didn’t take his parents anyway just to spite him and give their blessing to some other two adults?

Katsuki scoffed and glared down at the ground. Like heck he’d let that happen. He was not going to be tricked by some stupid winter spirits.

Besides, he’d sworn to do what was best for the Tribe when he manifested his Magic. Katsuki took that oath seriously. And there was no doubt in his mind that the best thing for the Tribe to happen would be the entire hunting party returning unharmed and with game aplenty. So the young blond grit his teeth, turned around, and scooped up more snow again. He wasn’t going to give the winter spirits a reason to take any Yuueian with them that winter. Not if he could effing help it.

He ended up building a snowman for each Hunter that left that morning because of that. By the time he was done, his entire body felt the chill. The skin on his hands was red and numb from the cold. But he felt satisfied with his work as he prayed again before leaving.

He went home first and started to take care of the chores. As much as he could manage with what time he had left. Since he lost so much time in the forest, he didn’t have the time to finish everything he originally wanted to before training. Which he was still almost late for.

Master Sorahiko worked them hard that day. All three of them. As much as Katsuki had started to notice being worked harder than Blowhard or Sparky during most training sessions, that time, they were all worked to the ground. Master Sorahiko seemed to know no mercy, spurred on by the harshness of the winter and the crisis the Tribe was facing. His explanation was that their time to begin full-time training was drawing closer and that they needed to be ready for that. They needed to be ready to be those to protect the Tribe, like their parents did now.

Katsuki experienced backlash from Magic overuse for the first time then.

The village healer had been absolutely furious when Master Sorahiko brought Katsuki, face pale but mouth pressed into a firm line in a stubborn refusal to voice his pain. His palms, where his explosions originated, were badly burned. His skin was red and irritated, peeling off from the damage. But the worst part wasn’t even that. No, the worst part was that he could barely move his arms at all, let alone his fingers. Apparently, his bones have started to fracture from the strain they were put under from the explosions his Magic caused.

He wasn’t fully healed, but with the use of the Healer’s Magic, he was assured he’d be fine the next day so long as he rested and avoided to use his Magic too much for a couple of days. His palms and wrists were wrapped tightly in bandages to protect the most damaged areas and to stabilize the most sensitive bones, so the small cracks they sported didn’t turn into full breaks. Because that would be disastrous. He’d also been given a herbal mixture for the pain before being allowed to go home.

The healer never said Katsuki should stop training for a few days, though. So the blonde wasn’t planning on it and only nodded when Master Sorahiko told him in a tone that left no room for argument that he’d see him the next day.


The following days were arduous, to say the least. Between as much of the chores his parents would usually do as Katsuki could feasibly handle on his own and daily training, the blonde found himself collapsing into bed each evening exhausted beyond belief. He found himself sleeping in a bit more during that time, his body demanding the rest. It cut into the time reserved for training on his own, but Katsuki wasn’t an idiot. He knew when to push and when to allow himself to rest, and since he couldn’t cut back on Master Sorahiko’s training or neglect the chores, his private training time was the only thing he could reasonably cut back on.

Still, as the days passed, the workload started to get to him. It showed in his training the most, his control of his Magic slipping far more than it should. It was frustrating, to say the least, especially when he could see Sparky and Blowhard get better and better each day beside him, while Katsuki was starting to get the impression that he was regressing. Getting worse.

Considering the way Master Sorahiko continued to push him harder, Katsuk was inclined to think he wasn’t the only one with that impression, either. During one of the old man’s rants at him, Katsuki snapped in irritation, saying that he was effing trying . It wasn’t like he was slacking off, on the contrary, and he was just as frustrated as (if not more so than) Master Sorahiko that he couldn’t seem to get positive results. The snap, however, only got him an unimpressed looked and a dry comment.

“From what I’m seeing, you’re not trying hard enough then, kid.”

Katsuki only glowered at his teacher, unable to respond because the had a point there. As hard as Katsuki was trying he had cut back on the training he did on his own. The loss of progress had to be because of that. He just had to push through the time his parents were gone. Once they were back, he’d have more time to devote to training again. He’d work harder. He’d get better. He’d be the best.

The only ‘good’ thing that came from it all was that Katsuki finally learned all of his body’s tells and warnings as to Magic overuse. Because during those winter days, he’d ended up overusing his Magic in his frustrated attempts to improve more than ever before. He knew now that his arms started to throb when they couldn’t handle much more stress from the explosions. He knew that said throb also meant he had to be more careful while channeling his Magic from the core in his chest where it was stored, to his palms where it could be released safely, or it risked leaking elsewhere (mostly on his forearms) and burning his skin. He also learned that if he ignored the throbbing and kept training, his Magic could rear its destructive side and lead to several end results: he could shatter his bones, burn his skin to a crisp, damage whatever internal paths his Magic used to move through his body or, if he was really unlucky, likely blow off his hands entirely. That last one was obviously just speculation, but considering everything else, Katsuki wasn’t planning on checking if his Magic could actually do that.

It took about twenty days for the emergency hunting party to finally return - in its entirety and with plentiful of game. It was good timing, too, because the village started to run out of its last reserves by then. The following days remained as busy for Katsuki, though, as they had been when his parents were away. Not that he was the only one as everyone in the village pitched in to prepare the meat and innards for cooking and storage, as well as to work the skins and bones so they could be used for clothes or tools.

The Tribe was not out of the woods yet, but at least things looked better than before with their food storage filled up again.

Still, the winter remained harsh and difficult to brave. A few people didn’t make it to spring that season cycle, taken by the cold and sickness. One or two of the unfortunate ones were even children Katsuki’s age or younger. The blonde himself had felt a bit out of it for a day or two a couple of times as well, but had thankfully, ultimately remained healthy.

He dreamt of Deku sporadically during that time. In the few dreams he had, they had been in the Gods’ Realm, too, which the young Yuueian didn’t exactly complain against. It gave him a chance to relax and he took it wholeheartedly. Deku’s insistence of doing things to ‘have fun’ actually came in really handy then, at least in Katsuki’s opinion. Because if nowhere else, he could at least relax and rest in the dreams. And he took full advantage of that.


Things didn’t really calm down even once winter gave way to spring which then slowly started to shift towards summer. In fact, at least as far as training was concerned, Katsuki only felt like it was getting harder. Master Sorahiko was giving a whole new meaning to the saying ‘working someone to the bone’. He kept nagging at every little mistake anyone made and kept reminding them that the day they would attempt their Trials was fast approaching. And that as far as he was concerned, they were wholly unprepared for them. Katsuki in particular.

If there was one thing other than flight that the blonde had trouble truly figuring out, it was how to control the strength of his explosions. It hadn’t been a problem at first, he hadn’t been able to draw out too much power when he was a small brat, but now that he was nine and about to take the Warrior Trial next spring, his Magic was really proving to be powerful and destructive. And hard to reign in. It was one of the things Master Sorahiko kept nagging at him about most. And one of the reasons why Katsuki’s arms and wrists were bandaged when he went to sleep more often than not when he inadvertently overused his Magic and hurt himself without intending to.

The consequences of his Magic overuse were pretty much the only reason he didn’t keep pushing himself harder and harder as his frustration started to get to him. He wanted to be a Warrior. The best in the Tribe. That had been his plan, his dream since he was little. Now the Trial was fast approaching and Katsuki felt like he was far from ready to pass it, like he was stuck at his current level and unable to advance, unable to do anything to ensure he would actually deserve being part of Warrior Training in the eyes of the Tribe.

At the same time, though, the others weren’t much better. Or better than him at all. And yet Master Sorahiko didn’t get on their case nearly as much as he did on Katsuki’s. The blonde had noticed that might be the case long before now, yes, but now, it was like their teacher had given up on being subtle about it. It was kind of infuriating to be honest. Especially since it wasn’t like Katsuki was slacking off. He was doing the damn best he could. Only it never seemed to be enough.

He knew better than to yell and rage at Master Sorahiko about it, though. Doing that would only get him a scolding earful and a statement that if he couldn’t handle this training, then he should forget ever becoming a Warrior. And it would likely make the next training session even more gruesome as punishment for disrespecting his elders, which wasn’t something Katsuki felt like dealing with. So he kept his mouth shut.

It was different in the couple of godsent dreams he had. He had no reason not to rage and rant there, especially since Deku always gave him the perfect opening when he kept asking about Katsuki’s injuries, always with that same, worried frown on his face. A frown Katsuki wasn’t sure whether to appreciate or be angry about. Because on one hand, it did feel good to know someone cared and worried for him. But on another hand, it was humiliating because it made Katsuki feel like he really was weak and pathetic since he couldn’t even handle simple training.

Or maybe the anger was simply because of the way his efforts were always dismissed and he was told to try harder because he needed to show results already. Maybe it was because he could see clear as day that the others weren’t pushed as hard or berated nearly as much. Maybe it was because he was starting to feel like he was being singled out. It was hard to tell in all honesty.

Summer turned to autumn and the gruesome training continued. Half-way into the most colorful season of the cycle, Master Sorahiko announced a kind of fake trial for Katsuki, Sparky and Blowhard. He didn’t say what it would entail, but the purpose of it was to tests whether or not they could pass the Warrior Trial at their current level. If they’d pass if the Trial took place tomorrow. Each of them was supposed to show up at a different part of the day so as to not see the ‘trial’ in question. Sparky was told to show up at the crack of dawn. Blowhard at noon. Katsuki was to go last, at sunset.

He didn’t see Sparky or Blowhard before or after their tests, too busy with his personal training and the chores at home. But he did see both of them talking quietly when he headed to the training grounds at sunset. They were both scraped up, Sparky more so than Blowhard, and both seemed more tired than usual, but overall satisfied. Katsuki didn’t stop to chat with them or anything, but from what he could see, it looked like they might have passed this fake trial. And if they managed to do it, then Katsuki would, too.

The trial turned out to be a duel against Master Sorahiko, with the victor being decided upon either knock-out or admittance of defeat. The moment Katsuki heard that, he knew it would be no walk in the woods. But still, he was determined to win.

It wasn’t easy. Master Sorahiko’s Magic made him a fearsome opponent. In the woods or confined space more so than in the open training field, but even out in the open, he was a difficult opponent to match. He was faster than Katsuki was and had the advantage of maneuverability in the air with the ‘pseudo-flight’ he could achieve. It wasn’t quite flying, though. More like zipping through the air in a given direction. Katsuki briefly wondered if Master Sorahiko could maybe fly (or float) properly if he just continuously used his Magic, but quickly discarded the idea in the face of more important things. Like focusing on actually defeating the man in combat.

He got his ass thoroughly handed to him before he somehow, though barely, managed to turn things around and win by the skin of his teeth. Not without severely overusing his Magic, though, and it was visible on his forearms, which were covered with severe burn marks, most of his orange sleeves having been burned right off. His palms were even worse off, the skin peeling off and blisters already starting to form all over. An uncontrollable tremor went up and down the appendages whenever he tried to move them, likely from the effort, and it was accompanied by a consistent, sharp pain from beneath his skin. In one or two places, his flesh tore a bit, as if a tiny explosion had gone off inside his arm. Which was likely what happened.

Despite the fact that Katsuki won, Master Sorahiko didn’t not look pleased with him at all.

“What exactly was that supposed to be?” the elderly man asked as Katsuki picked himself off the ground, where he’d landed on his ass the moment the fight was officially over. The young blonde gave his teacher a mild glare. He was tired and his arms hurt like never before, which made him irritable.

“Me kicking master’s ass,” Katsuki replied with a shrug, omitting the fact that his win was only barely that. He was lucky Master Sorahiko gave up when he did, otherwise, the blonde would have been in massive trouble. The older man scowled at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You call that a win?” he asked flatly, looking the beat-up boy up and down in assessment. The injuries on Katsuki’s forearms weren’t the only ones he sported. There were a number of bruises all over his body, some darker than others, from the hits he’d taken. He even had one on one of his cheeks from where Master Sorahiko landed a solid kick. The old teacher clicked his tongue. “If I was an actual enemy, or even a wild beast, you’d be dead by now.”

“Say what? You gave up! You lost! I won! How the Hell does that equal me dying in a real-life scenario?!” Katsuki snapped, satisfaction over his win (even if he only barely won) quickly draining out of him. He’d grown to not expect any kind of praise at this point, but it still stung to have his achievement belittled like that.

“Watch your tone, little rascal,” Master Sorahiko replied, voice level but expression one of clear warning. “And it equates to you dying because in a real-life scenario, no one would give up a fight to stop you from blowing your arms off.”

“I wasn’t going to…!”

“At least have the decency to not lie to my face,” Master Sorahiko interrupted before Katsuki could finish his attempt at defending himself, crossing his short arms over his chest. “You clearly gave up on preserving yourself. You wanted to defeat me so badly you didn’t care what it would take. And this is the result,” he nodded his head a bit to point at Katsuki’s arms with his chin. Katsuki scowled, but didn’t protest, because that much was true at least. He’d been determined to win, to prove his worth, no matter what. Master Sorahiko shook his head. “All that time you trained under me and you still failed to learn the most basic and yet important lesson,” he said with a sigh as he stared at the blonde, expression unreadable. “No Yuueian worth their salt willingly sustains injuries of any kind on purpose just to win. Especially Warriors, who protect the rest of the Tribe and themselves.”

“I know that,” Katsuki replied quietly, tone low and brooding. His teacher stared at him for a moment.

“Do you really? I find myself doubting it,” he said sternly before shaking his head and pointing in the general direction of where the healer’s hut was. “Go get your injuries treated. And don’t bother showing up tomorrow. Or for the next several days for that matter,” he added and Katsuki froze, eyes going wide. Was he… being dismissed from training? He hadn’t screwed up, though. He won! He should have passed this trial! So why… why was he being dismissed? Why was he being deemed worthless, unsuited to further training?

Katsuki couldn’t move. He just stood there, staring disbelievingly at the man who had trained him, pushed him, scolded him so he’d try harder for the last three season cycles. He couldn’t believe he was being dismissed so easily. He shook his head.

“You think I’m just going to let you drop me like that? That I won’t do shit about being barred from training? I trained my whole life to be a Warrior, I’m not going to drop that dream just because you tell me to!” He wasn’t worthless. He wasn’t unworthy. And he was going to prove that, no matter what Master Sorahiko said.

“You’re questioning my decision, brat?” the elderly man asked in a low tone. Before Katsuki could blink, his teacher was kicking out at him again, this time without the use of his Magic to propel himself faster. Still, with how tired the blonde was, he only barely had time to raise up his arms to defend himself. Master Sorahiko’s foot connected with his abused forearms and pain shot up from the point of contact, making Katsuki’s vision flash white for a moment. His usually sturdy guard collapsed and he took a step back in an attempt to not lose his balance, but then ended up landing roughly on his back anyway. Once again, by reflex alone, he tried to use his arms to catch himself, but only got another stab of white-hot agony for the effort. Then Master Sorahiko was next to his prone form, one foot on his chest and one arm extended towards his face. In a real fight, that hand would have been holding a weapon and that weapon would have cut his head open.

In a real fight, Katsuki would have been dead now.

“You’re pathetic,” Master Sorahiko said, glaring at him with angry eyes. “Go get your injuries treated you brat. Think about what happened today. But don’t bother coming back if you fail to realize how badly you messed up and why. I don’t waste my time on fools and neither do the Warriors,” the old man said as he stepped away from Katsuki. He didn’t wait for a reply or for the young boy to stand up, moving instead to leave the training grounds. “Unless you can prove to me that you deserve to be trained further, I won’t do it. In which case you can forget about taking the Warrior Trial the coming spring, let alone passing it.” And with those parting words, Master Sorahiko left.


Eventually, Katsuki picked himself up from the ground and headed to the healer as he’d been ordered. He’d been scolded while being treated as well, called out on his foolishness in overusing his Magic so much. He didn’t say anything in response, mind still whirling with his teacher’s words. His ultimatum, because in a way, that was really what it was.

After the remains of his sleeves have been peeled off his abused skin and his injuries have been taken care of, he was given another concoction to lessen the pain. He left for home right afterwards. As he left, the healer muttered something under her breath, likely thinking she was speaking too lowly for Katsuki to hear. It wasn’t the case. He heard her clearly.

“It’s probably best that he’s dropped. It’ll be safer for everyone involved.”

Katsuki didn’t deign that with a response. He pretended not to hear.

He could feel people watching him on his way home, trying to guess what happened this time and how badly he must have screwed up. He could feel the judgmental stares. They made something in his stomach churn uncomfortably, but he ignored them as well.

In all honesty, he wanted to be angry. Anger was comfortable, it was how he always reacted to the perceived unfair treatment he was getting. But for whatever reason, anger didn’t come this time. He just… couldn’t get angry. In its place was an emptiness and a sense of futility he hadn’t ever experienced before.

‘You’re pathetic,’ Master Sorahiko had told him. And maybe the old man was right? Maybe he was pathetic. Worthless. He couldn’t even fully control his Magic lately, no matter how hard he tried and how much he trained. He just… he just wasn’t good enough. And maybe he never would be. Maybe he had just been destined to fail from the start. Maybe the Gods have made a mistake in gifting him, of all people, with such powerful Magic.

His parents didn’t comment on his state once he got home, although from the brief looks they gave him, they clearly knew about Master Sorahiko’s decision. Dinner was a quiet, tense affair because of that. Katsuki retired for the night right after, unwilling to talk with anyone right then.

He went to sleep that evening with a heavy heart and doubts in his mind.


It was the sound of rain that snapped him out of the dream haze this time. That and sheer habit. He’d had enough of these dreams already to almost instantly realize when he was having one. This was a waking dream. A dream in which he could meet Deku.

The other boy wasn’t anywhere in the immediate vicinity, though, at least not that Katsuki could tell. Looking around, the young Yuueian realized he was in one of the buildings, rather than outside. It wasn’t the first time he’d been inside one, as Deku had pulled him into some of the houses before, insisting it was fine and that they weren’t actually homes. He called them different names that hardly meant anything to Katsuki, so he still didn’t know what the purpose of these places was in most cases, but he’d never bothered to ask, either. This particular place seemed familiar, though, with a lot of empty tables and chairs. Some kind of… ‘restorant’, or something like that? Deku said it was a place where you could exchange currency for food, at any rate.

The other boy wasn’t anywhere in sight, though. The only people other than Katsuki that were present were odd, creepy shadows. Katsuki saw them around various places in the Gods’ Realm on occasion and to say he wasn’t creeped out by them would be a lie. But he’d made sure not to let it show, especially not in front of Deku, because his friend didn’t seem to mind them. That meant they weren’t anything Katsuki should worry about, no matter how creepy they were.

This time, however, Katsuki only gave the shadows a brief look before he stood up and headed for the door, for once not really put out by them. His mind was too preoccupied with other things to wonder too long about shadows of people who didn’t seem to be able to even really talk, let alone do much else.

Katsuki only barely took a couple steps outside before he was thoroughly soaked, the rain turning out to be more of a downpour and making quick work of his clothes, but he barely paid any attention to it. It wasn’t like he could feel the chill, so it didn’t really matter.

Deku was nowhere to be found. Or at least that’s what it felt like considering that usually they were able to find each other nearly immediately. As he continued to walk and look around, Katsuki’s attempts to find his friend started to become more half-hearted as his mind continued to whirl and the doubt he’d started to feel rose to the surface again.

He wasn’t blind, nor was he a fool. He’d known for a while that the people in his village weren’t exactly fond of him, even if he didn’t know why. Whether it was adults or people his age, there was always something there, some kind of wall or veil that made them keep their distance from him. Katsuki wasn’t an idiot. He had noticed it.

But now, he was noticing there was more to it. It wasn’t just avoidance. His peers had looks on their faces sometimes when they saw him that spoke of fear and the adults were wary at best. And now that the news of Master Sorahiko dropping him had spread, they were also relieved. The few comments Katsuki had heard in the village were more than enough to help him figure it out. They had been wary when he was in training and relieved when he was dropped. It really didn’t take much to understand the meaning behind that.

For whatever reason, Katsuki’s peers were afraid of him and the adults didn’t want him to be trained. It wasn’t that they didn’t think he could succeed, they simply didn’t want him to.

Katsuki wanted to be angry about it. He really, really did. Because anger was easy and familiar and he knew how to deal with it. Besides, he had a right to be angry. He was working so hard, why the heck would it be a bad thing if he became a Warrior? If he was trained and learned to fight and swore to protect the Tribe?!

Yes, he wanted to be angry. But in the face of all the failures he kept piling up lately, it was hard to, because instead of anger, what filled his heart was doubt. Maybe he had been the fool? Maybe the adults had known he would fail and that was why they hadn’t wanted him to train, to waste his time? Maybe he had been destined to failure from the start and everyone but him was aware of it? It would explain why Master Sorahiko worked him as hard as he had. Dropping a trainee was as much a shame for the master for failing to teach as it was for the student for failing to learn, after all. If Master Sorahiko knew Katsuki was going to fail eventually, he would have worked him hard to try and prevent it. And he did just that. At least until Katsuki’s failures outweighed his success and it became obvious training him further would be a waste of time. It made sense. It hurt to acknowledge, but it made sense.

The sudden sound of laughter cut through Katsuki’s thoughts and made him look up, his bangs hanging between his eyes, but not obscuring his vision. He blinked at the sight of Deku, running around with some fake people Katsuki more or less recognized, clearly still caught in the dream haze. The crappy coward was there, laughing with Deku now that they’ve made up. So was the round-faced girl Katsuki suspected to be Uraraka whom he’d only seen an expressionless replica of. There were a few others he didn’t recognize, but he could gather who they were, if not by name, then by general title.

They were Deku’s friends.

Katsuki bit his lip and looked away from the happy sight, unsure how to act. As his thoughts spiraled, he had stopped really trying to find his friend, no longer certain if he actually wanted to meet him. A part of it had been shame. A part had been more doubts. Because the more Katsuki had thought about it, the less he could understand how Deku could like him, could want to spend time with him when no one else did. The only real reason why the Boy from the Gods could think differently than Katsuki’s tribesmen was just that. He was from the Gods. And usually, that would be enough explanation to Katsuki.

But not right now. Right now, it wasn’t even an explanation in the first place. And so Katsuki found himself doubting. Because everyone else in his life only ever spent time in his vicinity if they had no other choice. Like Master Sorahiko, who had had to train him until Katsuki had proven himself to be inadequate. Like his peers, who had to train with him. Like his parents, who had to share a roof with him. Why would Deku be any different? The green-haired boy only ever met him in dreams, but with the exception of this one where Katsuki had to legitimately search for him, they usually found each other immediately, as if it was impossible for them to share a dream and not meet. As if they had to be together. Maybe Deku had no choice but to be with Katsuki when he dreamt, just like everyone else? Maybe he didn’t have a choice after all?

The thought made Katsuki’s insides twist uncomfortably, almost painfully. The fact that he couldn’t find a way to deny it only made it worse.

He glanced at Deku again without raising his head. The boy from the Gods was still playing around, completely unaware, smiling and as happy as Katsuki had ever seen him. The sun was shining overhead, as if the weather itself favored him, or at least agreed to match his happy mood.

He was in the sun, while Katsuki was not. He had company while Katsuki did not. He was having fun while Katsuki did not. He was still asleep while Katsuki was not.

For the first time since he’d started having these dreams, Katsuki felt like he and Deku had two separate dreams that were forcefully meshed together. And he didn’t like the thought.

He sighed, his shoulders dropping as he turned away from where Deku was and sat down at the side of the stony path, his back to the wall of one of the buildings. He could call out, could wake Deku up so they could actually spend some time together, but he wasn’t going to. He didn’t want to snap Deku out of his happy dream, didn’t want to ruin it for him. He had ruined enough things already today.

He didn’t leave, though, nor did he wake himself up. Because some small part of Katsuki wanted to see Deku, even if he wouldn’t allow himself to wake him up and ruin his dream. Instead, he remained sitting there, legs curled so his knees were close to his chest and his arms tentatively wrapped around them, the bandages slightly pink from where blood must have oozed from some of the wounds. Katsuki ignored that observation, glancing towards Deku instead before looking away again.

Some time passed. Katsuki wasn’t sure how long, he wasn’t trying to keep track, but at one point, Deku and his group of friends ran past him, the sunny weather automatically following them, but never actually reaching the blonde. He heard Deku call out to his friends, saying something about a race of some sort, but whatever reply the other boy heard in his dream, Katsuki was not privy to it. As the greenette turned again, he paused and blinked, then waved in Katsuki’s direction. He had clearly noticed him, but it didn’t seem like he had actually woken up from the dream haze. Katsuki wasn’t sure whether to be glad or disappointed because of that.

“Kacchan!” Deku called, waving at him and causing Katsuki to look up. Deku’s eyes were still a bit glazed with the dream haze and his expression dreamy. The Yuueian could see even from this distance that his friend truly wasn’t awake. “Do you wanna come with us?” the other boy asked and Katsuki hesitated, unsure of how to react, how to respond.

It took him a second or two to catch on to the fact that Deku was simply calling him over to spend time with him. Just so they could have fun together, because Deku apparently wanted to spend time with him. He bit his lip at the realization, looking away and unsure how it made him feel. Because this… now that he thought about it, this was the first time anyone has ever called him over for anything just because they wanted him to be there, wasn’t it? Usually, he was needed for something, there was some sort of obligation to explain the call. But not this time. Deku just called him over because he wanted him there. And he was the first person in Katsuki’s life to ever do so.

It probably wouldn’t have bothered him before, but at this moment in time, the realization was yet another blow to Katsuki’s belief in himself. Because it made him realize for the first time, it made him acknowledge how damn alone and… unwanted, for lack of a better way to put it, he actually was.

He felt kind of blind for not noticing it earlier. It was so obvious now that he thought about it. People either avoided him or were more or less forced to spend time with him. He wasn’t actually ever wanted anywhere. He was alone. With the exception of Deku, he had always been alone, actually.

Katsuki sighed and shook his head, ultimately denying Deku’s invitation. It wasn’t for lack of wanting to spend time with him, though. He did want to spend time with his friend. But at the same time, he didn’t want to ruin his dream. Plus, his injuries throbbed, which made participating in the race or flying journey or whatever the heck Deku was dreaming about anything but a good idea. Of course, this was a dream, so his injuries shouldn’t hurt. Katsuki was aware of that. But they hurt anyway. He guessed it was a testament to how thoroughly he got his ass handed to him.

Deku didn’t call out to him again and for a moment, Katsuki thought the other boy left, though he didn’t actually dare look up to confirm it. Not until the rain suddenly stopped pelting him, blocked by something overhead, at least. He raised his head a bit from where he’d lowered it so his gaze was on his feet and saw Deku in front of him, holding an odd contraption that shielded them both from the rain. The Boy from the Gods was frowning worriedly at him, eyes clear and aware. He was awake.

“Kacchan, what happened to you?” he asked as he gently touched the bandages on Katsuki’s arms. The blonde didn’t stop him, merely shrugged, only now realizing he was miraculously dry again. Probably Deku’s doing, too.

“Magic overuse,” was all he said in response, not meeting his friend’s eyes. He hadn’t wanted him to wake up. He had tried to not call out, to not be noticed so as to not ruin Deku’s happy dream, but he had obviously failed at that. Again. Yet another time his ‘trying’ amounted to nothing at all. A part of him felt guilty for it. For ruining Deku’s dream, for pulling him out of it. There was even an apology on his tongue, but he ultimately didn’t voice it. He couldn’t. He couldn’t because another part of him, a selfish part of him, was a little bit happy Deku woke up. Because in a way, it was almost like the other boy had chosen to spend time with Katsuki, rather than in his happy dream.

It would be the first time anyone picked spending time with Katsuki over doing literally anything else if that was the case, too, but the blonde tried not to think too much about that.

“Again,” Deku said softly with a soft sound that almost sounded like a whine. It would have sounded odd coming from anyone else. But this was Deku. Katsuki was used to him making odd sounds sometimes and generally acting weird by now. He suspected it was because he was of the Gods. That it was simply part of who he was because he was from the Gods’ Realm. So he’d never questioned it.

Deku carefully took his hand and tugged. Katsuki followed the motion without a sound, without a single complaint, though he did wince a bit at the contact, his injuries stinging. He stood up and faced his friend, though he had to glance down at him a little. He hadn’t noticed before, but he was a bit taller now than the greenette. Deku’s eyes were only at the height of Katsuki’s nose when before, they would have been at the same level. Neither of them voiced a comment about the observation, though, as Deku looked around and pointed to one of the nearby houses. One with a large window with writing on it Katsuki couldn’t really read.

“Let’s go to the café,” Deku said, pulling lightly on Katsuki’s hand to get him to follow. “We can talk and eat something. When I feel sad or hurt, ice cream cheers me up. I think you’ll like it!” The boy tugged a bit more insistently when Katsuki failed to follow immediately. Usually, this would be Katsuki’s cue to snap at him half-heartedly to let go, to stop tugging on him.

Instead of doing that, Katsuki simply shrugged and followed with a quiet ‘sure’, not even trying to pretend to mind the contact. If Deku noticed it or considered the behavior odd, though, he didn’t comment as he guided Katsuki to the ‘café’ and stepped inside. He left the contraption he used to shield them from the rain at the entrance and headed straight for one of the empty tables, not paying attention to the other occupants of the building. More faceless shadows that whispered incomprehensible things between them. Katsuki ignored them as well (despite the fact that he’d usually give them a wary glance or two) as he followed his friend and sat across from him, slumping a bit on the table, his bandaged arms crossed and his chin carefully rested on them.

“I’ll pick out what we can try,” Deku said with a small grin, tone slightly subdued and quiet, but still mostly cheerful. Katsuki nodded mutely at the offer. It wasn’t like he knew anything about what they could eat in this place anyway.

He barely reacted when a silent woman that looked much like the replicas of the bullies or of Deku’s friends earlier approached their table. Deku spoke with her, requesting she bring something. Katsuki didn’t really understand why the fake listened. It could be because they were in a dream and the fake had to listen to Deku, or it could be because that was how things worked in the actual Realm of the Gods. Maybe Deku was someone important in his world and people had to listen to him. It would make sense, Katsuki guessed. He didn’t really think much on it, however. He wasn’t in the mood to try and figure any of it out right then as his mind wandered back to the comments he heard in the village on the way home, to what Master Sorahiko told him, to what it all meant…

“Are… is your training going badly?” Deku asked at length and Katsuki blinked, snapped out of his spiraling thoughts. He looked up at his friend briefly before his gaze fell back to the table.

“Got told not to bother to come back,” he admitted softly, unsure what kind of reaction to expect. A part of him was worried Deku would laugh, would tell him how it was to be expected, even though the other boy had never acted like that, had never given even a sign of not believing Katsuki could succeed.

“WHAT?!” Deku yelped in surprise and Katsuki looked up at him sharply. Deku wasn’t looking at him right then, he was glancing towards the shadows that seemed to be glaring at him, as if to placate them before he thought better of it and turned back to Katsuki. The blonde’s gaze fell back to the table again, as if meeting Deku’s eyes was beyond him. In a way, it was. “Why would they do that?”

“I messed up,” Katsuki replied with a shrug, but didn’t explain beyond that. In his own mind, no further explanation was needed. He messed up, so he was removed from training. Period. “One too many times, I guess,” he added quietly, admitting that it wasn’t the first time. Because it wasn’t and he knew that.

He didn’t really understand why Deku seemed so upset over it, though. He had no reason to. He wasn’t from Katsuki’s village or even his world, he likely didn’t know what a shame it was to be dropped from training before one even undertook the trials, be it for warrior training or something else. He didn’t know that being dropped meant one was worthless. A burden. More of a parasite than a helpful tribesman, though one the tribe couldn’t just get rid of without further incentive.

If anyone had a right to be upset, it was Katsuki. Because he knew all of that. But he also knew that he did mess up a lot lately. And he also knew what mistake he had made during Master Sorahiko’s latest trial. Or, well, at the very least, he knew what Master Sorahiko had been getting on his case about.

“Master said I don’t deserve to be trained further,” he added after a moment. And he understood the man’s reasoning somewhat. He knew what he had done wrong. He just didn’t understand why it had been such a major mistake in that particular situation. What else was he supposed to do, after all? Roll over and allow himself to lose just because he was outmatched? Give up? As if any Warrior, or any Yuueian in general, would actually do that. It just wasn’t an option. Certainly wouldn’t be in a real-life fight, either.

“That’s… That’s not fair! Why would he do that?! Kacchan is the strongest!” Deku cried again, seemingly outraged on Katsuki’s account. The young Yuueian blinked again at the reaction and looked up as the Boy from the Gods scooted closer in his seat and leant forward, closer to Katsuki. “Are you going to try again? I’m sure you can show him that he was wrong!” he said with conviction, as if it was obvious, as if there was no other outcome. Katsuki looked away again. He thought he was used to Deku saying such things, to Deku believing so wholeheartedly in him. It usually felt good to know at least one person thought he was worth something and could succeed. But right now, it only made him feel worse. Because he felt like he was failing again, like he was disappointing his only friend. And he didn’t want Deku to be disappointed in him, but he didn’t know what to do to succeed anymore.

“How?” he couldn’t help but ask in a low tone. Master Sorahiko had all but dared him to do the same thing. He’d told him not to come back unless he figured out what he did wrong, but that was just a challenge to make him realize his mistakes and return to training, to prove himself worthy of being trained further. Katsuki was aware of that, he just had no idea how he could possibly prove that anymore. He just didn’t know what he could do. “I can’t even control my Magic anymore…” he admitted as he sat up straighter, gaze fixed firmly on his hands. His bandaged hands. Yet another proof of his inadequacy. He was starting to wonder how he hadn’t noticed how much of a failure he was earlier. The problem of control couldn’t pop up out of nowhere, after all. He probably never really learned to control his Magic properly in the first place, he just thought he did because his body put a natural limit on how much power he could use. Now that that limit was being pushed back and he could use more of his power, the issue was just coming to the surface and quickly getting worse.

Deku hummed, deflating a bit, as if he hadn’t expected the question. He likely hadn’t. Because usually, Katsuki was the first one to insist that he’d prove everyone wrong. That he was going to get better, stronger and that even if he was struggling now, he was going to get back up and keep trying until he managed.

“I don’t really know about Magic, so I don’t know… but shouldn’t it be like when you practice anything? Like sword fighting and sparring?” he asked finally, green eyes lowering to look at Katsuki’s bandaged arms as he frowned. “But… not so hard. If you’re hurting yourself like that, you might be training too hard. Like… my gym teacher always tells us that if we pull a muscle or twist an ankle, we’re going to do more harm than good. And it’ll be better to take it a bit easier,” the boy said as he looked back up and their gazes met. Katsuki didn’t look away this time, nor did he interrupt, although for a brief moment, his mind flashed with confusion at the mention of ‘gym’, because he wasn’t sure what kind of class it could be except that it was probably some sort of physical training. He didn’t ask for an explanation, though. Deku went on. “If your teacher is pushing you so hard, he’s not a good teacher. You shouldn’t have to destroy yourself to be the best. Because you could ruin your arms from overusing your Magic!”

“I am fucking practicing,” Katsuki bit back, frustration overcoming him and making him cuss like he heard his mother do. He didn’t defend Master Sorahiko, though a part of him wanted to. The man wasn’t a bad teacher and it wasn’t his fault Katsui was getting hurt, even if he was pushing him hard and was demanding. Katsuki’s injuries were all on him and his lack of control. “And I’m not trying to hurt myself,” he added, although he couldn’t help but feel like he was lying just a bit. After all, during the mock trial, he had thrown caution to the wind, had been ready to get hurt if only it meant he could win, because he hadn’t seen any alternative. Which was why he’d failed in the end. But it was only that one time. He had always been careful before, he just got hurt because he couldn’t control his Magic anymore. Maybe he never had.

Unbidden, Master Sorahiko’s words come back to him. The man had called him pathetic and Katsuki felt inclined to agree. He was pathetic. Maybe he had always been and had just refused to see it. He sighed, shoulders slumping a bit as the fight drained from him again, the short bout of anger disappearing as quickly as it had come.

“I’m just… not good enough,” he admitted quietly, aware it was the truth and yet afraid Deku, too, would agree.

But his Friend from the Gods didn’t, giving yet another show of that unflinching, unwavering faith he had in Katsuki and his abilities. Which was as encouraging as it was stressful because Katsuki really didn’t want to disappoint the one person who truly believed in him.

“That’s not true,” Deku said stubbornly, “Kacchan is the best at everything he does! You can do anything that you set your mind to! I don’t know for sure but your teacher has to be wrong! You’re amazing and strong and...and…!” he trailed off as if he lacked the words and huffed, the sound sad and frustrated in equal measure. Katsuki looked down at his hands again. The expressionless, fake woman from before appeared then and set two bowls with oddly colored food on them. Katsuki blinked at it. They looked a bit like bread rolls, only they clearly weren’t made from bread and were ice-cold. But it made sense, considering deku called them ‘ice cream’, Katsuki supposed.

“It’s not fair that I can’t be in your world,” the blonde heard Deku mutter and he scowled at the mysterious food in front of him.

“It’s probably better that you’re not,” he muttered back, but didn’t elaborate further. He didn’t say that if he was, he would likely avoid Katsuki or be scared of him just like everyone else in his age group. And that wasn’t even taking into account his magicless status, which the young Yuueian firmly decided to just not think about. But he was glad Deku wasn’t actually from his world. He wouldn’t have wanted his friend to have to deal with that.

Deku only sighed in response.

“I don’t understand why they’re testing you so much,” he said between mouthfuls of the odd, cold food. He was pouting, still clearly upset on Katsuki’s behalf. The blonde still wasn’t really sure why he would be, though, nor how it made him feel. No one had ever gotten angry on his behalf before. He had been the only one getting angry. He frowned, gingerly picking up his spoon, but only poking at the odd treat Deku was trying to make him try. He didn’t really feel like eating.

“I have powerful Magic,” he explained quietly without raising his head. “That usually means high standing in the Tribe. More responsibilities as I grow older and stuff. Think like…” he trailed off, trying to think of a way to explain it that Deku would understand despite being from another world. But he didn’t really know enough about the Gods’ Realm to find an adequate explanation, so he had to deviate to what he knew of Lyca instead. “Like nobles. They get their status and everything that comes with it from their bloodline and currency. In my Tribe, strong Magic does the same, because it’s a sign of the Gods’ favor. Since it’s the Gods who grant us our Magic.” He paused, looking up at Deku to gauge his expression, see if he actually understood the explanation or was lost. When no questions came to ask for any clarifications, he went on. “But I’m not from a family known for strong Magic. I’m the first for generations who has powerful Magic in my family. So… I have to prove I deserve it. The standing that comes with it and the Gods’ favor that granted me strong Magic in the first place. I need to be worthy of it and prove that I am.”

Prove to the Gods that they hadn’t made a mistake in granting him their favor. Because that was known to happen, too. The Gods weren’t infallible. No one really understood why they did what they did, no one tried to understand them, but people knew even Gods could make mistakes. There were stories of it. Stories of people who were blessed but who let that go to their heads, of people who misused their blessing for their own personal gain. Of people who proved themselves unworthy and who had their blessings retracted, suddenly stranded in the world with the one thing they learned to rely on taken from them. Katsuki didn’t want to be like that. He wanted to be worthy. He didn’t want the Gods to think they’ve made a mistake in choosing him and he didn’t want his Tribe to think that way, either.

But it was hard to keep trying to prove himself when the doubt that maybe he wasn’t ever going to be worthy, that the Gods had in fact made a mistake, was starting to get to him.

“But… if the Gods gave you your Magic, then obviously you’re worthy enough for it. They wouldn’t have given you the Magic otherwise, right?” Deku said after a moment of silence. He had a confused frown on his face. Katsuki sighed a little and ran a hand through his hair carefully, wondering how to explain it so the Boy of the Gods would understand. Apparently, just as Katsuki’s people didn’t always understand the Gods and their decisions, people of the Gods didn’t always understand people from Katsuki’s world.

“You have their favor, I thought?” Deku went on before the Yuueian could try to explain again. “So don’t you just need to prove to the humans that you’re amazing, too?” Well, yes, that was part of it. That was why Katsuki needed to prove himself to his Tribe. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have to prove himself to the Gods, too.

“That’s not how it works,” he said finally, frowning at the odd, sphere shaped food he still poked at and played with, rather than actually eating it. Maybe it would be good, food from the Realm of the Gods usually had an interesting taste at least, but he had a feeling his stomach wouldn’t cooperate right now if he tried to eat, even in a dream. “The Gods gave me the Magic. Their favor. But that doesn’t automatically mean I deserve it,” he went on, although in all honesty, he sometimes wished it could be as simple as the way Deku saw it. “They granted me a chance. Probably with some intention behind it, too. So I need to prove I can rise to whatever it is they want me to do. And…” he trailed off briefly, mind flashing to the memory of his father’s expression when he told him his Magic manifested in the form of a dragon, marking him as connected to dragons, in a way. Then he remembers the fear he saw in the eyes of his peers when they look at him. Suddenly, he feels like there’s a connection there. One that should be obvious, but it eludes him. He still doesn’t mention it, though, unwilling to risk that bringing it up would put the same fear into Deku’s eyes. He didn’t want Deku to look at him like that.

“And I need to prove that I won’t use the power they’ve given me for anything bad. My Magic is strong… but it’s also destructive,” he finished without looking up. Once again, he felt like his own words held more meaning behind them than he originally intended. Like there was some truth to what he was saying, some connection he should know about, maybe instinctively did, but which he just couldn’t make consciously. Although really, whatever it was he was missing, he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to understand it.

“But isn’t that the same for everyone in your Tribe who has strong Magic? What’s the point of hurting you over it? You can’t learn to control something right if you hurt yourself over it!” Deku exclaimed, his voice loud and a low, ragged undertone to his words. It almost sounded like a kind of growl, but Katsuki wasn’t sure. Once again, he didn’t really pay it any mind, not beyond mentally acknowledging he heard it. He was more focused on what his friend was saying, anyway.

If Katsuki didn’t know any better, he would have thought Deku believed the blonde’s injuries were someone else’s fault. They weren’t, though. It was all on him, just like usual. Because he kept messing up.

“Is everyone in your class like this?! Covered in bandages and being told these things when you’re trying your best?!” Deku’s angry voice broke him out of his musings. Katsuki’s gaze grew a bit more forlorn, his shoulders drooping a little more.

“I only get hurt because I’m not good enough. The others can control their Magic already,” he corrected his friend quietly. It wasn’t the full truth, maybe, since Sparky still got a bit too enthusiastic sometimes. But his backlash wasn’t as physically taxing as Katsuki’s as far as the blonde knew. Heck, Sparky didn’t even need a healer to recover, he just went stupid for a while and that was it. Give him less than half a day and he’d be back to normal. Katsuki, on the other hand, usually needed several days to be able to train properly again.

“Because your magic is stronger!” his friend insisted, frustration and anger still evident in his tone. Katsuki blinked at the words, something tugging at the back of his mind. Yes, his Magic was stronger. More volatile, too. That was the reason he had to push himself so hard to learn to control it, because it would be dangerous if he didn’t. But he felt like there was more to that explanation than just the strength of the volatile nature of his Magic. Like there was something more to it, something he was supposed to know. Something he did know but hadn’t fully connected the dots on yet. He wasn’t really sure if he wanted to, though. “That just means they gotta let you treat it more carefully! If everyone’s Magic is different, then they should train you guys differently! It’s not fair!”

Wasn’t it? Katsuki wasn’t sure if it really wasn’t fair. In fact, the more he and Deku talked about it and the more he was forced to think about the how and the why, the more he felt like he was missing something. Some part of the mystery that would make the treatment he’d been getting - the high expectations, the fear, the reluctance, all of it - make sense. He felt like there was something he should know, but what his mind couldn’t fully grasp.

He couldn’t really grasp what Deku meant, either. How was he supposed to ‘treat his Magic more carefully’? He was already as careful with it as he could, it wasn’t like he could do much more. He couldn’t control the output of his Magic. Try as he might to tone it down so as to not hurt himself, he never actually managed. It was like his Magic had a life of its own. Katsuki might try to tell it to do one thing, but it would go and do something completely different, uncaring of whether or not the young boy’s body could handle it.

“So what, should I just stop using it entirely?” he asked, because really, that was the only alternative he saw. Deku didn’t answer and silence fell over them for a bit. Katsuki still didn’t look up, gaze stuck firmly on the spherical food in his bowl as he continued to poke at it. For a fleeting second, he considered actually trying it, but the thought made his stomach twist in warning and he quickly abandoned the idea.

“Are you… giving up then? On becoming a Warrior?” his friend finally asked quietly. Katsuki blinked at the question, already moving to say no, to deny it, but the words wouldn’t leave his mouth. He didn’t want to give up. He still wanted to be a Warrior. That hadn’t changed and it probably never would. But he had to acknowledge the facts. And the facts were that he’d been dropped from training and he had no idea what to do to change Master Sorahiko’s mind. So he ended up shrugging in answer.

“Can’t be a Warrior if I don’t pass the Trial next spring. And I can’t take the trial if I’m not formally in training,” he said quietly. Those were the rules. Because those who weren’t formally in training had to have messed up big time to be dropped and deemed worthless. And they weren’t supposed to use their Magic, mostly because it would be too dangerous for everyone involved since they lacked training. Besides, surviving the Trial without the use of one’s Magic was unlikely at best, so those who were dropped just weren’t allowed to participate unless they proved they deserved further training.

“I don’t think you should give up entirely… but maybe something you’re doing just isn’t working?” Deku said, trying to encourage him. “I mean… Kacchan is still learning how to fly and stuff, too. You still haven’t figured that out all the way. You’re still learning,” he added. And he had a point in a way. But at the same time, it wasn’t as if Katsuki had tried to fly lately. Or at all outside of dreams, really. He wasn’t a fool. Messing up a test flight, or even as much as a wrong take-off, could easily kill him. So unless he figured out the basics, he had resolved not to try anything too risky. It made actually figuring shit out a lot harder, but it was better than accidentally cracking his skull open. He tried the more dangerous stuff in the dreams, where he knew he couldn’t get too hurt, much less die.

That was before he started to notice his lacking control of his Magic. He wasn’t sure if Deku had realized it, but he had stopped practicing flying in their dreams nearly entirely since that problem reared its ugly head. Katsuki frowned. He still wanted to learn to fly. It would be extremely useful and very cool if he could manage. As things were, though, it seemed highly unlikely at best, impossible to achieve at worst.

“I could control it before, though,” he pointed out quietly, scowling at his untouched food. “Now it’s like… like I never learned that, either.” And maybe he hadn’t. Maybe he had just convinced himself because he hadn’t been able to use much of his Magic’s latent power. It was possible. But knowing of the possibility didn’t solve the issue. Ultimately, it didn’t really matter why Katsuki could control his Magic before, but not now. All that mattered was that he currently couldn’t control it despite the fact that he should have learned ages ago. “Can’t try to fly if I can’t control how big of a blast I make at any fucking given time.”

Not unless he wanted to potentially blast himself into a tree or worse, at any rate. Or unless he wanted to blow himself up. Which was not the case, thank you very much. He might start to doubt he’d ever achieve what had been his dream since he was old enough to have one, but that didn’t mean he wanted to die. Least of all by his own Magic. He liked to think he wasn’t quite that weak and cowardly.

“Why can’t you control it anymore? Last time I saw your Magic, you were really really good!” Deku exclaimed and Katsuki gave him an incredulous look. Was he really? He couldn’t remember the last time his Magic even remotely listened to him, be it in his dreams or in reality. When was this last time Deku was talking about? It had to have been lunar dances, maybe even seasons ago…

“I don’t know,” he admitted quietly before his mind could spiral further down that lane of thought. He didn’t want to think about that.

“Maybe…” Deku hummed pensively before giving Katsuki a careful look. “Maybe if I can see Kacchan’s Magic, I can help? After all, Kacchan has always been good at this stuff. There has to be something being weird!” Katsuki wished he could agree with the green-haired boy. He really did. But honesty, there wasn’t much that could be ‘weird’. It was just that his Magic got stronger. Or rather, it had always been strong, always had the potential to be strong, but now that he was older, Katsuki had more access to that power. It was just that when he tried to exercise control over it, it slipped from his grasp and left the Magic to do what it wanted, rather than follow his will.

“You… want to see it?” Katsuki asked quietly after giving Deku a careful look, though he wasn’t really sure why he was so uncertain about this. What it was that made his gut churn like it did at the thought. Deku might not have Magic of his own, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have good ideas on how to use it and stuff anyway. He had helped Katsuki before, had given him the idea to learn flying. Why would now be any different?

Katsuki didn’t think there was any reason for things to be different. So since Deku helped him before, he might be able to help him now, as well. Mind made up, the blonde set up straighter in his seat and carefully undid the bindings around his hands, revealing the irritated, reddened skin beneath. There were even blisters in places, but he hardly paid any attention to them, already used to the sight of his palms looking as if he’d held them in a bonfire for a few seconds. He didn’t actually need his hands free to use his Magic, but using it while his palms were covered always felt odd. Like something was trying to block the explosions. So Katsuki always made sure to keep his hands uncovered when he used his Magic. It was just more comfortable.

He looked around them. The building they were in wasn’t made of anything flammable that he could tell and it was theoretically empty. Plus this was a dream. But still…

“Should probably go outside for that. Dream or not… I don’t think blowing shit up indoors is a good idea,” he pointed out as he stood up from his seat and Deku nodded in agreement, following suit. In the end, Katsuki never tried the odd, cold food Deku had wanted him to try. He glanced briefly at his friend. “What exactly do you want me to do?” he asked.

“Um… I wanted to see what you mean by you can’t control it,” Deku said quietly as he gingerly took one of Katsuki’s hands in his to inspect the injuries there. He flinched when he got a better look. Katsuki didn’t so much as wince, despite the slight stab of pain that ran through him at the contact. He was getting used to pain already, so it was becoming easier to pretend he didn’t feel it in the real world. Ignoring it in the dream when it was only barely there was even easier. “But how do you make the explosions, anyway? Do you just… make them happen?”

Coming from anyone else, it would have been an extremely odd question to ask. After all, even if everyone’s Magic was different, the way it worked was the same for everyone. The workings behind it weren’t something that needed explanation, because everyone just knew how it worked. Deku didn’t have Magic, though, so he couldn’t possibly know. Katsuki nodded in response to his question.

“I feel my Magic in my core. When I want to use it, I guide it to my hands. The explosions happen from there. It’s just… what my Magic does. I can’t do anything else with it,” he explained, his free hand pointing a bit a the center of his chest to show where the core was, since it was as much a part of his body as his heart or lungs, even if it wasn’t physically there in the same sense.

“What does it feel like when it comes out of your hands?” Deku asked next as he brought Katsuki’s hand closer to his face to do… something. Katsuki wasn’t sure what. He blinked at the odd gesture, especially when Deku dropped his hand again and acted like he hadn’t done anything weird even by his standards. The Boy from the Gods didn’t look up at him, though. Katsuki decided not to ask. It didn’t really matter, anyway. It was probably something connected to the odd sounds Deku made sometimes. Just something that was a part of him because he was from the Gods’ Realm and not from Katsuki’s world.

Still, to say Katsuki didn’t mind having his injuries - the physical proof of his failures - inspected that closely would be a lie. Even if the one inspecting him was his trusted Friend from the Gods. So he looked away with a slight shrug and pulled his hand away as he thought about how to answer the question.

“Like releasing energy, I guess,” he said at length. “Like... there’s heat building up, then it releases all at once, but I don’t feel cold afterward.” It was something similar to that, at any rate. But it was hard to explain to someone who had never experienced it, hard to put into words.

Deku hummed again as the two of them went outside and into the rain, though the dreary weather only lasted for a split second before the skies cleared up. In the moment it took Katsuki to blink and look up at the sky, they weren’t even surrounded by buildings anymore, but by Nature instead. It didn’t take Katsuki long to realize that Deku must have used his ability to manipulate the dreams to change the weather and move them to a different place. The boy even seemed a bit proud of that accomplishment, likely because it was the first time he’d actually done it. He didn’t even try to brag about it, though, mind staying focused on the previous topic of conversation.

“So you’ve been trying to control how much heat you make come from your hands?” he asked. Katsuki nodded, answering distractedly as he looked around. At first glance, he could almost believe Deku had warped them to Myordice, but looking closely, he realized that couldn’t be the case. The flora was different, plants he didn’t recognize or even remember seeing in the forest back home covering the ground. There was a well-used road, too, much like the one that lead to Katsuki’s village, though it didn’t lead to any buildings that Katsuki could see. Only to an open area at the summit of the hill (or maybe mountain?) they were on.

“Something like that,” he replied distractedly, gloom momentarily forgotten in the face of his curiosity. He hadn’t thought there were any places in the Gods’ Realm that had this much Nature. Mostly because he’d never seen one before. It was always buildings, buildings and even more buildings everywhere. “I try to control how much energy moves from my core to my hands in the first place. What gets there will be released all at once. Can’t control that. Already tried.” Not too long after he originally got his Magic, actually. The idea to control the amount he guided from his core to his hands had come naturally, it seemed obvious, but once he’d mastered that, he’d had to wonder if he could control how much power he used after having already guided it to his palms. The answer was a resounding no.

“Um… then have you tried only doing a bit from your core at a time?” Deku asked quietly. Katsuki didn’t look back at him as he opened his mouth to answer, but he didn’t get the chance as his friend started to frantically backpedal, likely expecting the blonde to snap at him. To be fair, that was how he would have usually reacted, in all honesty. “I-I mean, I know you probably have! But I wanna be sure,” he said quickly and Katsuki almost winced. He didn’t like hearing the anxiousness in Deku’s tone. Not when he was addressing Katsuki directly. It felt like Katsuki was scaring him, or at least making him wary and he didn’t want Deku to feel that way around him. He wanted the greenette to be at ease when they met in their dreams.

He didn’t answer right away, biting his lip and keeping his face turned away, looking around more instead. He came closer to one of the trees and looked up at its high branches, one hand resting against the bark. For a moment, he contemplated climbing it so he could get a better look at where they were from higher up, but ultimately decided against it. The lowest branches were too high for him to comfortably jump up and reach them without a boost from his Magic and while he could climb the bark, his palms and arms likely wouldn’t agree with the practice, even in a dream.

“Oh, this is where I went camping with my mom. I told you about it before, if you remember,” Deku said, noticing Katsuki’s curiosity. The blonde nodded, easily remembering the conversation and putting two and two together from there. They really were on a mountain, then. It was interesting because it was nothing like the mountains to the South-East of Katsuki’s village or the lone mountain close by. The South-Eastern mountain chain was a place Katsuki hadn’t gone to and probably never would. It was the territory of dragons, after all, so anyone who valued their life stayed away. Because out of all of Myordice’s beasts, dragons were the most vicious and dangerous. Any fool who went out to hunt dragons never returned and the few lucky souls who ran into one of the lizards by accident and got away with their life by some miracle never had any good stories to tell about it, only horrific ones. Katsuki might not have heard any such stories first hand, only from his parents and teachers or from other tribesmen who went out to Lycan cities every now and then for one reason or another, but never from someone who had actually lived through such an encounter. Maybe he would once he could go out to one of the Lycan cities himself once he was older.

Be that as it may, even if the stories weren’t first hand, they still had to have at least a grain of truth to them. Dragons were territorial and dangerous, so entering their territory was a death sentence. Everyone knew that and as such, the mountains where most dragons had their caves were not to be frequented by anyone no matter what. Still, even though he’d never been there, Katsuki had seen those mountains from a distance and he knew they were mostly dead rock and snow, even in summer. There were no trees and no other plants there, or at least nothing he could see without going himself to get a better look and he wasn’t foolish enough to do so. Even if he were, he sincerely doubted he’d see anything like what he was seeing now. He had thought the Gods’ Realm didn’t have any Nature, and yet here he was on a mountain that seemed to be entirely covered with a forest. And even once the trees thinned out and then stopped entirely, grass still continued to grow the same as it would in a field. It was something Katsuki hadn’t even thought possible on an actual mountain.

“It’s how I controlled it before,” he finally answered Deku’s earlier question, referencing how he took only a little bit of Magic from his core to lead to his palms and control his explosions. And it had seemed to be fine at first. But that was the point. It was fine at first . “It just… doesn’t fucking work anymore,” he said with a sigh and another forlorn look at his injured hands, gloom and doubts returning again. He frowned a little. Deku had wanted to see what he could do. Katsuki might be telling him he couldn’t control his Magic, but Deku likely needed to see it to really understand. So Katsuki took a few cautionary steps away from his friend, not wanting to risk accidentally hurting him, and then called forth a bit of his Magic. Just enough to make his hands spark a little. Or at least that was what he was going for. Instead, his Magic reacted to his call with an explosion strong enough that the heat of it made his skin redden and one or two of the blisters pop while the recoil made him step back. Katsuki hissed, both at the pain he felt (even if it wasn’t as bad as it would have been in reality) and at the frustration of yet another failed attempt to control his own power. The hiss quickly turned into a disappointed sigh, though, as his arm lowered, shoulders quickly following suit.

“Is it…” Deku started carefully, voice a bit subdued in the wake of the small explosion. Or, well, small compared to what Katsuki thought his Magic was capable of, even if his body couldn’t keep up. “Kacchan, have you let your hands and arms heal at all? You’ve… you’ve been covered in bandages for the past few lunar dances. Could your injuries be getting in the way?” the greenette asked. Katsuki didn’t raise his head, but he did give Deku a look out of the corner of his eye through his bangs.

“‘Course I let them heal. ‘M not that stupid,” he muttered, glancing down again. Yes, he was frustrated at his lack of progress. At the way he seemed to be regressing, even. But he wasn’t foolish enough to push himself when he was already hurt. At first, he only took it easy if the healer explicitly told him to, sure, but he’d quickly realized that wasn’t enough. And even then, he had never used his Magic during training until his hands healed.

“You’re not stupid at all,” Deku said without hesitation (or even much thought about it, it seemed). Katsuki didn’t answer. He knew a lot of people who would beg to differ, who wouldn’t hesitate to contradict Deku’s statement and if he’s honest, he’s not sure who between the two would be right: Deku who believed in him, or the tribesmen who saw him fail time and again. Whoever was ultimately right, though, Katsuki couldn’t deny that it felt nice to have someone else defend him, even if it was only from his own doubts and insecurities rather than other people’s beliefs, for once in his life. So he didn’t fight it, despite the fact that he didn’t quite agree. He didn’t want to fight with Deku.

“Could it be puberty?” Deku’s words brought him back to the issue at hand. The greenette was frowning pensively and Katsuki blinked. Puber-what now?

“What would that have to do with anything?” he ended up asking, not really understanding the connection because he just had no idea what Deku was talking about. He figured he’d get an explanation either way, though, so he didn’t ask for one directly. True to form, Deku didn’t disappoint and tried to explain.

“W-Well, my mom says that, uh, puberty causes a lot of changes! To… to our bodies! First and second puberty!” he said, flailing with his arms a bit as if he was backtracking, rather than explaining. He stumbled a bit over his words, too, like he was unsure. Katsuki didn’t comment on it, though. “Although I’m not sure what kind of changes, if I’m honest…” he muttered, voice quieter but not quiet enough for Katsuki not to hear him. The blonde scowled in confusion. He didn’t really get what this ‘puberty’ thing was supposed to be. Not beyond the fact that it was something people of the Gods, people like Deku, went through (apparently twice) and which changed the body somehow. He didn’t think it had anything to do with him, though, because he couldn’t actually recall anyone in his village going through any kind of physical changes or any sort of body-changing… experience? Least of all himself.

“I don’t think it’s connected,” he said finally, still scowling. “Didn’t seem to affect anyone else,” he added after a moment in lieu of a proper explanation, because he couldn’t provide one without truly knowing what Deku was talking about. Unless ‘puberty’ was like a sickness and it didn’t afflict everyone…?

“Oh, ok,” Deku said easily, clearly not perturbed by the possibility of being wrong. “Then… Then let’s practice here? You can’t get hurt here and it’s okay to cause as much damage as needed! Or I can heal you if it does hurt?” Katsuki startled a bit at that last offer and looked at his friend in surprise.

“You can heal me?” he asked, not expecting that to be possible. Deku had never offered that before. Of course, even if it was possible, Katsuki knew it didn’t mean his real life injuries would be healed. But even here, in the dream, they stung, so he’d definitely prefer if he could be healed. Especially since dream or not, he doubted training with his arms in their current state was a good idea.

Deku nodded, although he was pouting and puffing out his cheeks a little.

“I thought you knew that? Kacchan, we learned this together!” he cried, his voice a bit whiny in a way Katsuki hadn’t really heard before. But he could hear the disappointment in his friend’s tone and it made him wince. Deku was basically the only person who believed he was worth anything and here he was, letting even him down. “If you get hurt, I can heal you because we’re dreaming,” Deku went on, unaware of the guilt surging in Katsuki’s chest, filling his heart and making it feel heavy. He remembered what his friend was talking about now that he thought about it. They’d tried that and a few other things out several dreams ago, though Katsuki had always thought Deku was simply training whatever powers he could exert in dreams due to being from the Gods’ Realm, rather than simply because it was actually a dream.

“Sorry,” he said quietly, hoping it would be enough to placate his friend, to wipe that upset look off his face. Katsuki didn’t want to disappoint him, too. Too late for that, though, he guessed. He gave the greenette an uncertain look then. “Could you… heal me then? Please?”

He wasn’t someone who apologized or requested things easily. But right now, it felt right. It felt necessary. If it gave him any chance Deku would forgive him, he would take it at any rate. His friend from the Gods wouldn’t be someone Katsuki would be afraid to apologize to. Or to request things of. Because he knew he could trust him and he knew he wouldn’t be turned away or ignored.

“Yeah, of course! Come here,” Deku said quickly, a soft smile already on his face again as he took Katsuki’s hands in his. It only took a blink of an eye, maybe even less than that, and then Katsuki’s arms were perfectly fine. As if he never had been hurt at all. He still flexed his fingers carefully just to make sure, though. There was no difficulty of movement, no spike of pain, nothing. He was completely fine.

“Thanks...” he said quietly, appreciating the gesture even if he knew it only worked for the dream, that his injuries would still be there once he woke up. “So… what do you want me to do?” he asked as he looked around again. Usually, he would be the one to take point when it came to Magic, especially his own. He was the one who knew stuff about it, after all. But this time, he would be the one to follow Deku’s lead.

“Umm…” Deku hesitated for a moment, “show me what you’ve been doing lately? Can I see the difference between you trying to hold back and actually holding back? Like...just let your magic go boom and then try to, um, control how strong the boom is?” he requested and Katsuki bit his lip. He hadn’t ever just let his Magic go without any control. He had been taught only fools did that, that it wasn’t a good idea no matter how strong or weak someone’s Magic was or what it did. But he guessed Deku knew what he was doing. Or at least he hoped so. He stepped away from his friend again after nodding slightly, though, just in case. He didn’t really know what all could come of this, but dream or not, he was not taking any chances. He wasn’t going to hurt Deku.

He stepped a significant distance away. More than even Master Sorahiko ever kept from him when he was supposed to push his Magic to his limit - at least back when he still had some measure of control over it. Then he held out both hands in front of himself and took a deep breath before reaching inward for his Magic, for the core that housed it. As usual, it reacted easily enough, following his will, and as soon as that first tug was done, Katsuki let it flow freely. He let go.

The resulting explosion was bigger than anything Katsuki had ever caused before. The blonde closed his eyes without thinking, blinded and with ears ringing as he stumbled back from the recoil until his back hit a tree, the very ground itself seeming to shake from the explosion he caused. His arms burned with pain more than he’d ever experienced before. Katsuki didn’t attempt to try and move them. He didn’t dare, not with how much it hurt already despite the fact that it was a dream and no matter how beat up he was, he shouldn’t be hurting.

“Fuck…” he cursed hoarsely before he slowly opened his eyes. He glanced only briefly at his arms, noticing that his skin was was marred with black burn marks. He looked away quickly, deciding not to inspect his injuries too closely this time. He looked towards the clearing he’d been standing in instead. The results of his own actions floored him.

There was a large, black crater of burned earth where he’d been standing. It wasn’t very deep, but it was large for something supposedly caused by one person. Not a single blade of grass remained in it. Neither did rocks, or at least he didn’t see any. Only ash and burned earth. Katsuki was sure that if there had been any trees close to that explosion, they would have ended up the same. Burnt until nothing remained to show they had been there.

And it was Katsuki’s Magic, Katsuki himself, who caused that kind of destruction. Without even really trying to. He hadn’t pulled on his reserves, hadn’t tried to make the explosion strong. He’d just… let go. And this was the result. 

Maybe it shouldn’t be such a surprise, but it was. Katsuki had always known his Magic could be destructive. Of course he did. But he’d never actually seen any proof of it because he’d done his best to control it. Seeing it now… it made him realize just how dangerous and destructive his Magic really was. And that, in turn, made something click in his brain. Something that seemed so obvious in hindsight now that he’d figured it out. Something that made so much sense, that explained everything .

Katsuki’s peers were afraid of him and the adults were wary of him, at best. That was because of his Magic. Because of how strong it was, of what it could do. It shouldn’t be a problem if Katsuki could control it, though, and while he definitely struggled with it now, he had been able to at least somewhat control it before. But the fear and wariness had been there even then. Because it wasn’t just Katsuki’s Magic the Yuueians were afraid of, the blonde finally realized.

No, what the Yuueians were afraid of - or rather who they were afraid of - was the person holding the Magic. It was Katsuki himself. Because they feared what he could do. What he could become.

Katsuki’s Magic had manifested in the form of a dragon. One of the most vicious and dangerous beasts of Myordice. That was a testament to how powerful it was, yes… but that wasn’t all there was to it. Katsuki wasn’t quite sure how it worked, so he hadn’t thought much about it, but apparently, particularly strong Magic manifested in the form of the beast it had some sort of ties to. He hadn’t really ever thought about that. But looking at what he’d done right now, he should have.

He had never met a dragon or anything, but from what he’d heard, the clearing looked very much like it might have if a very young dragon decided to take its frustrations out on something. But it hadn’t been a dragon that caused it. It had been Katsuki.

Katsuki, whose Magic had some sort of connection to dragons, not that he’d really thought much of it up until now. Katsuki, who was the first in his family in generations to have truly powerful Magic. Katsuki, who wanted to be a Warrior, who wanted to use that powerful, destructive Magic in combat. Who wanted to learn to use it efficiently to fight and to kill.

Katsuki, who couldn’t control his Magic at all, who only caused destruction, who was already moody and short-tempered and a bit violent, even by Yuuei Tribe’s standards. Katsuki, who… who already acted like he was in tune with his Magic’s origins.

It made sense. So much sense. The fear, the wariness… it was all because his tribesmen were afraid he would only get worse. That he would fall prey to his Magic’s origins (or whatever connection to dragons his Magic had), that he would become more dragon than human. It was another thing he had heard stories of. That those who couldn’t control their Magic fell prey to it and lost their humanity. Katsuki had been struggling for a while, too. So the adults… they were afraid he would become as much of a monster as the creatures his Magic was apparently connected to. That he would fall prey to his Magic, lose himself in its power and the destruction it could cause.

It made sense, it really did. But now that he figured it all out, that he finally understood what he had been missing, what he had refused to see, he didn’t feel any better. On the contrary, all he felt was terror. Because even if that never happened, even if he never lost himself to his Magic, he could still cause so much destruction without meaning to.

It was no wonder hs tribesmen thought it might be better if he was dropped from training. Those who were dropped were not allowed to use their Magic because they were not trained well enough to do so. If Katsuki never used his Magic, he could never destroy anything. He wouldn’t have to learn to control it, there would be no risk of him losing himself to something he couldn’t control because he’d never give it a chance to overcome him. And if there was no risk of Katsuki losing control and growing more destructive, then there was no risk to the Tribe, either. The only thing he would have to know would be how to control his Magic enough so that the energy never left his core. But that, at least, was something he had already mastered.

It made sense. So much sense. He should have figured it all out sooner…

“Kacchan!” Deku’s voice cut through his thoughts as the greenette approached him again. He looked a bit shaken, a little pale. But he was close and he didn’t flinch away or anything. Instead, he grabbed Katsuki’s arm and healed him in the blink of an eye again. “That was… That was amazing! I can’t believe how strong you are!” he called, clearly impressed if not downright awed. The enthusiasm quickly drained from him when he glanced at the damage Katsuki caused, though. “But… I can see why you’re scared of it. That was scary.”

Usually, Katsuki’s go-to response to being accused of feeling fear of any sort, in any kind of situation, would be a scoff and a petulant ‘I wasn’t scared,’ that may or may not be believable. But not this time. This time he flinched, though not at Deku’s accusation that the blonde might be scared of his own power as much as at the admission that his Friend from the Gods thought it was scary.

“Sorry,” he apologized again, voice barely audible. He clenched his fists at his sides, feeling a tremor in his limbs that he quickly suppressed. “Didn’t mean to scare you,” he admitted without looking at the greenette. He didn’t want to see the fear in Deku’s eyes. He saw it enough at the village, in the eyes of his peers. He didn’t want Deku to be afraid of him, too. In fact, the other boy was the absolutely last person Katsuki wanted to ever be scared of him, for any reason. Anyone else’s fear he could handle. He could because he didn’t really give a shit about them. Why should he care when he didn’t know them? He might have wanted to try and get to know his peers better in the past, but he’d given up on it as soon as it became obvious the others weren’t going to let him try. So rather than be upset, he chose to just not care. Let them be scared. Let them think whatever they wanted to think about him. Katsuki didn’t give a shit.

But Deku was his friend. He didn’t want his friend to be afraid of him. Even if he might have a valid reason to be.

“It’s ok!” Deku assured him quickly. “Things like that are gonna be scary! I’m fine,” he said and Katsuki looked up at him slowly, uncertainly. The other boy didn’t look scared at all, though, at least not of Katsuki himself. The realization made a knot the Yuueian hadn’t even realized had formed in his chest to loosen, allowing him to relax a little as he gave a small, understanding nod. “Um…” Deku hummed again, a confused, pensive look crossing his face. “So Kacchan… Kacchan’s become really strong now. But why can’t he control his Magic like he used to?” he asked, though he seemed to be talking more to himself than to Katsuki, even as he looked at him. “What’s different now than it was when we were younger?”

“I guess…” Katsuki started with a pensive frown, uncertain. “I just couldn’t call forth my Magic’s true power then. I was too young. If I made a blast like that back then… I would have blown myself up. I’m older now. My body can handle it better… I think,” he said, motioning briefly to the scorched earth to illustrate what kind of blast he meant. Of course, such powerful blasts still hurt him. His body couldn’t handle them without taking damage. But if this was how hurt he got now, then when he’d been a little brat, a blast of that caliber would have almost certainly killed him.

“Then… maybe you can try doing the Magic like you used to?” Deku offered carefully, though he didn’t seem too certain of his own offer. “Is it just… hard to hold it back?” he asked before sighing, shoulders slumping a little bit as he gave Katsuki an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m not much help. I don’t know Magic, really.”

“‘S fine,” Katsuki replied quietly. It wasn’t like they hadn’t known that, after all. The blonde had still expected, or rather hoped, that Deku might have an idea of what was wrong with him anyway, but he couldn’t really fault him for not knowing when Katsuki himself was just as stumped. He did give Deku’s words some thought, though.

Just use his Magic like when he was younger, huh? In all honesty, it sounded simple enough. So simple, in fact, that it might actually work… maybe. There was only one little problem. His Magic was destructive. Dangerous. If that didn’t work and Katsuki lost control again, possibly worse than just now…

“What if I end up hurting someone?” he wondered aloud, uncertainty twisting his gut painfully as he swallowed. A blast like the one he’d just done could easily kill someone if they were close enough, let alone a stronger one. It was a valid worry. Because Katsuki didn’t want to kill or maim someone unless the situation called for it, unless they deserved it and tribal rules called for retribution. He certainly didn’t want to risk killing people on accident. “You saw what that blast did. If you were any closer to me when I let it loose, I could have hurt you, too.” And he didn’t want to hurt Deku. Ever. In any way, shape or form. He didn’t want to ever be the reason Deku was hurt.

Besides, as destructive as Katsuki’s Magic was, that was just what it could do when he let loose, when he didn’t try to pull any additional strength out of it. How much more destructive and dangerous could it be if he did? What was his limit? The upper limit of his Magic, disregarding the natural limitation of his body? And how much stronger would his Magic become as Katsuki continued to grow, continued to train? How much more of a dragon would his tribesmen start to see in him, how much would they grow to fear him? Katsuki didn’t know. And to be honest, in the case of most of these question, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to know.

“That’s why we can practice here first!” Deku replied immediately without an ounce of hesitation as he motioned around them. “You can’t hurt anyone here! It’s the perfect place to practice! And look!” A blink of an eye and the destruction Katsuki had caused was gone, as if it had never been there, as if he had never done anything. “If we practice here, you can take that back to your world too! Right? Kacchan has always been great with his Magic. I don’t doubt you can learn to control it better! You’ll be great!”

Deku was trying to visibly encourage him. Katsuki knew that. But while he knew Deku believed in him… he couldn’t really find it in himself to believe in himself. How could he when aside from his one and only friend no one else did? His peers didn’t. His teachers didn’t. Maybe even his own parents didn’t.

“How do you know?” the blonde questioned quietly, red eyes staring firmly at the ground, not daring to look up. It wasn’t that he didn’t see Deku’s point. He did. It really was the best place to practice. He couldn’t destroy anything here and the only person he could potentially hurt was Deku. Katsuki would be damned if he ever allowed himself to hurt his friend, though. No way in Hell.

But just because he could admit Deku had a point, it didn’t mean he could just magically discard his doubts.

“Because I do!” Deku replied immediately with a determined nod. “I’ve grown up with Kacchan. You’ve shown me all these awesome things. There’s no way Kacchan will fail! You’re the best!”

“Am I?” Katsuki couldn’t help but ask, far from convinced. In his mind, Master Sorahiko’s words echoed once again. ‘You’re pathetic’, the man had said. And maybe he was right. No, scratch that, he almost definitely was. Katsuki had proven that again and again, after all. “Failing is all I do lately, though…”

As much as he hated it, it was just fact.

“You ARE!” Deku yelled at him, his voice sounding a bit waverly, like he might be tearing up. Katsuki didn’t dare look up to confirm whether or not he did, though. “Kacchan, you keep telling me to never give up when things go bad. Well...you...you should take your own advice!”

Katsuki didn’t reply to that. He didn’t reply because he didn’t agree, but he didn’t want to fight with Deku about it. He didn’t want to fight with him at all, period. Once again, he could see Deku’s point. Maybe he should take his own advice. But it was hard to try, to keep going when everyone he knew outside of these dreams seemed so persuaded that he could only fail, anyway. When everyone he knew except Deku seemed to want him to fail, even.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. But then Deku approached, arms wrapping carefully around Katsuki and pulling him into a hug. The Yuueian froze, unsure how to react, unused to being hugged and clearly not having expected it. Deku pressed his face against Katsuki’s neck and shoulder, at the juncture between the two. When he spoke again, his voice was soft.

“You can do it, Kacchan. You just need to show everyone how great you are. Prove you can be a Warrior better than anyone else! I know you can do it!” he encouraged as he continued to hold him. Katsuki relaxed into his hold gradually, though he still only stared past his friend over the greenette’s shoulder and never hugged him back.

“Ok...” he said at length, but his tone was still quiet. Subdued. Unconvinced. He wasn’t sure if he could really achieve much of anything, really, let alone all what Deku was saying. But… his friend believed in him. So strongly. So obviously. Katsuki didn’t want to disappoint him, too. He didn’t want Deku to start thinking he was pathetic. Didn’t want him to realize that maybe he was better off without Katsuki.

He didn’t want Deku to leave. He didn’t want to be left alone.

So he couldn’t give up and he couldn’t fail. Because Deku would likely realize he was wrong if he did, he would realize how pathetic Katsuki was, he would realize what everyone in the village seemed to already know and he’d realize Katsuki wasn’t worth his time. So he would leave.

Katsuki desperately wanted Deku to stay, though. He didn’t want to lose his Friend from the Gods, his only actual friend.

“I’ll try,” he added after a moment of silence. The other boy nodded silently in response, accepting the words, but he didn’t let go. Katsuki still didn’t hug him back, but he didn’t push Deku off, either, letting him hold him and allowing himself to take at least a little comfort and reassurance from the contact. Deku believed in him. He was pretty much the only person Katsuki knew who believed the blonde was worth something. Katsuki didn’t want to disappoint him. So when Deku eventually let him go and stepped back, he took a deep breath and tried to motivate himself before they started to train in earnest.


Of course, it wasn’t that easy. Katsuki hadn’t expected it to be. He’d spent season cycles trying and failing to control his Magic, after all, so he knew better than anyone just how hard it would be to figure out why he could no longer do it. Especially since Deku didn’t know anything about Magic, so any potential ideas he could give were mostly things Katsuki had already thought of and tried before, or things that had no feasible way of working. Not that Katsuki didn’t try them anyway, just in case.

The only results he got was failure after failure, however.

Despite that, though, Deku wasn’t giving up and kept coming up with new ideas, still as persuaded as before that they’d figure it out no matter how many days or lunar dances passed. Katsuki never admitted it out loud, but his friend’s cheerful attitude was something he was grateful for, because it was pretty much the only thing stopping him from giving up entirely at this point. Which wasn’t something he was proud of, especially since deep down, he didn’t really want to give up. It was just that the more they tried, the more he feared that he might not have a choice. But Deku never seemed to believe anything of the sort, and so Katsuki kept those thoughts to himself and tried to shake them, tried to be as positive as his friend and kept trying. It didn’t fully work, because a part of him was still beaten down and persuaded he was a failure, but at least that part of him was now hidden deep behind only partially forced cheer and confidence and Deku seemed to believe the act, which was really the only thing Katsuki cared about in that regard.

Their refusal to give up paid off in the end, however. It was toward the end of summer, when the leaves on the trees started turning yellow and red and blue and purple and many other colors besides. They were taking a break from Katsuki’s attempts to control his Magic and Katsuki had just sprawled under one of the trees and looked up at the sky as he rested and thought, not saying anything. Deku had laid down next to him and, as per usual, started chattering and asking dozens of questions about anything and everything. At one point, he cautiously asked what it even feels like to have Magic. Not even use it, just have it. Katsuki hadn’t really been able to explain it to him, however, because he had nothing to compare it to. He didn’t know what it would feel like to not have Magic, after all, though he’d guessed it would be the same as missing a limb.

“So your Magic is like a third arm?” Deku had asked and Katsuki shrugged in response.

“If an arm can have a life of its own, I guess.”

“Your Magic has a life of its own?”

“Feels like it sometimes. Especially when it won’t fucking do what I want it to.”

“That’s just like Kacchan, then. You hate being ordered around, too,” Deku said with a laugh. Katsuki hadn’t deigned the jab with a response beyond an irritated huff and a scowl, but the words stuck with him. When he woke up the next morning, he still couldn’t stop thinking about it. And the more he thought, the more sense it made.

His Magic was a part of him, same as his limbs or his heart or any other part of his body. But it was different as well, because it wasn’t a physical part of his body. Not really. His Magic core was in a specific place and he could feel it, he knew where it was, but he also knew that if someone cut his chest open and tried to remove it, they would have nothing to remove. More than a part of his body, the core and the Magic it housed was a part of his spirit, his soul. The core flared when he was angry and the flames within were doused when he was sad. It responded to his emotions, it was connected to them. Most of the time, anyway. Since he stopped being able to control it, however, it would flare at random. As if the Magic was angry, even if Katsuki himself wasn’t, or at least not as much as to warrant this kind of response.

And now that he thought about it, it did it whenever he had attempted to control it, to force it to do a certain thing. Which ultimately always lead to a loss of control instead.

Maybe that was it? Maybe he was trying too hard. Maybe his Magic really did have a life of its own and it hated being ordered around, just like Katsuki did? Because it was a part of him and thus had a similar ‘personality’ of sorts? Maybe he should stop trying to force it to obey and try to work with it, like with a partner, instead?

If nothing else, it was worth a try, and so after he was done with his morning chores, he headed out into the forest to try it out. His parents didn’t stop him. In fact, his parents barely spoke a word to him since Master Sorahiko had dismissed him from training. His mother seemed angry more often than not and his father couldn’t really meet Katsuki’s eyes, but on the rare times that he did, the blonde couldn’t help but read disappointment there. In the first days after his dismissal, his mother had told him to go back and prove his master wrong as soon as he healed. Repeatedly. And she’d only gotten angrier when he hadn’t, despite the fact that he’d told her again and again that he knows he won’t be taken back until he gets a grip on his Magic again. It had resulted in many a screaming match, because it didn’t seem like his mother could comprehend the idea that Katsuki couldn’t control his Magic.

His father hadn’t yelled at him or anything of the sort, but he’d tried to push in his own mild-mannered manner as well, only to deflate and give Katsuki this sad, disappointed look every time he refused. Which if Katsuki was honest only served to make him feel guiltier about the whole thing.

As time passed, however, his parents left him be. The blonde was pretty sure it was because they were persuaded he’d given up at this point and he didn’t bother to correct them anymore. They never seemed to believe him when he said that despite everything, he still kept trying. He didn’t know what they thought he was doing in the forest whenever he wasn’t needed at home and he didn’t really care to know, either. He had a feeling he wouldn’t like what they thought, so he never asked.

The clearing he’d chosen as his training ground, mostly to minimize the damage to just the ground or, preferably, to nothing at all, was easy to find and recognize, because it was littered with holes of various sizes. Or maybe ‘craters’ would be a better description. All of them Katsuki’s doing. All of them proof of how inadequate he was when it came to his Magic. He didn’t spare them a glance this time, though. He didn’t allow himself to. Instead, he closed his eyes and clenched his fists at his sides, concentrating.

It wasn’t hard to find his core, nor was it hard to pull the energy within into his body to use. But instead of trying to force it a certain way, to make it do a certain thing, Katsuki relaxed and let the energy do what it wanted instead. He didn’t let go in the same sense he had in his dream with Deku, though. He still hovered close, ready to interfere the moment something went wrong, or to try to at any case, but he didn’t give the energy orders. Didn’t tell it where to go, didn’t tell how much was allowed out of the core and into his arms. Instead, he coaxed it gently, as if asking ‘are you ok with this?’ and ‘will you fucking work with me if I stop trying to order you around?’ The effect was… maybe not instantaneous, but definitely quick as Katsui felt warmth - his Magic - leaving his core and flood his entire system. Not just his arms as he had always tried to make it, but all of him, his chest, his belly, his head, his legs. It was like a blanket he hadn’t thought he’d been missing suddenly being wrapped around him, became a part of him and he was left to wonder how the fuck he’d managed to live without the feeling for nine and a half season cycles.

The warmth wasn’t static, however. It moved and he could feel it move, flowing through him, to his extremities and back, out of his core and back inside, round and round in a circuit he didn’t fully comprehend but just knew was right.

When he raised his palms and stared at them, willing sparks to appear like when he was little, they sparked. When he wanted a bigger explosion in just one of them, it happened, waves of energy flowing into his arms and palms and releasing just as they always had and yet completely different. Because up until now, he had only tried to control the energy and now it felt like he was, in a sense, communicating with it. And it was telling him ‘finally you understand, finally we can be one’.

Katsuki instinctively knew then that his problems with control of his Magic were finally over. For good.


It was about twenty days later that Katsuki kicked open the doors to the training ground where he hadn’t set foot in a season and a half, interrupting the training going on without the slightest regret. He scowled at the others there, frozen in the middle of whatever they were doing today (looked like personalized Magic training), his glare only getting fiercer when his eyes found Master Sorahiko.

“Oi, old man! I’ve come to make you take back your goddamn dismissal!” he yelled across the training grounds as he stalked forward, his Magic coursing in his body with excitement and determination. He had never locked the energy back up in his core after he finally figured his problem out. It didn’t feel right to do so. So his Magic coursed through him much like the blood in his veins, as much a part of him now as any other part of his body. As it was meant to be, though it had taken him fucking forever to catch on to that fact.

“You did, huh? And what do you know, you’re not even scampering back like a beaten wolf pup with its tail between its legs like I expected,” Master Sorahiko replied and Katsuki bristled at both the words and the condescending look that accompanied them. “You really think you can change my mind?”

“Test me and I’ll fucking prove it to you,” Katsuki growled, raising his head just a bit to glare down at the old, diminutive man. Of course, he knew that Master Sorahiko’s tiny stature didn’t mean he was weak or anything, but it was precisely the reason he acted the way he did. If he wasn’t confident, the man wouldn’t even give him a minute of his day and Katsuki was not going to let his former (and to-be-again) teacher ignore him.

The balding Elder didn’t reply for a moment, just looked Katsuki up and down with a look that was at the same time calculating and condescending. The blonde refused to squirm under the scrutiny no matter how much he wanted to. He was here to be taken back to training and he was not going back until his master agreed to train him once more. They stared at each other for a moment and then the old man scowled and looked at his other students, waving a hand at them in a shooing motion.

“Take a break and watch, you lot. Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to teach you a thing or two while I put this little rascal here in his place,” he said and Katsuki bristled again, but held his tongue. The old man turned his back on him then and walked back a few paces before facing him once more and stretching his legs out. Then he looked up at Katsuki with a smirk that all but screamed ‘I’m going to pound you into the ground and I’m going to enjoy it’. The blonde didn’t back down, though, and only replied with a smirk of his own as he bent his knees and spread his legs just a bit, widening his stance. He had a feeling he knew what kind of test Master Sorahiko had in mind. And this time, Katsuki was going to fucking ace it.

“Same rules as last time. Defeat me. That’s all,” the old man said with a grin and that was all the incentive (and all the ‘ready, GO!’) Katsuki needed as he threw both of his hands backwards and used his Magic, half-running half-lunging at his master. The old man obviously saw it coming and used his own Magic, propulsing air from his feet to jump high into the air to avoid him. Katsuki expected it, however, and twisted, jumping after the man with the help of his explosions. It wasn’t quite a take-off, nor was he intending to use his Magic to fly. Not how he hoped to eventually learn to, anyway. Not proper pseudo-flight. But it was a start. His first proper step in learning that skill.

Master Sorahiko evaded, going back towards the ground, and once again Katsuki gave chase. As soon as the old man landed, however, he took off right back where he came from, fist at the ready to meet Katsuki’s face. The blonde twisted in mid-air, one hand shooting to the side and a well-timed explosion changing his trajectory, allowing him to get out of the way in time. Another explosion and he was spinning back around, aiming a kick at the old man’s back. He wasn’t fast enough and he missed, but as both he and his master landed on the ground several feet away from each other, the old man raised an eye-brow and for a second, Katsuki thought he looked just a little bit impressed.

Things continued like that for a while, the two of them chasing each other and trying to get a hit in while avoiding being hit in turn. Katsuki was definitely holding up better than he had last time and it wasn’t only due to the fact that he could control his Magic again. Another part of it was simply how he used it. Because in the past, he had just focused on controlling its strength, on the power of it. But his Magic wasn’t all about power and he needed to learn to use it in different ways. It had been the second way he’d fucked up that last test: his obsession with just winning by being stronger.

He couldn’t defeat Master Sorahiko this way. All the power in the world didn’t mean shit if he couldn’t land a hit, after all, and Master Sorahiko was fast . Extremely so. Katsuki didn’t have much of a chance of keeping up with him in speed alone. No one really did. Elder Sorahiko, known as Gran Torino in his youth, was just that fast.

However, what Katsuki hadn’t thought about all those lunar dances ago and what he knew now was that while he couldn’t keep up on speed alone, he had other advantages. One of them being his mobility. Because while Master Sorahiko was fast, he couldn’t change his direction on the fly the way Katsuki could. It was this mobility, this way of using his Magic to suddenly change directions, that the blonde had been working on these past twenty days, which amounted to him building his fighting style nearly from the ground up again. Not that he had much of a fighting style before and he certainly didn’t have a real one now because he hadn’t really been formally trained in combat yet, but he was laying the groundwork.

It still didn’t change the fact that he was severely outmatched, though. Master Sorahiko was an old man, but he was still in shape and he’d had years to perfect his fighting style while Katsuki was only starting to attempt to build his. Beyond that, he had instincts honed through years of practice and the experience to go with it. So it was really no surprise at all when the old man found ways around Katsuki’s mobility and landed several kicks which were definitely going to bruise once again. The blonde refused to give up, however, and tried to think of new ways to push his advantage - or to regain it, in this case. One of which turned out to be a spontaneous idea to set off a few smaller explosions close to the ground, which ended up kicking up debris and a cloud of dust creating a sort of smokescreen.

In the end, it felt more like a lucky hit than anything else when his hand almost connected with Master Sorahiko’s back once, the explosion accompanying it failing to hurt the retreating man beyond burning his yellowish cape and making the skin of his naked back turn slightly red from the heat. Katsuki cursed himself and the fact that he was tiring and didn’t follow after the man, choosing instead to widen the distance between them to try and regain his breath a little bit while he tried to think of his next course of action. He never got a chance to come up with one, however, as the old man straightened and regarded him with a cool look.

“That’s enough,” he said in a low tone as he took off his cape and beat it out before giving it a look. The burnt-out hole in the middle of the leather was impossible to miss and the old man scowled. “Damn it, you had to ruin it, didn’t you, you damn rascal,” he said before glaring at the blonde and throwing the ruined cape at him. Katsuki caught it on instinct more than anything else. “You ruined it, you get to mend it. I expect it done by tomorrow. You’ll wish you were free of training by this time tomorrow if it’s not.”

Katsuki scowled at the leather in his hands, still panting a bit, then looked up at Master Sorahiko with a thoughtful frown. A second ago, he had to stop himself from yelling that he could keep going (because he was well aware that continuing would just be repeating past mistakes and as much as he didn’t want to give up, he had to admit that he was worn out) and now it almost sounded like he was expected to come back the next day.

“Training?” he repeated carefully, his red eyes never leaving the scowling old man. “I didn’t defeat you,” he pointed out in a low tone. He wasn’t trying to refuse being accepted back, but he was confused about it. Master Sorahiko wasn’t one to be lenient, after all, and Katsuki had once again failed. But the old man only laughed, as if the blonde’s remark had been beyond hilarious.

“And you really expected to? You, a little kid who knows nothing of combat, defeating me? Don’t be absurd, you damn rascal. You may have powerful Magic, but that doesn’t mean you have no betters,” the old man waved a dismissive hand at him. “You think any of those greenies actually managed?” he added with a raised eyebrow, waving vaguely at the others. Katsuki had honestly forgotten they were there and looking towards them now, he saw most of them staring with wide eyes and, in some cases, mouths hanging open. Katsuki tensed and looked away from their stunned gaping, feeling the cloud of uncertainty and slight fear hanging around them even though he was several feel away. But he didn’t let it get to him. He didn’t care what they thought about him.

“No fucking way,” he muttered, just knowing that he was right. He’d never seen any of his peers training as much as he had before he’d been kicked out of training, after all. He’d never seen Master Sorahiko push anyone else as hard as he pushed Katsuki. So if the blonde had had no chance at all of defeating the man (and he had to admit that looking at it logically, he really hadn’t), then the others had even less so. And yet they’ve been given the same test as Katsuki from the sound of it and had passed where he had failed. Clearly, actual victory wasn’t the prerequisite to passing, no matter what the old man said.

“Of course they didn’t. No kid as green behind the ears as you lot could,” the old man said with a snort before giving Katsuki a long, contemplative look. “But you managed to get a hit in. Barely a one, but you did. That’s more than any of my trainees managed in recent years,” he said in a low tone and for a moment, Katsuki could only stare. The man didn’t give him another glance and his tone had been flat, stating nothing but facts. So it wasn’t really praise, because there wasn’t even a hint of anything even remotely close to a ‘well done’ in the statement. Still, it was the first time Katsuki could remember that the man acknowledged the blonde’s effort and even told him he’d achieved something. So in a way, it felt like praise.

“Now get outta here, you rascal! You have my cape to mend. It better be ready tomorrow when you come back.”


The following days, training was nothing short of brutal. As autumn turned to winter and then spring started to inch closer, it only got worse. Katsuki didn’t come home with bruises or injuries from it, no, but he was nothing short of exhausted and wishing he could just go to bed and stay there for the foreseeable future. He was often still tired when he woke up in the mornings to help out with the chores, which made him irritable. That, of course, led to more screaming matches with his mother, often for mundane reasons. His father had taken to trying to placate both of them, but it rarely worked.

Still, it wasn’t like Katsuki and his mother were at war with each other. They weren’t. The woman might slap him across the head if he cussed too much (damn hypocrite) and they might get into fights, but she’d leave him be when he came home soaked and shivering after a particularly nasty bout of training in the snow and would give him a blanket and a bowl of soup or tea to warm up with without a word. She never mentioned the time he’d been out of training and she didn’t put any pressure on him to not be kicked out again or anything of the sort.

His father had similarly backed off. He was no longer giving Katsuki those infuriating, disappointed glances and if Katsuki mentioned making a mistake during training that ended up with him straining a muscle a bit, he’d quietly massage the ache out of him or, more often than not, show Katsuki how he can do it himself. There was no tension between any of them anymore, just the regular short tempers when everyone was tired and worn out as winter was wont to make them. That and in Katsuki’s case, there was a bit of stress, of nerves as spring came closer and with it the tenth anniversary of his birth as well as the trials.

Most of his peers were undergoing more than one trial, in case they failed one or so they could take their pick if they passed more than one. It was a precaution more than anything so they wouldn’t end up out of training for a year. Or one year longer with Master Sorahiko until they could take the trial again, whichever they preferred. Katsuki didn’t need that kind of precaution, however, and he wasn’t interested in anything other than Warrior training anyway. So it was the Warrior Trial that he expressed interest in and nothing else. He was the only one to decide to not undertake a secondary just-in-case trial, but he knew he wasn’t going to need it. Because he would pass the trial he wanted to pass. He was done failing.

The Elders said that each person undertook the trial alone and each of them would come to them alone to hear what it was, then either give up if they were afraid or go out to undertake it. The next person would come only once the previous one returned. Because of that, the trials could take up to several days, because the time limit for task completion was several hours. The longest Katsuki had heard about was half a day. And if one didn’t return before time was up, then a search party was sent out to retrieve them and the trial was a failure.

Since Katsuki didn’t have any other trial to be ready for, he was slotted as dead last, because apparently, it was easiest for the Elders to set up a schedule ignoring him and then just add him on at the end. It was a bit irritating, but he didn’t complain much about it. It didn’t matter in the end so long as he could take the trial and ace it. The only thing he was maybe a bit miffed about was that he was to come learn what his trial would be at sunset, meaning he’d have to complete it at night. Which wasn’t ideal, because the fact that he had a trial didn’t excuse him from his chores and shit the day before or the day after. He had a feeling he was going to feel that nearly sleepless night even once it was over.

He didn’t dream of Deku often during that period, probably because he was too tired to even dream most of the time, but he did meet him a couple of nights before the trial and had taken the opportunity to tell him it was coming and to relax. Deku, of course, had been as certain as Katsuki that he would completely ace the trial, if not even more so. It made the blonde smirk and cackle confidently, the gloom and self-doubt from three seasons ago all but forgotten.

When the sun started to set on the evening of his trial, Katsuki stalked to the hut where the Elders and the Tribe Leader usually met to discuss important things, entering it for the first (and likely last) time. The Elders and All Might were seated in a semi-circle around a big, blazing bonfire, the smoke from the burning wood rising through the hole in the roof explicitly made for that purpose. There was nothing else in the hut and despite the fact that spring had brought the thaw and rising temperatures with it, the hut was still cold. But that was to be expected. It wasn’t meant for anyone to live in, after all, just for important meetings like this one.

“Bakugou,” Elder Hakamata, the only one not sitting down, greeted in a flat tone. He was a tall and slim man wearing tight blue pants. He was shirtless, as all men of age were in Katsuki’s tribe, and wore the Warrior Captain cape around his shoulders. It was blue as well, with a high collar that reached up to the man’s nose, as if to conceal his identity that way, and the way his long, blonde hair was combed to the left and covered one of his eyes didn’t help the impression. Katsuki met his eyes and inclined his head a bit in begrudging respect, but didn’t answer otherwise. He knew he wasn’t expected to.

Elder Hakamata waved his hand and in the next moment, several threads came loose from his cape and wandered off to his right where, just out of the fire’s light, a dagger rested on the wooden floor. The threads picked the weapon up and then traveled towards him, holding it at the height of his eyes an arm’s length away. Katsuki narrowed his eyes as he observed the weapon.

It was a short, sleek knife - or maybe more of a dagger - fit as a sword replacement for a child. The sheath was a simple leather one with thick, red cords criss-crossing over it, the hilt black and with a few runes or other signs carved into it. They were too small to really make out, though. Katsuki let his eyes linger for a moment, hand twitching just a bit to reach out and take it, but he managed to control himself and looked beyond the weapon at Elder Hakamata again. This was already the beginning of the trial. Katsuki wasn’t supposed to take the knife before learning what it was he needed to do. So he didn’t, despite the fact that he really wanted to. The weapon and the Magic inside it called to him. He didn’t listen.

“This is the knife you shall wield in your training to be a Warrior, should you prove worthy of it. This is the knife that you will learn with, the knife that will grow with you, the knife that will house your Warrior spirit, become a part of you as much as your Magic is,” the Elder spoke and Katsuki’s fists clenched at his sides as the knife’s Magic sung to him, taunted him, asked that he just reach out and take. He didn’t. He refused to even glance at the weapon again, instead meeting the tall man’s eyes.

“What do I need to do to deserve it?” he asked in a low tone. Whatever it was, he was going to do it. He’d take whatever they threw at him and manage without a hitch. He was going to fucking ace this trial, no matter what.

“You are to bring us a glasthringal egg,” came the answer and Katsuki’s eyes widened, his entire body freezing where he stood. Around the bonfire, some of the other Elders shifted a bit. Katsuki saw Master Sorahiko look away with an angry scowl, his arms crossed over his chest. All Might was looking down at his lap, shoulders slumped in a way Katsuki had never seen. Elder Shuzenji, the head healer, was glaring at an empty space on the other side of the flames. As for the others… they looked oddly smug. Katsuki suddenly felt sick, his Magic swirling in his stomach uncomfortably, making it clench and threatening to make him throw up.

Glasthringals were a type of birds that lived on Lights’ Peak, the nearby mountain. They were solitary predators, with extremely good sight. Their eggs were valuable for the Tribe because they were one of the best materials to make magical weapons from, their shell being extremely hard and sharp when broken. Working it into a blade was difficult, but when done right, it gave the most exquisite of weapons. The kind one kept for a lifetime. The knife being offered to Katsuki now was one such weapon and if Katsuki took it, if he proved worthy of it, it would be his for life no matter what. Even if he lost it or gave it away, it would still be his, a part of him, never to be used by someone else unless he was fine with it.

Warrior training knives were the only weapons the Yuuei Tribe made from glasthringal eggs, mostly because they didn’t need that many of them. One egg would be enough for three or four blades and since only rarely was there a season cycle where more than five people actually passed the Warrior Trial, getting two eggs every four seasons was enough to fit that quota. Which was a good thing because glasthringals certainly didn’t make stealing their eggs easy. Usually, an entire hunting party went to retrieve one and it was a mix between Hunters and Warriors. And yet here the Elders were, demanding Katsuki, a child of merely ten springs, brought them one just to prove he could actually be part of Warrior training.

There was no denying it then even if Katsuki hadn’t suspected it before: The Elders didn’t want him to be a Warrior - to learn to fight. They wanted to see him fail or give up or maybe even die. He could give up. He could take a step back, refuse to do it, but it would mean failing the trial without even properly undertaking it. And then he would be a failure for a season cycle because he didn’t undertake any other trial and would thus be stuck in general training or no training at all. Besides which, there was no guarantee the next trial wouldn’t be just as impossible.

So yes, Katsuki’s choice was to give up, or to try and very obviously risk dying. But considering everything else, it wasn’t really a choice at all. The young Yuueian took a deep breath and then reached out, grasping the sheathed knife firmly and meeting Elder Hakamata’s eye without flinching.

“I accept this trial. I will go and bring the egg you ask for. I will prove my worth,” he said, his voice steady and strong and confident. Silence fell over the hut in the wake of his words. Out of the corner of his eye, Katsuki saw Master Sorahiko sigh just a bit and shake his head while All Might looked up and gave him this odd look that seemed sort of pitying. It made him bristle.

It took a few seconds for the uncomfortable silence to be broken, for the threads holding Katsuki’s knife to retreat and to let the young boy claim the weapon. The blonde tied it to his pants by the red cords, feeling oddly comforted by the weight he had yet to get used to. While he’d never used it, though, he knew it was a weapon. Something he could defend himself with if (when) it would be necessary. That was probably the reason he felt better to have it all things considered.

“Go then. You have until sunrise to return with the egg,” Elder Hakamata said and Katsuki nodded before turning on his heel and striding confidently out of the hut without another word. At least the Elders had the decency to give him as much time as regular hunting parties usually needed for this sort of task.

He didn’t meet anyone’s eye or stop to talk to anyone as he strode out of the village and towards Lights’ Peak, his shoulders pulled back and head held high. His steps were sure, certain, confident, because he wasn’t walking to his death or anything like that. He was just going to undertake the Warrior Trial and he was going to fucking ace it.

And if his hands were sweatier than was strictly normal and if his Magic swirled uncomfortably in his chest, making his heart speed up and his lungs constrict, well, nobody needed to know.


Lights’ Peak was a lone mountain not too far North from the village. Katsuki had been there more than once for his training with Master Sorahiko and his peers, to see if what they’ve learned while studying and training was ingrained in them enough to be useful in the terrain. They also went there to learn how to see different signs of the passage of different beasts, though not in order to hunt them, but in order to avoid them. Once they even stayed overnight and when they’ve woken up, Master Sorahiko had left, leaving them only a note that they were to return to the village on their own. Of course, their teacher was always nearby, watching them, making sure they stayed safe and ready to swoop in if anything actually happened, but neither Katsuki nor the others had known that. They had thought they were on their own and so they’d worked together to manage it back home. Even if it was with clear reluctance on everyone’s part to trust Katsuki to help in any way.

The mountain got its name from the ever present lights that were always there and never went out. They were due to the mountain itself, because unlike the Draconic Mountain Range where the dragons live, this one didn’t consist of pure, gray stone. In fact, people weren’t sure if what was there was stone at all. The material, for lack of a better way to call it, was as hard and heavy as stone, but it was colorful and see-through like glass. At the same time, though, it lacked the coolness and fragility of glass, not to mention it glowed on its own both by sunlight and moonlight. It was just as sharp if not sharper than glass, too. Katsuki would know, because he had cut himself on a protruding rock (or whatever it should be properly called) once. He had thought it was maybe some sort of crystal and had wanted to inspect it. He got a deep flesh wound and a bone-deep certainty that they weren’t crystals out of it, though he still had no idea what the odd, glowing things actually were.

The first couple of times he had climbed Lights’ Peak with his peers, Katsuki had been amazed at what he saw, though he hadn’t gawked the way others have. It was an impressive sight to behold, after all, and it only got more colorful and beautiful the higher one climbed. But this time, despite having climbed the mountain higher than he’d ever had before, he didn’t stop to marvel at the colorful, see-through non-rocks. In fact, if he were honest with himself, he would have prefered if they weren’t so clear, if they were more like rocks or metal or literally anything but what they were, because then they would provide more cover.

The mountain wasn’t inhabited by a lot of species, mostly due to the fact that few beasts could actually utilize their surroundings here well enough to hunt or keep their dens hidden. Still, Katsuki had needed to creep past at least two or three of the mountain’s inhabitants on his way up. He was in luck because they were asleep, none of Lights’ Peak’s fauna was nocturnal - a small mercy for his task - but it was still a bit nerve wracking to creep past them and know that one wrong move, one wrong sound and he’d have to literally run for his life.

Thankfully, it wasn’t too hard to find what he was looking for. Glasthringals didn’t try to hide their nests too much because few were the beasts that dared to cross them. They were high up on the food chain and definitely on the top as far as Lights’ Peak went. Katsuki was half-creeping up half-climbing a small mountain trail that didn’t seem to be used very often and quickly ducked behind a glowing, blue non-rock when he suddenly came across a large ledge, the nest in its center and the glasthringal curled up and asleep within.

It was the first time he actually saw a glasthringal up close and despite knowing how ferocious the bird could be, Katsuki couldn’t help staring just a little. Since it was curled up in its nest, it was hard to gauge how big the bird was, but from what Katsuki could see, it had to be at least twice his size. As terrifying as that was in the current situation, however, it couldn’t possibly take away from the beast’s beauty. It was quickly obvious why glathringals made their home on Lights’ Peak, for the bird was as colorful as the mountain itself. Instead of feathers, its skin and wings seemed to be made out of colorful stones. (Or maybe scales, but Katsuki wasn’t sure. Stones seemed more likely, though.) They didn’t glitter or glow in the light of the twin moons like the non-rocks of Lights’ Peak did, but they reflected the light much like glass would and they gave a similar sound as the beast’s wings shifted just slightly with its breathing. Each stone was a different color, ranging from red to orange to yellow to green to blue and every color in between. There might have been a pattern to the colors, but if there was one, Katsuki couldn’t see it.

This was where things would get really tricky. Because normally, this was where the hunting party would split up. The Warriors would go one way and prepare to wake the bird, distract it and the Hunters would sneak around the other way to help to at least temporarily immobilize the creature. And then there would be one, just one person who would have the task to sneak past the resulting chaos to grab an egg, two if they were lucky, and then hightail it out of there before the rest of the party beat a hasty retreat. Katsuki knew all that because he had to know, it was part of what he learned, part of his training under Master Sorahiko. He had never been so thankful for the man’s theoretical lessons, because he hoped to at least gleam some idea of how to proceed from the well-practiced tactic the old man had beaten into their heads.

The young Yuueian didn’t have a party of helpers with him, however. He was alone. And he had to somehow, despite that, find a way to snatch an egg. That was assuming there were even eggs in this nest. He couldn’t see any. If the Glasthringal had actually laid any eggs, it was hiding them with its own body as it slept, keeping them warm.

That was another problem. Keeping the eggs warm. Katsuki didn’t need to do that, he didn’t need to ensure the egg was alive by the time he brought it back to the village. Which was a good thing because it didn’t take long for the eggs to die once separated from the mother bird. The chicks inside needed a tremendous amount of heat to survive, so once they were away from the mother bird, it took less than a minute for the relative cold of the air to kill them off. Of course, the creatures themselves knew that as well. Which was why it was a problem, because even on the off chance that Katsuki managed to nab an egg and, if not run with it, then throw it down the mountain - its shell was definitely hard enough to survive the fall unless the blasted egg fell all the way to the ground without anything to slow it down, then it might break, maybe - the mother bird would never bother with trying to save it. It would know the chick had no chance, it would know it would be dead in seconds, especially in the early spring like now. So it wouldn’t bother. It would turn on the one responsible instead, furious and hell bent on retribution.

If there was anything more dangerous than a glasthringal on Lights’ Peak, it would be a furious glasthringal that just lost its egg.

Gulping, Katsuki stuck low to the ground and quietly crept towards the nest. First thing’s first. He needed to make sure there was an egg to snatch. So he had to get to the nest, inside the nest, even, and verify he had something to take. And all that without waking up the bird sleeping in said nest. Easy as that.

Right...

He managed to sneak up to the bird’s home and sat down quietly on the ground, his back leaning against the rough, broken up non-rocks the nest was made out of. They poked into the skin of his back and threatened to make him bleed, but he didn’t really pay too much attention to that. He was too focused on keeping his breathing slow and even and quiet. His heart was pounding in his chest. If he was honest, he was scared as Hell. But he supposed in this situation, anyone would be. And he wouldn’t let that stop him. He couldn’t. He had to manage this test. Even if it seemed impossible. Even if it was unfair. Even if it was the last thing he ever did.

Heh. Deku would probably yell at me for thinking like that, ’ he couldn’t help but think with an aborted laugh. And wasn’t that a strange moment to think about Deku of all people? He should be more focused on planning what to do next, how to achieve the seemingly impossible and not die while doing it, not think about the one and only friend he had, his Friend from the Gods, the one person who believed in him, believed he could do anything he set his mind to.

You can do it, Kacchan! ” he could imagine the green-haired boy say in that determined, I-know-I’m-right-and-you-can’t-prove-otherwise tone. And somehow just imagining it made him calmer. Made it a bit easier to breathe. Made his racing heartbeat slow just a little.

Deku would definitely believe Katsuki could do it. Maybe part of that belief would be from a lack of knowledge, but still, he would believe. And what Deku believed Katsuki could do, he would do. Because he wasn’t going to disappoint his one and only friend. No way in Hell.

Mental pep talk delivered, Katsuki turned and slowly, carefully peeked over the edge into the nest. He came face to face with the glasthringal’s wing and the colorful stones. Or scales, but up close, they really looked like flat, polished stones or even gems. It was an amazing sight, but one Katsuki didn’t allow himself to dwell on. Instead, after making sure he could safely do so, he quietly pulled himself up onto the edge of the nest and then carefully lowered himself down on the ether side into the meager space between the beautiful wing and the nest’s wall, which reached up to his waist. Once inside the nest, he carefully and quietly crept along the wing on silent feet, hoping to get a chance to at least glimpse beneath, see if he could see an egg from here.

He had no such luck, but when he made a quarter of the tour of the nest, he came to the base of the wing and where the creature’s head was. It was slim and long and curled in such a way that its head was hidden from his view. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

Crouching low, Katsuki turned his head to try and see if he could get a look below the creature’s wing to see if it had any eggs. He could indeed see below the appendage and he thought he saw a weak glow that could indicate an egg, but he wasn’t sure. He bit his lip then, uncertain. He could back up and out, find another nest and hope for better luck. Or he could take his chances, risk waking this bird up and verify if the glow he saw was an egg or something else.

Self-preservation told him to back out. But a look at the sky and how high the twin moons already were told him he was unlikely to have enough time to manage his task and go back to the village if he chose to creep back out and seek out another nest. Besides, even he found one, the situation would probably repeat itself. Or be even worse if. Because it could be worse. The glasthringal could be awake.

The mere thought made Katsuki shiver just a bit and throw a cautious glance at the creature’s neck. It hadn’t moved. It still seemed asleep. But unless Katsuki got a look at its head and saw its closed eyes, he had no way of knowing whether it really was or not.

Either way, self-preservation would have to take a backseat this time, just for a little while. Because he had no way of accomplishing his task without taking serious risks. He had come this far. He needed to keep going.

He couldn’t make himself move forward, though.

Katsuki wanted to prove himself. He wanted to prove to the Gods that they haven’t made a mistake by gifting him his Magic, he wanted to prove to his Tribe that he was worthy of the Gods’ favor and he wanted to prove to himself that he could rise above and beyond the Elders’ attempts to beat him down. He wanted to prove to everyone that he could prove himself and gain their trust and actually belong. Because right now, he didn’t, not with the wariness and the fear people regarded him with. He wasn’t an outsider in his own tribe, not really, but he didn’t really belong, either.

He would prove himself if he managed to snatch this egg. He would prove he was worthy and that he was willing to put his life on the line for the good of the Tribe - because it was still true that the Tribe needed these eggs. He would prove that he deserved to belong, that he was worthy of it.

If he backed down, he had far bigger chances of survival, yes, but he would also have given in. The Elders, those that sneered at him in the meeting hut, those that wanted him to fail and prove he was inadequate, they would win. And Katsuki had already worked too hard to let them. So he couldn’t back out. He had to do this.

He had to do it. He could do it. He would .

You can do it, Kacchan! You’re the strongest!

With another deep breath, heart hammering in his chest, Katsuki stood and carefully crept under the beast’s wing, between the appendage and the main body, only barely having enough space to squeeze through. In an instant, the temperature skyrocketed and he inhaled sharply as the heat hit him full force. It didn’t take him long to start sweating, his thin leather shirt sticking to his front and back and his hair sticking a bit to his forehead. Inch by inch, he crept forward, keeping his touch to the creature light and barely-there, only enough to help him keep his balance for a second if he needed it.

He needed to creep sideways like this maybe three or four steps, but it felt like a small eternity. But then he was close enough to the faint light he’d seen and he could see it now, barely, through the not-quite-see-through gems of the glasthringal’s body.

There was a single egg.

His breath caught in his throat and for a moment, Katsuki couldn’t move, his mind blanking as he internally panicked. This bird had an egg. A single egg. If it woke up now and found Katsuki there… And Katsuki needed that egg, but there was only one so he couldn’t fuck this up…

He held his breath and shook his head, forcing his thoughts to stop. No panicking. Panic wouldn’t help him. He needed a cool head. He needed a plan.

Or, well, he needed a plan beyond ‘wake the fucking bird up and hope to snatch the egg and hightail it out of there before he got killed’, because really, there was no avoiding at least waking the creature up. It had an egg, but it was lying on it and unless it moved somehow, revealed it just a little, Katsuki had no way of getting to it. It was a small miracle he got this close without waking the damn beast up as it was.

So like it or not, he had to wake it up. Which really wasn’t a good idea at all, but it was the only thing he could do to have any chance of getting the blasted egg. Question was, how to wake it and what to do afterwards. What were his options, what little there was? Which gave him the best chances of actually getting out of here in one piece and with the egg?

There wasn’t much, if he was honest. In the end, there was really only one thing he could do. Use his Magic point blank range exactly where he was, snatch the egg when the bird reared from the surprise attack and then make up the rest on the fly hoping for the best.

Taking a deep breath and trying to center himself, Katsuki carefully rested his hands on the beast’s body and cleared his mind before calling forth his Magic and letting it lose as strongly as he dared without injuring himself. The resulting explosion tore through the narrow space he was caught in, throwing him back against the wing behind him as the gem-like skin of the Glasthringal gave way with an ear piercing sound of shattering glass. The next moment, a different shriek, a bestial one joined the cacophony as the bird woke, torn from its slumber by the unexpected attack, its body tilting just a little. It was barely any movement at all, it didn’t seem like nearly enough, but Katsuki took his chance as he fell to his knees and desperately reached for the egg while the creature above him shrieked and flailed, wings beating wildly. It was probably the flailing due to the pain that allowed Katsuki to sneak his arm below the beast’s body just enough to wrap it around the egg. His other arm shot out then and he used his Magic without thought, instinct taking over as he tried to just get the fuck out of there .

He failed.

Instead of rocketing right out of the nest and hopefully out of the angry creatures range, his shoulder slammed against the wall of the nest and he landed in a heap at the edge of it, but still inside. He gasped, head snapping up, hoping for the impossible as his eyes landed on the creature before him, its chest and then wandering up the slim neck until he saw the head above him, staring him down. Fitting the long, sleek neck, the head of the bird was small and kind of round, a bit like a swan’s except it had a far longer and far more pointy, gleaming, red beak. Its eyes were trained on Katsuki, small, black bead-like and utterly empty and demonic considering how they seemed to suck all light into them in comparison to how the rest of the beast’s body reflected it.

Demonic, soul-sucking eyes or not, the creature could have been beautiful if it wasn’t also utterly terrifying as it threw it head back briefly and shrieked at the sight of Katsuki holding its precious egg. The blonde stopped thinking then. There was no time for any sort of thought beyond I have to get away! He threw the egg up and behind him, barely registering the odd sound of it bouncing off the ledge, then scrambled out of the nest as fast as he could. He barely made it far enough to all but fall out on the other side when the bird’s head lunged at him, its beak only just missing skewering his head.

He landed outside of the nest in a heap and it was only the purely instinctual use of his Magic to throw himself sideways that saved him from being impaled the next moment as the glasthringal lunged at him again. He rolled for a few seconds and somehow, by some miracle (or maybe sheer habit) managed to roll to his feet and stand up. The glasthringal reared, wings beating madly at is straightened its neck towards the sky and shrieked again. Katsuki only barely managed to stay on his feet, to not get blown back by the wind the beast created.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the egg, its glow already diminished, the chick inside dead or dying as its egg bounced towards the edge of the ledge.

“No!” he found himself yelling as he moved to lunge for it. It couldn’t fall. He couldn’t lose it. This would all be meaningless if he lost the goddamn egg!

The glasthringal gave another shriek and its head snapped towards him, faster than his eyes could hope to keep up. Once again, he used his Magic on pure instinct, without thought, with both hands this time as he all but threw himself in another direction to avoid the sharp beak. The creature slammed into the ground instead of impaling him, though it only seemed to miss by a hair’s breadth, and a part of the ledge crumbled and gave from the force, more following behind as the beast reared back and lunged for him again. He threw himself forward with his Magic this time, closer to its body, hoping its neck wasn’t flexible enough to reach him like this.

He didn’t have that kind of luck.

He had even less luck when the next use of his Magic to get away propelled him in such a direction that his back slammed into a solid wall long before he expected to hit anything, winding and disorienting him as he crumpled to the ground. It took him a second to realise that it wasn’t a wall, but the glasthringal’s wing. The damn bird blocked him with its wing!

Then there was wind again as the beast beat its wings, rearing, moving and screeching as he lay there, for a moment unable to move. The only reason he didn’t die right then was that the damn bird didn’t lunge for him in that moment. As his mind cleared, Katsuki realized it couldn’t because it needed to right itself. It couldn’t stand up or fly properly, its balance was off due to the wound Katsuki inflicted when he woke the beast up.

Small mercies.

He sat up and got to his feet, shaking, mind racing and realizing with dread that he’d been cornered. The glasthringal was before him, blocking his way to the tiny trail he used to get here or the wall he could use to climb higher, out of reach of the temporarily grounded bird, if he was fast enough. All that was behind him was the partly crumbled ledge and a drop he wasn’t sure the height of.

The creature seemed to realize as much as well because it reared again, wings beating wildly and yet not lifting it far off the ground. The resulting wind destabilized him and threatened to send him sprawling to the ground. The glasthringal lunged again then.

Katsuki didn’t think, couldn’t explain what he thought he was doing as he threw one hand out to set off an explosion to help him retreat while the other reached for the knife at his side and drew it, swinging in a wild, wide arc. The beast’s beak slammed into the ground to his left, missing him and making more of the ledge crumble, pieces of the colorful material the mountain was made off falling into the abyss below. Katsuki’s wild swing connected by pure luck, sparks flying as the glowing, blue-white blade of the knife scrapped against the gem-like skin of the bird. It left no mark at all on the creature’s skin, but it tore through its black, beady eye like through butter and the creature reared again, shrieking in fury and pain before lunging blindly in an attempt to skewer him. It missed, if barely, Katsuki having managed to jump back, but the attack was once again powerful enough to make a part of the ledge crumble. And this time, it was a part Katsuki was standing on.

He lost his balance on the crumbling footing then and he didn’t have a chance to even try to get to safer ground. In the next moment, he was already in a freefall, the enraged glasthringal strill shrieking and thrashing and destroying the ledge it had made its nest on, trying to kill a human that was no longer there.

Katsuki fell.


It was mostly luck and a generous usage of his Magic to slow himself down that ensured Katsuki didn’t end up as a red smear on the ground when he finally landed. He had tried to catch himself onto the mountain wall and even managed a few times, but there had been nowhere to climb to, no path or ledge to get up on and so in the end, he had the choice to climb down or to let himself fall.

Considering the height and amount of time he’d need to climb to any sort of ledge, he had chosen to fall each time, his mind just numb enough from the earlier panic that he could properly focus on slowing himself down and directing his fall so he wouldn’t die. He even managed to ensure he didn’t break anything when he finally reached the foot of the mountain. But once he was on solid ground, he didn’t immediately get up, too tired and numb to try.

The numbness didn’t last. With the danger past and the panic receding, Katsuki found himself facing the bitter fact that all of it had been for naught. The egg had fallen long before him and even if it hadn’t broken somewhere on the way down, there was no telling where it landed. Hell, it was possible it got stuck somewhere on the mountain wall, wedged between two non-rocks and Katsuki never had the chance to see it, let alone grab it on his own way down.

It had all been for nothing. He failed in the end.

It was frustrating and infuriating.

A part of him, the stubborn part that refused to give up, wanted to get back up and trek up Lights’ Peak again, find another nest. But the logical side of him new there was no point. He had neither the strength nor the time for another attempt. All he could do was get up and find his way back to the village to report his failure. The Elders would probably be happy. He failed like they’d wanted him to.

Anger surged in his chest then, his Magic coiling in his gut along with it and Katsuki growled at nothing, punching the ground in his frustration. It wasn’t fair! He’d tried! He’d tried even though the task given to him was all but impossible to achieve for a single man, let alone a boy. He wanted to be a Warrior but he wasn’t one yet. He wasn’t trained, not in combat. He’d had no chance from the start. It was a miracle he’d even gotten out of it alive. And the Elders had to have known that! But they gave him the task anyway. They set him up to fail and it just. Wasn’t. Fucking! Fair!

His eyes stung as he raged and he grit his teeth, rubbing at his eyes even though they haven’t watered yet. And they wouldn’t. He was not going to cry. Even if no one was there to see it now, he was not going to give the assholes back in the village the satisfaction of even seeing any proof that he might have cried.

At least he hadn’t lost his knife. Somehow, by some miracle, he’d had the sense to put it back in its sheath instead of letting go when he fell.

With an aggravated huff, Katsuki rolled over and tried to push himself to his hands and knees, and from there to get up. However, the moment he started to lift himself up, pain flared in his right side and he hissed, one hand immediately clutching the spot where the pain originated. He felt something wet and sticky and when he let go so he could take a look at his hand, his fingers were wet with blood.

The glasthringal must have nicked him at one point, and nicked him hard, without him noticing. He was lucky he hadn’t been impaled.

Katsuki wasn’t sure if the wound was bad or not. He had no reference to compare it to, so he wasn’t sure if the amount of blood on his fingers was worrying or not. But he did know that each movement made his side flare with pain and that probably wasn’t a good sign. It would be best if he headed back to the village.

He was half-way upright, one hand bracing him against a nearby tree and the other clutching at his injury when he heard the leaves nearby rustle. He froze, nerves still high-strung from the earlier battle and looked around a bit frantically. The rustling came again, from slightly above and his head snapped up to find the source.

It was a creature unlike any he’d seen before. Easily the size of a human baby, if not a bit larger, it had a lithe lizard-like body and moved about on four legs with three fingers, each ending with a sharp, curved talon. It had a tail, a thin, long thing writing like a snake and smoking at the tip even though Katsuki couldn’t see any sort of flame there. The neck and head was where it lost its similarities to a lizard, because the neck was thick and flexible and in the middle of it, singular but thick strands of what seemed to be hair hung limply, each one starting off next to another in a straight line, almost like some sort of collar. The head was oval with jaws shaped like a wide, slightly curved beak. The eyes were set in eye-sockets that stood on each side of the head, jutting out and upwards, the rest of its skull following suit. It had four eyes. Or at least four irises and four pupils, two of each per eye-socket, one above the other. The upper two irises were a deep violet with a round pupil. The two lower ones were a pale pink, the pupils mere slits. All four eyes were trained on Katsuki’s trembling form, although it wasn’t fear that made him shake, merely the exertion as his side kept pulsing with pain.

The odd being watched him for a moment, its eyes revealing its position more than anything else because its green skin blended easily with the foliage around it. After a while, it turned to the side and Katsuki saw strange, gold horns jutting out of its head, curling at the end. A second set, smaller and almost seeming like it was there to complement or complete the bigger ones was below and strung between them, flappin a bit in the wind, was an orange thing that almost seemed like some kind of material, cotton or parchment or something of that nature. As it moved along the branch it was on, Katsuki also noticed small, wing-like protrusions at its back, between the front paws. The only thing was that there was no skin on them, they were like the horns at the creatures head, like a golden skeleton of tiny wings.

Its skin wasn’t uni-color, either. It started off green at the head and front paws but then, moving progressively towards the tail, it veered into a gentle light blue that almost seemed to glow in the night.

Katsuki watched the creature go and released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding when it seemed it wasn’t interested in him. It turned out he had assumed too early, however, because the odd beast stopped only a couple of trees away, still in plain view, and looked back at him as if waiting for him to follow. Katsuki stared back, unsure what it really wanted and not knowing what to expect.

The creature tilted its head, then opened its beak-like jaws and crooned. It was a soft sound, pleasant to his abused ears after the glasthringal’s shireking. Its tail swished back and forth where it hung from the branch, as if in a ‘come on’ motion. Katsuki stared at it. It crooned again, tail swishing faster, the motions only looking more and more like a compelling wave.

“You want me to follow you?” Katsuki couldn’t help but ask, despite how idiotic it made him feel. The creature crooned again, tail swishing one more time before going still for a second, then repeating the motion again. Definitely waving him over then. Katsuki swallowed. “Why?” It was stupid to ask, really. It wasn’t like the creature could answer him and even if it did, blindly following it wasn’t a good idea at all. Few were the creatures intelligent enough to set traps for humans, but they did exist and from this creature’s behavior, it could probably classify as one of them even if Katsuki had no idea what it actually was.

The beast crooned, though the sound was shorter this time, and tilted its head to the side slightly. Then one of the hairs around its neck rose up and uncoiled, proving to be a strand of tightly coiled hairs rather than a single one. They moved briefly, forming a vaguely egg-shaped form at their tip before coiling back up into the thin string they were before and falling limp. Katsuki stared.

“The egg? You… you can lead me to the glasthringal’s egg?” it seemed impossible, too good to be true. Unbelievable, too, for various reasons. And yet the creature only crooned again and jumped to another branch before stopping there and looking back at Katsuki again, its gaze almost expectant. The blonde swallowed, but then pushed himself off the trunk that was helping him stand and staggered after the creature. He didn’t have much to lose in trying, anyway.

The lizard-like being flitted through the trees, often too fast for Katsuki to see, but when his eyes couldn’t keep up, he followed the rustling of the leaves. Every now and then, the creature would stop on one of the branches in his sight and wait for him before moving on, quick and lithe. Katsuki followed it at a slow pace, his side being the major reason for it, but the rest of him wasn’t feeling too good, either. He may not have broken anything when he fell, but he was definitely seriously bruised. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if his entire body was one, giant bruise by morning.

When he caught sight of an odd glow between the trees, however, Katsuki sped up despite the pain in his body. A few more steps and he saw the source, the glasthringal egg, lying there innocently and entirely intact. Disbelieving, Katsuki staggered closer and fell to his knees in front of it, the hand that wasn’t holding his side and trying to stem the bleeding gently touching it. It was still warm, the shell hard but smooth. The glow inside the egg had dimmed considerably. There was no doubt that the chick inside was long dead.

Another rustle of leaves made the blonde look up into the branches around him, but the creature that led him here was nowhere to be found, gone as quickly and surprisingly as it had appeared. Katsuki still looked around for a moment more, cautious and curious in equal measure, before he carefully picked up the egg and staggered to his feet again, then headed for the village with slow, unsteady footsteps.


The meeting hut seemed to be in some sort of uproar when Katsuki finally reached it. The sky was starting to lighten by then, dawn not far away, but the village streets were thankfully empty and no one saw him stagger his way like he was drunk. Reaching the correct hut, Katsuki leaned against its wall next to the door for a bit, gasping for breath and trying to gather his wits. His side burned and the hand holding the injury was slick with blood. The egg was heavy in his other arm, heavier than it was when he originally found it. His legs shook. He was exhausted.

“You were supposed to stay close to him! To ensure his safety as best you could!” he heard from inside the hut. It sounded vaguely like All Might, but Katsuki couldn’t be sure.

“It’s not my fault! He took a tiny, steep climbing trail, I couldn’t follow him that way or track him afterwards! I tried! I swear I tried, Tribe Leader!” another voice replied. Probably one of the Elders, but he wasn’t sure which one.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you idiots hadn’t tried to give him a task he couldn’t hope to complete!” Was that Master Sorahiko? Could be, but it would be the first time Katsuki heard him legitimately angry.

“No, this wouldn’t have happened if the boy had backed away like he was supposed to!”

“I told you again and again, he’s more stubborn than our renowned Tribe Leader here. Did you really expect him to stand down without trying like some sort of coward?”

“I was also of the belief he wasn’t a suicidal moron!”

“He wants to be accepted among our people like any other child! And he chose to be a Warrior and nothing else. Can you really begrudge him that?”

“He is not meant to be a Warrior.”

“No, you just don’t want him to be.”

“Because it’s not safe for the Tribe.”

"He's right, All Might. Do not forget, the brat is dangerous. A dragonspawn!"

"That is utter nonsense."

"It is not. You all saw where that little devil's Magic comes from. What other reason would there be for its strength?" 

“Enough!”

The voices quieted after that. Katsuki wasn’t really sure what (or who) they were arguing about, his mind wasn’t awake enough to really put it together. Either way, though he didn’t really care what the reason for their bickering was or what All Might was saying now, voice too low for the blonde to hear through the door. All he wanted was to deliver the egg, finish up here and then go home and collapse into bed. He was exhausted.

It was that desire to just finish up and be allowed to sleep that gave him the strength necessary to push off the wall again and to open the door to the hut with his shoulder, stumbling inside. The voices of the Elders and All Might all quieted immediately at his entrance but he barely noticed, too focused on just shuffling forward and not falling flat on his face.

“Young Bakugou?” All Might’s voice snapped him out of his trance and he looked up at his Tribe Leader, the man towering over him. Katsuki wasn’t sure what expression he was making. His vision was too blurry to tell.

“I bring you the egg. The glasthringal egg,” he said quietly in lieu of an answer, his hand holding out the glowing egg like an offering. His arm shook a bit under the weight. “As my trial dictated,” he added after a moment. Silence was his answer and for a few seconds that frankly felt like hours, no one moved or said anything. Then the egg seemed to float out of Katsuki’s hand and the blonde let his arm drop to his side, glad to be rid of the weight.

“I accept the egg as I accept you as my pupil. You have passed the Warrior Trial,” he heard in response, knowing it was Elder Hakamata’s voice but failing to locate the man in the room.

“Thank you,” he murmured, truly glad that it was finally over and done with. He’d passed his trial. That meant he could finally sleep.

The moment his mind accepted that it was fine to rest, his body followed as his knees buckled and his world went dark.


He slept a lot the following days. In fact, he slept more than he was awake and the short moments he came to, he quickly wished to fall asleep again. He was hurting all over, the right side of his waist felt like it was on fire and he generally felt too hot or too cold or both at the same time. When he had to choose between that and being asleep and not feeling anything, he definitely prefered the slumber.

He might have had a Godsent dream during that time, but he wasn’t sure. He dreamt a lot during his rest, but most of them were crazy fever dreams he barely remembered. He liked to think that he would be more lucid in a waking dream, that he’d recognize it and feel better, but ultimately, he couldn’t be sure. If he did meet Deku during those few days, he definitely didn’t remember it once he was lucid again.

He learned later that he’d been out of it for about seven days, mostly due to fever because the wound in his side had gotten infected. Lady Shuzenji herself had tried to help him most of the time and apparently, he had only barely pulled through. In all honesty, it probably wasn’t surprising. Or rather, what was surprising was that he’d made it back from Lights’ Peak at all.

The wound in his side left a jagged scar slightly darker than the rest of his skin along his waist, a permanent reminder of his first ever fight, his first ever brush with death. Since his shirt was understandably unsalvageable after the ordeal, Katsuki used the opportunity to change his wardrobe then, wearing a red, permanently open vest without sleeves instead, with no shirt underneath. It left his scar mostly (though not totally) in plain sight, which was honestly part of the reason. Because the scar was something he wore proudly. It was proof he’d survived, even though the odds had been stacked very much against him. It was proof he’d been stronger, more cunning than his adversary. Or, well, in this case, that he’d been luckier. It didn’t mean he would want to ever repeat the experience or anything, but it was something he lived through and he was not ashamed of the mark it had left. Nor would he ever be.


Life calmed down some after that, returned to a routine again. Katsuki helped with the chores at home in the morning and spent most of the daytime in training. If he didn’t have many chores to do afterwards and if he wasn’t too tired, he would head into the forest for his personal work-out and try to learn new tricks with his Magic, proper flight being one of them. He was determined to learn it for reasons beyond it simply being cool now, though. Because on Lights’ Peak, being able to fly would have given him a major advantage over the grounded glasthringal. It was the kind of advantage he didn’t want to miss out on again.

The days he could actually manage to train on his own were fewer than when he was younger, however. Partly because Elder Hakamata turned out to be even more of a slave driver than Master Sorahiko had been. Katsuki didn’t dare complain, however, even when once again he seemed to be pushed harder than anyone else sometimes. Or a lot of the time. But whatever. He was used to it by now.

What had changed most in that regard was the type of training. It was clearly combat and strategy-oriented now and Katsuki took to it like a fish to water. It had been what he’d wanted to learn for years and he seemed to soak up the knowledge and techniques like dry parchment soaked up water.

He didn’t only learn, though. He passed the knowledge on as well, or at least he tried to. His experience on Lights’ Peak made him determined to get stronger and better so he’d never have to experience the kind of terror he’d felt then, but more than that, he didn’t want Deku to ever have to experience anything like that. Sure the Gods’ Realm was a lot safer than Myordice, but Deku was a scaredy-cat crybaby who lacked self-confidence. So Katsuki tried to give him a reason to not be so afraid by teaching him how to defend himself to the best of his abilities. It was slow progress, though, both because they didn’t dream of each other as often as Katsuki would admittedly sometimes like to, and because Deku clearly wasn’t as enthusiastic about it as Katsuki was. He would tell the blonde again and again that he didn’t want to start any fights and Katsuki would scowl and repeatedly remind him that he wasn’t teaching him anything so he could start fights, but so that he could hit back if some other asshole started shit first.

He was starting to accept that fighting wasn’t as openly accepted in the Gods’ Realm as it was in Myordice. But he figured that was a good thing. He didn’t want Deku to get into fights. Or at least not the kinds of fights like his experience on Lights’ Peak, which he was aware was his first out of many. There was no way around that. It was just how life in Myordice was. You either fought and you lived, or you died. Simple as that.

As he got better and stronger, quickly pulling away from other warriors-in-training in terms of skill, other things started to change. The wariness and slight fear he’d seen in his tribesmen eyes was only more visible now, unmistakable and impossible to miss. Some of his peers took to downright avoiding him, even flinching if he happened to be too close - which meant closer than two arms’ length away or even further than that. In some cases, just a mere look or scowl was enough to send someone running.

It wasn’t that bad among other warriors-in-training, but even with them there was a clear divide. There was Katsuki and then there was The Rest. They were wary of him and they didn’t challenge him: not to train together in the evening, not to help each other with finding new, useful uses to their Magic, not for a friendly bout of sparring. They didn’t avoid him like some other people did, but they clearly kept their distance.

Katsuki didn’t give a shit, though. Let them avoid him and whisper about him behind his back. He didn’t care. He could deal with being alone. Outside of his Godsent dreams, he had been alone his (admittedly still relatively short) entire life, after all.


It was shortly after Katsuki’s twelfth anniversary of birth - which he barely celebrated because it wasn’t like he had anyone to celebrate with except for his parents - that something interesting happened. Namely that the Tribe pulled a wagon together and stuffed it full of clothes and armor and even some weapons that they made recently, but didn’t really need. Someone was going to go to the nearby Lycan city and get rid of it all in exchange for something more useful and required. A merchant trip they called it. A trip for trading.

They didn’t do it often, but on the rare times it happened, as far as Katsuki had seen, the wagon always left full to the brim and returned in a similar enough state, only filled with different things. Mostly things they needed but couldn’t easily procure themselves, like metal for their blades and arrows or specific kind of wood for special bows that didn’t grow in the forest near the village. And parchment. A lot of parchment, most of which went to the Tribe Leader and the Elders, and what was left was distributed among anyone else who wanted or needed some. Sometimes, some of the tribesmen gave currency with special requests to trade it for something specific. Other times, they simply went along to get it themselves.

Either way, preparing the trading wagon was always a big deal, as was the trip itself. Especially since it was such a rare occurrence. In fact, if Katsuki remembered right, the last time they sent a trade wagon to Lyca had been more than four seasons ago.

The excitement was practically palpable among the warriors-in-training, for a very simple reason. Since it was so rare that they sent one and so important that it reached its destination and came back in one piece, Warrior Captain Hakamata himself would be accompanying it as protection. Mostly from bandits, since the wagon would stick to main roads, but there were stories of wild beasts being attracted on occasion as well.

Thing was, the Warrior Captain always took one warrior-in-training with him, too. For ‘hands on experience’, provided he believed they could handle it. It was a great honor to be chosen to accompany him on these endeavors, but it wasn’t really the main reason for the excitement. No, the reason was that the young Warriors-to-be wanted to see the city.

They were old enough to leave the village and go pretty much where they pleased at that point, but only so long as they could be back within a day. The nearest Lycan city was a day’s journey away, however, making the trading trip a three-day get-away from the village. It was too far to let children go alone, so until they finished training and became full fledged Warriors (and by extension, adults), they had no other chance of getting to see the city. And even once they grew up, they probably wouldn’t go often. No one from the village did unless it was for important business. People were too busy living their lives, or at least that was what Katsuki figured.

Still, he was no different from his peers. He was curious about the city, too. Just not enough to lick Elder Hakamata’s boots in hopes that he would be the lucky warrior-in-training chosen to accompany him. So it was definitely a surprise when, a day before the wagon was due to depart, Elder Hakamata pointed at him at the end of training.

“Pack up for three days and meet me at the trade wagon at sunrise tomorrow, Bakugou. You’re coming with me,” was all he said, all he got the chance to say, before the rest of the trainees started to whine and complain. It’s not fair, they said, he didn’t do anything to earn it. Katsuki wanted to blow the whole of them up the more it continued. Out of all of them, he had worked his butt off the most. Maybe not for this goal or anything, but still.

“Shut the Hell up, you damn extras!” he yelled at length, unable to stand the noise. “He said I’m the one who’s going, fucking deal with it and stop your shitty whining!” 

“You shut up, Bakugou! You didn’t even want to go!” Sparky dared to actually talk back, the first person ever to actually talk back at him, even if he flinched away and shut his trap when Katsuki turned his glare on him. The blonde didn’t admit that it wasn’t true and that he very much did want to go. It wasn’t any of their business.

His lack of response made the others brave enough to start yelling about the unfairness of the choice, though. This time, it was Elder Hakamata who cut it off.

“Bakugou, come over here,” he ordered once he silenced the other warriors-in-training. Katsuki stalked over without a word, shoulders slouched and thumbs hooked comfortably into the waistband of his leather pants. Once he reached his teacher’s side, the man jerked his head towards the others and Katsuki turned to face them, face set in a firm glare.

For the first time, they didn’t shy back or look away. For the first time, they actually glared back.

“Well then, since you’re all so up in arms about my choice, do any one of you wish to duel Bakugou here for the right to accompany me to the city tomorrow?” Elder Hakamata asked and suddenly, the glares were gone as the other warriors-in-training shuffled and looked away. No one came forward. No one said a word. Katsuki clenched his fists and his scowl deepened. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. By comparison, Elder Hakamata was the picture of calmness. “I thought so,” was all he said when no one stepped forward. He had clearly expected nothing else.


The city of Moardret wasn’t what Katsuki imagined it to be, or at least not quite. What he had expected was a lot of buildings clustered together separated by streets filled with people and with little color anywhere. He was right on the account of a great number of buildings and people, but that was where the similarities to the Gods’ Realm, which was what he’d based his expectations off of, ended.

Where the Gods’ Realm was bleak and grey, the Lycan city was lively and colorful. Where the buildings of the Gods’ Realm were all blocky and relatively similar to each other, here every house was different, be it in shape, size, color or all of the above. Where the streets in the Gods’ Realm were laid out with a black material Katsuki had stopped trying to identify, the streets of Moardret were laid out with pale-yellow sandstone pleasant to the eye yet not standing out too much. Katsuki found himself feeling much like he had in his first Godsent dreams in Deku’s world, curious and a bit excited as he looked around this way and that, trying to see as much of his surroundings as possible without being too obvious about it. He hadn’t bothered to hide in the dreams, both because he’d been a child and because he’d been with Deku, but now, he was trying to be more subtle with his curious (and even amazed) stares.

The crowd, though expected, was something he truly experienced for the first time, though. In his dreams with Deku, Katsuki only ever saw the creepy shadows or the fake humans the Boy from the Gods could conjure up on the fly. The green haired boy would always say that certain places were full of people in the real world - his real world - but Katsuki had never actually experienced it. So now, finding himself on the loud and busy main street of Moardret, it was a bit of a shock.

“Try not to stray from the wagon, Bakugou. If you get lost and can’t find it, ask for the inn ‘Under the Twin Moons’. It will be our meeting point,” Elder Hakamata said before pausing and giving Katsuki a questioning glance. “You do know Common, right?”

Common, as the name implied, was the language spoken in Myordice that one could expect to be able to communicate in pretty much anywhere. Each and every kingdom, tribe or culture had their own language as well, but in case foreigners ever came by for whatever reason, most people were expected to speak Common as well, not just their own language. Katsuki had been learning it since he was accepted into Warrior training when he was ten. He wasn’t fully fluent in it yet, not like he was with Yuueian Tribal tongue - his mother language - but he spoke it well enough, he thought.

“Enough to get by if I need it,” he replied with a shrug and that was enough for Elder Hakamata, who only shrugged and turned back around.

With the exception of the interesting surroundings, the day spent in the city wasn’t all that exciting, however, and certainly not more exciting that the short trek from the gates to their inn last night had been. Once the novelty of the curious and colorful buildings around subsided and he got used to being around so many people, Katsuki focused more on his surroundings the way he did in the village or in the forest. And from there, it didn’t take him long to notice the burning sensation of someone’s eyes on him. At first, he ignored it, but when the feeling didn’t leave, he found himself glancing over his shoulder every now and then, sharp red eyes looking for the source.

It was never the same person. It wasn’t like they were being followed. But there were people staring at them. Or more like half-glaring at them. Not just Katsuki, at all of them. It were the types of gazes the blonde was rather well-versed in receiving, too, at least in some cases. Wariness. Fear. Distaste. Even disgust. He found himself glaring back on principle, mood quickly souring and the earlier amazement at his surroundings dimming faster than a candle’s flame in a storm.

Things almost came to a head even before the sun reached its highest point. Katsuki had been following after the wagon, now nearly emptied of the things they brought along to sell and almost ready to be filled up with the stuff they needed to stock up on, when someone rammed into his shoulder hard enough to make him stumble. The young Yuueian turned his head to glare at the one responsible, a tall man with a large, round belly dressed in a colorful attire with far more buttons, laces, crownworks and glass decorations than was necessary on anyone. He also had a large hat adorned with a big, fluffy, red feather and glass jewelry around his neck and fingers. A noble, Katsuki realized, knowing enough of Lycan culture even if it was his first time in one of their cities to realize that much. If nothing else, the glass jewelry would have given it away. Glass was valuable in Myordice.

Watch where you’re going, filthy beast man ,” the nobleman growled in Common and Katsuki spluttered for a second before glaring and baring his teeth in a snarl of indignation and anger.

What the fu-!

“Bakugou,” Elder Hakamata interrupted him, his gaze steely, “leave it.” Then he glanced at the noble and nodded at him in a mute half-apology, but he didn’t deign the man with more response than that, either. The Lycan sneered before turning and marching off and Katsuki glared after him even once the man was out of sight, irritated and with his Magic swirling agitatedly in his gut.

Similar incidents, though not quite as openly hostile, kept happening throughout the day as well. Each time, Katsuki felt his anger and indignation rise and each time, Elder Hakamata kept him in check with a short command and a steely gaze. Katsuki hated every moment of it, hated being ordered around, but there was something in the older man’s gaze that made him listen no matter how much he didn’t want to and how much he growled about it. But once the evening rolled around and they were back in their inn, that ended.

“Why the fuck did you keep telling me to stay quiet?! We should have told those fuckers off! They have no goddamn right to treat us like that!” he yelled at the man, angry and frustrated and thoroughly fed up. Elder Hakamata’s calm demeanor didn’t help matters, either. In fact, it only pissed him off more.

“And what would rising to their bait accomplish beyond proving their point, Bakugou?” the man asked calmly as he took off his high-collared cloak. The blonde bristled.

“It would get them to shut the hell up,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and his palms digging into his arms.

“For a couple of hours, and then they would spread the word in the entire city faster than you could blink. Things would only get worse from there,” his combat teacher remarked and the young Yuueian growled again, but didn’t answer for a while. Angry as he was, he could admit that the other man had a point. Didn’t mean that Katsuki had to like it, however.

“They still don’t have a right to treat us like we’re some kind of savage beasts,” he muttered in a low, angry tone, glaring at an innocent wall as he spoke. He wanted to blow something up, let off some steam. Unfortunately, if he did, he’d have to pay the damages to the inn, so he held himself back.

“They don’t, but they think they do. They know nothing yet think they know everything,” Elder Hakamata replied cryptically and Katsuki turned his glare at him. His teacher wasn’t looking at him as he climbed into bed, a knife and a piece of wood in hand, ready to whittle it. Still, as if feeling Katsuki’s gaze on him, he went on. “Remember this well, Bakugou. The most dangerous opponent you can face is one who has both skill and knowledge. But the cruelest opponent you can meet is one who has skill and thinks he has knowledge, when in fact he doesn’t know a thing.”

Katsuki frowned, not understanding.

“Why? One who has skill and knowledge would know how to use his skill to hit where it hurt. He’d know how to hurt and take advantage of it,” he pointed out, his gaze narrowed and thoughtful. The blonde Elder didn’t look up from his whittling as he answered.

“True. But those who are ignorant could strike those same points by luck and laugh at your pain because they won’t even realize they hurt you. And what do you think is worse? Knowing someone can strike where it hurts and being somewhat prepared when they try, or being caught by surprise because the stab comes by chance out of nowhere?”

To that, Katsuki had no reply.


While the road to Moardret had been uneventful and even kind of boring, the same couldn’t be said for the road back. Halfway between the city and the Yuuei tribe village, the reason for the presence of Warrior Captain Hakamata became obvious as a group of bandits attempted to jump them. Keyword: attempted, because their sneaking skills were so pathetic that not only Elder Hakamata, but also Katsuki and the elderly woman that led the wagon and handled most of the trading noticed them coming.

The bandits at least had the foresight to try and take care of things quickly and quietly, shooting arrows out of the foliage. It didn’t help them, however. The two older Yuueians simply turned their head away just a little and watched the arrows zip past their faces, while Katsuki raised an arm and used an explosion to blow the projectile up the moment he heard the string release. There had been a full second of nothing before the bandits made their second move, realizing they lost the element of surprise.

None of them made it anywhere near close to the wagon. Warrior Captain Hakamata lived up to his title and had most of them caught in threads from his cloak thanks to his Magic. The elderly woman whose name Katsuki didn’t know stayed on the wagon and simply watched the approaching bandits before her eyes flashed and their weapons flew right out of their hands and to her awaiting hand, from which point she picked out the best projectiles to use to incapacitate the rest of them. Katsuki took care of those that remained, weaving around and above them fluidly, using his Magic both to attack and to aid in changing direction, keeping the bandits guessing as to where he would go next or if he would even remain on the ground at all.

He still hadn’t quite figured out flying, but he was getting better at it. He was good enough that his fighting style had evolved over the years, allowing him to weave this way and that both on the ground and in the air.

The bandits were quick to panic in response to the way Katsuki weaved between them, which in turn left the blonde openings to deal with them left, right and centre. He didn’t hesitate to use these openings, either, knife gleaming in the sunlight as he swung, the movement nothing like that first, erratic, wild swing he’d done on Lights’ Peak. Now each swing was precise, calculated, trained and with a clear purpose. In this case, cutting throats in one clean, quick movement, the bandits bodies dropping one after another as the blonde dispatched them.

In no time at all, it was all over and the troupe of bandits was taken care of, none of them left alive. Katsuki cleaned his knife of the blood without a word, then glanced at the ones whose throats he’d slit. Most, if not all of them, had died in clear terror and were staring unseeingly at the sky above. Scowling, Katsuki knelt next to the closest body and ran his hand across his face to close the man’s eyes at the very least, murmuring soft prayers for a calm after-life as he did so.

When he was done and looked up, he found Elder Hakamata looking at him with a pensive frown. Katsuki glared back.

“What?” he asked in a low tone, uncertain of what the look he was receiving meant. The other man closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Nothing,” he replied before turning away. “We’ll make a short stop to properly bury the rascals, then we’ll set off again. Bandits though they may have been, they deserve to be put to rest properly.”

Katsuki didn’t object.


They spoke even less that before the rest of the way back. In fact, none of them said anything until the village gates were in sight, and even then, Elder Hakamata only asked Katsuki one question.

“So how does it feel to get your first kill?” he asked, sounding inquiring and yet almost eager. As if killing a few bandits was supposed to be a big deal, something to be happy about. It was only in his voice, though. The man’s eyes were sharp where they looked at the blonde, clearly looking for something, even if the young boy had no idea what it was. Katsuki just shrugged.

“It’s nothing special,” he replied lowly, looking up at the other man through narrowed eyes. “There’s nothing to be fucking proud of in taking the life of another. Just means I had to do it to survive myself and I was the stronger between the two of us. Nothing else.”

Elder Hakamata didn’t reply to that. He only nodded mutely and continued staring ahead, expression grave and pensive. Katsuki glared at him, feeling like he’d just been tested somehow, yet unable to guess whether he’d passed or failed.


It was a few days later that Elder Hakamata demanded everyone stay longer after training again and then singled Katsuki out, asking him to stand opposite him in the circle the other trainees formed around them.

“Draw your knife,” he ordered. Katsuki’s gaze narrowed, but he did as he was told, unsheathing the blade and twirling it in his hand a little before he widened his stance and bent his knees a bit. The knife barely changed over the years. It was still somewhere between a knife and a dagger in length, still with that same, black hilt and leather sheath with red cords, still with the slightly curved, yet mostly straight blade made from the shell of a glasthrigal’s egg, worked in such a way that it almost looked like some kind of bluish metal. The only thing that changed about it was its glow. It used to be purely blue and rather faint. Now it glowed brightly, the blue lighter, more electric than the sky-blue it used to be and sometimes even bordering on blue-white. It wasn’t anywhere near bright enough to blind anyone or anything, but the blade certainly glowed, much like the rock-like material Lights’ Peak all but consisted of.

“The rules are simple. You are to defeat me or, failing that, to still be standing when the time is up. Open combat. Anything goes. You have until that candle there burns out,” Elder Hakamata said, motioning vaguely to a small candle on the edge of the circle. It wasn’t burning yet, but at the Elder’s words, one of the other trainees dropped to her knees next to it and picked up a flint, ready to strike the flame. “And of course, you are not to leave this circle, nor implicate any of the others into it in any way. Any questions?”

Katsuki only head one: what was the reason for this? He couldn’t really think of one. He didn’t ask, however. He only shook his head and bent his knees a little more, taking a deep breath in preparation.

“Then let us begin,” his teacher said and Katsuki heard the flint being used as the candle was lit. The challenge was on.


He didn’t win in the end. But neither did he lose. He was in the middle of one of his more complicated maneuvers in an attempt to get into Elder Hakamata’s blind spot when one of the other trainees called out.

“Stop!” her voice rang out in the otherwise silent training ground. Aborting mid-maneuver, Katsuki staggered a bit as he landed, Elder Hakamata coming to a stop far more gracefully. The blond turned to glare at the girl and she squeaked a bit at the intensity of it before she squared her shoulders and met his gaze with her own, pointing at the ground. “The candle burned out. Time’s up,” she said by way of explanation. Katsuki only clicked his tongue in annoyance and straightened, sheathing his knife as he did so, then turned to face his teacher. He intended to ask none-too-calmly what the fuck this has been about, but he hardly got the chance as the man nodded and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Very well. You’re free to leave. I will see you when the twin moons start their dance anew, Bakugou,” was all he said before walking past him. Katsuki froze and the entire training ground froze and went silent with him. Because everyone knew what these words meant.

The first day of each lunar dance, the day the twin moons met in the sky to end one dance and begin anew, was special to the tribe. Those were the days were minor celebrations took place, important only to those directly implicated in them. Those celebrations were the Coming of Age Ceremonies, during which children would become full fledged adults. Because in the Yuuei Tribe, it wasn’t physical age that dictated when one came of age.

It was when one completed training and became a full fledged Warrior, Hunter, Healer or whatever else they’d wanted to be. If you were in training, you were a child. If your teacher decided you’ve learned all or most they could teach you, you were an adult.

Elder Hakamata had just told Katsuki to come to the next Coming of Age Ceremony. Meaning he believed Katsuki no longer needed training. He had completed it. He was ready to be a Warrior.

The blonde couldn’t help but grin sharply then. Finally, finally his hard work was fucking paying off.


Since the Coming of Age Celebration happened every fifty days, it wasn’t as big or grandiose as the annular Magic Manifestation Ceremony. It wasn’t even a celebration the entire village came to. In fact, aside from the Elders and All Might, hardly anyone except the youngsters about to become full fledged adults in the eyes of the tribe and their families were there. It was a small, relatively quiet affair in comparison to other celebrations the Tribe held.

Katsuki sat with his parents among the other tribesmen, watching the bonfire and the other people who just like him were about to leave childhood behind and become adults in the eyes of the Tribe as they danced. He didn’t join in, though. He didn’t have anyone to dance with and even if he had, it would have been awkward as Hell because the girl would be several years older. Because yes, he was the youngest one there. Every other person had at least seen somewhere between fourteen and sixteen anniversaries of their birth, as opposed to Katsuki’s twelve. They were bigger, stronger built where Katsuki had yet to really hit his growth spurt. In the case of men, their voices were already deep and gravely where Katsuki’s was high-pitched at times like a girl’s and kept cracking all the damn time.

Katsuki was about to become an adult in the eyes of the tribe, but he was the only one there whose body had only just started to come of age. It was a bit weird. Or a lot weird, actually.

Unsure what to really do with himself as he waited for the Elders to call for the actual ritual part of the celebrations, since it wasn’t like he really had anything to do or even anyone to talk with, Katsuki watched the fire and waited, picking idly at the edge of his new arm-sleeves. They were a similar bright orange to his old ones, but they were longer, reaching all the way from his wrists to the middle of his biceps and had a rather intricate embroidery in deep blues and browns at both ends. His mother had given them to him with the comment that now that he was an adult, he needed to dress like one and show that fighting wasn’t the only thing he was damn good at. That he had class as well.

The sleeves weren’t the only change to his attire. The red leather vest he’d been wearing since he was admitted into warrior training was swapped for a new one. Still without sleeves, still not closable at the front, but a deeper, richer red than the old one and made of soft fur, rather than leather. His father said it was a family heirloom, a vest given from father to son when they came of age, though not made from the fur of the fire rat that was their family’s guardian like the ceremonial garment for the Magic Manifestation Ceremony. It looked and felt similar, however.

Since the vest lacked sleeves, the white bandage on his left bicep was in plain view. It covered his new tattoo, another proof that he was an adult and a warrior. He had gotten it a few days ago, so he needed to keep it covered for a few more days before it would be safe for him to reveal it. He risked it inflaming like a regular fleshwound otherwise. He couldn’t wait to be able to take it off, though. He had yet to see it, at least on his own flesh, but he knew what it looked like. It was a pair of snake-like dragons, their tails curled at the base of the tattoo before they rose and separated, bodies arching to form nearly a circle around the tribal rune for ‘strength’ - the same one as the first rune of his name - their heads thrown back and maws open wide as if to spit fire, a large wing spread out on each of the dragons’ backs as if the lizards were mid-flight. The entire tattoo was black, the color of the void, of destruction. It was meant to show that the warrior wearing it was strong, skilled, that he wouldn’t hold back or hesitate, that he would kill if necessary and not blink at it. It was a reminder that the ruin and destruction could easily follow them if they lost themselves in the violence. A reminder that this void would always follow them, ready to swallow them whole if they ever grew to enjoy the slaughter, if they forgot that even in the defence of those they held dear or their own life, the life of another should not be ended lightly.

He got himself a new pair of pants, too. Leather ones, not too tight but not overly lose, colored a deep blue with the exception of his waistband, which was brown, imitating a belt. There were a lot of short, loose cords with which he could tie a sheath to the waistband, as well as several belt-loops (or something similar to that, anyway). Those weren’t meant for an actual belt, however, but rather for knives and short swords if he ever had need to put one away safely without a sheath. His knife hung in its place on the left side of his waistband. Finally, his parents upgraded his boots as well - literally, the old hag damn well stole his old pair, effectively locking him up in their hut for a few days until she finally deigned to return them - re-working the leather a little and renewing the brown coloring, as well as lining them with soft, white fur on the inside, a patch of it coming out in a rather stylish bout of white fluff at the top. Katsuki wasn’t sure what beast they got the fur off of, but he appreciated the effort. It really did look good and if he didn’t know any better, he would have thought he got a new pair of boots altogether, not to mention the added level of warmth and comfort.

“And last but not least, our new Warriors! Those who would fight to protect hearth and home from any threat if ever necessary. Come forth, young ones, come forth and leave your childhood behind,” All Might’s voice cut through Katsuki’s introspection and the blonde startled a little. He hadn’t even noticed when the music and dancing had stopped, when the actual ceremony had started, much less when the Hunters and Healers were called forth, assuming they had been. There was no set order by which the groups youths were called because no profession was more important than another in the Tribe, so the order varied from one Coming of Age Ceremony to the next.

Katsuki stood up slowly, head held high as he approached All Might and the Elders along with the other boys and girls about to become men and women. He still felt a bit out of place, being the youngest and thus smallest of the bunch, but he refused to let it show and held himself with pride. He had worked hard to be here today goddamnit and he deserved to stand here, no matter what some other people may think.

He couldn’t help casting a fleeting gaze at some of the Elders behind All Might and Lady Kayama, who once again did the honors of bestowing the tribal jewelry on the young adults. Most of the other Elders were blank faced or refused to look his way, but some were glaring with disapproval clear in their faces. Katsuki almost sneered then, but managed to hold himself back and merely raised his chin a bit higher proudly, just to prove to them how above their fucking opinion he was. He didn’t care what they thought. He deserved to be here. He deserved to be a Warrior. He had worked hard for it and it was finally paying off.

“Young Bakugou, guarded by the Fire Rat. Come forth,” All Might called and Katsuki walked over to him, strides certain and assured despite the way his Magic flitted nervously inside of him. He came before Elder Kayama and his Tribe Leader and knelt on one knee before them, one fist on the ground and the other held to his chest, his head slightly bowed. “What do you ask for?”

“I ask for a sword,” was his immediate answer. It was his weapon of choice, even if he could use other weapons as well. A sword had just always felt right. Like a part of him. An extension of his arm.

“What do you need it for?”

“To protect my Tribe and my home, from whatever may threaten it, whenever it may dare to. For my life and my blood belong to the Tribe and my skills only to keep my tribesmen safe,” he recited, having learned the Warrior’s Vow by heart long before today. He had dreamed of being able to recite it and now, finally, here he was.

All Might didn’t answer his words. Instead, he stepped aside and allowed Elder Kayama to step forward, the black-haired woman reaching for Katsuki’s head and placing a new necklace around it. Proof of his coming of age and of becoming a Warrior, the warrior necklace was a bright red and much longer than the yellow one he’d gotten when he was four. That one was still around his neck and he’d grown into it. It wasn’t lose anymore, hugging his throat lightly instead, a bit like a collar. The red necklace, on the contrary, reached down to this chest. It was made mostly of round beads, but at its lowest point, there were three claw-like stones. Although all things considered, they probably were actual claws of some beast or another.

“Arise then, Bakugou, Warrior of Yuuei,” Lady Kayama said as she took a step back. Katsuki stood up as requested, but didn’t move otherwise and let the Elder come close again, her hand resting against his chest, her fingers brushing the red claws. “With the necklace of salamander scales and claws, you are a proud Warrior of our tribe,” she said. Then her hand moved upwards, towards his ears, grasping at one of his earrings and pulling it out. He didn’t move to stop her, only bent his head forward just a little to give her better access. He didn’t really need to do that, she was still about half a head taller than him, but he still did it, if only to show some respect. Elder Kayama wasn’t one of the ones he knew to want him to fail. Or at least he didn’t think she was. So he had no reason to disrespect her.

“With these earrings, you were a member of our Tribe as a child,” the woman kept on, plucking the other earring out as well with the other hand and laying them down on a nearby tray. Then she picked up a new pair, of the same form and color, only noticeably bigger. “But you are a child no more. And let this new pair be proof of that. Wear them with pride,” she finished, placing the jewelry where it belonged from now on. They felt heavier than his old ones, but it was a good kind of weight.

Despite that, though, there was a part of him that felt… a kind of disquiet. It wasn’t quite nervousness or anything of the sort, but he wasn’t quite comfortable anymore. His Magic, which had settled into his stomach now, seemed to weight there like a kind of burden. He swallowed.

“That I shall,” he said in response, cheeks turning red as his voice chose this particular moment to crack embarrassingly. Elder Kayama smirked a little, amused but not mocking. From behind him, though, he heard several suppressed laughs that seemed to be more at his expense than anything else.

His Magic settled harder in his stomach, adding to the imaginative weight and only making him more uncomfortable as he accepted the sword and a few pieces of leather armor (protectors for his knees and leather bracers for his forearms) his Tribe Leader offered him and stepped away from All Might and Elder Kayama, finally a fullfledged Warrior like he had dreamed of since he’d been little. He would have thought it would have been more of a joyous occasion and while he was definitely proud of himself and glad of his achievement, his face remained set in an annoyed scowl.


When the strange disquiet and mild irritation he first experienced at his Coming of Age Celebration didn’t leave him alone outside of when he met with Deku, Katsuki decided to try and figure out what made him feel that way. It turned out to be painfully easy, however, because it only took a day or two of actually, actively looking for something that might be the cause and only a tiny bit of thought to consciously admit it to himself. Because it wasn’t like it was a new thing, it had been something he had noticed years ago already. He just hadn’t actually called it for what it was.

The issue was the fact that he just didn’t belong.

He had kind of hoped it wouldn’t be that way now that he was a Warrior. Sure, the other Warriors were several season cycles older than him, but he had thought that maybe that would allow them to not be as wary or scared or jealous of him as his peers were. And while that was the case, that didn’t mean he got along with them. No, they weren’t wary or afraid of him and they didn’t avoid him, but they weren’t exactly accepting of him, either. On more than one occasion, he had the feeling he was being looked down on, which pissed him off. And he was proven right when one day he heard some of his tribesmen and women talking, thinking he was nowhere nearby, saying how he probably thought himself so much better than them since he finished his training at such a young age.

Now, Katsuki wasn’t going to lie to himself, he was proud of his accomplishment, just as he was proud of what he’d achieved for his Warrior Training Trial when he was ten, no matter how terrifying it had been at the time. But that didn’t mean he thought himself better than others. In fact, he didn’t exactly waste time trying to compare between his accomplishments and that of other people simply because he saw no reason to. His tribesmen, however, thought that he did and clearly resented him for it. He had tried to clear up the misunderstanding with them, but it hadn’t exactly gone anywhere, mostly because they just didn’t believe him. They clearly thought him not only a self-righteous idiot, but also a liar.

The blonde could admit to being a rude asshole. His temper was short on a good day, he cussed worse than anyone else in the village barring his mother, he was prone to yelling and insulting people and there was only a handful whom he actually respected. And everyone knew who these few people were, because it was visible in how he behaved around them. However, as rude and insensitive as he could be, Katsuki was not a liar. He took offence to that accusation.

Either way, when push came to shove, it basically meant that his standing in the Tribe didn’t change much. He was still somewhat of an outsider even though he was technically a part of the tribe. And that shouldn’t bother him, it really shouldn’t, because it wasn’t like it was a new development. The signs had changed, but when it came down to it, it had always been like that.

Except he’d been to Moardret and seen that things wouldn’t be much different even if he left.

It wasn’t like he had ever entertained the thought of leaving. Not really, at any rate. But somewhere deep down, he had known that if things went too far, if he really couldn’t take it anymore, it was a possibility. He could leave and try to make a life for himself elsewhere. If Yuuei didn’t want him, he would find a place that would. Only there was no other place to go except Lyca, not on this side of the Draconic Mountain Range at least. The mountains were not a place he could cross, the dragons that had their territory there would kill him before he finished a full day’s journey. And Lyca… Lyca apparently wouldn’t be any more welcoming that Yuuei was, if for different reasons.

For Yuuei, the reason was his Magic. That which should have been the very reason he was accepted because it was strong and showed he had the Gods’ favor, was instead the reason he was pretty much shunned. For Lyca, the reason would be that he happened to be born in a village of ‘savages’, that he happened to be part of a Tribal culture Lycans didn’t know shit about. He didn’t seem to belong where he should have found his place the easiest and it didn’t seem like there could be a place he could belong elsewhere, either. So he was stuck and unsure what to do to finally be accepted, to have that place to belong in his own Tribe he should have had from the start.

It left him in a persistently bad mood that constantly oscillated between simmering irritation and explosive rage. He wasn’t proud to admit that Deku often took the brunt of that rage, either, though he tried not to blow up at him if he could help it. The green haired boy from the Gods had grown increasingly curious about Katsuki, his world and, more importantly, his culture as they grew older, a fact the blonde appreciated after his encounter with Lycans even if the onslaught of questions often grated on his nerves. At least Deku was trying to learn things, to understand Katsuki’s culture before passing judgement like the Lycans did. The young Yuueian really knew to appreciate it, although admittedly, he was horrendous at actually showing it. Which basically meant that he didn’t really show it at all.

If he hadn’t figured out by then how much he didn’t belong and how downright unwanted he seemed to be at the village at times, then he probably would have done so only a few days later when he talked to elder Hakamata. He had noticed that other Warriors that had Come of Age with him were slowly stopping to carry their knives around and a few times, he saw them giving them away to other people. He hadn’t tried to ask them why they did it, especially not after one sneered at him when he was caught glancing their way. Instead, Katsuki decided to ask Elder Hakamata about it. At least the man wouldn’t be condescending in his explanation if it was something Katsuki should just know. Which, if the behavior of the other Warriors was anything to go by, he might.

“Why do people give away their training knives? I thought they were special? Meant to be kept for life?” he asked the man one day when he had caught him outside the training grounds. The tall man looked at him, his one visible eye a bit wide in what seemed to be disbelief.

“You don’t know of the custom?” he asked, and despite his calm demeanor, Katsuki bristled.

“I wouldn’t fucking ask if I knew, would I?” he spat somewhat defensively, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Elder Hakamata merely sighed and then looked up at the sky briefly, likely asking the Gods for patience.

“Your parents have not told you?” he tried instead. Katsuki looked away.

“They’re both Hunters, not Warriors.”

“Nevertheless, they had training knives of their own, even if their blades are made from something else than your knife. They must know of it.”

“Yeah, well, I’m asking you. So answer the goddamn question already,” Katsuki growled, unwilling to admit that he didn’t talk much with his parents these days. His short temper and generally bad mood didn’t work well with his mother’s personality and they clashed often, their arguments getting progressively worse as both mother and son got more and more frustrated with each other. Katsuki’s father had tried to mediate and it had worked at first, but not for very long and in the end, Katsuki took to avoiding his own home as much as he could just to avoid the fighting. His parents didn’t deserve to be snapped at for something they weren’t the reason for any more than Deku did, after all, and since Katsuki couldn’t keep his temper in check, he took to keeping himself out of the situation instead. It worked, somewhat, but it was still obvious to him that his relationship with his parents, his own family, was getting a bit strained because of it. He didn’t really know how to fix it, though.

Elder Hakamata heaved a deep sigh and turned so he could lean against the wall that separated the training grounds from the rest of the village. Katsuki joined him, arms still crossed over his chest, waiting for an explanation.

“When the training knife was first offered to you, you must have felt the Magic within, correct? Felt it calling to you?” Elder Hakamata finally asked. Katsuki gave him a look, eyes narrowed, and nodded silently with a quick jerk of his head. “And when you took it, how did it feel?”

“Dunno,” Katsuki said with a shrug, thinking back. It was a difficult feeling to explain, really. “Like a piece of me I hadn’t realized was missing suddenly slid into place or something, I guess.”

“That’s how most describe it, yes,” Elder Hakamata replied with a nod. “Due to their Magic, these training knives are a part of their wielder. A part of us becomes a part of them, is trapped within the blade itself in a way. It’s not really known how it happens or what part of us it is. Not for sure, at least. But most believe it is our warrior spirit. Our knowledge, our strength, our skills, our courage and determination, a part of that leaves our bodies as we grow stronger and get trapped within the knife we trained with.”

“What does that have to do with giving it away?” the blonde asked after a moment of silence to digest that information. It made sense, really, so he didn’t question it. He felt it himself, after all. Plus, he remembered Elder Hakamata mentioning something of the sort when Katsuki came to undertake the Warrior Trial and prove himself worthy of the blade in the first place. It had called to him back then, too, and it had connected with him the moment he’d touched it. Magical weapon though it was, his training knife was a part of him in a way his sword wasn’t and was never going to be. Because his sword, though an extension of his arm, was just a regular, iron blade.

“You don’t use your knife much anymore, do you, Bakugou,” the Warrior Captain pointed out in lieu of answering. Katsuki scowled at him but didn’t answer. The Elder seemed to expect as much, however, because he went on. “Few Warriors do. We rely on our weapon of choice instead, even though it is not magical at all. But the knife is still a part of us, so we can’t throw it away or sell it or anything of the sort. Nor can we neglect it. When the blade suffers, we feel it ourselves. Surely you noticed that.” Katsuki gave a slow nod. In all honesty, he hadn’t noticed, because he took damn good care of all his weapons, even those he didn’t use. But he took his old teacher’s word for it. “So instead, a custom was born to give the knife away. Gift it to someone you trust both to protect them and for them to look after it. And by that, I obviously don’t mean just any friend.”

Katsuki’s gaze fell to the ground then and he scowled, his frame tense.

“You mean it would be someone the giver really trusts. Most likely the same person they would ask to give their name a second meaning?” he asked in a low tone just to be sure, although he suspected he already knew the answer. He wasn’t disappointed.

“That’s the way it goes in most cases, yes.”

And here was why this would have been the most obvious proof that Katsuki just didn’t belong in his own Tribe if he hadn’t already figured that out by then: there was no one in the Tribe he could think of that he could give this kind of gift to. No one he would trust with something that was essentially a part of his own being, even if he didn’t understand how exactly that worked. There wasn’t anyone at all. Expect maybe his parents, because he could definitely trust them with this kind of thing, but it would be beyond weird and pathetic. Other than that, however, there was no one.

No one from the Tribe, at least. Because there was one person, just one, who Katsuki could imagine trusting with something that important.

Deku.

Deku was his friend. Had been for years. They grew up together and helped each other as well as they could considering they were from different worlds and only met in dreams they couldn’t control the frequency of. Deku had been there for him when he’d needed it most and he’d been there for Deku when Deku had needed him. Or at least that’s what he hoped, because if Deku ever needed any kind of help at all, Katsuki was damn well willing to do whatever he could to provide. It was only right. They were friends, they stuck together through thick and thin.

Which was all the more important to Katsuki, because Deku wasn’t just a friend or a childhood friend. He wasn’t just his best friend, either, nor just someone Katsuki trusted more than anyone else.

No, Deku was more than that. Because Deku was his only friend, the only person whose opinion about him Katsuki cared about, the only person he trusted, the only person he would openly ask for help if he needed it.

So yes, if there was anyone he would be willing and able to give the knife to, Katsuki knew it would be Deku. Even if he wasn’t of the Tribe, or even from Myordice. Even if he didn’t fully grasp just how much trust Katsuki would be putting in him with this kind of gift. Or maybe it was precisely for those reasons, rather than in spite of them, he wasn’t sure. Either way, the fact still stood: Deku was the only person he could imagine he could entrust the knife to. If not Deku, then he could only keep it himself because there just wasn’t anyone else.

There was one problem, however. He only met Deku in dreams. Would he be able to actually give him the knife in that situation? Would the Magic that bound them together allow the knife to cross dimensions, to actually disappear from Myordice and become a part of Deku’s world just because Katsuki wanted that? Would the Gods who sent him these dreams allow it just because he wished it? He didn’t know. And so for the next couple of waking dreams, he didn’t even try, only debating back and forth in his head, unable to actually make a decision to just fucking attempt it.

And then, in one dream, he admitted in a fit of rage that those who were Magicless were banished from the tribe. Deku didn’t take that well. He had actually believed it to mean Katsuki thought he was useless and that he deserved to just be thrown away when it had been the farthest thing from the truth. But Katsuki hadn’t been able to just say that. He didn’t know why. He just couldn’t say outright just how important Deku was to him. There were no adequate words to explain that, not to him.

So instead, he’d tried to show him in a different way. He pointed out how he didn’t call him Magicless anymore, though he was too embarrassed to actually explain that the runes that made up ‘Deku’ meant ‘Gods’ and ‘Friend’ respectively, constituting the nickname’s actual meaning: Friend from the Gods. Deku surprised him then by saying he could call him by his first name. Could give his name a second meaning. Well, he hadn’t said that outright, but it had been implied. Or seemed to have been. Katsuki had been floored at first, but eventually just figured that maybe, somehow, Deku just didn’t know what he was requesting. Or maybe his name already had a second meaning and he was just teasing Katsuki, trying to get his hopes up. Although that didn’t really seem like a Deku thing to do. 

Either way, Katsuki didn’t take the potential bait. He couldn’t. Not if it was an attempt to make fun of him and not if it was meant seriously. Because if it was, then Deku should at least have the courage to ask him directly. The fact that he’d avoided the question altogether really should have spoken for itself, anyway. And besides, Katsuki wasn’t willing to give Deku the same courtesy. At least not yet. He had thought about it sometimes, but it always felt like to soon. He was still young. Deku was important to him, yes, but Katsuki wasn’t sure if he was the kind of ‘special’ or ‘important’ his parents had been talking about when they explained the second meaning to him. So he couldn’t offer yet. Because what if he ended up meeting the real ‘special’ person later and his name already had a second meaning? Not that he had high hopes of it happening but… just in case. 

They’d moved on after that. Katsuki had indulged his friend without complaint when Deku asked him to teach him more of the runes, of his language, no matter how boring it got. And in the end, just to prove to his friend beyond a shadow of a doubt that he didn’t think him weak or useless or unimportant, he bit the arrowhead and gifted him the knife. He’d tried to explain the meaning behind the gesture, tried to explain just how much trust that meant he had in Deku, how much he valued him. He wasn’t sure if the green haired teen really understood the full extent of it, but he hoped he did.

And when he woke up from that dream, his knife was gone. He’d looked everywhere for it but couldn’t find it. He hoped from there that the Magic really had taken it to the Gods’ Realm, for Deku’s safekeeping like he’d wanted it to. Deku confirmed it in the next dream they shared, too. Knowing that had actually happened made Katsuki happy. He’d smiled for the first time in season cycles at the news.

“I’m glad,” he’d told Deku and allowed himself to just bask in the calm and contentment for a moment before he got to teaching his friend on one hand how to care for the blade, and later the first basics on how to use it if he ever had the need. Though Katsuki certainly hoped he wouldn’t.

 

Chapter 5: Katsuki

Notes:

After more than six moths, finally, another update. I apologize for the wait. Hopefully the length (and quality ^^') make up for that. Tsuki and I decided to switch things up a bit for content reasons, so this is another Katsuki-chapter, but the next one will be Izuku again.

Also, while this chapter is an outrageous length again, we hoped to switch things up on that front, too. So the following chapters will likely be shorter. But on the upside, it will hopefully mean you guys won't have to wait half a year for the next update again. I give no promises for myself or Tsuki, though ^^'

Finally, I drew a map of Katsuki's village. You can view it here :)

Anyway, I'm done running my mouth. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Text

By the time Katsuki’s thirteenth anniversary of birth came and went, he was considered among the strongest of the Tribe’s Warriors. Not the strongest, not yet, but among the top ten at the very least. This was mostly due to his intense desire to prove himself, to prove he meant his vows. That his Magic and loyalty and life all belonged to the Tribe and that he would never do anything to harm any of his tribesmen. That they didn’t need to be wary or afraid of him as most still were. That his Magic, though powerful and potentially destructive, was under his control and would only ever be used for the good of the Tribe, not against it.

Proving himself shouldn’t have been all that hard considering that not only was he very willing to, but the Elders were also very willing to test him. They didn’t send him on foolhardy errands like retrieving the glasthringal egg on his own again, didn’t try so openly to send him on a mission he couldn’t possibly return from, but they did send him on the more dangerous assignments. Not alone, of course. Warriors, unlike Hunters, never traveled alone, because their purpose and targets were vastly different. Hunters specialized in stealth and assassination from the shadows, of beast and human alike. But there were beasts that couldn’t be taken down quietly, let alone by a single man. That was where the Warriors came in. They didn’t charge in head on without a plan, of course, they utilized stealthy tactics much like the Hunters, but not in order to kill directly, but to augment their chances in a fight.

And then, there were the cases where Hunters and Warriors had to work together, Warriors fighting head on in the open and Hunters providing back-up from their hiding spots. Usually in teams of three or four, two Hunters with one or two Warriors depending on the Warriors’ strength and ability, these little groups were meant to go against the most dangerous of Myordice’s wildlife. In most cases, in order to injure and chase the beast away, rather than kill it. Because in most cases, attempting the latter was suicide, no matter the size of the team in question.

It wasn’t often that the Tribe needed to send out such a party anywhere. Beasts of the caliber that would require such precautions didn’t prowl close to the village or any of their hunting grounds often, preferring the even wilder lands further North or the Eastern Wilderness close to the foot of the Draconic Mountain Range, where the dragons resided. In fact, the only time Katsuki knew of that such measures had been necessary had been several season cycles before his own birth. He wasn’t sure what kind of beast was the reason for it, as he never got the chance to hear the story properly and in full, but he knew that it had been a dark time for the Tribe. They had send most of the experienced Hunters and Warriors to deal with the threat, and while they had been successful, it had come at a heavy cost. For out of the thirty tribesmen that had left, only three had returned. One of them had been All Might. The other two, the Hunters who had supported him.

Needless to say, there was a good reason All Might had become the Tribe’s hero and had eventually become the Tribe Leader. In his generation, no one had been more worthy of the position.

Katsuki sometimes wondered if, had he been in a similar situation, he’d be able to make such a (somewhat triumphant, despite the losses) return as well. If it could change the way the Tribe viewed him. If maybe, if not a hero, he could at least be accepted for real. He didn’t actually expect to get a chance to find out, however, nor did he really want it. Because getting such a chance would mean that the Tribe was facing its darkest hour once again and as much as Katsuki might have hated how his tribesmen looked at him, he wasn’t desperate enough to prove himself to wish such a calamity on them all.

As it turned out, however, the Gods seemed to have decided to give him his chance anyway as the next winter set in in full.

It was once again a particularly harsh winter, and one the Tribe hadn’t been able to prepare adequately for as several hunting grounds proved emptier than they expected. The amount of meat they managed to store was clearly not going to be enough, but with continuous snow storms, it was impossible to send anyone to hunt for more. Instead, they tried to ration their reserves as best they could, but despite that, it was more than obvious that the food storage would not last until thaw.

In fact, there was hardly anything left by the time two and a half moon dances of winter passed. With another two and a half moon dances to go, unless a miracle happened, there was no way for the Tribe to survive the winter.

Thankfully, nature proved lenient with them and as the situation became truly dire, the snow storms abated and several hunting trips were immediately organized. However, they didn’t return with much, as a lot of hunting grounds were still mostly deserted. There was only one they haven’t tried, one that hadn’t been hunted on for a very long time in fact. All Might had ordered to avoid it at all cost ever since several tribesmen who went to hunt there failed to return and the only one that did reported finding signs of a gigantic creature having taken residence there and having heard a far-off roar before he turned tail.

They suspected it might be a dragon. It didn’t seem possible considering they hardly ever left the draconic mountain range, but considering the evidence, it was the only conclusion to come to. And with a dragon potentially making the hunting grounds its new territory, hunting there was out of the question.

As the food storage dwindled and the other hunting grounds proved to not be lucrative enough, however, it soon turned out that the Tribe might have no other choice but to try their luck. And so one evening, All Might called together all of the Hunters and Warriors and asked the strongest and most courageous of them to volunteer for the task. He didn’t appoint anyone. He said only those willing should go.

Katsuki only hesitated a moment before stepping forward and announcing he’d go. All Might gave him a long, searching look which the blond replied to with a determined glare. The Tribe Leader didn’t question him, merely accepted his volunteering. And it was probably a good thing, because while not the strongest yet, Katsuki was still the youngest Warrior. So it was only to be expected that seeing this young adult of barely thirteen, three or more season cycles younger than the rest of them, step forward so easily caused several other Warriors and Hunters to do so as well, as they refused to be outdone by him.

In the end, a party of thirty was assembled - twenty Hunters and ten Warriors, including Katsuki. As the hunting ground was two days’ journey away, they decided to travel those two days in one group. On the third day, they would separate into ten groups of three and go hunting. Their priority was the hunt. The dragon, or whatever other massive beast was there, was to be avoided if possible. If not, each team was on their own and had to hope that they’d be able to injure the beast enough to get away instead of getting killed.


Katsuki didn’t dream of Deku particularly often that winter, but neither were the Godsent dreams rare. In fact, they’d been meeting in dreams at least once every twenty-five days or so lately. Katsuki certainly wasn’t complaining about it, on the contrary, he tried to make the most of it, because he knew the dreams could get rarer at the drop of a hat. They have before. There had even been times when he hadn’t dreamt with Deku at all for over a lunar-dance for what felt like seasons on end. So yes, since the dreams were more frequent right now, he tried to make the best of it.

He had a dream with Deku about twenty-three days before that major hunting trip, and so while it had been unlikely, he had hoped to dream with him again before he and his other tribesmen set out. Just in case. Because he didn’t plan on dying or anything of the sort, but considering it was possible there was a massive and particularly dangerous beast at the hunting ground, well, it was a possibility he needed to take into account. So he’d wanted to see Deku one last time before setting off, just in case. The Gods didn’t grant him that wish, however, but then again, maybe that was a good thing. It gave him one more reason to make sure nothing went wrong and that he survived this trip no matter the dangers, after all.

The day before he left, Katsuki went into the forest to build a small army of snowmen for the winter spirits for himself and everyone else. Just in case. Because he’d rather be safe than sorry and not having to worry about the capriciousness of winter spirits would mean one less worry on their way.

When they were making camp on the second day, the last day they would move as a big group, however, something else happened that made sure Katsuki didn’t feel too relaxed about the expedition he was currently on, as if he had ever been relaxed in the first place. That ‘something’ was him spotting a Mankyood in the branches of a tree. A single one, an adult, hanging there and staring straight at him for a moment before it lifted itself up and climbed higher into the trees, quickly disappearing from his view.

Mankyoods were guardians of Mother Nature. It was said that if one harmed the forest, the Mankyoods would hunt him and pay him back in full for whatever was done. Beyond that, however, spotting them in the wild could mean either a sign of good fortune… or the exact opposite. To see a family with young ones was a good omen. To see a single adult a bad one.

Katsuki had seen Mankyoods in the forest before, exactly twice. One time had been when he was four, shortly before his first dream with Deku, which he supposed was the foretold stroke of good luck. It certainly felt this way now, several season cycles later. The second time had been in a dream with Deku. But this was the first time he’d seen a solitary Mankyood and the sight made him wary. He told the other members of the hunting expedition of what he saw, cautioning them. That night, everyone was on edge as they went to sleep for the night. And who could blame them considering the importance of this hunt, the fact that they might run into a beast they would usually avoid fighting with unless they wanted to die and a bad omen delivered by the guardians of nature on top of that?


The two Hunters Katsuki was teamed up with weren’t people he knew very well, though he was aware they were among the best Hunters in the Tribe. Not that that meant much considering everyone in the original group of thirty had been among the best. They were both several season cycles older than him and had been Hunters longer than he’d been a Warrior, so they had more experience, too. But despite that, Katsuki more than kept up with them as they crept through the underbrush or among the tree branches in search of prey. Unfortunately, said prey was rather scarce to come by, especially for a hunting ground that the Tribe had largely left alone lately.

“This doesn’t look good,” said the taller of the two, a blond whose hair strongly reminded Katsuki of a tent (or rather, a teepee) due to the way it framed his face at an angle, as they tied up their first catch of the day. Considering it was already midday, the man was right, things didn’t really look all that well, especially since the fact they caught anything at all was more luck than anything else. The herd the deer had been a part of was one they came upon by accident as they raced past.

“Tell me about it,” the other Hunter, a man with a round face and black hair that stood on end messily in a poor imitation of a flame, replied grimly. “This isn’t much of a hunting ground considering we can’t do much hunting for lack of game.”

“The herd just now,” Katsuki said lowly, looking in the direction where the group of deer had run off, arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. “It was running away from something. Something that spooked the animals.”

“Could be one of the other hunting teams,” Teepee Head said slowly, but he also glanced in the direction the herd had ran off in.

“Or whatever beast is lurking around,” Flame Hair added, looking around with a somewhat paranoid look on his face that made Katsuki roll his eyes. If it was indeed the beast, it likely would have followed, and if it had, they would have known that by now, the blond was sure.

“Whatever the fuck it was,” he said, punctuating his words with another roll of his eyes, “it’s almost certain the herd was not only running away from that, but also somewhere it considered a safe place. Other herds might have gone there, too. Prey animals tend to stick together.” He paused then as the two Hunters stood, Flame Hair having thrown the young deer over his shoulder. If they had hunted more, they would have had to figure out a way of transporting the game between the three of them without inhibiting themselves too much, but as it was, one person could carry the dead deer without much trouble. Katsuki’s gaze cut towards the direction the herd had fled in again. “Do you know what’s in that direction? Any particular lake or closed-off clearing or anything?” He might lack the experience the other two had, but Katsuki could make up for it with the sheer sixth sense he seemed to have for hunting and combat.

The two Hunters exchanged a long look.

“There’s a ravine nearby,” Teepee Head finally said slowly. “There’s a small stream there, too and the sides are extremely steep, dangerous to climb down. The only safe way in is on either end of it.”

“Any chance that’s where the herd was headed?” Katsuki asked to be sure, already turning in that direction. Again, the two Hunters remained silent for an oddly long while before responding.

“It’s likely, I guess.”

“Then that’s where we should go, too. We don’t have a damn thing to lose by trying, anyway.”

“Except time.”

“We run a risk of losing that searching for a different herd no matter where we go, dipshit.”

“Fair enough.”


It turned out that heading for the ravine was a bad idea. But not because it was empty. It wasn’t. It was just that what Katsuki and the two Hunters found there wasn’t a herd of deer or anything else they could have feasibly hunted. It was something else entirely. Something much more terrifying, even though it was currently, thankfully, sound asleep. Or at least that was what it looked like.

“That’s a dragon!” Teepee Head whisper-yelled as the three of them stared down into the ravine, frozen in place at the sight of the gigantic lizard lying at the bottom of it. It was at least as long in its current position as a tree was tall, and that was with its tail curled around it’s massive body and thus not being part of the comparison. Curled up as it was in its sleep, the dragon still filled the ravine from one slope to the other, its back reaching about half-way up the ravine walls. And sure, that ‘half-way up’ included the folded wings, but it still left absolutely no question as to whether the dragon was just big, or absolutely gigantic.

Still, if it wasn’t a beast that would eat them whole if it were awake, it would definitely be a beautiful sight to behold with its colorful, scaly hide ranging from red through crimson to brown, some parts even looking more purple than anything else. The reptile’s skin seemed to be gleaming in the sun, the scales reflecting the light and only adding to the ethereal beauty of the terrifying creature.

“Yes, we can see that, shut the fuck up!” Katsuki hissed back at the blond Hunter. “At least now we know for sure what decided to make its territory on the hunting ground.”

“I could have done without the knowledge, thank you,” Flame Head groused before gulping. His entire body was tense, Katsuki could see, and he was shaking a little. Probably in terror and while the blond Warrior didn’t exactly blame his tribesman, he could at least proudly admit that he was handling his own fight or flight instinct much better than that.

“Yeah, well, we know it’s here. We know where it likes to sleep. Just means we know what place to avoid. With any luck, we’ll be long gone, all of us, before the damn lizard wakes up,” he muttered, shifting carefully on the ground, mindful to make as little noise as possible. He didn’t know much about dragons besides the fact that they were bloodthirsty, powerful beasts, but it hadn’t smelled them yet and Katsuki wasn’t planning on finding out the hard way just how good its hearing was. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

The two Hunters exchanged another long look before nodding at each other and shifting carefully, their movements perfectly stealthy and silent as they rose to a crouch. Katsuki did the same and they started to slowly inch their way along the edge of the slope, back towards where the forest was denser and where it would be easier to blend between the trees if the gigantic reptile below ended up waking and noticing them. All seemed to be going well and they were nearly at the tree line when Katsuki heard the sound of dry earth and small stones scraping at each other as Teepee Head grunted.

Already on edge because of the threat below, Katsuki immediately turned around on his heel to see what was happening, just in time to see the blonde Hunter lose his balance as the ground gave way beneath his feet and start to topple into the ravine. Cursing, the Warrior all but threw himself to the ground, hand reaching out to grab his tribesman’s wrist, stopping his fall. To the Hunter’s credit, he at least didn’t scream, though his eyes were wide with obvious panic as he dangled in mid air, held up only by his arm in Katsuki’s firm grip.

“Pull me up! Pull me up!” he hissed frantically, though at least he kept his voice down. Katsuki scowled at him.

“I’m fucking trying, stop wriggling you damn idiot,” he whispered harshly, shifting on the ground to better brace himself against it as he tried to pull the man up. Flame Head reached out a hand as well and together the two of them pulled the Hunter up, if with difficulty. They were in luck, though, because at the very least, the dragon still slept right through all that.

That was where their, or rather, where Katsuki’s luck ran out, though. Although then again, luck didn’t have much to do with it considering how he felt himself being yanked by the hand, the Hunter whose wrist he was still holding already on solid ground but still trying to pull him towards the edge of the cliff that would sent him into the ravine. The young Warrior’s eyes widened at the sudden move and he quickly shifted his stance to regain his balance. He managed, if only barely, and was fast to round on his tribesman with fury written clearly across his face.

He was about to yell at the Hunter, at both of them really, and to Hell with the dragon sleeping below, but that was when his luck truly ran out and the ground gave out under him this time. Cursing, he tried to reach out to grab onto something, anything as he fell, but there was nothing to hold on to and the Hunters made no move to help him. He tumbled down the slope, rolling down with increasing speed until he landed with a painful groan at the bottom of the ravine. He didn’t stay down for long, though, and was quick to rise to his feet, glaring up at the canyon wall in hopes of seeing a way up, even something mildly resembling a half-manageable climbing trail. He came up with nothing. At least the dragon seemed to still be sleeping, or at least that’s what Katsuki assumed given the lizard had yet to move.

“What are you pricks doing?!” he whisper-yelled towards the top of the slope, hoping his voice would reach the two Hunters up on top, because he could see them just standing there motionlessly like a pair of dumb, useless fools. “The lizard’s still asleep! Get the fucking rope and help me get out of here!” Katsuki wasn’t someone who asked for help of any kind easily. But he also wasn’t suicidal and getting out of the space where he was confined with the gigantic lizard was of the utmost priority. Going back up the slope was the quickest way up, too. Without his Magic, though, climbing up without help wasn’t really an option and unless he wanted the dragon to wake up, using his Magic to shoot himself up wasn’t an option, either.

“Now, why would we do that?” Flame Hair asked loudly, his voice carrying easily and echoing in the ravine. Katsuki tensed, hearing the dragon shift a little beside him, and could only stare up in disbelief both at the words and the loudness of them. Was the shithead a complete moron?! Did he want the dragon to wake up and eat (or otherwise kill) them all?

“Nah, I think we’ll just be on our merry way now. Wouldn’t want to end up as a dragon’s snack like some other fool I know,” Teepee Head agreed with a grin and Katsuki stared at them in shock for a second before the feeling turned to utter fury. Beside him, the dragon shifted again, and it was really the only reason Katsuki didn’t scream at them, still hoping the reptile would somehow stay asleep, despite the two Hunters’ - the two traitors’ - clear attempts to cause the opposite.

“Why you… you goddamn, fucking, shitty dickheads! Just wait until I get back up there and get my hands on you!” he whisper-yelled instead, trying to keep his voice down out of sheer self-preservation and only barely managing to hold back his indignant rage. The two Hunters had the gall to laugh. Loudly.

“Hah? Really? You really think you’re getting out of this one, you damn dragonspawn?” Teepee Head mocked before laughing again. “Good luck with that. As if you have any chance of ever setting foot out of that ravine. Just as planned. Sure, we didn’t think a dragon would be there, but hey, only means we were lucky, right?” A low growl came from the massive beast to Katsuki’s right in response to the loud, mocking tone. Katsuki froze, swallowing, but his fear was still pushed aside in favor of familiar, comforting anger and he didn’t even glance at the lizard.

“Planned?! You planned this, you cowardly little shits?”

“Of course we did. We had to somehow make sure we got rid of you. For the good of the Tribe,” Flame Hair spat at him. “We’re not stupid enough to face you head on. We don’t have a death wish,” he added. His voice carried in the ravine, echoing ominously. The dragon shifted, now more than clearly starting to wake up. The two Hunters looked at it briefly, then exchanged a glance before grinning back down at the blond Warrior again.

“Well then, have fun with the dragon. We’ll be going now!” Flame Hair called as he turned away, but Teepee Head lingered a moment longer, leering as he sneered:

“Good riddance, Katsuki!”

The sound of his first name slammed into Katsuki like a physical force, making his entire body lock up. For a moment, he couldn’t even breathe, or at least it didn’t feel like he could, though he gasped for air as his lungs burned. His Magic was going haywire in his body, particularly in his head, swirling uncomfortably in a way it never had before. And then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped and Katsuki was left with a feeling of pain he didn’t want to admit to and knowledge he didn’t want to have.

Katsuki. His name. It signified strength, loyalty and perseverance in Yuueian. But now… now it also had another meaning. A ‘second meaning’. A personal meaning. A meaning only his name would have. A meaning he was supposed to have gotten from someone special, someone he requested it from.

Katsuki. Betrayal. Contempt. Envy.

That was what his name meant now. What it would always mean, even if it was just to him.

Katsuki hated it.

“YOU SONUVA BITCH!!!” he yelled, all need for caution forgotten in the face of his rage. “JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU! I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU GODDAMN PRICK! SLOWLY AND SO FUCKING PAINFULLY YOU’LL BE BEGGING ME TO END YOU BY THE TIME I’M DONE WITH YOU, YOU HEAR ME, YOU DICKHEAD?!” he exploded, panting after his enraged yelling. Of course, he got no answer, as both Hunters were already gone. He would have raged and screamed more, probably, but his snarling was cut off rather abruptly by another low growl. Suddenly remembering the beast slumbering only a few feet to his right, Katsuki slowly turned and his rage was knocked right into the back of his mind to be replaced by unadulterated terror when his red gaze met the golden iris of an eye easily as large as his head. An eye belonging to the now very clearly awake dragon. Katsuki’s eyes widened and the blood drained from his face as he took a few shaky steps back, fear filling him and his mind yelling at him to move, run, anything, just get the fuck out of there!

For a short moment, time seemed to stand still as human and dragon stared at each other. But it didn’t last and the gargantuan lizard was quick to raise its head and then rise to its feet, towering over the young Yuueian as it roared loudly enough to make the ground shake.

That was all the wake-up call Katsuki needed before he pointed his hands towards the ground and let his Magic flow. The explosion he caused sent him high into the air. Flight might still be a skill he was working on, one he was getting better at but had not yet mastered, but in this situation, it didn’t matter. It was his best chance of getting away, of getting out of there, and so he was forced to disregard all that could go wrong and at least try.

He would die if he didn’t. He knew that for a fact.

He turned his back on the dragon and the ravine in mid air so he was facing the direction in which he had propelled himself, another explosion sending him flying further and faster. He didn’t really pay much attention the the direction beyond aiming for an open area where he wouldn’t run too much risk of slamming into something and breaking his neck or spine. All that really mattered beyond that was just moving further, faster, away, away, away!

Another roar resounded from behind and below him, but it was somehow different and despite himself, Katsuki glanced back, just in time to see a pillar of fire racing towards him. One of his arms shot to the side and an explosion sent him spinning, all but tumbling through the air, but the change in direction was enough for him to avoid being burned to a crisp. However, by the time he managed to right himself, to more or less regain control of where he was headed, the dragon was right there in front of him, maw open and revealing the sharp fangs about as long as Katsuki’s arm.

“WHOA!” Another barely calculated explosion and the lizard’s jaws closed on empty air, right next to Katsuki’s still outstretched hand. The young Yuueian didn’t allow himself to ponder the fact that he’d very narrowly avoided getting his arm bitten off and focused instead on controlling his direction and momentum in the air, speeding away again. He had to flee. He had to get away.

Some corner of his mind that wasn’t busy desperately trying to find a way out of this mess remembered one of his dreams with Deku. The one in which he’d given his friend his knife. Deku had asked about dragons then. Had wanted to know about them, to see them, he’d asked what they were like.

‘Ask someone who has fucking met one,’ Katsuki had told him. Such irony that barely a season cycle later, he was the one faced with one of the reptiles.

He hoped he’d live to tell Deku about it. The nerd would probably have a field day with it.

Something big and red flew past him then and in the next instant, Katsuki was evading again, barely managing to stay away from the flying lizard’s teeth, claws and tail. Fuck, for something so gigantic, the damn creature was fast . Katsuki was starting to realize that running might not actually be a viable option.

I have to fight,’ he realized through the haze of mild panic, his mind slowly calming and focusing as the initial terror left him and the calm of a Warrior accustomed to battle took over. ‘I can’t outrun or outfly it. I have to fight.

Some part of him acknowledged that it was suicide. To think he’d have any chance of defeating a dragon on his own was laughable. And yet that non-existent chance was his best one, because while he could accelerate faster, the reptile could still reach a greater speed than him and it was clearly much more at ease in the air than he was. He could outmaneuver it, but he couldn’t outfly it. He couldn’t get away. Like it or not, he had to fight. Or just let the dragon eat him, but there was no way in Hell he was going down without a fight.

Taking a deep breath, Katsuki met the dragon’s gaze just as it spun and spat fire at him again. Acting far more calmly than he actually felt, Katsuki let his Magic flow and propelled himself out of the way, then quickly threw his other hand out and used another explosion to fly right back, towards the dragon rather than away from it. He reached out with both hands then, aiming for the wing. If he could injure the lizard’s wings, it would be grounded and he could escape then. He miscalculated, though, and missed the wing, landing harshly on the reptile’s back instead. He rolled for a moment like he would had he hit the ground, the scales scraping at his skin, but the traction wasn’t enough to stop his momentum and he fell right off on the dragon’s other side a moment after. He didn’t fall far, however, thinking quickly and propelling himself back up with his Magic.

He wasn’t quite fast enough this time. The dragon’s tail swiped at him and one of the spikes present on its tip tore through his left calf. Katsuki didn’t cry out, didn’t even really notice the pain. He was too focused on the battle he was caught in.

He quickly realized he had one other advantage over the lizard. Mobility. Because while both of them were fast, the dragon couldn’t maneuver and change directions quite as fast as Katsuki could. It was freakishly fast for its massive size, but the Yuueian still had an edge on it. He tried to use it to his advantage, flying this way and that, his control of his speed and direction quickly improving due to both the unplanned practice and the undeniable necessity. The dragon tried to follow, but while it could keep up if Katsuki continued in one direction for too long, it couldn’t always follow if he zigzagged in the air.

He was probably very much like a pesky fly to the overgrown lizard, but he was a fly that dealt at least some damage. Not all of his attempts were successful, but when he did get a hit in, it seemed to leave a mark, though in most cases sadly not a big enough one to cause the dragon to bleed. At best, he managed to blow off a number of scales or tear a small hole into the softer skin on its wings, but the damage was so minute that it didn’t hinder the dragon’s fighting or flying skills at all.

Katsuki, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky on the rare occasion that he failed to avoid the dragon’s attacks. Most of the time, he dove out of the way, dodging by the skin of his teeth, but there were the few times that he was outmaneuvered himself. For instance, when the enraged dragon spewed another pillar of flames at him, but that only ended up being a move meant to force him to fly in a certain direction where the beast’s tail was already waiting. The strike came unexpected and Katsuki took it straight to the stomach, his own momentum only adding to the force of the hit. It made all the air leave his lungs, made him cough as the contents of his stomach came right up and he coughed up blood and bile even as he was hurtling towards the ground, smacked out of the air like an annoying insect.

He only gathered his wits about him enough to right himself and slow down enough to not break every bone in his body as he landed and skidded across the snowy, frozen earth. He didn’t stay down for long, though, because the dragon was already diving towards him. He didn’t feel the pain, didn’t allow himself to think about it. There was only instinct and the knowledge that he had to keep moving, keep fighting, otherwise he’d die. So he used his Magic once more and took right off again, passing under the diving dragon and delivering a powerful, two-handed explosion to its belly. Sadly, it wasn’t as unprotected and soft as people said, it was as covered with scales as the rest of the beast (with the exception of the wings), but the attack still hit some sort of mark if the resulting bellow was anything to go by. The dragon faltered in the air and then crashed into the ground where Katsuki had been before, struggling to get back up as if it was disoriented or something.

Katsuki was quick to use that chance and propel himself up and away, going higher where maneuvering was easier. For a fleeting instant, he thought about using the chance to get away, but those thoughts flew out the window as he heard another draconic outcry. Looking back down, he saw the reptile taking off after him, still far off, but rapidly gaining speed. Thinking quickly, Katsuki flipped himself around and headed back down, towards the dragon once more. The lizard didn’t try to evade, on the contrary, it reared in the air and spewed another volley of flames at him. He spun out of the way, but not enough. Some of the flames licked at his arm, burning away the leather protector, then the cloth beneath and then even his skin. He forced himself to ignore it and kept going, aiming for one of the exposed wings, hands already sparking in preparation before he flew straight into the appendage. He set of the explosion then, trying to blow away the obstacle and the force of his Magic, aided by his speed and momentum allowed him to tear right through, leaving a human-sized, round hole in the soft skin, dragon blood splattering on his arms, his face, his back… everywhere.

The dragon howled, louder and more pained and enraged than any of the bellows it had made before. It faltered, wings flapping madly and out of sync now, but it remained in the air and turned on him with another roar, snarling wildly as it flew at him.

But Katsuki wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t afraid, because for the first time, he actually saw a way out of this mess. A way to win and survive and get the fuck away.

That way lay in what he’d done just now. A powerful hit aided by the forces of Nature by gaining enough altitude. He grinned then, hope flaring as he used his Magic again, propelling himself straight up as fast as he could go. Higher, faster, higher, higher, higher…!

Pain erupted in his back and he cried out, losing control of his Magic and causing the explosions to stop. His ascension slowed, stopped, and then he was falling head-first, his vision blurry. The dragon was right there, nearly right behind him, its maw open in a snarl and one of its paws still extended after it had swiped at him, its claws having torn through his flesh like hot knives through butter. Another moment and its maws would close over him, its teeth would bite him in half and it would be over.

No!’ he thought desperately, willing himself to move, for his Magic to act. ‘No! Not yet! Not yet! I can’t fucking die yet!

He threw his hands out haphazardly, his Magic thankfully reacting and an explosion blowing right in the dragon’s face. It roared again, but wasn’t really harmed. No matter, Katsuki had achieved his goal as the lizard faltered again and his descent slowed. It still tried to snap at him, though, but with another explosion, he was flying away again, up and away, up and away, zigzagging through the air to make it harder on the fucking reptile to catch him again but always heading up, up, up, higher and higher and higher, he still had to go higher!

The air grew cold. It was hard to breathe and his explosions became less powerful. He slowed again and realized this height would have to do. He turned. Took a split second to find his target. The dragon was a surprising way off, hovering in the air but not following him, waiting for him to come down instead, or planning something else, maybe. No matter. Katsuki was going to finish it. Right here, right now, with this last blast.

He took a deep breath, then set his face in a determined scowl and used his Magic to propel himself forward, down, where the dragon was waiting. Another explosion and he was faster still. Then another and another. He had to gain more speed still. Faster, faster, faster!

Then he twisted his arms a bit. It wasn’t a conscious decision, more a mistake because he was growing tired and he was injured and hurting all over. His other arm moved in the other direction in a desperate attempt to compensate and before he knew what was even happening, he was spinning as he continued down, down, down, towards the waiting reptile.

The dragon turned suddenly, swiping its spiked tail at him again, but Katsuki was too fast and the appendage missed. Or at least he didn’t feel it hit him anywhere. And in the next instant, Katsuki crashed into the reptile’s side, one hand held forward and pressed against the scales while the other kept properling him forward and still spinning.

The collision didn’t stop his descent. There was too much speed, too much force behind his movement. Instead, he pushed the dragon towards the ground, the great lizard giving another howl, this time a panicked one as it tried to right itself, to escape. It didn’t manage. Instead, its scales burned and fell away before its skin tore next and blood flew out of the growing injury. Katsuki barely noticed, focused more on how high they were, how fast the ground was approaching, on the timing to finish this off. When both of them crashed into the earth, Katsuki put his other hand to the dragon’s skin and used his Magic one last time, releasing the biggest explosion he could manage.

The result was likely to be heard for miles, if not more. If the dragon made any sound as Katsuki’s Magic tore both at it and at the frozen ground below, the Yuueian didn’t hear it among the ringing in his ears and the roaring of the flames.

Next thing he knew, he was flung away from the reptile, landing harshly on the ground and rolling to a stop, his entire body feeling like one gigantic bruise.

He didn’t move for a while. He didn’t have the strength to. Everything hurt. His arm, the one that was both burned and mangled, and his torn up back in particular, but really, his entire body felt like it was on fire. The cool snow felt good on his beaten form and if he were honest, he didn’t feel like moving at all.

But then he heard another sound, one that definitely hadn’t been made by him or any other human for that matter and his heart started to beat wildly in his chest. Gasping both from the pain and the exhaustion, he struggled to his hands and knees and then looked up.

A few feet away from him, in a massive ring of scorched, black earth lay the dragon. Its breathing was ragged and it was whining softly, but it was clearly alive. Most of its scales were burned or at least singed, but there were several patches of irritated skin visible where they had been blown away. Its wings lay sprawled on the ground, unmoving and torn, but probably not enough for the lizard to not be able to fly if it could just flap them. On its side, where Katsuki knew he’d slammed into it, was the biggest of the reptile’s wounds. There were no scales there at all, no skin, either, only muscle and, in a few places, white bone poking out from between the layers of burnt tissue. The dragon didn’t seem to have broken anything, however. The injury was still bleeding despite there having been plentiful of fire that could have cauterized it, blood gushing in a small river.

The dragon whimpered and shifted, as if struggling to its feet. It was still alive. It could move, if only barely.

Katsuki had to get out of there.

He might have used the opportunity to try and finish the beast, only he was pretty certain he wouldn’t have the strength to. He was too injured, he had used his Magic too much already and there was no telling what kind of explosion he would need to finally blast the goddamn reptile into oblivion. So escape was the only option.

He struggled to his feet and stood. His vision blurred. His knees almost buckled, but he managed to limp a few steps away from the dragon, towards the tree line. He was close to a forest. Probably still on the hunting ground or somewhere close to it. But what part of it exactly, he had no idea. It was unlikely he was anywhere near the Tribe’s agreed meeting point.

Even if he was, though… what would be the point of going there? It was unlikely any of the other hunting teams were there and he had no way of knowing where exactly they were trying their luck in looking for game. He had no idea where anyone was.

He was on his own.

He collapsed against the first tree he reached, his legs almost giving out and his entire body pulsing with pain from his injuries. He could feel the warm rivulets of blood that were probably flowing over every possible inch of him. Standing was almost beyond him. Walking… walking just wasn’t going to be possible, he didn’t think.

He tried anyway, managing to limp a few more steps before leaning against a tree again. His arm couldn’t support him, though, and so he hit the bark with his shoulder, turning before he could think better of it and pressing his mangled back to it. Agony was his reward and he choked on air. His knees gave out then and he slid to the frozen ground, struggling to just breathe, let alone move otherwise. He left a bloody trail down the tree’s bark on his way down, the injuries on his back still bleeding profusely.

He wasn’t going to be walking anywhere. Hell, it was unlikely he was even going to be moving at all for the foreseeable future. Assuming he’d ever be able to move again that is. Assuming he wasn’t going to die out here, injured and alone. Because if he was honest with himself… that outcome was rather likely.

Fuck. He was going to die, wasn’t he. Just like Teepee Head and Flame Hair planned. Just like the rest of the Tribe likely wanted, too. The two Hunters said they’d done it for the good of the Tribe, after all. Because Katsuki was a monster to be feared. A dragonspawn. Something that needed to be gotten rid of.

Maybe death wouldn’t be so bad. It had to be better than whatever would await him if he were to keep living all on his own, right? Because that was what he’d probably have to do. After all, if the Tribe wanted him gone… wanted him dead… then where else was he supposed to go? He had nowhere else.

And it wasn’t just that. It wasn’t just that the Hunters had left him to a dragon, left him to die. They’d done more than that. They’d taken his name. The privilege to give his name a second, personal meaning. The meaning that was meant to be special, that was meant to be given to him by a person of his choosing, someone especially important to him.

He didn’t have many people who fit that description. In fact, as things were, he could only think of one and he’d never offered Deku to give his name a second meaning. Maybe he should have. He probably should have. But it was too late now. The Hunters had taken that away from him. In a way, they’d taken away his name because with the second meaning they’d given it, there was no way in Hell he would ever allow anyone to call him that. Never again. Not a snowball’s chance in Hell. If he ever heard the name ‘Katsuki’ again, it would be too fucking early.

So… that was where he was at. With no strength to move and nowhere to go even if he could. With nothing to his name except the torn clothes on his back and the sword still tied to his belt. And without really having even a name, either.

If he were to die here, would anyone miss him? Probably not. No, no one would, he was certain of it. Maybe except his parents, but they’d move on in time. But aside that, there was no one else in this world who would miss him, who would give a damn if his life were to end.

Maybe he should just give up. Just close his eyes and drift off and never wake up. It sounded really appealing right then. He was so tired of everything. Tired of struggling, of trying to prove himself, of trying to just be good enough to be accepted and to have a place to belong.

In fact, he was exhausted. He just wanted to rest. So yes, right then… death really sounded appealing. He could rest all he wanted if he was dead.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness already slipping. His last thought before darkness claimed him - his last regret - was that he hadn’t been able to see Deku one last time.


It was the cold that woke him. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he passed out, but it had probably been a while. It was snowing now and he was covered by a thin layer of it like a white blanket. Only it wasn’t one that would keep him warm. He didn’t mind, though. The cold felt good. It numbed the pain of his injuries.

He still didn’t try to move, though. Didn’t try to get up to get himself to a safer place. He just didn’t see a point in it. He wanted to sleep. Sleep and never wake up again. Although if he could have one last waking dream before that happened, he’d be glad. He wanted to see Deku again. He wanted to say goodbye. He wanted to apologize for disappointing him. For getting killed, even if it was by a dragon. He doubted he would get the chance though, and that sucked.

Fuck, he really just wanted to see Deku one last time… Just for a moment…

Someone touched him then, but Katsuki didn’t bother reacting. He didn’t care who it was or what they wanted. Not even when that someone started to poke and prod at him, though he couldn’t really ignore it when he heard a faint, though familiar voice. It sounded awfully weak, though. Like the person speaking was very far away.

“Kacchan, are you… with me, Kacchan. We need to… cold? Why aren’t… me?” the words were too faint at times to hear right, but he recognized the voice as Deku’s. He blinked once at the thought. Deku? Deku was here? No, that wasn’t possible. Deku didn’t exist in Myordice. He lived in a whole other world, a place Katsuki will never get to see outside of his dreams. He couldn’t be here. But oh, how Katsuki wished he could be. Probably why he heard his voice. He must have imagined it. But it was a nice hallucination to have before everything ended.

Then someone pulled on his arm, trying to move him. He blinked again, slowly coming out of the sort-of catatonic state he was in, trying to focus, but his mind was slow to start working properly. He felt a brief touch on his back, felt a sharp sting of pain from it, but didn’t even twitch or wince at it. In the next moment, there were arms around him and he heard short, high-pitched whimpers in between gasps for air in his ear. Deku’s voice was closer now.

“Don’t die, Kacchan. Wake up! You can’t be dreaming right now. Please!” the voice said, but Katsuki was only confused. Dream? He was pretty sure he wasn’t dreaming. He was too cold for it to be a dream. Too weak. In far, far too much pain. What the Hell was that voice talking about?

Katsuki didn’t know, but the fact that the voice sounded like Deku’s made him turn his head and blink again a few times to clear his vision. And there he was, sitting right next to him, with an odd piece of clothing he usually wore to ward off the chill in winter wrapped around Katsuki’s bare shoulders. Green filled his vision as Deku’s head was bowed and his curly hair was all that Katsuki could currently see of him. He was shaking. Crying. Sobbing even. Katsuki couldn’t really believe the sight, not because Deku crying was an odd or rare thing to see, but because seeing Deku at all shouldn’t be possible right now.

“Deku…?” he asked weakly anyway. In any other situation, he would have been ashamed at how weak and vulnerable he sounded. Like a little brat asking their parents for a shitty hug or something. As things were, though, he just didn’t care. It wasn’t real anyway. Just something his brain made up, a hallucination to soothe him and at least give him the illusion of seeing his one and only friend this last time before he passed.

Deku’s answer was a soft gasp and he quickly raised his head as he drew back, wide, green, watery eyes meeting Katsuki’s red ones. His cheeks were red and there were tears and snot all over his face. His mouth wobbled and if possible, he started crying even harder.

“Kacchan!” he cried, and the distress couldn’t be more obvious in his voice if he’d tried. “Why are you hurt? I can’t… I don’t have anything to help you! You… you can’t die on me. Please wake up. Please wake up!” he said, struggling through his words and almost choking on his sobs. And it sounded so much like Deku probably would if he could see him now, if they could meet in a dream, that Katsuki almost believed it to be him. Almost. But that couldn’t be.

“I’m awake, though… for however long that’ll last,” he pointed out quietly, his eyes moving away from the illusion of Deku. The snow around him was stained crimson with his blood. He probably didn’t have long. Strangely enough, the thought didn’t bother him, despite how determined he’d been to survive and get away before. He was just so tired… “Why are you here…?” Well, the proper question was most likely ‘why am I imagining you to be here’, but that was beside the point.

“How can I not be?” the illusion of Deku replied, sniffling as his tears continued to fall. Katsuki didn’t really like the sight of that. He didn’t want his last vision of his best friend - his only friend - to be of Deku in tears. But the other just wouldn’t stop crying and yelling nonsense at him. “You shouldn’t be asleep right now! What does it mean if you’re asleep? Don’t tell me…” the green haired boy trailed off, eyes roaming the forest around them as he started to mutter quickly and incomprehensibly. Something about doing something and not wanting to hurt someone before the boy’s voice cut off as he choked on another sob. The muttering was something Katsui was sure the real Deku would have done, too. And normally, Katsuki would have told him to shut up because he would have been annoyed at not being able to understand what he was saying. Now, though, the incomprehensible mutters were kind of comforting. Probably because of their familiarity.

“Deku. Breathe,” Katsuki told him quietly. Hallucination or not, he was glad to see him. At least he wouldn’t die completely alone, even if it was only his mind making this up. Although… something didn’t feel quite right…

Deku’s teeth gave an audible click as he snapped his mouth shut and gave Katsuki a wide-eyed look the blond hadn’t ever seen on his face before and honestly didn’t want to see ever again. It was a mix between surprise, horror and anger that made Katsuki’s Magic twist and coil in his gut in a painful manner.

"WAKE UP ALREADY!!!” the boy of the Gods yelled suddenly, his voice carrying in the silence of the forest without an echo, but with an odd pitch to it the Yuueian didn’t recognize or know the meaning of. Deku grabbed his shoulders then, unwittingly pressing Katsuki’s mauled back against the bark of the tree. And that should hurt, should make him scream and his vision white-out, probably, but all he felt was a strong-yet-dull throb. At least dull in comparison to what he knew he should have felt. Katsuki blinked as the thought came to him that maybe this wasn’t a hallucination. Maybe this was really Deku. Maybe he was actually dreaming with him.

Deku stopped after that outburst and stared at Katsuki, too, openly baffled for some reason. He was quick to move past it and keep yelling, though. That was a first. The green-haired boy didn’t usually lose his cool like that, even when they butted heads. That was Katsuki’s field of expertise.

“Stop talking and concentrate, Kacchan! You can’t stay here! Wake UP!” he screamed, his voice getting that odd, incomprehensible inflection to it towards the end. Katsuki only blinked again and looked away with a soft frown. That was when he noticed the mountains past the line of trees. He was still in a forest, but it wasn’t the one where he fought the dragon. Instead, he was nearly at the foot of the Draconic Mountain Range. But that wasn’t possible. The mountain range was several days’ worth of travel Southward from the hunting ground. That meant he couldn’t have gotten there unless he teleported or something which wasn’t possible, either. So it left him with only one conclusion. This was actually a waking dream. He got to meet Deku after all.

And Deku was telling him to wake up.

“What for?” he couldn’t help but ask as he looked at his friend again, unable to hide the hopelessness that washed over him. He was glad he got to see him. He was glad he wouldn’t die alone. But at the same time, he didn’t want his friend to see him in this state. He didn’t want him to worry about him. It was too late for that, though.

Deku didn’t reply for a moment. He only stared in silence, visibly stunned, face twitching from time to time as emotions flitted across it too fast for Katsuki to try and guess what they were. When he did speak again, his voice was low and cautious. Like he didn’t know what to make of Katsuki’s question.

“What for? What are you talking about?”

“It’s not like I have any reason to anymore…” the blond replied, looking down and away from his friend at the snow around him. It had been in a similar state when he’d passed out in reality. He supposed it was worse now. If he were to wake up, it would probably be to his last moments. So he’d rather not. He’d rather spend his remaining time in a waking dream and then just… fade or whatever.

“I…” Deku started to say only to trail off a moment later, uncertain. “Kacchan, are you dying? For real?”

“Probably,” the young Yuueian replied, although really, he had no illusions as to his state. There was no ‘probably’ about it. He was dying. He was going to die and there was nothing to be done about it. Not considering he was on his own, betrayed and left for dead by his tribesmen. The thought of death didn’t scare him, though. Yet he still shifted his weight a bit to lean against Deku, a sort of mute request for comfort, for his friend to hold him. He’d never done that before, but considering these were likely his last moments, it was fine, wasn’t it? He just wanted Deku to hold him. Just this once. Like he did that one time when they were brats. It had felt nice. Odd, but nice. “I’m glad I got to see you again, though. Before I go.”

It was the wrong confession to make, because Deku’s shaking intensified and he whined softly, the sound akin to a young, dying cub of some beast or other, begging for a mercy kill. Katsuki winced at it just a little.

“You can’t… You can’t…” Deku tried and failed to finish. His tears intensified and his grip on Katsuki’s shoulders tightened. It wasn’t quite the hold the blond had been hoping for, but it was enough. “Why aren’t you fighting back? You’re still… you’re still alive. You can get help, right? You can… You have to do something Kacchan. You can’t let yourself die!”

Katsuki could only blink at the outburst, at Deku’s obvious upset. He didn’t really understand it. Of course, some part of him knew the green-haired boy cared about him, but despite that, he couldn’t understand what was upsetting him so much.

“Why not? I don’t think anyone would mind…” he replied, his mind unable to wrap itself around the idea that Deku caring equated Deku not wanting him to die. The thought that his friend would actually mind him dying just didn’t cross his mind, despite his knowledge that the other gave more than a little shit about him.

“I WOULD CARE!” Deku screamed before letting go of Katsuki and leaning back to wipe at his eyes. The blond almost gave in to the desire to just ask to be held in response, but he didn’t get the chance. “I don’t want Kacchan to die! You can’t just die like this! You’re super strong, remember? You’re gonna be the best Warrior in your tribe! You’re too… I can’t… You can’t die!!!” the green-haired boy babbled between heart-wrenching, broken sobs. Distress rolled off of the other boy in waves. It made Katsuki wince guiltily. He hadn’t wanted to make Deku cry again. He hadn’t wanted to hurt him. Ever.

“Sorry,” he apologized quietly as his gaze fell back to the blood-stained snow. Deku’s reaction made him feel a bit better though. Just a tiny bit. Because it was good to know, to remember, that there was at least one person somewhere out there who cared whether Katsuki lived or died. It made him feel just a little bit warm, made the chill of winter abate slightly as Katsuki’s Magic hummed in his veins, appeased. Up in the sky, a single ray of sunshine broke through the grey clouds hiding the the vast blue from view.

Still, whether or not he was happy to know there was at least one person who didn’t want him to die, it didn’t change the fact that Katsuki’s fate was as good as sealed. It didn’t change the fact that he was pretty much done for.

“It’s just that... I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it,” he admitted without looking up. For some reason, he found himself unable to meet Deku’s eyes as he spoke. The other boy remained silent, too, as they sat there. Katsuki eventually shifted again carefully, noting that unlike in reality, he was able to move somewhat in the dream despite his injuries. Doing so stung, a whole fucking lot, but it wasn’t the unbearable agony of reality. He leaned against the tree bark again, only wincing a little when his wounded back connected with it even with Deku’s weird clothing acting as a barrier between the wound and the rough bark. It was only then that Katsuki realized he was bare-chested and without his arm-sleeves. It really should have tipped him off earlier that he was dreaming because in reality, he still had his clothes, even if they were torn and unsalvageable. He gave a small, defeated sigh and  looked up through snow-covered trees at the white-grey clouds blocking the sky from view. He wished he could see the sky. He wished he could see some colors, any color at all, but the world remained white and grey, the dreary colors of winter. The chill worsened again, just a little, but Katsuki didn’t tremble.

“Why are you talking like this? This isn’t… It’s not like you Kacchan. What happened to you?” Deku asked at length. Katsuki glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. The other boy’s eyes were on his hands which were fisting the fabric of his clothes in his lap. He didn’t cry so hard anymore, but he was still clearly upset and sniffling every now and then. Katsuki looked away.

“Dragon,” he replied simply, because really, it was answer enough. Once again, he couldn’t help but think back to the last time he’d mentioned the lizards in a conversation with the other teen. To himself telling Deku to ask someone who’s met a fucking dragon about the shitty reptiles. Well, the green-haired boy had a perfect opportunity now, not that he was likely to take it. The irony of it still wasn’t lost on Katsuki, though.

He hated irony.

“You- You were attacked by a dragon?” Deku exclaimed. Katsuki nodded slightly before leaning his head against the bark of the tree. Some part of him knew doing so should hurt more than it actually did, that it would in reality. He was pretty sure he knocked his head at least once that one time the dragon smacked him out of the air and he hit the ground.

“It left the mountains for whatever reason. Guess it tried to establish a new fuckin’ territory or something,” he explained briefly, though it wasn’t like there was much more to explain. He had no idea why the damn dragon wasn’t in the mountain range with the rest of its kin, where it fucking belonged.

“Why were you fighting a dragon, though?! You told me your tribe specifically avoids the mountains for that reason!”

“What the fuck was I supposed to do? Let it kill me without a fight?” Katsuki shot back, but the questions lacked any of the usual heat or bite they’d usually have behind them. Still, saying it, thinking about it, reignited some of his usual fire. Because Katsuki just wasn’t someone who gave up without a fight. “Fuck no. If I’m gonna go down, at least I’ll go down fucking fighting,” he spat irritably before sighing. His shoulders sagged, the righteous anger leaving as quickly as it had appeared, the fire doused. “I did try to run at first. The damn lizard just wouldn’t let me. I could fight or I could give up right there. Those were my choices, Deku.”

“But why were you there?! And alone?!” his friend asked in an agitated manner. Katsuki hesitated, unsure how to respond. Of course, he knew the reason. He wasn’t a fool. But he didn’t want to admit it out loud. Admitting it out loud would make it more real, more painful than it already was. His gaze fell to the ground.

“Wasn’t supposed to be alone,” he said at length, but didn’t elaborate. It was the truth, anyway, even if he omitted a large part of it. “And the lizard wasn’t supposed to be there. I was out hunting at a regular hunting ground. How was I supposed to know a fucking dragon suddenly had its nest there?” Well, that was a lie. The Tribe knew something was there, after all. Something big. They hadn’t been absolutely sure if it was a dragon and it had seemed unlikely that would be what they’d meet there in the end, but it had been a possibility they’d taken into account. It had been what they suspected.

“But dragons are huge, right? There’s… it’s impossible for one to make a nest and nobody to know! Especially if they’re your Tribe’s normal hunting grounds!” Deku exclaimed, because of course he would catch on to this particular detail. He was smart like that. And he’d pulled enough information out of Katsuki over the season cycles to be able to realize that. Just this once, the blond found himself cursing that bright mind of his.

“We had suspicions,” Katsuki said carefully, thinking about how to phrase it so that he wouldn’t have to spell out the truth. He didn’t really want to see Deku’s reaction to what happened. On the off chance that he agreed with Katsuki’s tribesmen. It wasn’t like the young Yuueian doubted his friend or really believed he’d say Katsuki deserved to be betrayed and left behind like he had been, but then again, he hadn’t really believed he’d run into a dragon on this excursion either and look where the low odds had gotten him. “Sent out a scouting party a few days earlier to find out for sure. They didn’t come back. But we needed food, so a hunting party made of the best was sent out. I wasn’t supposed to be alone. But I got… separated.” Or rather, he got left behind on purpose. “Saw the dragon. Tried to sneak away. First time in my fucking life I failed at stealth and it had to be when I was trying to avoid a fucking dragon,” Katsuki couldn’t help but laugh at the cruelty of fate in that instance. It was far from an amused sound, however. Rather, it was mocking, the kind of laugh he often gave out when he was teasing Deku. Only this time, the mockery wasn’t in good humor and was directed at himself. “You can figure out the rest for yourself.”

Although, now that he thought about, had he really just ‘failed to be stealthy’? Sure, the fall down the ravine had been far from silent and losing his balance had been in part his fault. He should have expected Teepee Head to try and pull himself up. He shouldn’t have lost his balance. And yet… and yet something was nagging at him. Something wasn’t quite right.

“Then that means your tribesmen must still be nearby!” Deku exclaimed hopefully before his expression grew determined. Which admittedly looked kind of adorable and cute, though Katsuki didn’t dwell on that thought. “That means you definitely can’t die!  You need to get help. Can you wake yourself up? My Orders don’t seem to work in dreams. Maybe if I slap you or something you’ll wake up? I wake up when I’m really stressed out,” Deku paused suddenly in his mumbling and his eyes grew wide with realization. “Oh… Oh god, what if you’re unconscious? Can you have these dreams when you’re unconscious?” Katsuki shrugged, but didn’t try to cut into Deku’s babbling. For once, it wasn’t irritating. In fact, the familiarity of it was oddly comforting, at least until Deku got that determined glint in his eyes again. “Okay! I’ll wake you up then. And when you wake up you have to try to get help, okay? Don’t just… You can’t give up. Ever. You got it?”

Katsuki scoffed, glaring at his surroundings as a familiar emotion started to fill his heart again, making his Magic swirl turbulently under his skin, anxious and angry. Resentment, an emotion the blond hadn’t ever felt towards his Tribe before, reared its ugly head. Because goddammit, it just wasn’t fucking fair! He’d worked so hard to prove himself, he’d given so much and this was how his Tribe repaid him? By planning to betray and abandon him to whatever beast prowled the hunting ground, by leaving him to die?! It wasn’t fucking fair!

“I doubt anyone would fucking bother,” he couldn’t help but spit out bitterly, remembering how gleeful Teepee Head and Flame Hair had been when he fell. They hadn’t even pretended to try and help him get out stealthily. Instead, they’d openly laughed at his request they do so. They hadn’t been too surprised that he fell in the first place, either. Like they’d been waiting for it. Like they’d planned it. They sort of implied they had, too, but that wasn’t…

Katsuki’s thoughts came to a screeching halt then. Was it really as impossible as he thought? Hunters specialized in laying traps. And in the given terrain, making a crude pitfall of sorts wouldn’t have been hard. Teepee Head had been behind Katsuki the whole time, too, so he had no way of keeping an eye on him to see what he’d been doing even if he’d thought to do it. And the Hunters really weren’t surprised Katsuki had fallen at all.

He thought back to the seconds before that. Teepee Head falling because the earth gave way under him. But now that Katsuki thought about it, the amount of dirt that fell down hadn’t been that great. Certainly not enough to explain a trained Hunter losing his footing. And the way he’d pulled on Katsuki’s arm… had he really just been pulling himself up? Or had he been trying to get Katsuki to take that one more step forward, to trigger the trap he made?

It wasn’t that far fetched a thought. It was possible. And worst of all, it made sense.

Katsuki’s Magic twisted painfully, wrapping around his heart and threatening to burn it as realization hit of just how big a betrayal this was. He hadn’t just been openly refused help and been left for dead. This had been planned. Permediated. The two Hunters had planned for him to fall into that ravine, likely the moment they saw there was the feared beast down below.

They had planned to kill him.

The young Yuueian felt cold for the briefest of moments before his Magic flared, anger and resentment rising again as another thing set in. His first name. They’d called him by his first name. They’d given it a second meaning. A meaning it would hold forever, a meaning that spoke to his Magic. A meaning he hated. He clenched his fists, feeling something in his gut stir. Something different, separate from his Magic. Something foreign and yet something that felt as much a part of him as his Magic did. The righteous rage at the unfairness of it all wrapped around him and he snapped, glaring at Deku because he was, unfortunately, the nearest and only person there for Katsuki to unload his anger on. It just wasn’t fucking fair!

“And why can’t I give up? Why can’t I just rest for a change? Why do I have to be the one working my fucking ass off, huh?” he snarled furiously. Because really, that was what he’d been doing his entire life. Always fighting, always giving it his all, always trying to prove he was deserving of his Magic, of his place in the Tribe, always trying to prove he was as human as the rest of them, not the dragonspawn they saw in him. And this is what it had all amounted to. To his Tribe deciding to just get rid of him, to tasking two Hunters with somehow ensuring he didn’t come back from this hunt.

Deku didn’t flinch at Katsuki’s rage, but he was giving him this surprised, stunned look that had Katsuki deflating and looking away again. He shouldn’t be snapping at the one and only person who was still on his side. The only person who cared. Because at this point, Katsuki was rather certain this was the case. With the exception of Deku, he was on his own. Likely always had been. He sighed, his anger leaving once again and leaving simple desolation in its place as his Magic disappeared into his core, hiding there and leaving him cold in a way he hadn’t really ever felt before.

“Sorry...” he sighed, his voice growing quiet. “I’m just… a bit out of it right now.” And wasn’t that the biggest fucking understatement of the last hundred season cycles or so.

“...What are you talking about?” Deku asked carefully, ignoring the apology like he seemed to have ignored the earlier outburst. He looked confused and worried, but also a bit scared. “Why wouldn’t… What do you mean nobody would bother to help you? Kacchan, what happened to you? What’s happened since I last saw you?”

“I mean exactly what I said. They just wouldn’t fucking bother,” the young Yuueian replied with tired resignation, though a small part of him - that odd part that felt foreign-yet-not - felt angry again and he grit his teeth. Deku just watched him, thinking, although as the seconds passed, his expression grew angrier as well.

“You… Who were they? Warriors don’t run from a fight and leave their comrades behind. That’s not like them. Who were they?” he asked, his tone leaving no room for avoidance had Katsuki thought to try it. He didn’t though. There wasn’t really much point.

“Hunters,” he said in a low tone, confirming Deku’s words. Because the nerd was right, no Warrior worth their salt would have ever run in a situation like this. No Warrior would have ever thought to leave a comrade behind. Warriors had too strict a code of honor for that, a code of honor they relied too strongly on for their own and others’ survival to ignore. “The two who were with me were fucking Hunters. The other parties were made up the same. Two Hunters, one Warrior, just in case shit went fucking down.” Which it had. Very much so. Or at least it had for Katsuki.

“Why would they send a single Warrior with some Hunters into a place they suspected there was a dragon at? Or something very big?” Deku immediately asked with a frown. Katsuki shrugged weakly, though he regretted it when the movement made his injuries sting again. Even if most of the pain was dulled because of being in a waking dream, they still hurt like a bitch.

“I wasn’t the only Warrior there. We made parties of three and spit up. It’s how we do things in that situation. One Warrior, two Hunters. We can’t kill a dragon that way, but we can hurt it just enough to have a chance to get away. Except when the Hunters fucking run instead of pulling their damn weight…” he explained, muttering the last part under his breath with an angry scowl. Beside him, Deku startled.

“They left you?!” the green-haired boy all but yelled with his eyes shining, and Katsuki actually flinched a little. Yes, that was exactly what happened and he’d known that from the start, but it still hurt to have someone else say it. Deku probably figured it all out now and his response was a low, animalistic growl the kinds of which Katsuki hadn’t really heard from him before. He blinked a little. Even for Deku and all his weird behavioral quirks, such a sound was odd. Katsuki didn’t really get a chance to question it even if he’d wanted to, though. “What the fuck!” he screamed and the blond’s eyes actually widened a little. This had to be the first time he’d heard Deku curse. Or seen him this angry, for that matter. Words deserted him and he remained silent, unsure of what to say or if he even should say anything at all. Deku didn’t seem to care if his continued raging was anything to go by.

“What the hell?! That’s not… Those bastards! How could they?!” the green-haired boy snarled - actually fucking snarled like some beast. Yeah, Katsuki had definitely never seen him this angry before. He had never seen anyone get this angry on his behalf, either. It… wasn’t a bad feeling, knowing Deku cared that much. It soothed something inside the Yuueian, made him feel warm in a way his Magic didn’t, couldn’t replicate. It was a different feeling, but a no less pleasant or welcome one. “Why would they do that?! That’s not… They can’t just do that! You’re going to die and they just-” the other boy’s rant cut off abruptly and he froze as his eyes widened again. Katsuki could see the realization in them and knew that meant Deku really figured it out now. All of it. The entire, fuckingly disgusting truth of the matter. His voice reflected that as well with how quiet and serious it got. “...Kacchan. You were left for dead.”

Katsuki couldn’t help it then. He chuckled, though not in an amused manner. ‘Left for dead’, huh? Well, it was true in a way. If only that had been all there was to it.

“Yeah, no shit,” he muttered softly and sighed, shoulders slumping as the severity of the situation, of the betrayal he’d been subjected to, settled on him like a heavy blanket again.

“And you’re just gonna let that happen?” the green-eyed boy exclaimed with a passion Katsuki had only really heard when he was in the midst of shooting off his mouth with countless questions. The beastial growl was back in his voice, though Katsuki only barely took note of it this time. “You’re just gonna let them kill you? And not fight back?! They deserve to get their shit wrecked! Even I would at least try to survive to kick their asses! When have you been so defeatist?! You never lose!”

Katsuki didn’t answer right away. He let the words sink in instead, thinking again. Deku had a point. A very valid one. And more than that, his words resonated with Katsuki in a way he hadn’t expected them to. Because his Friend from the Gods was absolutely right. The two Hunters deserved to be called to a trial before the Gods themselves. To a duel of honor. And since Katsuki knew he was the victim of their actions, he knew how the Gods would judge. It wouldn’t just be because Katsuki was the better fighter, because in a duel that doubled as a trial of honor, one’s abilities weren’t all that determined the outcome. The Gods were the ultimate judges. And those they judged in the wrong lost. Sometimes even died.

Which was exactly what Teepee Head and Flame Hair deserved.

Furthermore, the more he thought about it, the more Katsuki realized the Tribe as a whole couldn’t have been behind this shitty betrayal. The Elders might not like him, but they wouldn’t condemn him just because of that, if only because he was one of the best Warriors the Tribe had. Besides which, the Warriors would have never stood for that kind of plan, too honorable to agree to leave one of their own behind, even if it would be someone else who actually did it. So Teepee Head and Flame Hair had to have hatched this idea on their own, without anyone else knowing. They were the only ones who betrayed him. They were the only ones who turned their backs on him. And Katsuki would be a fool to give in and give them what they wanted, namely his death, after he’d even managed to defeat a fucking dragon all on his own.

He smirked a bloodthirsty smile with his teeth bared - an expression that promised retribution. Deku was right. Katsuki wasn’t someone who gave up. Nor was he someone who accepted loss easily. He might have stumbled a bit, stunned with two blindsiding hits in the form of a betrayal and getting a truly cursed second meaning to his given name, but he’d be damned if he fucking fell. Not yet. Not without putting up a fight. Not before he forced the two sleazy Hunter bastards into a duel of honor and bested them with the entire goddamn Tribe as witness to the Gods’ judgment. Because they would judge in his favor. He was as certain of it as he was of his own (hateful) name.

“You’re damn right I shouldn’t. And I fucking won’t. As if I’d give the assholes the fucking satisfaction,” he said in a low tone filled with confidence and spite in equal measure. No, he was not going to give the fuckers the satisfaction. Nor was he going to let them get away with any of this.

“Yeah! Exactly!” Deku agreed with a nod, though he was shivering a bit. Katsuki barely noticed, too lost in his growing confidence, along with the anger and hatred that followed it. That odd feeling that wasn’t his Magic, that was foreign-yet-not, stirred again and only fanned the flames of fury and hatred, which in turn gave him strength. When he looked at Deku again, it was with a determined glare.

“I’m gonna go and wake myself up. Then I’m going to get back home, because fuck me if I die here. And then I’m going to fucking kill the assholes who thought they could get rid of me like this,” he said, his words as much meant to further motivate himself and cement his resolve as they were a promise to Deku. A promise to survive. A promise to live and see him again in another dream. 

But then he thought that just getting his revenge wouldn’t be enough. Because even if he took care of these two bastards, there was no guarantee someone else wouldn’t come along to try again. And next time, they might succeed. Katsuki was strong, he knew that, but there was a limit to how much his skill could help and how much luck he had. No, he needed a way to ensure no one would get the idea to try again. He had to prove himself to the point that no one would dare or want to do shit to him no matter how much they might hate him.

His mind was made up then. It would be the last time he strived to prove himself to anyone. He would take the ultimate trial, ace it and prove to everyone that he belonged and that they had no right to try and get rid of him.

“And I’ll prove to the Tribe that I’m worthy of my strength. I’ll prove it to them by taking the ultimate trial. I’ll become the Tribe Leader. Just fucking watch me, Deku,” he said to cement his resolve again, as well as another promise. He smirked and held out his fist for a fist bump - a gesture he learned from Deku and knew was done between good friends. “So don’t go thinking this is the last damn time you see me. It’s fucking not. I’ll see you again. That’s a promise.”

Deku hesitated for a split second before returning the gesture and bumping his fist to Katsuki’s, although the blond didn’t really take note of that hesitation, much less having any idea what it meant.

“You’d better! If I don’t see you again I’ll… I’ll find a way to get to your world instead!” he said and for some reason, those words made that odd warmth different from his Magic, but no less pleasant, bloom in Katsuki’s chest. He sort-of recognized it. He’d been getting that feeling on and off in his dreams with Deku ever since the one in which he’d given him his knife, though he still didn’t really know what it meant. Still, his smirk widened in response.

“I’ll fucking hold you to that,” he said before pulling his arm back and closing his eyes, willing himself to wake up again.


Katsuki expected to wake up in pain considering the state he’d been in when he’d passed out. And possibly numb from the cold, depending on how long, exactly, he’d been out. So when he woke with his face stuck in the snow, lying on his front like a puppet without strings, it wasn’t that big a surprise.

All things considered, having the wounded dragon from before loom over him as his eyes opened shouldn’t have been a surprise either.

However, the fact that said lizard was licking at his back and covering him in slobber like some kind of oversized, affectionate pet was definitely not what he had expected to wake up to. Katsuki jerked when his brain caught up with what was happening, or at least he tried to, but the attempt at movement brought him nothing but a flare of pain and colorful spots to his vision. The dragon must have noticed him trying to move because it stopped and glanced at him with two big eyes the color of molten gold.

Don’t move,” a voice boomed in his mind then and Katsuki startled, eyes widening at the odd sensation. There was no mistaking it, however. This was no sound caught by his ears. This was someone speaking directly into his head. Into his mind. Telepathy wasn’t unheard of in Myordice but humans weren’t capable of it. Many yearned for the arcane ability, but so far none had succeeded. There were stories that said there were beasts and creatures out in the wild who could use it as easily as normal speech, though. Dragons had never been mentioned in such tales but apparently they were among those who could use it. Unless someone or something else was talking to Katsuki now, but considering the circumstances it was rather unlikely. “Let me help. I can’t heal you, but I can stop the bleeding. Let me!” the voice continued, an odd mix of kind and hateful, concerned and disinterested. Katsuki blinked and tried clearing his blurry vision with little success. He didn’t move, obediently remaining prone on the ground. Although to be fair, it was more because he couldn’t move anyway than because he actually wanted to obey.

Why the fuck would you care? You tried to kill me yourself not that long ago,’ Katsuki thought furiously, his throat too dry to attempt to say the words out loud. He didn’t expect the words to be heard - why would they? Humans couldn’t talk telepathically - but the dragon still threw its head back and reared, the ground shaking under its weight as it took a few rumbling steps back. The already large eyes were even wider than before as the reptile stared at the prone Yuueian, its nostrils flaring as it puffed out breath after loud breath. Then the round pupils narrowed to tiny slits and the dragon bared its large, sharp teeth.

You have bound me to you. You are my Master. I cannot let you die now,” came the rumbling reply within his mind. Katsuki blinked. He didn’t really understand what that was supposed to mean. He didn’t have the presence of mind to understand much of anything at the moment, to be completely honest. His eyelids felt heavy. The pain of his injuries and the cold chipped further away at his strength. The fact that he realized that the dragon seemed to have replied to him even though he hadn’t said anything was a small miracle in and off itself, in all honesty.

Wait… you can fucking read minds, too?’ he thought absently. The dragon moved closer again to lean over him and to keep licking at his back and arms. The thin (though still as wide as half of Katsuki’s back), slightly rough, reptilian tongue felt oddly comforting against the blonde’s mangled flesh and the warmth of the beast’s soft breath warmed his freezing body in a surprisingly pleasant way. Katsuki shouldn’t feel so relaxed and at ease in this situation, and if he didn’t have one foot in the grave already he probably wouldn’t, but as things were, he could no longer keep his eyes open and slipped into the darkness of sleep once again.

If the dragon replied to his thoughts again, he didn’t hear it.


The next time he came to, it was to the cold wind and the unmistakable sound of water flowing along a river’s current. He was lying down on his front, the ground beneath him hard and smooth, but warm and… moving? He opened his eyes then and saw land moving past him, a riverbank sliding past about as fast as it would had he been on land astride a unicorn or something. Only he wasn’t on land. He was on the water, moving upstream. Or, well, whatever he was lying on was moving upstream. He doubted it was a boat. Didn’t feel like one. Moved far more smoothly, too.

He tried moving again. First just twitching his fingers, then he tried to move his arms. It was when he tried to shift them to lift himself up that agony coursed through his back and made him go limp again as he gasped for breath. Right. He was nearly torn to pieces by a dragon, of course he couldn’t move. A dragon that, apparently, now wanted to save him. And could read his mind. Which was generally unsettling, but could right now prove to be beneficial. Katsuki needed to know where they were, where they were going, what was going on and like it or not, the dragon was the only one he could ask. He was, at least for now, dependent on the goddamn lizard and whatever reason it had for being unable to kill him or letting him die.

Where are you taking me?’ he thought, hoping the gigantic reptile would bother to read his mind right then to answer the question.

Wherever the other humans are going,” came the reply in his mind. Katsuki tensed just a little, as much as he could in his state of general weakness and inability to do much of anything. Dread washed over him. Was the dragon tailing his tribesmen? Following them to the village? Fuck, that was bad. If the dragon found the village, it’d probably massacre everyone. Damn it, Katsuki had to do something. Get this monster off his tribesmen’ trail somehow. There had to be a fucking way… It couldn’t be allowed to reach the village, wounded or not!

Calm down,” the dragon’s voice resonated in Katsuki’s mind again, an odd feeling of calm and reassurance washing over him in the next second, even as resentment followed soon after. It was a confusing sensation, especially since Katsuki was pretty sure this wasn’t what he felt. “I bought you time, but that’s all I can do. If your body uses it up too fast, that will be it. So stay calm, or you’ll die,” the gigantic reptile continued. Despite himself, Katsuki relaxed, the feeling of calm settling over him helping his heart rate and breathing to slow, his mind to clear for an instant before he grew drowsy and sleepy again. He was exhausted. But he couldn’t sleep yet.

Why the fuck are you following my tribesmen?’ he questioned in his head, willing the lizard to answer him truthfully. It said something about Katsuki binding it to himself, didn’t it? Something about Katsuki being its master? So it had to tell the fucking truth, right?

They’ll lead me to your human nest,” the dragon replied, confirming Katsuki’s fears that it was indeed planning to reach the village. “You’ll find help there. They’ll heal you.

And that’s the only goddamn reason?’ Katsuki couldn’t help but think doubtfully. His ride jolted slightly as the dragon snorted, its breath making the water spray upwards, the cold droplets chilling Katsuki’s already too-cold body further.

What other reason would I have to go to a place infested with humans who’d kill me on sight given half a chance?” the gigantic reptile said, and yeah, that was definitely anger and resentment, even hatred, that Katsuki was feeling now. Which was odd considering he didn’t think he had the strength to feel much of anything except the vague worry for his village. “I’ve told you before. You have bound me to you. You’re my Master. I cannot let you die. But I cannot heal you, either. So I’m taking you to someone who can.

Katsuki wasn’t sure what the dragon meant by being ‘bonded to him’. Nor how he’d suddenly, apparently, tamed a dragon and become its master. But in his current situation, he’d be a fool to look a gift dragon in the mouth. Quite literally.

Why by river?’ he thought weakly, curious even as his mind drifted, his consciousness threatening to slip again. The fact that he was so out of it was the only reason he didn’t really react or care when the dragon snarled loudly, snapping its jaws at the water.

BECAUSE YOU PUT A HOLE THROUGH MY WING!” it all but roared in Katsuki’s mind. The young Yuueian winced, immediately feeling a tremendous headache in response to the loud, enraged yell he could ‘hear’ resonating directly in his mind, bypassing his ears. “How do you expect me to fly like this without dropping you?! I obviously can’t! And if I followed by land, we’d be heard and spotted and then we’d both die! Is that what you want?!

No,’ Katsuki thought, barely awake but still conscious enough to be able to think that much. ‘Wanna live…’ he promised Deku he would, after all. He promised. But it was out of his hands right now.

Without another thought or sound, Katsuki passed out again.


The next time he was pulled out of the darkness, it was because of something prodding and poking at him, shifting his heavy limbs this way and that. The movement caused seering agony to spread throughout his entire body and the only reason Katsuki didn’t scream was because he simply lacked the air to. He wasn’t sure what was going on. He wasn’t lucid enough to see. All he knew was that he was being moved until he wasn’t anymore as he was laid down on the cold, hard ground. Then there was nothing. No movement, no sound, just Katsuki and his shallow breathing as he tried to not succumb to the pain coursing through him because of his many injuries.

Then the ground shook and rumbled with heavy footsteps as something very large and very heavy moved close to him, walking away. The dragon? Was it leaving? Abandoning him to die after all? Well, Katsuki should have expected it. Not like the damn lizard had any reason to save him anyway.

If he dies, you can be sure I’ll come to kill all of you,” the reptile’s words resonated in Katsuki’s mind, bit out with clear resentment, anger and frustration, like they were forced out of it. They probably were. Whatever reason the reptile had for saving him or calling him its master, actually caring for him and wanting him to live certainly wasn’t part of it.

It took a long time for the footsteps shaking the earth to fade away and once they did, there was blessed silence and bitter cold. Katsuki didn’t really mind. The chill numbed the pain and made it just a little easier to bear. Then there was the sound of snow crunching under someone’s boots before the blond felt a small, wrinkly hand rest against his forehead.

“Young Bakugou?” came a familiar voice and Katsuki struggled to blink his eyes open to verify it was who he thought it was. It took him a few seconds, because his eyelids were incredibly heavy, and it took a few more to actually focus his vision. He blinked at the sight of the village’s Head Healer standing next to him with an oddly wide-eyed expression that only grew more astonished as he blinked at her again, his Magic settling and his body relaxing as familiarity and the feeling of safety and pure relief washed over him at the sight of her. He’d been brought to his village. To his Tribe. He was home and his injuries would be tended to. He’d be ok.

“L-lady… Shu… zenji…” he croaked out weakly through his parched throat and though his voice was barely audible even to his own ears, it seemed to be enough to snap the old woman back to her senses. She narrowed her eyes and stood straighter, glaring at someone off to the side, out of Katsuki’s limited field of view.

“Bring the stretcher and get him to my hut! Right this instant!” she snapped before her gaze turned a bit more to the side, looking at someone else. “And you, go out into the forest and gather whatever winter herbs and berries you can find, we’ll need everything we can get right now. Come on, get to it, we don’t have all day!”

There was a flurry of movement in response to the Elder’s orders and a short while later, Katsuki heard something being laid on the ground beside him - likely the stretcher - and then rough hands started to move him. Although his body was freezing and mostly numb from the cold by then, the contact and the movement caused agony to flare through him again and Katsuki couldn’t help whimpering slightly as he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut as every little part of him screamed in pain.

“Careful!” he heard Elder Shuzenji admonishing whoever was beside him angrily. “We don’t know the extent of his injuries beyond the obvious!”

The person moving him to the stretcher murmured something incomprehensible, but their approach to manhandling Katsuki’s limp form gentled. It still wasn’t enough to stop the waves of agony that coursed through him, however, and Katsuki gave out little, aborted noises of pain that he couldn’t quite bite back, though not for lack of trying. His breaths were short and shallow by the end of it and darkness creeped into the edges of his once again blurry vision.

This time, when he had the chance to fall into oblivion, he welcomed it with open arms.


Elder Shuzenji insisted on keeping Katsuki in her own hut and under nearly constant surveillance until she deemed him well enough to at least get up and be able to walk on his own. Which considering the severity of his injuries, particularly the gashes on his calf and back from the dragon’s spiked tail and claws respectively, took the better part of a lunar dance, even with the help of Lady Shuzenji’s recovery Magic. Even then, the deep gashes on his back were not fully healed and still required stitches. A lot of stitches.

“I know not what kind of lucky star shines on you, young Bakugou, but know that you were fortunate indeed. I have never seen anyone survive injuries half as severe as yours had been,” the old Healer told him as she helped him into a sitting position. A fact that Katsuki resented, but was forced to accept because while he could indeed move on his own somewhat, he was still extremely weak and tired easily. He was out of the danger zone, finally, but it would still take a long while before he recovered fully, let alone be able to train again to be in the same fit state he had been before. At least his muscle mass hadn’t diminished too badly.

“Takes more than a fucking dragon to kill me,” the Warrior bit out in reply, carefully rolling his shoulders and massaging his arms as he swung his legs over the edge of the cot he’d been all but strapped to for the last thirty days. Not literally, of course, though it was a close thing a few times.

“Clearly,” Lady Shuzenji replied with a click of her tongue, her tone unimpressed. She walked over to one of the cupboards and retrieved a long, white cane from it before walking back over to Katsuki and holding it out to him expectantly. The young Yuueiann scowled and shook his head.

“Don’t fucking need it,” he grumbled before he pushed himself to his feet, standing by his own power for the first time since his fight with the dragon. The dragon that hadn’t shown itself or spoken in Katsuki’s mind once since leaving him at the village gates. The reptile was still somewhere nearby, though. The blond wasn’t sure how he knew it, but he did. He just knew the damn lizard was somewhere around the village, out of sight but still close.

Katsuki’s legs shook under his weight a bit, but he was standing. The real problem proved to be an attempt at walking. The second he tried to take a step, his knees buckled and he had to grab the frame of the elevated cot he’d just been sitting on to avoid crashing to the ground. He clenched his eyes shut and grit his teeth, a slight tremor running through his weakened body as his back burned, the stitches pulling. His left calf throbbed in warning. He took in a deep, shuddering breath, trying to relax after the onslaught. He was just about to open his eyes and try again when something thin and wooden struck his head lightly.

Elder Shuzenji had smacked him lightly with her own cane.

“Fool. Do you want to make yourself cotridden again?” she scolded, holding out the white cane to him again. Katsuki scoffed, but took it this time. His arm shook a bit when he leaned his weight against it, but when he tried walking again, his legs didn’t give out. Just taking a few steps was still far more tiring than it had any right to be, however. He was fucking weak and he hated it. “You will not attempt to go anywhere without that cane. Nor will you so much as touch a sword, or any other sort of weapon, for at least another lunar dance. You won’t train your Magic for just as long, either. And you will come to me every five days for a check-up and Magic treatment. Is that clear, young Bakugou?” she ordered sternly. Katsuki wanted to scoff, but after being cotridden in her hut for the past thirty days, he knew better.

“Crystal,” he grumbled moodily. Just because he knew better than to argue or disobey didn’t mean he had to like it.

“Good. Now off you go. I’m sure you’re eager to be back home just as your family is eager to have you back,” the elderly woman replied with a nod and a shooing motion, pointing Katsuki to the door. The blond didn’t have to be told twice and slowly walked out of the hut, leaning far more heavily on the cane than he planned to and clearly still favoring his uninjured, right leg.

The most irritating thing of all was that Lady Shuzenji’s hut wasn’t that far from his home. And yet despite that, by the time he reached the door, Katsuki was breathing heavily and his entire body quaked from the exertion of the short walk. It was pathetic. He was being pathetic. Pathetic and weak.

He grunted as he pushed the door open and entered his and his parents’ home. His father was there and looked up sharply as he entered, eyes widening at the sight of him. The older Yuueian clearly hadn’t been told Katsuki would be allowed home today.

“Champ?” he asked as he came closer, expression worried as his eyes roamed the blond’s body to take in his state. His hands were half-raised towards him, hovering in a way that made Katsuki scowl as he slowly walked passed his father, towards the table so he could slowly lower himself into a chair, wincing only a little when the stitches in his back pulled again.

“I’m fine,” he grit out irritably. He hated the look in his father’s eyes. Like Katsuki was fragile, like one wrong move would break him. He might be weakened because of his injuries, but he wasn’t that pathetic, damn it. “Stop looking at me like I’m about to fucking fall apart.”

“I was just worried, Champ,” his father replied with a sigh and a slightly reproachful look that had Katsuki looking away with a scowl, his Magic swirling uncomfortably around his stomach. “You didn’t see yourself when you came back. Brought back by a dragon, no less,” he continued, his tone equal parts astonished and, if Katsuki was reading him right, actually fearful. Whether the fear was due to a dragon actually being at the village gates or because of the state Katsuki had been in, the blond couldn’t tell. His father sighed and sat down in a chair next to him, taking hold of one of Katsuki’s wrists and squeezing gently. “I’m glad you’re alright. Please don’t do such a foolish thing again. You scared me and your mother half to death.”

Katsuki gazed down at the table, lips pressed in a tight line as his Magic swirled guiltily around his stomach again and threatened to make him nauseous. He allowed his father to grip his wrist, but at the mention of a ‘foolish thing’ he’d apparently done, he looked up sharply.

“The fuck are you talking about?” he asked in a low tone, the swirling of his Magic ceasing as it pooled lower in his gut instead and sat there heavily, an uncomfortable weight as if Katsuki had swallowed hot coals. His father only sighed and squeezed his wrist again. And again, Katsuki allowed it instead of pulling back.

“Not now, Champ. Please. I don’t want to fight with you when you just got home,” his father said softly and Katsuki only felt his Magic grow hotter and heavier in his gut, an odd feeling of foreboding falling over him. Something just didn’t seem right here. But his father looked wrung out, tired in a way the blond hadn’t really ever seen him look before, so he only growled in irritation before looking away and letting the matter drop, though not without one final, muttered comment.

“Don’t see what damned thing we could have to fight about but whatever,” he grumbled, but his father didn’t respond.

The rest of the day passed in a similar enough manner. His mother and father both shot him looks whenever he moved and tried to get everything out of his hands when he tried to make himself useful. They hovered, told him to take it easy, that they could handle it. At first, Katsuki allowed the smothering behavior, because he could still see the flashes of worry and fear in their eyes sometimes and he knew they had to be thinking about how damn close they’d come to losing him. But as the sun started to set, his patience reached its limit and while he didn’t blow up, he irritably told them to back the Hell off and to stop treating him like a damn invalid. Yes, he’d been severely injured and yes, he was still recovering, but that didn’t mean they had to treat him like he might keel over any second.

Especially since there was also something hanging in the air of the house that just made his hackles rise. He wasn’t sure what it was, not beyond his father brief comment earlier, but it put him on edge which in turn only made him more irritable.

As was usually the case, his mother didn’t take his flaring temper sitting down and soon enough, they were yelling at each other as was the norm. Only their yelling caused Katsuki’s head to start throbbing with a quickly growing migraine that swiftly got downright unbearable, so when his father tried to step in and smooth things over, Katsuki took the opportunity to just get himself out of the situation and head to his cot to sleep. He was tired anyway.

He dreamt of Deku that night, which was a good thing because it allowed him to assure his friend that he’d survived, that he was alright. Deku had hugged him the moment he’d seen him and even started crying a little. Much like he had with his parents’ hovering and over-attentiveness and babying, Katsuki allowed it for a while, if only because it admittedly felt nice and because he was so stunned he wasn’t sure how to react. It only took him a couple of minutes to scoff and push Deku away, though, roughly telling him to let go and assuring him again that he was perfectly fine.

It wasn’t the entire truth, of course. He was certainly in much better condition in the dream than in reality. He had been completely healed and back to his regular strength during his meeting with Deku which just wasn’t the point in recovery he was truly at yet. But that was beside the point and what Deku didn’t know, he wouldn’t worry about.

The next days went marginally better. Though they still watched him like glasthringals, his parents backed off and let him breathe. Even let him do some of the less strenuous work at home, at least so long as he sat down to rest whenever he felt tired. Which was annoyingly often and happened irritatingly quickly no matter what he was doing.

Elder Shuzenji’s check-ups and, more importantly, her Magic treatments now that Katsuki’s body could take them, helped tremendously, though. While he was even more exhausted than usual after each one, his wounds healed faster and he always felt stronger the following day. His progress was so good that after ten days and two sessions, the Head Healer even agreed that he might be able to ditch the fucking cane in five days’ time, after the next Magic treatment.

Things spectacularly went to shit only four days later, however, and in a way Katsuki never even had the chance to expect, much less prepare for.

It started normally enough. Katsuki spend the day doing more and more regular chores while still resting regularly until his father came home. Then they worked together, talking occasionally. The only odd thing about it was the careful glances Katsuki noticed his father giving him every now and then, as if he wanted to say something but in the end never did. Katsuki didn’t ask, either. He figured if it was really important, his father would talk.

When his mother came home, they cooked together. She bossed him around as always and they butted heads over who was right and who knew better if Katsuki tried to alter her recipe, but it was still nothing unusual. Things only started to get very obviously odd at dinner time, because it was unusually quiet. Any other day, his parents would talk and try to pull the blond into the conversation, but not that evening. It had been yet another sign that some kind of shit was going to hit the fan.

Katsuki just had no idea how big of a shit it would be.

“Champ,” his father finally said when they were nearly done, his tone soft, but firm. “There’s something your mother and I have thought about and we figure it’s time we broke it to you,” he said. Katsuki scowled as he looked up to meet his father’s gaze. There was something in his tone, or maybe his words, that rubbed the blond the wrong way. His Magic, unusually calm and pacifist these past few days, stirred, thrumming under his skin.

“What?” he asked shortly, his tone low and just slightly irritated, far from revealing the actual foreboding that he wouldn’t admit to feeling.

“You’re healing well, right? You said you’ll probably be allowed to walk without the support soon, if I remember right,” his mother answered, glancing briefly to the cane Katsuki hated with a passion and couldn’t wait to be rid of. Even if he could admit, at least in the confines of his mind, that it had been necessary. He gave his mother a short, sharp nod.

“Tomorrow or the day after, probably. After the next appointment with Lady Shuzenji. Why?” he demanded in turn, tone low and almost defensive. He couldn’t help it. Something was wrong here. He could tell. He didn’t know what it was, but something just felt off. His mother nodded and then gave him a stern glare of her own. He knew that look. It was her ‘I’m going to tell you to do something and whether you like it or not, you’re going to do it’ look, which she hadn’t actually given him in years. His scowl deepened, his Magic growing more restless.

“Good. Then the day after tomorrow, once you’ve gotten a good night’s rest after your treatment, you’re going to take some time out of your day and visit the Nagaisshis and the Tsuriganes,” she told him before going back to her meal, as if the conversation was over now that the order had been given. Katsuki stilled, his Magic now truly vibrating under his skin, thrumming in his veins almost anxiously. Nagaisshi was Teepee Head’s family’s name. Tsurigane was Flame Hair’s. What the fuck would his mother want him to go over to their families for?

“What for?” he demanded. His tone was lower than before, more of a warning for the old hag to be extremely careful with what she said next. Katsuki already wasn’t fond of the idea of meeting the two Hunters or their families before recovering enough to be able to challenge the sons of bitches like he planned. His mother better have a damn good reason for that request, even if she didn’t know about the issue she was stepping on.

His parents tensed and looked up at him then. His father looked incredulous. His mother, on the other hand, looked angry.

“What for?” she repeated, her voice betraying her own surprise and incomprehension. As if the fact that Katsuki wanted to know was beyond her understanding. The blond bristled as she glowered at him. “You know very damn well what for, brat.”

“No, I don’t, actually. So why don’t you fucking enlighten me?” Katsuki bit back with just as much irritation.

“Don’t play dumb with me, brat. After what you did—”

“I’m not playing fucking dumb. I have no damn idea what the Hell you’re talking about! I didn’t do shit!” Katsuki interrupted. His Magic was swirling throughout his body, agitated and thrumming and begging for a release he couldn’t give it because his body couldn’t handle it yet. The near-anxiousness and the knowledge that it was his own weakness that forced him to hold his Magic back only irritated him all the more.

“Champ,” his father broke in before his mother could go off again, his usually calm voice surprisingly firm as it nipped the budding argument before it could even begin to grow. “Please, don’t make it any harder on anybody than it already is. Just this once, do as your mother tells you, alright?” he requested, and although his voice gentled and became almost pleading, Katsuki couldn’t help but bristle. Still, he didn’t lash out, only crossed his arms in front of his chest and leant back in his chair, though he was mindful of the wounds and stitches on his back. He gave his parents a brooding, petulant half-glare.

“Fine. Whatever. Just tell me what the fuck you want me to go over there for,” he grumbled, not meeting their eyes. If this was their way of encouraging him to challenge the two assholes, his parents could have been better about it. Katsuki wasn’t fully recovered yet. It was safer to wait until he was.

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” his mother warned him again and Katsuki glared. For a moment, they stared at each other, fuming. For once, however, it wasn’t the young Warrior who blew up first, but his mother. “Damn it, you brat, don’t you think it’s gone far enough? Beyond what already happened you have to make it worse?!” she yelled at him. Katsuki’s glare hardened and he opened his mouth to argue again that he had no fucking idea what she was going on about in the first place, but the old hag didn’t let him. “You want to play dumb and act like a child? Fucking fine, I’ll treat you like one then. The day after tomorrow, you’re going over to the Nagaisshis and the Tsuriganes and you’re going to tell them that your sword is theirs, and that’s final,” she snarled at him, her glare daring the young Warrior to say no and her voice leaving no room for argument.

Katsuki stilled. For a split second, his eyes widened at his mother’s words before he was glaring hotly back at her, his lips curled. His Magic swirled more violently, twisting around his insides and heating up like it wanted to set him aflame from the inside. And beyond the anger and indignation, beyond the agitation of his Magic, something else stirred inside him.

“Fuck no,” he growled, his grip on his biceps tightening. Fuck the old hag and what she wanted. He was not going to do that.

To say one’s sword was someone else’s was the ultimate show of remorse. A plea for forgiveness, even mercy, and the most humble one at that. It was rarely done. In fact, it was mostly reserved for cases in which one’s mistake or conscious choice put the life of another tribesman in serious danger. It was a way of admitting ‘I brought danger upon you once, I will make up for it by protecting your life as long as you deem I should, if only you forgive my transgression eventually’. It was a pledge, a way to tie one’s life and honor to another’s. Or what was left of one’s honor if such a measure was necessary in the first place.

The one who was offered the protection could deny it. They could let bygones be bygones and take the gesture itself as enough of an apology to forgive. They could accept, thus effectively sealing the fate of the other as their protector or something similar for a time. Or they could deem the offer to be too little to pay for whatever transgression was being apologized for and take the offered sword only to run it through the one they deem unworthy of forgiveness or mercy.

To offer one’s sword - one’s protection - was to offer one’s honor as much as one’s life. It was as much a proof of remorse as it was of trust.

There was no way in Hell Katsuki was going to do that.

“That’s not a suggestion, brat,” his mother hissed. “You nearly got both those young Hunters killed, you’re fucking going to reap the consequences,” she spat, but Katsuki didn’t intend to listen. His Magic became even more violent; it twisted this way and that as the blond’s anger and indignation grew. Of course, it wasn’t like he hadn’t expected Teepee Head and Flame Hair to spin some kind of lie-filled tale that they’d spread among the Tribe to explain why he had ended up fighting a dragon. And of course, he had known from the start the two Hunters would never tell the truth. He hadn’t really cared to try and find out what their story was, however, or try to rebuff it. He’d been living in the village long enough to know that whatever tale the two Hunters told, theirs would always be more believed than his, so he didn’t bother. He was planning to challenge them anyway, to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt who was in the right with a trial before the Gods. Then no one could say shit.

He hadn’t tried to tell the truth even to his parents. That wasn’t because Katsuki thought they wouldn’t believe him, however. More than that, it was that he’d simply hadn’t wanted to think about it, much less talk with anyone. As much as he planned to make Teepee Head and Flame Hair reap consequences of their own actions, he honestly just wanted to forget what happened and never think of it again because it was just too much to deal with right now. But if his parents had asked , he would have told them what happened and expected them to believe him. If no one else, then them.

He never once thought they might have believed the Hunters’ tale and wouldn’t bother to hear his side of the story.

“That’s not what fucking happened!” he yelled as he shot to his feet, hands slamming harshly against the table with enough force that the cutlery trembled. Sharp pain ran up his burnt arm and down his back, but he ignored it entirely, glaring at his parents, his family, with equal parts indignant anger and quiet desperation.

“Champ,” his father cut in again, calm, but firm, his eyes sending Katsuki a clear warning to calm down, to listen. His words had the opposite effect, however. “We know how hard you’re trying to prove yourself. We understand how much pressure you feel you’re under because of your Magic. But endangering your fellow Hunters just to prove your worth—”

“You don’t understand shit!” Katsuki interrupted, not heeding his father’s quiet warning. “I wasn’t the one who picked a fight with a fucking dragon! I’m a Warrior! I know better than to do shit that monumentally stupid and I wouldn’t endanger my tribesmen like that no matter what kind of fuckers they are! They’re the shitty liars who—!” he was interrupted when his mother smacked him across the head,  as she’d been wont to do when he’d been little.

“Enough, brat,” she growled. “I won’t hear any more of this. You’re going to do as I say, or else,” she warned. For a second, Katsuki didn’t answer, struck silent by both her words and actions. The hit wasn’t a particularly strong one, nor had it really hurt. But it was a clear sign his mother wasn’t going to let him tell his side of the story. She thought she knew what happened. She’d passed her judgment and she thought Katsuki was just going to meekly accept it because he had little choice in the matter.

When he gave his father a brief look from beneath his bangs, Katsuki saw in the man’s steely gaze that he agreed with his wife. He’d passed judgment, too, and it wasn’t in Katsuki’s favor. They might be glad he was still alive, that he’d gotten out of it, but they still wanted him to ‘take responsibility for his actions’ and ask for forgiveness. Katsuki wasn’t the one who should be doing that, however, and Teepee Head and Flame Hair had had more than enough time to do it already, so Katsuki wasn’t going to hold his breath and hope they would.

His Magic stilled then, its agitation suddenly a thing of the past before it all converged in his chest, into his core and disappeared there, leaving him cold and bereft and hurting . But beyond that coldness and that pain was something else. Something hot and wild and brutal that demanded retribution. Something violent that roared and clawed at Katsuki’s insides, a rage he’d never felt before and one that made him see red. He clenched his fists and looked up at his mother then and the woman actually took a step back.

“No,” he growled. Because fuck no. No way. He was not going to offer his neck to people who have already tried to kill him once before, if in a very indirect way. He wasn’t that kind of fool. Especially not considering that with the story they’d spun, Teepee Head and Flame Hair could easily cut his head off if he did it and no one would bat an eye. Because he supposedly endangered them and pulled them into a fight with a dragon that they then got out of… somehow.

His mother, of course, wasn’t one to be easily intimidated, so she recovered quickly. Her glare would have made a lesser man drop to his knees and beg her forgiveness, but Katsuki had grown up with her, with that glare directed his way more often than not in his childhood, so it didn’t faze him.

“This is not up for discussion, brat,” she growled as her husband stood up from the table and walked up next to her, giving Katsuki a disappointed look that demanded obedience. He was supporting her. Taking her side. Katsuki sneered at them both.

“I wasn’t planning on discussing shit. I’m not doing it. Fuck off,” he spat, clenching his fists tighter to smother the occasional sparks that escaped his palms despite his Magic having retreated firmly into his core and refusing to leave it.

“Champ,” his father tried again, tone unusually steely and harsh, but the blond was done listening. He walked past them, towards the door and left the house, slamming the door loudly behind him.


As much as Katsuki wanted to rage and yell and explode, as pissed off and agitated as he was, he was still healing. His wounds had yet to close fully and he had yet to recover his strength, so in the end, it didn’t take long at all for him to stop his angry stomping and sit down in the snow, his body not having the energy to support his rage. It fizzled out like the flame of a candle left out in the rain, but sparks of it remained. Enough so that Katsuki’s irritation was palpable in the air around him, despite the way he all but collapsed a short walk away from his parents’ hut.

He shivered slightly. Since he’d stormed out of his parents’ home the way he had, he wasn’t really adequately dressed for the still cold weather. The boots were warm enough, but his pants weren’t made to ward off the chill without the help of firm walls to keep the wind out and the warmth of a nearby fire. Neither was his black leather shirt, despite the long sleeves and high collar that Katsuki now pulled up a little higher so he could hide half his face under the fabric to keep at least a little warmer. He ignored the chill overall, however, if only because it eased the aches of his body by making him numb.

Not taking his cane along had likely been a mistake, but right now, he just didn’t give a shit.

A part of him just couldn’t believe the old hag and old man. Couldn’t believe they’d be so easily persuaded he was at fault. Sure, he could admit that he was usually dead set on doing the craziest of shit to prove himself. His Warrior Trial was the best proof of that. But he only acted like that because he had little choice in the matter. If he didn’t prove himself, he would never truly belong and eventually, the Tribe would probably decide to get rid of him. Like they did with the Magicless. He didn’t want that. As much as it could suck sometimes, the village was his home, damn it. He didn’t want to leave it. He had nowhere else to go, either. So he had to prove himself, had to prove he belonged, that he was one of the Yuueians, no matter what it took.

However, Katsuki was neither desperate nor crazy enough to consider fighting a dragon a good way of proving himself. He wasn’t stupid enough to ever try proving himself in a way that might pull someone else into it and endanger them, either. He was a Warrior. His job and his Oath were about protecting the Tribe and his tribesmen. Not endangering them. The old man and the old hag should have fucking known him well enough to realize as much. If they couldn’t believe he wouldn’t fight the most dangerous creature in all of Myordice by choice, they should have realized it was odd he would supposedly do so without regard for the two other lives he’d be putting in danger. That they hadn’t was infuriating. And, although he was loathe to admit it, it hurt, too.

It hurt a lot, actually. Because up until now, they were the only ones in the entire village who had always been on his side, who had always supported him, come Hell or high water. In a way, it might be expected of them, since they were his family, but Katsuki still appreciated it. Yet at the same time, he’d never thought there would come a time or a situation where they might not have his back.

And yet here they were.

He glared at the snow, growling low under his breath, the remnants of the earlier rage still simmering somewhere deep in his gut. Well, fuck them, then. He wasn’t going to take their shit lying down. If they weren’t going to listen to him, he was going to fucking prove to them that he wasn’t in the wrong here. As soon as he recovered, just like he planned before. A duel of honor. A judgement before the Gods. That will fucking show them who was the liar.

But it would still be a while before he could do that. His body still wasn’t healed enough to attempt such a thing. Not by a long shot.

The worst thing about this situation was what his parents demanded of him instead. That he offer his sword - his life - to Teepee Head and Flame Hair. If he had actually been the one in the wrong, it would have been the right thing to do that, too. He could admit as much. But it wasn’t the fucking case and doing so would be paramount to saying ‘you didn’t manage to kill me by leaving me to a dragon, so here, I’ll save you the fucking trouble and offer my goddamn neck on a golden platter’. If the old hag had only believed he’d actually done something as stupid as Teepee Head’s and Flame Hair’s story implied, it would have been fine. It was a misunderstanding, it could still be rectified. But for her to not listen to his side of the story and basically demand he risk his life all over again? And for his father to support her without question, without giving Katsuki even a sliver of a chance to explain himself?

That wasn’t a misunderstanding anymore. That was throwing him to the proverbial wolves. The fact that his parents didn’t even know that was what they were doing didn’t make it better, either. In fact, them not realizing it made it worse. Because they were his parents . His family.

They were supposed to be on his damn side, to support him, or at least to give him a fucking chance to tell his side of the story! Not to condemn him without even bothering to hear him the fuck out. That they hadn’t hurt . Because it was the same as if they’d outright told him to go give up his life for someone else to take, if in a roundabout way. And again, their ignorance didn’t make it more bearable, it made it worse, because it meant they didn’t even give enough of a shit to find out the truth for themselves.

His Magic stirred in response to his circling thoughts, slithering out of his core only to wrap around his heart and squeeze painfully as that particular realization truly hit. His parents, his family, didn’t give a shit. Not enough to hear him out. Not enough to give him a chance to explain. They didn’t even believe in him enough to think Teepee Head and Flame Hair might be lying. They’d rather risk him dying when he offered his life to the Hunters than give him a moment to tell them he’d probably be killed if he did, and for something that wasn’t even his fucking fault to boot.

His Magic burned as it squeezed his heart tighter and the actual, physical pain of it might have made him gasp if the rage born out of indignation hadn’t erupted once more at the same time. Katsuki growled again, one hand clenching against the snow and easily melting it into warm water as his hand heated up, his other arm lashing out before he could think better of it. His fist struck the wall of whatever building he was leaning against and a small explosion went off at the same time. It wasn’t a particularly strong or loud one, but it was big enough for the recoil to send spasms of pain through Katsuki’s still-healing arm and back.

“Fuck!” he cursed in a somewhat strangled voice as he curled in on himself by reflex, cradling his arm to his chest and squeezing his eyes shut. He stayed sitting there for a moment, just breathing in and out and waiting for the pain to fade. He sighed once it did, his anger once again gone, the pain having cleared his head of the wave of emotions that overcame him.

Well, that was clearly the fucking situation then. His parents didn’t care. They weren’t going to give him a chance to explain. He’d have to prove them wrong, just like he’d always tried to do with everyone else.

Except Deku. He’d never had to prove himself to Deku, because his Friend from the Gods had always believed in him. Just like he thought his parents always would. Well, that’s what he got for fucking assuming.

What was he going to do then? He was going to challenge Teepee Head and Flame Hair like he planned, that much was obvious, but he could only do that once he recovered and could actually move well enough to fight. What about until then?

Well, he’d have to go home and find a way to avoid his parents, he guessed. He didn’t really want to, though. He didn’t feel like dealing with them, not until the entire shitshow was straightened out, because knowing him and knowing the old hag, the only interactions they’d have until she realized just how fucking wrong she was would be arguments. And right now, Katsuki didn’t really feel like fighting with the few people who still might be on his side once he proved his point.

How to avoid that considering he couldn’t exactly stay out here the entire goddamn night unless he wanted to fucking freeze to death, though?

Before he could think too much about it, he was hit in the face with a snowball and spluttered in indignant rage. He shot to his feet despite the weakness of his body with an angry snarl on his face, ready to yell at whatever asshole thought it funny to throw snow at him. His voice never made it out of his mouth, however, because there was no one to yell at. He was still alone.

Then came a soft, somewhat familiar croon off to the right. Tensing, Katsuki turned in that direction and his gaze fell on a pair of glowing eyes with two irises each, one a deep violet and the other a pale pink. He stilled, blinking in surprise. He recognized those eyes. He recognized the creature they belonged to, even though he’d only seen it once before. It was staring back at him much like it had then, tilting its head as if trying to see into his mind. It crooned again and made a move as if to come closer, but stopped and froze before it really could.

“The fuck are you doing here? How did you sneak into the village?” Katsuki couldn’t help but whisper harshly, looking around a bit wildly. Creatures of the forest rarely even approached the wooden wall that separated the village from the wilderness, let alone actually make it past. Even small ones like this one would be hard pressed to sneak past the night guard. With how dangerous most of Myordice’s wildlife was for humans, it was only natural, of course, but it made it all the weirder that this creature, whatever it was, actually managed to sneak in. And get to this particular part of the village undetected, because as Katsuki looked around, he realized he wandered into the part of the village where the storage sheds were. The one he’d half-collapsed against earlier was where the extra furs were kept. It was a good thing his Magic hadn’t gone off too powerfully earlier, or he might have caused a fire and burned them down, which would not have been a good thing.

Another thing that wasn’t good was that the food storage was only a couple buildings further down the road. And Katsuki didn’t know what the odd creature in front of him usually ate, but he doubted it would be a good thing if it happened to find it. Or worse, if it’s already been there and raided it. They’d already had enough food problems this winter without a mysterious, unknown creature Katsuki was only seeing for the second time in his life eating the remains of what they had left and making it worse still.

“Get lost,” he growled at it, making a violent, shooing motion in meager hopes of scaring it off. Surprisingly, it worked somewhat, because in response to his movement, the creature shot forward, slithering through the snow as quickly as he remembered it moving through the trees the last time he’d seen it. It gave him a wide berth as it sped past him, leaving a clear trail in the snow. But then it stopped a few feet away and its head jerked up before it looked back at him, blinking once, then twice. It moved again, just as fast as before, but stopped sooner than last time and looked back at him once more, as if checking if he was coming after it. Or telling him to follow.

Katsuki hesitated before scowling and taking a tentative step towards the creature. Then another. By the third, the odd being was moving again, slithering through the snow as if it wasn’t there, but always stopping periodically to look back, its glowing eyes telling him where it was, where it wanted him to go. And maybe he should be weary of it, but he couldn’t help being curious, too. Last time, the creature had led him to the glasthringal egg. He couldn’t help wanting to see where or to what it would lead him this time.

At first, it seemed as if it might want to just lead him home. But when Katsuki started to pass the inhabited huts of his neighbors, where he would usually turn away from the wall guarding the village and head closer to the village’s center, the creature didn’t head in the direction of the Bakugou home. Instead, it veered off in the opposite direction, sticking to the wall and leading him further away from the main, inhabited part of the settlement. He followed, equal parts curious and wary until he realized he recognized this part of the village. He’d played here as a kid sometimes, on the rare days he didn’t go into the forest for one reason or another. It was before he had his first dream with Deku.

It was the only part of the village that Katsuki never understood. It wasn’t used for anything, it was actually mostly abandoned and might just as well not be part of the village at all for how aware people seemed to be of its presence. The protective walls could be moved to wall it off and nothing would have changed. There was nothing here and no one used this space for anything and Katsuki had no idea why.

The only thing that was here, now that he thought about it, was an old, shabby, clearly abandoned hut that, somehow, for some reason, no one could enter. Despite how old and how close to falling apart it looked, the house’s door refused to budge. Or at least it had when Katsuki had been a kid and curiosity had made him try to see what was inside.

It was that very hut that the creature leading the blond stopped in front of, briefly looking back at him once more before it used its claws to climb the wall and onto the roof. There it stopped again, looking at him, then down at the structure it was on, then at him again, its smoking tail swishing where it hung over the roof’s edge in what could almost count as an inviting wave. Katsuki hesitated a moment longer, then carefully stepped closer and closer until he was right in front of the abandoned house. The creature still hadn’t moved, looking at him curiously. He gave it one last look before carefully pressing his hand against the old door. The wood resisted for a moment, then there was a crack and then it splintered in the middle, falling open like a double door would before one half of it simply fell to the ground.

Yeah, the hut was definitely old and in some serious need of rebuilding. But at the same time, there was something about it. Katsuki wasn’t sure what it was, but it gave him an inviting feeling no house as close to falling apart as this one had any right to give. Scowling, he carefully passed the threshold despite his misgivings. The inside didn’t look much better than the outside, although surprisingly, there was a mass of furs that wasn’t in too bad a state that could be used as a bed. At least for a night.

The hut was oddly warm as well, considering its state and a now-missing door. Not to mention the lack of a fire. In fact, there hardly seemed to be any difference to what a proper lived-in hut would feel like.

The oddest thing of all, however, was the lack of any sort of draft. Half the door was missing and the walls were in a dire state of disrepair, there were more than enough holes for the cold, winter air to pass through. And yet the place was warm and cozy, as if it wasn’t seemingly a few moments away from collapsing. Katsuki frowned, looking around carefully as he turned. It was in that moment, however, that his body decided he’d pushed it too far as a sudden bout of dizziness hit him and his legs almost gave out. He groaned, his hand shooting out to lean against the wall as the warm air of the hut chased away the chill that clung to his skin and the numbness with it, making his injuries throb more and more painfully with each passing second. His vision blurred. He suddenly realized he was exhausted. Shit. He needed to… needed to get out… get home… something wasn’t right here…

The wood behind him groaned and he blinked before somehow managing to straighten despite the way the stitches on his back pulled painfully with the movement. Small, thin twigs and little tendrils of ice were wrapped around the piece of wood that used to be half of the door and were slowly lifting it back into its proper place. The door was secured somewhat haphazardly. It wasn’t a perfect fix by any means, but it would certainly do for a night.

Something pushed at him then, like a warm and gentle invisible hand. Katsuki blinked again, shaking his head. He was feeling drowsy and weak. He let himself be guided, unable to fight it and too out of it to even think to. How he reached the furs on the floor, he wasn’t sure himself, but the moment he did, he all but collapsed there, quickly climbing under the covers. The thought of leaving didn’t cross his head again. He stayed the night there, falling asleep mere minutes after lying down, a gentle whisper he couldn’t hope to understand the last thing he heard before the deep sleep of exhaustion took him.


“Where the fuck have you been, you damn brat?!” his mother yelled when they met at home the following day. Katsuki had woken up in the abandoned hut surprisingly well-rested and even relaxed to a certain extent. For the first time in years, including whenever he’d been sick or wounded, he’d slept in instead of waking up at dawn. In fact, by the time he’d woken up, it was nearly time for his session with Elder Shuzenji, so he’d gone straight to her with only a minor detour to the hut to grab his cane. His parents hadn’t been home, likely already out taking care of their daily duties. Katsuki had been glad about that and had hoped to have their home to himself once he was back from Lady Shuzenji’s hut. He clearly didn’t have that kind of luck, though, because his mother had stormed in not even a full candlemark later.

“Out,” he replied curtly, not even bothering to look up at her from where he was tending to his sword. While Lady Shuzenji had forbidden him to so much as touch the weapon, he knew better than to take it literally. And even if she’d meant it that way, he wouldn’t have listened. Sure, he might agree he wasn’t well enough yet to train, but he’d be damned if he didn’t tend to his sword regularly like he should no matter how injured he was.

At least he got to ditch the damn cane.

“Out? Is that all you have to say?” his mother growled. “Damn it, brat, you were gone the whole fucking night! Do you have any goddamned idea how worried your father and I were?!”

“Sure you were. The whole damn village wouldn’t shut up about it,” Katsuki spat sarcastically as he finally raised his head to meet his mother’s glare with his own. His Magic, which had been calm and content since the morning, stirred once more. It grew hotter and started to swirl around his chest and abdomen in agitation.

Of course, both of them knew what he said wasn’t the truth. No one in the village made a single comment about anything and from what Katsuki could gather, no one had any idea he’d spend the night anywhere other than the Bakugou home. If his parents had looked, they either would have found him or he would have heard comments about it. If not on his way to Elder Shuzenji, then from the old Healer herself, because she seemed to always know nearly everything going on with her patients. And yet he hadn’t heard shit. Ergo, it was unlikely his parents had even bothered to look for him. They would have found him if they had, anyway.

“Watch your fucking tone, brat,” his mother growled back. For a moment, they just stared each other down angrily, neither willing to back down.

“I will when you’re actually deserving of my fucking respect,” Katsuki snarled. His Magic refused to settle. The hot feeling separate from it that he couldn’t quite place got more pronounced as well, only adding to his anger and frustration. “Stop acting like you actually give a shit!”

“I’m not ‘acting like it’ you damn fool! I do fucking care, though I’m starting to wonder why with how you’re acting!” the old hag yelled, scowling at him in a way she never had before. At least not at him. He really must have pissed her off. Not that he cared.

“If you did, you would have fucking looked for me! And you would have found me because my tracks weren’t that hard to find! You’re a Hunter, damn you, and so is the old man! At least stop fucking lying to me!” he all but exploded as he stood up so he wouldn’t have to look up at her anymore. He’d set his sword aside shortly after she’d come in, so he didn’t have to worry about potentially dropping it.

“We did look for you! Your tracks just stopped in the middle of nowhere!” his mother yelled back. “So where the fuck have you been?!”

Katsuki paused at that declaration, scowling. His tracks disappeared? That wasn’t possible. He hadn’t been trying to cover them, he’d had no reason to nor the mental capacity to come up with the idea. If the creature he’d been following had been behind him, he could have theorized that it did it for him, but he’d been the one doing the following. So there was nothing that could have erased his foot prints.

“That lone hut off at the North-Western edge of the village,” he finally grumbled carefully. His Magic swirled inside of him, still agitated but no longer as angry as it had been before. The other feeling settled, too, somewhat. Seeing that, his mother relaxed as well. She was still glaring, but seemed to hold her own temper in check now.

“What lone hut?” she asked sharply, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“The one I kept going to when I was a brat. The one you and the old man kept insisting is not fucking there,” he replied. His mother’s scowl deepened for a moment before she blinked in comprehension. Then she immediately glared at him again.

“That’s because there’s fucking nothing there,” she said and her tone took on a warning note again. Katsuki disregarded it once more.

“Yeah, well, I clearly didn’t freeze to death sleeping outside, so it must be. Though how you failed to find it is beyond me,” he said with an unconcerned shrug before turning away and bending down to pick up his sword. The weapon felt heavy in his hand. He sheathed it carefully, then set it by the wall close to his cot, where it usually was if it wasn’t at his belt. Behind him, his mother sighed. Katsuki glanced over at her over his shoulder. She wasn’t looking at him. She was scowling at the wall instead. The fact that she hadn’t answered yet meant she was likely, uncharacteristically, going to let the matter drop.

“Whatever,” she finally grit out, confirming Katsuki’s suspicions. He frowned at her, not at all reassured. The old hag wasn’t one to back off easily, after all. “Look, I’m glad you’re alright. But don’t think I’m going to let you off the hook.”

“Hah?” Katsuki’s Magic swirled. He sensed he wasn’t going to like where this was going to go. He had a good idea about what his mother was talking about, of course, he wasn’t an idiot. But still, a part of him hoped he was wrong. Because surely she couldn’t keep pushing the issue after it had made him storm out last night? Surely she must have noticed that something just didn’t seem right? She was his mother for crying out loud! Even if no one else in the village knew anything about him, she and the old man were supposed to know him. They were supposed to realize Katsuki wouldn’t do what Teepee Head and Flame Hair had said he’d done. They were supposed to be aware he hated liars and hated lying even more, so he’d never do it. They weren’t supposed to take the damn Hunters’ side! “The fuck are you yapping about now?”

“You know very well what,” his mother replied sharply, once again looking at him with narrowed eyes, her arms crossed over her chest. He knew that look. It was the one she sported when she wasn’t going to budge on something. It was the look she had when she had decided to do something and wouldn’t be persuaded to not do it. “Quit playing dumb, brat. I’m not in the mood for it,” she warned. Katsuki clenched his fists and snarled back, his Magic coiling and twisting in his insides again.

“If it’s about what you said last night, I fucking told you there’s no way in Hell I’m going to do that. I’m not going to offer my sword to those assholes,” he said lowly. He crossed his arms over his chest as well, mimicking the old hag’s posture as he drew himself up to stand a little taller. His back stung a little in response and his stitches pulled uncomfortably, but he ignored it.

“This isn’t up for discussion, brat,” his mother responded angrily. Her tone only further proved what her body language already revealed. She wasn’t going to budge. Katsuki tensed and glared at her. “After what you did—”

“I didn’t fucking do shit!” he interrupted with a yell as that odd feeling inside him, the one separate from his magic, the one he couldn’t name, exploded within him and filled him with fiery rage. “I’m not the fucking one in the wrong here! They’re the assholes who ran away and left me to face a goddamn dragon alone!”

“You shouldn’t have picked a fucking fight with it in the first place! You should have known better than that! I was under the impression I didn’t raise a damn fool so why the Hell did you have to go and prove me wrong?!”

“I DIDN’T!” he yelled back at the top of his lungs and slammed his fist against the wall with enough force that the wood groaned. His other hand sparked as his Magic came to the surface in response to his rage. He hated the old hag in that instant. He hated her for not letting him explain, for not even giving him a chance. Well, fuck her then. Who cared if she didn’t want to listen? He’d damn well make her. “IF YOU THINK I’M THE KIND OF IDIOT WHO’D WILLINGLY ATTACK THE SHITTY LIZARD THEN YOU CLEARLY DON’T KNOW ME! I MAY WANT TO PROVE MYSELF BUT I’M NOT FUCKING SUICIDAL! AND I WOULDN’T—”

“ENOUGH!” a different voice interrupted Katsuki mid-yell. It wasn’t the old hag. It was his old man, which was why Katsuki actually obeyed and shut up. He wasn’t used to his father losing his temper and he knew the rare times it happened meant shit was serious. That, and he was surprised he was even there. Katsuki hadn’t noticed when the man came home. “You will both calm down and stop yelling. And you will do as your mother says, Champ,” he said in low tone that left no room for argument. Except Katsuki still planned to argue anyway.

“No,” he said hotly, glaring at both of them. “No, I fucking won’t. And if you just fucking shut up for a moment and let me explain, you’d understand why! I’m not the damn idiot the shitty Hunters are trying to make me out to be! I’m not the one who picked a fight with the fucking lizard! I would have thought you of all people would know enough to not assume I did!” His voice rose into an angry yell again because his rage wasn’t calming. It was infuriating, the way his parents refused to believe him, the way they put the word of two random Hunters over his, their own son’s. But then again, even Deku had thought at first that Katsuki had picked a fight with the dragon on his own. So maybe it wasn’t that surprising that the old man and the old hag bought the story. Still. Deku had let him explain and he’d believed him. Right now, his parents had yet to do that. And really, that was what hurt and enraged him the most. That they refused to even listen.

“So what, you expect us to believe a pair of Hunters provoked it?” the old hag asked with an arched eyebrow. Her disbelief couldn’t be more obvious and it was understandable in a way. She was a Hunter herself. So was the old man. They knew the Hunters’ normal way of going about things better than Katsuki did, they knew their Oaths, they knew how unlikely it was for a Hunter to try and fight a dragon.

“No,” Katsuki replied mulishly. “I expect you to believe me when I tell you they used their traps to put me in a situation where I had no choice but to fight and then left me to do it alone,” he grumbled, at least trying to keep his temper in check. Silence was his answer as his parents stared at him with no small amount of disbelief. It made his Magic twist even more violently in his gut and he clenched his fists again. A part of him felt like he was going to be sick but he pushed it down.

“Listen, Champ,” the old man finally said in a low, oddly placating tone that did nothing to calm Katsuki’s ire. “We want to believe you wouldn’t do something like that. We really do. But even you have to admit it sounds like something you’d do.”

“Not to mention there’s no way a Hunter would use a trap on a tribesman. It’s against our Oath,” the old hag added, narrowing her eyes. Katsuki clenched his teeth.

“I don’t fucking care if it sounds like something I would do. I didn’t do it. And they did ,” he insisted, his tone one of bitterness and rage. He wanted to hit something. To explode something. He was trembling with the need. How he was holding himself back from lashing out, he honestly didn’t know himself.

“It’s not possible,” the old hag responded with a roll of her eyes. “No Hunter, good or bad, would ever break the Oath. You should know what kind of disgrace that is. No one with half a brain would even think of it.”

“Oh yeah? Well, part of the Warrior’s Oath is to never do anything that might endanger anyone else. Our job is to protect the Tribe, not bring the rage of a fire breathing dragon on a vengeful killing spree on it. So if I did what these assholes said I did, it would mean I broke my Oath,” he challenged, glaring at his parents and daring them to say anything to deny that. “So the issue is fucking simple. What do you think is less likely: that I’d break my Oath, or a pair of fucking Hunters you likely don’t even know all that well?” They were a few season cycles older than Katsuki, but more than a dozen younger than his parents. It was unlikely his parents really knew them personally, even if all of them shared the same role in the Tribe and worked together on occasion. Plus, he was their son. They knew him, or at least they were supposed to.

And yet, both the old man and the old hag hesitated, as if uncertain. Katsuki’s Magic stilled, frozen in place and then coiled painfully tightly around his core. He grit his teeth, ignoring the feeling and focusing on the hot rage bubbling in his stomach instead. He glared at them both, hoping his eyes conveyed all of his hatred and rage and none of the hurt that threatened to steal his breath. Their silence was an answer all on its own, really. Only it wasn’t one Katsuki had expected. He turned on his heel without a word and walked over to his cot. His traveling bag was next to it. It would be difficult to fit all of his belongings in it, but it just would have to do. If worst came to worst, he’d just take only the strictly necessary. But either way, he was not going to stay.

“What the fuck are you doing, brat?” the old hag asked, snapping out of her thoughts. Her tone was quieter and a bit cautious, but still irritated.

“Packing. Ain’t that obvious?” Katsuki snapped at her, but he didn’t bother with even glancing her way. “If you think I’m going to stay somewhere I know people think that fucking lowly of me, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“We don’t think lowly of you, Champ,” the old man tried to calm him, to placate, to mitigate the damage and smooth over the unsaid implication. “It’s just… difficult to believe. They’re Hunters like us. We hunt together. We scout together. They have given us no reason to doubt them and as fellow Hunters, we trust them with our lives every time we go out as part of the same party,” he tried to explain, and maybe that was supposed to make Katsuki feel better but it really fucking didn’t.

“And I’m your son. Your goddamn family. Your blood. But I guess that doesn’t count for fucking shit, does it,” he spat without looking back. He wouldn’t be able to take the furs he used for his bedding with him. He’d have to hunt and get new ones. But he took everything he could possibly need to care for his sword and a few knives to have something to start with. He wasn’t sure where he was going to go. Probably to that hut he’d slept in last night. It was run down and out of the way. He’d need to renovate it a bit, but it was habitable. It would have to do.

“Of course it does,” the old man tried again. He came closer and tried to lay a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder, but the young Warrior shook him off with a snarl. The man took a step back, blinking a little at the reaction. He didn’t get a chance to try and say much more to convince him, either.

“If it did, you wouldn’t have fucking hesitated to tell me who’s more fucking likely to break an Oath and betray a tribesman,” Katsuki growled at him as he shouldered his bag and picked up his sword, tying it swiftly in place at his waistband with one hand. His back and leg protested the strain of the weight he was carrying but he resolutely ignored it and strode over to the door, willing himself to not start limping again.

“Neither of us ever said anything like that, you brat,” the old hag cut in. She didn’t sound angry, though. Katsuki couldn’t quite place the emotion in her tone, but he didn’t really care to try, either.

“No, you didn’t say anything at all when I asked. But that’s a fucking answer in and off itself, ain’t it.” Which may or may not have made it worse. Katsuki wasn’t sure and honestly, he didn’t plan on finding out. Just knowing even his own fucking family wouldn’t take his side on this, that they needed to think about it before they could admit that maybe he wasn’t lying about not being at fault made him want to throw up. His chest ached, his Magic swirling inside and squeezing and burning his heart and lungs and everything else it could reach. But Katsuki didn’t give in to the pain. He embraced the rage boiling in his stomach instead. Because he’d be damned if he did anything else. He wasn’t weak. He’d never been weak and he’d never shown weakness to people who’ve tried to hurt him, intentionally or not (although it was intentional in most cases). He wasn’t going to start now.

His parents didn’t reply to that. Not until he wrenched the door of the hut open with clear intentions of leaving like he’d said.

“Brat,” the old hag called, walking closer to him with purposeful steps. He stopped at the threshold of the hut and looked back at her over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. If she apologized right now, if she admitted she was wrong, that she should have at least listened to him… well, he wouldn’t forgive her, not right away at least, but he knew he’d definitely come back once he’d cooled off again. Because it wasn’t like he wanted to be on his own, to lose his home and his family and have literally no one left to turn to. Yuueians weren’t meant to live like this. Humans in general weren’t meant to live like this. But he would if he really wasn’t wanted here, like he was starting to believe was the case. Because if he’d been wanted, if he’d been considered part of the family, if he truly belonged then surely they wouldn’t pick other people’s side over his so easily, right?

“We’re not done here,” she said instead. Her tone was calmer than before, quieter, but with a steely note that demanded obedience to it. Katsuki’s grip on the strap of his traveling bag tightened and he stared her down furiously. If looks could kill…

“Yes, we are,” he growled, then turned and walked out of the hut, slamming the door as hard as he could.

This time, he wasn’t planning to come back. Not for a long time, at any rate.


Finding the hut he’d slept in the previous night proved to be surprisingly difficult, to the point that Katsuki actually started considering for a moment if maybe he had it wrong and it was somewhere else. He didn’t, though, and found what he was looking for about two candlemarks later.

The hut looked even shabbier in daylight. The wood of the roof was slightly bent or even shattered in places, the door barely hung on its hinges (although it was in one piece; Katsuki could have sworn it had been broken in two just the night before) and there was clearly more than one spot where the walls were no longer airtight. Despite that, the inside of the hut was warm and cozy just as it had been the previous night, as if it didn’t need any sort of renovation. The oddity should have put Katsuki on guard, but he’d barely paid it any mind in his exhaustion the previous night. But now was different. Now, he was determined to find the reason behind it.

It took him a while and even once he had figured it out, he wasn’t sure if he actually got it right. Because unless he was mistaken, the hut was a Sanctuary. Which would explain why his parents had apparently never been able to find it and why it was so easily habitable despite the exterior needing more than a little work.

It was the symbols he found as he took stock of all the damage he’d need to repair in order to really be able to live there that tipped him off. They were etched into every wall close to the floor, out of sight and easy to miss. Katsuki didn’t know what they meant, he wasn’t able to read them, but he recognized a few as archaic runes used in really old texts that the Elders kept and sometimes used during the lessons that accompanied training. He didn’t know the symbols’ actual meaning, but he knew they mostly came up in relation to Mother Nature and the Spirits of the Seasons. From there, considering all the other oddities, it wasn’t hard to figure out the context.

Still, it was mind blowing. Sanctuaries were nothing more than myths and most people didn’t think any were left, though no Yuueian doubted they’d existed at one point. As the name implied, Sanctuaries were places where one could rest and hide safely. They were created and maintained by the Spirits of the Seasons. 

Well, not all of them. Winter spirits in particular weren’t part of it and neither were the Summer spirits.

The clear divide was due to the connection the Spirits of the Seasons had to Mother Nature. Because Nature could be as kind as it could be ruthless and the spirits, children of Mother Nature, were but another facet of that balance. Winter and summer spirits where the ruthless ones. The first were childish and loved to play deadly pranks, including guiding gullible humans to their frozen doom and the second were hotheaded and violent, easy to rile up and the most destructive when angered.

By contrast, spring and autumn spirits were gentler, kinder. Rather than attempt to harm, they preferred to nurture. And so in response to their brothers’ and sisters’ ruthless actions, they created safe havens where people could wait through any kind of danger. They built Sanctuaries, safe houses only visible to those in dire need of a place to rest safely and impossible to find on purpose. If someone was taking refuge inside, no one wishing them any harm could even see them, let alone enter. They were said to have a sort of protective barrier around them to always make those who couldn’t see them give them a wide berth, never noticing they were doing so.

There was a certain, archaic Magic at work inside as well, ensuring the Sanctuary would always be cozy and warm, but not overly so. No matter its appearance from the outside or what what was going on around it, Sanctuaries were believed to always be perfectly habitable and safe, able to withstand anything and allowing someone taking refuge inside to survive any kind of calamity. Whether it was a freezing snow storm or an unrelenting drought brought on by a heatwave or hiding from a beast Hell bent on killing and eating you or something else, as long as one had some provisions, they could survive comfortably within a Sanctuary.

Those were the myths, though. It’d been thousands of years since there had been any mention of anyone finding a Sanctuary in real life. And yet here one was, tucked away at the very edge of the village, unnoticed and likely not even knowingly included within the village borders. Now, people knew Sanctuaries used to exist (or at least Yuueians believed so), but no one really thought any were still left since many people, Lycans and Yuueians alike, lost their belief in Nature and her Children. Yuueians still revered Nature and feared the winter spirits in particular, but that was about it. Lycans had clearly abandoned the arcane beliefs entirely.

The hut being a Sanctuary was as much a good thing as it was a bad one, however. It was good because it meant it was habitable and Katsuki wouldn’t freeze while he renovated. But it was bad because Sanctuaries weren’t supposed to be inhabited for an undetermined amount of time, much less forever, so either Katsuki would have to build a new hut for himself from scratch and move there, or he knew the spring and autumn spirits keeping the Sanctuary as was would leave. Which may or may not happen peacefully regardless of the spirits being generally kind and gentle.

Another issue was the fact that whether he built a new hut or renovated the Sanctuary, Katsuki would need materials. He’d have to get those from the forest as Yuueians only tended to gather just as much as they needed at a given time and thus didn’t have a stock of materials for circumstances like renovations or building new houses. Which usually wasn’t much of a problem, except Katsuki was still weakened and the Sanctuary was almost literally on the other end of the village than the gate, so the treck to and from the forest would be a long one.

Luck seemed to be on his side, for once, however, because as he inspected the hut and found an ever-increasing list of things to work on, he also found something he hadn’t expected: a small trap door in the floor, just big enough to fit a well-built man. It led into what seemed to be a subterranean tunnel and when Katsuki carefully descended into it and followed it to ensure it was safe and didn’t run the risk of caving in, he quickly found himself climbing out a hole that could pass for a rather large burrow of one creature or another in the middle of the forest a little ways away from the village. The spirits have probably added it after the Sanctuary had been enclosed by the village walls so it could still be used if someone outside the village needed it.

That was perfect. He could use the tunnel for going back and forth as he gathered what he needed.

Maybe building his own house or renovating the Sanctuary (whichever he ended up doing), wouldn’t be that hard after all.


The following days, Katsuki focused nearly exclusively on what he needed to do in order to survive the rest of winter and little else. He didn’t allow himself to think much about what happened with his parents or anything else for that matter. He didn’t really listen to his own body, either. His injuries pulled and strained in response to the hard labor he forced on himself and his appointments with Lady Shuzenji didn’t help much because her Magic always made him exhausted. Which he ignored as well and kept working anyway. The old Healer scolded him for it nearly all the time, but Katsuki not only didn’t listen to her, but even snapped at her to stay out of his business once or twice when the rage boiling on and off inside him became too much.

As unhealthy as that potentially was to him, he had to acknowledge it was a necessity. With each passing day, Katsuki could sense the arcane Magic leaving the Sanctuary and it grew colder as a result. The old runes were fading when he checked them, so the spirits that made the place likely understood he’d need it permanently and were removing their Magic - and likely themselves - from it. Thankfully, it was a slow, gradual process which seemed to adapt to the speed at which Katsuki renovated the place. He was certain that was the spirits’ doing, too, so he made sure to try and leave some kind of offering for them each night in thanks. He didn’t have much since there was only so many rations he could take for himself from the storage shack and he didn’t exactly have time to hunt while he focused on rebuilding his new house, but he gave them offerings with what he could to show his appreciation for their goodwill.

It was on one of the days where he’d been gathering more wood to work on the hut’s roof that the dragon showed up. Katsuki had honestly thought the lizard had left by now despite having an odd feeling that it did not. Apparently, the feeling was right, though. It was probably due to its injuries, since its wing clearly wasn’t healed yet.

You shouldn’t be pushing yourself so hard. You’re still healing,” the reptile said in an oddly soft voice in his head. It probably had a point considering Katsuki’s back was being particularly annoying today with how much his stitches pulled, but the blonde would be damned if he admitted a stupid dragon of all things had a point.

“Mind your own fucking business, you damn lizard,” he growled as he climbed a little bit higher into the tree he was currently in, looking for any other branches that were big enough for him to make into planks later, but not lively enough to actually harm the tree. His back protested the movement. He ignored it. “Why the fuck are you even still around? Shouldn’t you go back to your shitty mountains?” Then again, it would probably be better if the dragon didn’t do that. It might bring its flock back to attack the village, after all, and then no one would stand a chance of surviving.

Can’t you maybe… ask someone to help you with whatever you’re doing? Or to do it for you? You should really rest or you won’t get better…” the dragon went on, ignoring his question as it tilted its head to the side. It sounded a bit worried, but also slightly disgusted. With what, Katsuki didn’t know. Or care. He turned to glare at it.

“I said mind your own fucking business!” he yelled, his Magic immediately starting to swirl inside him in a hot, agitated mess and the now-familiar, simmering rage separate from it starting to boil once more in his innards. The lizard’s head reared back just a little at his tone and it blinked a couple of times.

I’m sorry… I don’t… don’t understand your words,” he heard in his mind. The dragon sounded uncertain now. Maybe even a bit frightened. It should be weird, because it wasn’t like it couldn’t just eat Katsuki whole, but the Yuueian hardly noticed as he scoffed.

Figures a stupid reptile couldn’t understand human speech and needed to read their mind like a fucking creep,’ he thought. His eyes found a branch then that he might be able to use, so he hoisted himself up towards it with only a small grimace to get a better look.

I understand human speech! Somewhat. Just not whatever gibberish language you’re speaking,” the dragon replied, sounding honestly offended as it huffed. But it didn’t bare its teeth, didn’t snap, didn’t attack. Was it because of what it had said before? That it couldn’t kill or let Katsuki die because he’d tied it to himself somehow? “And I’m not reading your mind. You’re responding to me telepathically,” it added. That made Katsuki pause in his inspection and instead of cutting off another branch to carry back to his new home with his current load, he turned to glare at the dragon.

Humans can’t speak telepathically, you idiotic reptile,’ he thought with a scowl. The dragon only huffed.

And dragons can’t read minds. So I either suddenly learned the impossible, or you’re actually talking back,” it said. Katsuki didn’t reply, only scowled harshly and used the saw he had with him to cut through the drying bark of the branch he needed. It fell soon enough and landed on the ground with a dull thump. Katsuki let the saw drop as well and then carefully climbed down. His back stung fiercely now and his legs trembled a little. He continued to ignore it.

The dragon kept watching without moving as Katsuki put the newly-cut branch into the large basket he had with him. It only barely fit. That was enough for this batch. He wouldn’t be able to carry more right now anyway. So he turned and pulled on the straps to pull the basket onto his back. The pain intensified and he stumbled a little, cursing softly under his breath, but he didn’t drop the load. The trembling of his legs worsened, however.

You really shouldn’t be carrying this kind of thing in your current condition,” the dragon tried again and Katsuki snarled at it and the bubbling rage came to a boiling point once again.

Fuck off. If you’re so goddamn keen on having someone else do it for me fucking carry this shit for me yourself! Assuming you can change into a form that would allow you to enter the village in the first place,” he mentally yelled at the lizard, willing his thoughts to come across as loud and booming as he wished he was able to make his actual voice sound. He snarled the words out loud as well, despite knowing they wouldn’t be understood, and his voice actually echoed in the otherwise silent forest.

Surprisingly, the dragon actually recoiled then, taking a few steps back which caused the ground to tremble. Katsuki, still unsteady on his feet, lost his balance due to the shaking and fell backwards, his back colliding with the wicker basket while the wood he’d gathered spilled. The collision irritated his wounds further and the stab of sheer agony that pierced through him made him give out a strangled yelp as he rolled onto his side. His hands were fisting the grass and he was breathing harshly as he waited for the wave of pain to pass. Once it finally had, he carefully pushed himself into a sitting position. His back and arm twinged again and he hissed, but managed to sit up properly, though he was shaking all over now. He coughed a few times. There was smoke in the air all of a sudden, smoke that shouldn’t be there and which could only have one source. His head snapped up to stare at the dragon again, expecting an angry reptile with a smoking jaw, ready to spew fire at him.

Instead, as the wind blew the smoke away, he found himself staring not at a gigantic, scaly lizard, but at a human man around his age. A very naked and very beat-up man with red, spiky hair, though it seemed a bit matted right now. Katsuki gaped.

“What the fuck?” he breathed in astonishment. His words were barely audible even to himself, but whether it was the sound of his voice or something else, it made the man flinch and curl in on himself protectively.

Sorry. Sorry. Make stop. Please. Will obey. Please. Hurts…” the man spoke in broken Common and Katsuki blinked in confusion. Make what stop? What was this guy yapping about? And… had a dragon really just transformed into a fucking human?! What the actual fuck?!

The man - dragon? - whimpered again and started to tremble. The sound made Katsuki snap out of his astonishment and give him a more thorough look. It wasn’t really hard to notice the most likely sources of the other’s pain, either. There were several wounds all over his body, some of them burns. There was a particularly large gash in his side. The same side Katsuki remembered ploughing into with his last, desperate attack. It was starting to heal over, but was still an open flesh wound and ran the risk of infection or re-opening from what he could see. Damn it.

Shut up,” he responded in Common, since it was a language the man - dragon, damn it, it was a dragon - apparently understood. Which proved to be correct, too, as the now-humanoid lizard obediently fell silent. With a sigh, Katsuki carefully stood up after freeing himself from the straps of the wicker basket, not trusting himself to be able to stand up with it. And he was right because his back pulsed with a deep ache and he swayed a little on his feet. Damn it. He probably busted the stitches when he fell. Lady Shuzenji was going to have his head tomorrow. He scowled at the wood he’d gathered. There was no way he was going to be able to carry any of it back now. Well fuck.

Get up,” he growled at the cowering man - dragon, not man! - with a scowl. His irritation only rose when the other didn’t immediately comply. He grabbed the man’s arm roughly and pulled him upright. “I said get up,” he growled again and this time was rewarded with teary, red, terrified eyes looking up to meet his own. The man - dragon, whatever - was clearly terrified of something. Possibly of Katsuki himself. Which was a bit mind blowing considering Katsuki was human and the creature before him a dragon, even if it had a human form now.

Slowly, an idea started to form in Katsuki’s mind. The dragon had said Katsuki had bound it to himself. It kept saying it couldn’t kill Katsuki, couldn’t hurt him or let him die. It clearly didn’t care for him, held only contempt for him (which was requited, to be fair) but it still brought him to the village to be healed. Even just now, though reluctantly, it had been looking out for him. It definitely wasn’t because it cared or because it was fond of him. But… maybe it just had no other choice? It seemed possible, especially with how it had taken on a human form when Katsuki had told it to. 

If that was the case, if the dragon really had no other choice but to obey for some reason, it would explain the fear. Katsuki could ask it to do anything. And yet instead of feeling proud and happy and on top of the world at the idea, Katsuki only felt his stomach roll uncomfortably. He pushed the feeling away, though, and motioned for the fallen wood.

Take that and follow me, since you keep insisting I shouldn’t carry it myself,” he said slowly. The way the dragon had spoken earlier and how it said it ‘somewhat understood human speech’ made Katsuki think it might not understand Common all that well, either. And it clearly didn’t speak Yuueian. Still, it seemed to understand his words, because it quickly did as he asked, gathering everything into the basket and then hefting it onto its back with little difficulty. It followed after him quietly, head hanging low and gaze on the ground in a subdued manner, only adding believability to Katsuki’s earlier assumption.

When they reached the ‘burrow’ that led into the tunnel, Katsuki hesitated briefly. After all, he was about to bring a dragon into the village, beyond the walls, with no one being the wiser about it. But then again, if the lizard wanted to kill anyone, it could have done so at any time, so what did it matter if it stayed in the forest or came with Katsuki? At least this way, the young Warrior could keep an eye on it. Plus if the dragon really needed to obey him, then as unsettling as that was, Katsuki was going to take advantage of it for now.

He could definitely use the additional pair of hands, after all.


Praying was not a concept Yuueians were very familiar with. They knew of it by virtue of seeing Lycans do it, for Lycans revered their Gods and erected temples for them and prayed to them. Sometimes even threw feasts or celebrations in their honor or offered them sacrifices. So Yuueians knew such practices existed, but they didn’t practice them themselves. For Yuueians, the Gods were not all-knowing, all-mighty beings that played with their lives and needed to be revered. The Gods were beings possessing powers and abilities far above those of humans, yes, but that didn’t make them otherworldly creatures that had to be revered and prayed to for their mercy. Especially since only very specific conditions aside, Yuueians didn’t believe the Gods meddled in Myordian life much.

By Yuueian beliefs, the Gods all used to be human (or some other mortal creature) at one point or another. They just happened to do something special, something that deserved a mighty recompense beyond just fame and glory and myths being told about them for eons to come. And so Mother Nature gave them a recompense in the form of a Realm all to themselves and powers humans could only dream of. They were given eternal life to spend as they wished, free of most worries and responsibilities. They could meddle in life on the mortal plane, but they scarcely did (granting Magic to people as Mother Nature and her Children had before them aside). Not unless it was either requested of them directly via a prayer or unless they deemed it necessary for whatever reason.

However, even with all the powers Mother Nature bestowed upon them, the Gods were not all-mighty and they couldn’t perform miracles without repercussions. Balance always had to be preserved. If they gave something, they had to take something else in return. Give and take. Push and pull. It was all about balance in the end. And so Yuueians hardly ever prayed or asked the Gods for anything, for everyone was aware that if the Gods listened, the request would not be granted without a price being paid. Most prefered not to risk it. You never knew what would be demanded of you in return for a granted prayer, after all.

It was no different in Katsuki’s case. He had never prayed in his life, had never requested anything of the Gods, though he knew he was one of the few whose life the Gods have meddled with already for one reason or another - though he had yet to figure out what that reason was. They had given him exceptionally strong Magic rooted in the Arcane knowledge (or magic) possessed by dragons and they had given him a friend in Deku via the dreams they sent. In return for both, Katsuki lost the acceptance from his Tribe, or at least that was what he’d assumed. Then, the Gods have granted him a miracle by allowing him to somehow tame a dragon, but in return, he’d lost the trust of his family. It hardly seemed fair, but there was some balance to it, even if Katsuki didn’t fully understand it. Although admittedly, he might also have the equation of what was given vs. what was taken wrong.

Either way, the Gods have meddled with his life for some reason he would probably figure out one day and he had gained impressive things thanks to that, but had also suffered for it. As soon as he’d gained that understanding, he’d vowed to himself to never pray to the Gods, to never ask anything of them, because no matter what he asked for, he didn’t want to have to give up anything else.

He was breaking that promise now. While he pushed himself and didn’t allow himself to think about much of what he was dealing with during the day, focusing on rebuilding his new house instead, things were different at night. At night, he didn’t have anything to distract him from his thoughts. At night, there was only darkness and exhaustion from a hard day’s work and a creeping sense of pain and loss that he could barely stand.

And so he prayed. He prayed because there was only one thing he really wanted, only one person he wanted to see, but he couldn’t see him without the Gods’ interference. So he prayed for a dream. He prayed to be allowed to meet Deku. His Friend from the Gods. The one person he trusted with everything.

The days passed, however, and no dream came. His prayers went unanswered. Which only served to fuel his anger and rage, but also his pain and disappointment until the entire toxic mess of emotions was nearly too much to handle. It wasn’t just about wanting to see Deku, either. It was more than that. More than just wanting to see him, Katsuki found himself realizing that he needed to see him. He needed a friend. He needed someone to be there for him because they cared, not because they had to like the dragon (now turned human) did.

But Deku wasn’t there and Katsuki didn’t get to dream with him for a long time.

By the time a dream finally came, he had all but given up on dreaming with the other any time soon. The fact that it was at that precise moment that the Gods finally deemed it right to send him a dream pissed him off, in all honesty, but he was too wrung out to stay angry for long. Besides, it wasn’t like Deku not being there when Katsuki had needed him had been the other’s fault. Deku couldn’t control when they dreamed together any more than Katsuki could, after all, and it wasn’t like he’d had any way of knowing how much Katsuki needed him to just be there. 

He and the dragon had made good progress on the renovations to the Sanctuary by that point, but both their injuries suffered for it and Katsuki was as weakened in body as he was in heart. He didn’t have the energy to be angry anymore. He was tired and to be completely frank, he just wanted to spend some time with Deku and get a chance to enjoy it, to make himself feel better.

That clearly hadn’t been written in his cards, however, because instead of doing any of that, he got only another piece of bad news and then Deku and him got into a fight. Apparently, Deku’s mother had found Katsuki’s knife and had taken it away. Which wasn’t that much of a surprise, it had happened before and Deku had promised to get it back. It only lead to a repeat performance, though, and a worsening of the situation.

That wasn’t really something that could be ignored. Sharp and sturdy as it was, the knife was also fragile. It took a lot of regular work to really keep it in top shape and only very little for its state to deteriorate. Even something as simple as leaving it in its sheath too long could damage it to a certain extent because the blade required regular exposure to sunlight or some other heatsource to remain in a good state due to what it was made of. In fact, Katsuki was relatively certain the time Deku’s mother had hidden it for the first time had already started to chip a tiny bit at the blade, though he didn’t exactly feel any difference in his fighting abilities from it like he believed he would if enough damage accumulated.

Needless to say, the idea that Deku’s mother could throw the knife away wasn’t exactly one Katsuki was on board with. That had to be avoided. She couldn’t be allowed to throw it away. She just couldn’t.

At the same time, though, in the state he was in emotionally and having gone through what he had with his family, Katsuki didn’t want to risk Deku going through the same thing. He might be self-centered and a selfish asshole at times, but he also cared deeply about the few friends (or rather one friend) he had and he didn’t want him to go through anything even remotely similar to what he had. So when he heard Deku was fighting with his mother about it, he’d tried to tell him he should try a middle way that both he and his mother could find agreeable. It wouldn’t be ideal, but it would stop them from fighting anymore and it wasn’t like Katsuki couldn’t deal with the knife being a bit neglected if he knew to expect it.

Deku didn’t seem to like his input, though, and that was putting it mildly. So they got into a fight and instead of a dream that actually made him feel better and eased some of the ache like his dreams with Deku usually did, Katsuki was left with the uncertainty of whether or not he’d pissed his only friend off enough that he’d chased him away. He was left wondering if he was going to lose the last person who seemed to give a damn about him. In theory, he knew it was ridiculous, because it would take a lot more than that for Deku to give up on him, right? But after the recent events, no matter what logic whispered to him, he just couldn’t shake the worry.

Being depressed just wasn’t his style, however, so he didn’t allow it to last. He’d deal with Deku when he got to dream of him again. Until then, thinking and worrying wouldn’t get him anywhere. And he had other issues and other assholes to worry about anyway. So though his heart was heavy and his mind troubled, he forced himself to push it aside and to focus on what he could currently deal with. Namely the Tribe and the two Hunters.


Winter was nearing its end by the time Katsuki deemed the renovations of the hut and he (and the dragon) would live in completed and his body had finished healing. Lady Shuzenji’s Magic worked wonders and none of the wounds left any permanent aches or vulnerabilities. For all intents and purposes, it was as if he had never been hurt at all despite the severity of his injuries and the length of time it had taken him to heal. The only thing remaining of the wounds now were scars, but Katsuki had long since learned that those were just part of being a Warrior. Besides, scars weren’t exactly something to be ashamed of among his Tribe, not unless the story behind them wasn’t worth telling. And even if they were, most of his would be hidden by his clothing, anyway.

Since his body was finally in a decent state again, he’d gotten back into training so he could get himself back in shape. Which was definitely a good call because he could feel the nearly two whole lunar dances he’d spent in recovery. The other thing he did was finally act on his decision to deal with Teepee Head and Flame Hair for their actions and lies.

He chose an evening no different from any other for it, with the exception of the fact that most of the tribesmen were helping with building a new main bonfire in the center of the village. Katsuki was helping, too, of course, lugging the heavy wood from the cart to the bonfire and helping set it up. It was nearly entirely dark by the time it was finished and everyone was exhausted, but that wasn’t going to stop him. There needed to be people around to witness the challenge, after all. If All Might were around, that would be even better, but Katsuki hadn’t really looked around to see where the Tribe Leader might be. Instead, his eyes searched the crowd for those he was looking for and he quickly found them.

“Oi! Teepee Head! Flame Hair!” he called at them with a scowl, his voice loud enough to boom across the square. Several other people turned their heads at the call, narrowing their eyes and whispering among themselves. For once, Katsuki didn’t mind. For once, he wanted them to watch as he strode over to the two Hunters. The men in question turned to face him without fear - a serious mistake - and with a confidence he hadn’t seen to them before, like they thought he couldn’t do shit to them - an even bigger mistake, as they were about to find out.

“What do you want, Bakugou?” Teepee Head asked haughtily, his tone making Katsuki’s scowl deepen. Instead of answering verbally, Katsuki threw a pair of wooden knives he’d made specifically for this occasion at their feet. The square fell deadly silent in an instant at the gesture and the smirks slipped off the Hunters’ faces.

“A duel of honor,” Katsuki said in a low tone, even though it wasn’t really needed. Everyone knew what throwing a wooden weapon at someone’s feet like this meant, after all. “With each of you bastards.” Whispers started up again in the crowd in response to the proclamation. Katsuki paid them no mind and kept his gaze locked on the two Hunters - the two traitors - willing them to pick up the blades. Of course, they weren’t obligated to. They could refuse, but doing so would be very telling in its own right. So Katsuki could achieve what he wanted that way as well. But if he was completely honest, he wasn’t interested in that. He wanted them to accept the challenge. He wanted to fight them, to pay them back.

Their silent staredown was interrupted when someone pushed their way through the crowd and towards them. Katsuki didn’t look their way, but he knew immediately who it was when he heard the voice.

“You damn brat!” the old hag called as she strode up to and gripped his shoulder tightly. He broke his stare with the Hunters to turn his head to glare at her. Her expression matched his. She was furious. “What in the Gods’ name do you think you’re doing? Are you fucking insane?” she hissed at him, keeping her voice down as if wanting to keep the conversation private. Maybe she did. Katsuki didn’t have the same issue.

“I’m doing the one damn thing I can to prove once and for all that these two are shitty liars,” he growled back before glaring at Teepee Head and Flame Hair again. They hadn’t taken the knives yet. He wouldn’t stand for that. “Pick them up,” he challenged in a low growl. “Unless you’re too cowardly to face me.”

“That’s enough, you stupid brat,” the old hag snapped, slapping him over the head. “Stop making a fucking scene. And take the challenge back. Don’t be a fool.”

“I’m not,” Katsuki rumbled, feeling his anger rise to the surface again, his Magic coiling and swirling hotly inside him, “being a fool.”

“You are,” his mother replied hotly and Katsuki glared at her, hoping his eyes conveyed all the rage he felt right then. The old hag didn’t even flinch. “You’re behaving like a spoiled brat. You’re an adult, even if I call you a brat. Fucking act like it.”

“I am acting like it,” Katsuki sarled, finally wrenching his shoulder away from her grip. In all honesty, he didn’t want to fight with her or with the old man, who was now coming closer. But at the same time, he couldn’t just let slide what she was saying, what she was implying. He wasn’t in the wrong here. He wasn’t making this shit up. He wasn’t being a fool and he wasn’t doing anything idiotic. In fact, he was doing the only thing he could do to clear his name, because Gods knew no one would ever listen otherwise. The best proof stood right in front of him, his mother, disbelieving and crossing her arms over her chest in irritation. If even she didn’t believe his claims after everything, including that he’d moved out to avoid her because of her (and the old man’s) lack of belief in him, who the fuck else would unless he had proof? Well, he would give them proof. Irrefutable proof. A duel of honor. That will show them. “You’re the one who won’t even give my words the time of day! Whose fucking side are you on?!”

“The side that makes sense, you moron!” the old hag snapped, her own temper escaping her control. Not that it was the first time. This was just a normal occurrence between Katsuki and his mother. They always yelled at each other. Only this time, they were fighting about a particularly serious and sensitive issue. “They’re respected Hunters, one of the best of their age group. I trust them with my life. All of the Hunters do. Because they’ve earned it.”

“And I haven’t earned even enough of your trust for you to believe my words, is that what you’re fucking saying?!” Katsuki exploded, unable to hold his anger in anymore and unwilling to try. The implication of her words hurt , but he’d be damned if he let that show with this big an audience. Or that he’d show it in general, audience or not. Let them watch and stare. He didn’t care! He wasn’t going to show any weakness to them, nor would he back down. Because no matter what anyone said, he knew he was in the right. “Damn it, I’m your son ! If anyone in this damn village should know at least a little about me, it’d be you and the old man! Are you telling me I don’t deserve even the benefit of the fucking doubt?! Just because what?! Because I’m a Warrior and not a Hunter?! ‘Cause I don’t work with you?! ‘Cause I’m younger than these assholes and apparently didn’t yet prove I was trustworthy?! Fuck you, old hag! I’m not going to stand around here and let you shit all over me like that, whether you are my damn mother or not!”

“Enough. Stop shouting, both of you. You’re making a scene,” the old man cut in in a low, rumbly voice. Unlike last time, however, Katsuki wasn’t cowed by it, his anger too great to be doused even by his father’s ire. “Mitsuki, dear, you need to calm down,” he told his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and squeezing before looking at Katsuki. “You too, Champ.”

“Fuck off,” Katsuki told him with a scowl as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. He had every right to be pissed, goddamnit, and the old man should know better than to request the impossible anyway. His father only sighed.

“And I need you to take back the challenge before it’s too late,” he added, his words making Katsuki’s blood boil. His head snapped back to glare at his father and he growled, subconsciously baring his teeth like Deku usually did, the nerd’s habits apparently rubbing off on him from a life-time of exposure. Although it was still a bit odd because he had never emulated Deku before. He had no reason to suddenly start now. The oddity of his own behavior escaped Katsuki’s notice in that moment, however.

“No,” he snapped, short and sharp and clearly without any intention of changing his mind. “I won’t. The challenge fucking stands.”

“Champ…” the old man sighed again and rubbed at his forehead with one hand. He seemed tired, although whether it was exhaustion from a long day or if he just didn’t want to deal with Katsuki anymore, the blond wasn’t sure. Nor did he didn’t really care either way.

“That’s not a request, brat,” the old hag cut in again as she stepped closer, away from her husband’s calming hold as she scowled at her son. Her expression was still irritated and hard. There was something about it that told Katsuki she would not budge much like him. That they were at an impasse. That they hit a dead-end or maybe a cliff and had a choice between turning back and taking a plunge they wouldn’t come back from.

He was, unfortunately, proven correct.

“You will do it. No son of mine will behave in such a disgraceful manner,” the old hag said, and from one second to the next, everything stilled. Every whisper, every sound of gravel as someone shifted fell silent. Even the wind seemed to come to a standstill at those words as the entire village waited for Katsuki’s response.

The young Yuueian, for his part, was frozen in place. His blood had run cold and his Magic seemed to literally go out and disappear, leaving him without its familiar warmth altogether. It would make him feel freezing if it wasn’t for the anger, the sheer rage that filled him in its place and made him clench his fists as he glared.

The old hag was serious, he knew that. No one threw out threats like that half-heartedly, after all, or if they didn’t plan to stick to them. Most people would immediately do as she asked to placate her, to get on her good side. Any child would do that when faced with the threat of being literally abandoned by their family. No one wanted to be left all on their own without even a name to them, after all.

But Katsuki wasn’t most people. And more than that, he didn’t intend to bow down to the old hag and the old man, who was clearly on his mother’s side or he would have said something already, when he knew he was in the right. Nor did he intend to keep trying to prove to them that he deserved their belief in his claims. He was officially done with this shit.

“Fine then,” he grit out through clenched teeth, his tone a low rumble that actually made the old hag flinch before her eyes widened. She clearly hadn’t expected him to not back down. Well, too bad. She should have known better. “Guess that means I’m not your son, then, because I’m not going to listen to a damn word you say,” he spat, then turned his back on them both to face the Hunters and the still-stunned crowd of his tribesmen. “The challenge stands,” he confirmed again loudly, glaring at the two fuckers who were ultimately at fault that any of this was even happening. “Accept it or refuse to and show everyone just how cowardly you are, I don’t fucking care.”

“I’ll accept it,” Flame Hair said with an annoying smirk as he picked up one of the wooden daggers by its hilt, twirled it once in his hand and then put it at his belt. “I have no reason not to. I have nothing to fear.”

“Me neither,” Teepee Head nodded, picking up the other dagger and doing the same as the other Hunter had. “We all know who the Gods will grant their favor, after all.”

“Don’t be so fucking sure about that,” Katsuki grit out, because many things could be said about the Gods, but not that they weren’t just. Whether it was part of the entire ‘give and take, keep the balance’ deal or something else, no one knew, but the fact was, the Gods always judged fairly in Yuueian experience. “We’ll meet in the first half of the first lunar dance of spring. As soon as the snow melts,” he added louder so that everyone could hear. The two Hunters nodded their agreement, and then the three of them turned and went their separate ways.

“Wait…” the old hag said softly as she reached out to stop him. Katsuki snarled and drew further away at the attempt.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” he spat at her angrily. “You and the old man made your fucking choice, and I made mine. Now fuck off.”  He stalked off without waiting for her response, heading straight to his new (and it would seem permanent) home, slamming the door behind him.

He took the subterranean tunnel to leave the village and head to the woods immediately after with the intention of using his Magic to practice flying. No one but the dragon was aware of it, but then, it was nobody's fucking business what Katsuki did anymore.

And if the explosions that propelled him up and into the air were fueled by more emotion than just explosive rage, if his eyes burned from more than just the sting of the cold air, well, no one had any way of knowing that.


Master! Wake up! We need to leave! Wake up!

The dragon yelling in his head coupled with the way it shook Katsuki by the shoulder were more than enough to rouse him. The young Yuueian woke with a start, mind immediately on high alert as he got to his feet and into a crouch, his entire body tense and at the ready.

The fuck is it this time?” he asked telepathically, irritated and on edge. It wasn’t the first time the shitty lizard had woken him up in the middle of the night and it usually didn’t mean anything good. This time was no exception.

I heard someone trying to sneak closer so I chanced a glance outside. It’s the same two humans as every other time. They’re planning something again. If you won’t let me deal with them then we have to leave. Now!

Don’t you fucking dare so much as reach a hand out that door, you shitty lizard. I told you you’re not to show yourself outside, damn you!” Katsuki snarled back and his anger must have come across well enough despite the fact he didn’t use his voice because the dragon flinched and nodded quickly.

I know, Master. I understand. I won’t,” came the quick reply. Katsuki scowled at the form of address, but didn’t try to get the lizard to call him anything else. Annoying as it was, ‘master’ was the better alternative out of the choices he had at this point.

Vacating the hut wasn’t exactly hard. The subterranean tunnel made it exceptionally easy to slip in and out of the hut (and by extension the village). Still, Katsuki left the trapdoor open just enough to be able to glance into his home and waited to see what it would be this time. Because he didn’t doubt something would happen at this point.

He wasn’t disappointed as the door slowly swung open just a little and then there was a sound similar to that of several glass beads being thrown onto the wooden floor. Katsuki couldn’t see how many there were or where they landed, but one of them rolled close to the trapdoor, so he snatched it up before dropping into the tunnel and heading outside.

Looking at the thing by the light of a torch the dragon had already lit, Katsuki found not a glass bead, but something similar enough in his hand. It was small and round, with tiny pores all over the surface and made out of a hollowed fruit core. Katsuki had seen Hunters use such things enough on hunts to know they were scent bombs of sorts, though discreet and mostly used to set traps. What they did depended on what had been stuffed inside.

Frowning, the young Yuueian rubbed his fingers across the ball’s porey surface before bringing them to his nose and inhaling carefully. The scent he picked up was barely noticeable and did little more than make him blink as his vision grew slightly unfocused for a second. That was just from a tiny sniff of what stuck to his fingers, though. The scent bomb itself would probably do more even now if they weren’t outside. Still, from just that, Katsuki couldn’t believe it would do much else than just knock him out for a while. So what have the Hunters been planning this time?

He got his answer when the dragon beside him suddenly swayed and then collapsed and started hacking. The torch fell out of his hand and Katsuki only barely managed to catch it with his free hand before it hit the snow and went out. He glared at the collapsed, humanoid reptile.

Oi, what the fuck?!” he yelled mentally at it - at him, it was a boy - but didn’t get an answer beyond more coughing. A slight sense of dread and panic washed over him then and he tried to stomp it down, but wasn’t really successful. He growled lowly under his breath before his eyes fell back on the scent bomb. He was learning that dragons had an extremely powerful sense of smell. Stronger and more sensitive than any other beast he’d ever heard of. Could it be that it was the scent bomb affecting him?

Deciding not to take the chance that it might be that, Katsuki immediately turned around and flung the little sphere into the trees as hard as he could before using his magic to try and get rid of any remnant of a scent from his palm.

The Hunters hadn’t just thrown one scent bomb into his hut. It had been at least a handful. And Katsuki knew the bombs affected humans the same as they would any beast, at least at the right dosage. If the dragon, with his acute sense of smell, reacted this badly to just one scent bomb a few feet away from him while outside, then it was pretty obvious what a handful of them would do to Katsuki in the enclosed space of his hut.

“Cowards,” he growled under his breath as he sat down on the ground next to the passed-out reptile.

It wasn’t the first time they’d tried it, either. Since about five days after he’d issued his challenge, Katsuki had lost count of the number of times the dragon woke him up and ended up saving his life as a result. They hadn’t tried anything for those first five days and seemed so confident of their chances, but then it was like the realization that they were about to be outed hit them in the face or something. What exactly happened to make them realize they might actually lose, that the Gods might side with Katsuki, the blonde didn’t know nor care. What he did care about was how they decided to deal with it.

Which was trying to kill him quietly and without anyone knowing.

At first, he’d been surprised they’d even been able to find his home considering it used to be a Sanctuary, but then he remembered that the runes holding the arcane Magic in place were gone. The spirits had left, just as he’d suspected they would, and his hut was just that: a simple hut. It couldn’t hide him from the Hunters’ eyes like it used to.

The most ironic thing of all was that Teepee Head’s and Flame Hair’s own behavior was going to be what dug their graves in the end. Because Katsuki hadn’t been planning on actually killing them, despite what he’d told Deku before. That had just been the anger talking.

But with the repeated attempts on his life, he didn’t think they deserved his mercy. Especially considering what happened when Katsuki sparred with Deku in the last dream they shared. He didn’t know if he could actually kill the other in their dreams but he didn’t plan on finding out, either. However, he could definitely tell that the urge to kill something - or rather someone - was definitely there and getting harder to hold back.

And at this point, he didn’t really see a reason why he should. So he wasn’t going to.


Spring finally came and chased the winter away. The snow melted as the cold was pushed back by the warming weather. With the thaw came the promised time of the duel of honor.

Katsuki honestly expected most of the village to come witness it, if only because they’d hope to see him lose and ‘be put in his place’, and he wasn’t disappointed. While it probably wasn’t the entirety of the village, there was definitely a small crowd on the training grounds where the fight was to take place. His tribesmen parted to let him through as he approached and then moved to close the space behind him again until he reached the ‘arena’ - the space of the actual training ground that remained observer-free so Katsuki and the Hunters could actually fight.

Teepee Head and Flame Hair were already there. Their eyes widened when they saw Katsuki, almost as if they hadn’t expected him to show up. Which was probably the case considering that after one of their latest attempts at his life, Katsuki had just opted to stay in the forest with the dragon. Let the fuckers believe they’d finally managed to off him, he’d just wanted to finally have some peace before the time came to get back at them. And apparently, it had worked well. He gave them a predatory grin.

“What, thought I wouldn’t show up?” he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. His voice seemed to snap the Hunters out of their surprise because they shook their heads before grinning back. Katsuki could see their fear under the facade of confidence, though.

“We thought maybe you came to your senses,” Flame Hair said haughtily. “Guess we were hoping for too much of a miracle.”

“You know, it’s not too late yet. If you take the challenge back and beg for our forgiveness, offer your sword to us, we could forget the entire thing,” Teepee Head added. Katsuki bristled.

“You wish,” he snarled, his Magic already swirling and coiling hotly inside him while the lower part of his abdomen positively burned with rage. It was something he was starting to realize wasn’t quite normal. Yes, he’d always been prone to anger and right now, he had more than enough reason to be exceptionally so. But even then, the speed with which he could go from relatively calm to furious was odd, if not a bit concerning. Katsuki didn’t pay it too much mind, however, because right now, that rage was useful. And besides, he was about to unload it on the two main reasons he was so out of it, anyway. He’d probably feel better and calmer once this was over.

The crowd parted again, this time to let All Might pass. As soon as the man stepped onto what constituted the arena, a hush fell over the crowd. He gave Katsuki a long, severe look that the blond met without flinching, drawing himself up to stand taller and more assuredly. The Tribe Leader gave him a slight nod before looking to the two Hunters. A moment passed and then he cleared his throat, immediately commanding everyone’s attention as if he didn’t already have it.

“We have gathered here today to witness two duels of honor,” he said into the silence before looking at Katsuki again. “Young challenger,” he stated and the words caused another wave of murmurs among the crowd. Katsuki clenched his fists, but didn’t correct the man. After all, there was nothing to correct. He was no longer a Bakugou and he certainly wasn’t going to allow anyone to call him by his first name. For all intents and purposes, he was nameless now. “You stand by your challenge?”

“Yes,” Katsuki replied immediately and without an ounce of hesitation. “Both challenges stand,” he said. All Might closed his eyes briefly and gave him a nod, then reached to his belt and pulled two ceremonial swords from it that seemed to be made out of leather. They weren’t, of course. Beneath the layer of cloth was sturdy wood. But this way, there was absolutely no uncertainty as to whether or not the blades could cut. Under normal circumstances, the most they could do was give some bruises. 

“Young Nagaisshi, young Tsurigane, you have both accepted the challenge. Which of you will meet the challenger first?” he asked in a grave tone. Unlike with Katsuki, he didn’t ask them if they changed their mind and wanted to back out. Having already accepted the challenge once, they no longer had the option.

“He will,” Flame Hair said with a smirk as he hit Teepee Head between the shoulders with enough force to make him stumble a few steps forward. The Hunter blinked and then turned to glare at the other over his shoulder, but then drew himself up and met All Might’s gaze. The fear in his eyes almost wasn’t visible. Almost.

“I will,” he agreed and took another step forward, as if to prove he really meant it. Again, All Might replied with a nod, then held the leather-bound swords out to Katsuki and Teepee Head blade first. Neither needed any prompting as they stepped closer to their Tribe Leader and took the proffered ceremonial weapons by their blades. Their eyes met for a second and Katsuki felt his rage spike again before he swiftly turned away and walked to the edge of the arena. Teepee Head did the same. It was only once they turned that they grasped the swords properly by their hilts and pulled them out of their own grips as if unsheathing them and then raised their unmarred hands into the air for everyone to see as proof of the blades being perfectly harmless. At least in terms of cutting.

All Might raised both hands towards the sky then, prompting both Warrior and Hunter to lower their arms and to slowly take on a fighting stance.

“We call for a Trial! We call for justice! And we ask to receive it in a fair duel! There will be no Magic in this fight! Only one’s skill with a weapon and the Gods’ favor shall decide the outcome! May the Gods watch over it! May they judge justly as they always do! May they cast their favor on the one who deserves it and no other!” he called towards the heavens, then brought his hands together to clap loudly. “Begin!”

Katsuki and Teepee Head both sprang forward at the call, meeting in the middle of the arena and swinging their swords. The blades clashed near-silently for a brief moment before they both jumped back, assessing each other and then diving in again. The seconds passed as they continued to clash and retreat, clash and retreat. Katsuki found himself grinning in grim satisfaction even through his fury as he saw mounting fear and desperation in Teepee Head’s eyes. Good. Let him fear. Let him despair. He fucking deserved it after all he’d put Katsuki through. That and so much more.

The next time their swords clashed against each other, Katsuki twisted his wooden blade in an attempt to disarm the Hunter. Teepee Head followed the movement, however, and then used the momentum to get behind Katsuki and attack his back. The blond probably could have taken the hit, he was confident it wouldn’t hurt him, but he still spun around and blocked it instead.

They went at it like that for a while. Katsuki may have been one of the fastest and strongest Warrior when he’d been in training and amongst people (mostly) his age, but Teepee Head was older and had more experience for it. Still, he was rattled, he was afraid, he was desperate and that was bound to make him slip up eventually. And he did when at one point, Katsuki used a feint to get behind him. The Hunter whirled around, sword arm extended in a wide, wild swing that left his chest wide open. Katsuki ducked and fell into a low crouch, low enough that he had to support himself with his free hand on the ground just to be safe. Then he sprang back up and forward, towards Teepee Head’s wide open stance, sword ready to impale him.

His sword was made of wood, though, and covered with leather. So under normal circumstances, that would never happen. The best he could hope for was to make the other stumble back and wince as he got a decent bruise. Instead of that, however, Katsuki’s theoretically very blunt sword pierced through flesh and he imbedded the weapon up to the hilt in the Hunter’s chest, the bloody tip now protruding from his back. Teepee Head gasped, or tried to, but all that came out was a gurgle as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Katsuki could have been cruel then. He could have twisted the blade to cause more pain, to make the other’s death excruciating. Even with all the anger running through him and all but whispering to him to do just that, however, he knew better. And so he stepped back instead and pulled his weapon from the Hunter’s body, leaving him to fall to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Teepee Head wheezed and struggled to breathe, but it was obvious it was only a matter of time before he bled out. Not even Lady Shuzenji’s Magic could save him from a wound like that. Katsuki stood over him for a second before scowling and raising his blade again, only to bring it down and stab the Hunter through his throat, effectively putting him out of his misery.

Absolute silence reigned for a long time after that. Clearly, no one had expected this kind of outcome, and not only because Teepee Head had been the one deemed guilty.

Removing the sword from the Hunter’s corpse and swinging it to try and flick at least some of the blood off - a moot point considering the leather soaked up most of it - Katsuki found himself looking up at the sky. He could see the dragon up above, though he was so high he could almost pass for a bird from the ground. His wing had healed several days ago. In all honesty, Katsuki had expected him to leave then, because surely whatever ‘bond’ there was supposedly between them couldn’t keep the creature here.

The dragon stayed, though. According to him, Katsuki had bound them together somehow. The dragon was tied to him in a way the Yuueian didn’t really understand, a way that made it impossible for him to leave just as it made it impossible for him to let Katsuki die, let alone to actually try to hurt him himself. And according to the lizard, there was only one way for this ‘bond’ to be broken: one of them had to die. Katsuki believed him, if only because it was rather obvious by now that whatever ‘bond’ tied them together, it wasn’t one of equality of any kind. Katsuki was the ‘master’ and the dragon was the ‘tamed servant’, and that was putting it gently. Considering it was the lizard’s freedom on the line, he had no reason to lie about whether or not the bond could be broken, even if Katsuki wasn’t sure if he would have freed him even if he could have. Not without making sure the shitty reptile wouldn’t destroy the village or bring the rest of his kind to do it, first. Not that it mattered because the connection couldn’t be severed unless one of them got killed.

Needless to say, neither planned on kicking the bucket any time soon, so as things were, whether they liked it or not, they were stuck together.

It was probably because of this that the dragon had originally demanded to be there when the duels began. He had been annoyed and disgusted when Katsuki repeatedly told him to not go after the Hunters and only really calmed some after the Yuueian yelled at him that he would not have the dragon fight his goddamn battles. He was going to take care of it himself. But despite that, the shitty lizard kept demanding to be allowed to watch the duels, the demands equal parts resigned and determined.

Katsuki didn’t allow it, though, because he knew that human or not, people would notice and question a new face. From there, even though people didn’t know dragons could take on a human form, it would only be a matter of (rather short) time before things went pear-shaped. Especially since despite looking the part of a Yuueian now that he had clothes, the dragon still couldn’t talk worth shit. His broken Common would only make things worse. So letting him come watch directly just wasn’t an option.

Instead, they agreed on a compromise and the reptile flew overhead, high enough to not be easily identified as what he really was, but low enough that he could probably swoop in and try to help (mostly by terrifying the life out of everyone, probably) if it was strictly necessary. Katsuki knew it wouldn’t be, though.

“The Gods have passed their judgment,” All Might called into the stillness of the training ground and brought Katsuki out of his musings, causing him to look back down to meet the Tribe Leader’s gaze. “Yet one more Trial remains. Young Tsurigane, step forward,” he said. The Hunter, however, only shook his head and stepped back.

“I’m backing out,” he said quickly, his pale complexion revealing his terror even more than his voice already did. “I will not face a dragonspawn that knows no mercy! Duels of honor are fought to first blood only!”

“If he didn’t deserve to die, the Gods would not have let my blade impale him,” Katsuki growled, fists clenching at his side at the insult. “Are you challenging their judgment, Flame Hair?”

“I’m challenging your sense of honor! You never said anything about the dule being to the death!”

“You’re one to talk about fucking honor! You tried to kill me first! Multiple fucking times and with underhanded tactics you could pretend didn’t have shit to do with you if anyone asked!”

“That was Nagaisshi’s idea! All of it! He was the one who wanted to get rid of the dragonspawn for the good of the Tribe! He was the one who made sure to trap you with the dragon! He was the one who lied about what happened! He was the one who convinced me to try everything else least you do the same to us!”

“I never did shit to you except challenge you to an honest duel you accepted! And you knew about the asshole’s ideas! You helped him. That makes you just as fucking guilty,” Katsuki spat angrily into the now truly deadly silence as the Hunter finally admitted his guilt to nearly the entirety of the Tribe. It was too late, though. Katsuki wasn’t going to let that stop him. He’d let the Gods decide if the admission deserved a lighter sentence, but he personally believed it didn’t change shit. The Hunter still deserved death and that was what Katsuki intended to give him, if only so he could finally rest more easily himself without having to look over his shoulder all the time. “Now pick up your weapon. I’m not retracting the challenge. So face me. At least have the guts to try and kill me head-on instead of from the shadows like a coward.”

“You probably switched the blades or something! Yours is a real one, I bet!” Flame Hair yelled back and took another step back. Katsuki scowled and threw the ceremonial blade at his feet then.

“Take it, then, and I’ll use his. See if that makes any fucking difference,” he challenged. The Hunter stared at him, wide-eyed and terrified. He gulped. Around them, the rest of the Tribe watched in perfect, stunned silence. They probably couldn’t believe two respected Hunters have done what Flame Hair had just admitted to doing while the ‘dragonspawn’ they all feared had actually been the victim.

“The challenge stands, young Tsurigane. Unless the challenger retracts his challenge, you may not back out,” All Might reminded him in a low, grave tone. Looking at him, Katsuki was stunned to realize the man was not smiling, but frowning. It was the first time he’d seen such an expression on the man’s face. The Tribe Leader was known for smiling at all times, no matter what was happening, to keep the spirits of others up. But he wasn’t smiling now. In fact, he looked furious.

Flame Hair gulped again, but he had no way of refusing All Might’s prompting. He stepped forward and picked up the blade Katsuki had thrown at his feet while the blonde took the weapon of the other, fallen Hunter. All Might raised his hands towards the heavens again.

“We call for a Trial! We call for justice! And we ask to receive it in a fair duel! There will be no Magic in this fight! Only one’s skill with a weapon and the Gods’ favor shall decide the outcome! May the Gods watch over it! May they judge justly as they always do! May they cast their favor on the one who deserves it and no other!” He repeated once more, then clapped his hands loudly. “Begin!”

The duel was even shorter than the previous one. And just like with Teepee Head, it ended with Flame Hair’s cooling corpse landing in the sand, felled by Katsuki’s blade.


Katsuki closed the door to his hut behind him softly, then leaned against the wood with a sigh. Aside from All Might’s ceremonial speech after the second trial before the Gods, the crowd that had gathered to watch had been eerily silent. No one had stopped him as he left, not even the two Hunters’ families. Well, almost no one. The old man and the old hag had come after him part of the way. They’d actually looked regretful and on the verge of tears. Hell, the old man wasn’t even on the verge of them, he’d been crying and the old hag’s eyes were definitely watery as well. They’d told him they were sorry. They told him they should have believed him. Katsuki only had one response to the admission, though.

“Yeah. You fucking should have.”

And then he’d walked away, heedless of the Bakugous reaction. They didn’t try to stop him. They all knew there was no going back from what had been said and done between them, after all. Some things you couldn’t just forgive and get over. A betrayal like that was one such thing. Being given up on like that was one such thing. So Katsuki walked away and he didn’t look back.

Now in his own home and with the duel of honor over and done with, he could finally relax. He was safe now. He wouldn’t be woken up by the dragon in the middle of the night and forced to leave for the forest just so he could survive. He didn’t have to worry about cowards trying to get rid of him quietly. He could relax. And for the first time in many lunar dances, he did. Or at least he tried to.

And yet despite that, the simmering rage that still stirred low in his gut and was ready to boil over at the slightest provocation refused to settle.


The air in the forest was hot and humid when he realized with a blink where he was, the odd feeling of suddenly ‘waking up’ in the middle of a Godsent dream only throwing him for a loop for a split second before he recovered. The sun was shining brightly, at least for now, but the air was at a standstill and there were dark, nearly black clouds not too far off in the distance. Katsuki disregarded the threat of rain, though, and merely started walking. He couldn’t stand still. He needed to move. He was still agitated and even a bit angry and didn’t really have an outlet for it. Not one that worked for longer than a few candle marks, at any rate.

It didn’t take long for Deku to join him and fall into step with him, as Katsuki had expected. For a while, they walked in silence, the young Yuueian lost in his thoughts. He had hoped he’d feel better now that the trial before the Gods was behind him. He had hoped he’d be calmer. But he wasn’t. He was still prone to anger. In fact, rather than get better, he was getting worse, more volatile by the day. It was odd. It was worrying, in all honesty, particularly since he was starting to realize he couldn’t really control it. His Magic didn’t help him, this rage was separate from it, and his own conscious attempts to calm himself never amounted to anything, either.

It was starting to feel like the feeling belonged to someone else or something. Or like someone used Magic on him to make him angry. But neither of these explanations made much sense, because why would he feel someone else’s anger like that? And it wasn’t like there was anyone in the village who had Magic that could manipulate emotions. It would be more likely if Katsuki had been in Moardret recently, maybe, but he hadn’t been for several (rather obvious) reasons.

Whatever it was, Katsuki didn’t like it. Not only because he couldn’t get himself under control because of it, but also because he didn’t understand what was happening with him in the first place. And how was he supposed to deal with the issue if he didn’t even understand what said issue was in the first place?

“...I’ve almost forgotten what it was like to not fight everyone. Although now I have the urge to do it a lot. I promised Kento-sensei that I wouldn’t fight as much, though, or he would stop teaching me stuff. Have I mentioned I’ve gotten more into that? I’m getting kind of good at healing. It’s really interesting. It makes me wonder about the herbs and such in your world. Do you have anything like that you can teach me?” Deku’s words broke through Katsuki’s thoughts. His friend started yammering on and on about one thing or another and he hadn’t been really listening to most of it, but for once, it hadn’t even been annoying. Actually, the familiar background noise  was oddly soothing, although Katsuki still had to fight the urge to slap his hand over Deku’s mouth to shut him up on principle.

“It’s not like I know shit about those. ‘M not a Healer,” he replied gruffly without looking up. Deku, for his part, didn’t seem affected by Katsuki’s moodiness.

“You don’t know anything about your plants?” he asked, though he quickly found the explanation for it without Katsuki having to remind him of it. “I guess Warriors don’t need to know that stuff,” he said and then gave a little sigh. “I wonder how different Myordice’s plants are. You don’t have the same kind of medicines as we do. The way you talk about your life makes me think your technology is much less advanced than ours,” he went on and Katsuki glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, glaring mildly. He would have asked what ‘technology’ was supposed to be, exactly (although the fact he didn’t even know probably meant Deku’s assumption was spot on anyway), but he didn’t really get the chance as Deku shot him an oddly worried look. “Try not to get sick, please,” he said, causing Katsuki to snort. He’d been laid up and recovering for the better part of the second half of winter and he was in no hurry to end up bound to his cot again, for any reason. Not if he could help it, anyway. “I’m gonna do more research about plants. Maybe I can teach you some stuff!” Deku exclaimed after a moment of pensive silence. Katsuki looked away from him again and gave a quiet grunt of affirmation.

He didn’t necessarily need to be taught anything, of course. If he was hurt or sick, he could go to a Healer. Helping him in that kind of situation was their job, just like Katsuki’s job was to fight. A Healer was supposed to trust him with their life in a situation where combat prowess was required and Katsuki was supposed to trust a Healer to patch him up afterwards. And he did. To an extent. But after the recent happenings, he couldn’t deny that knowing some things himself would be better than knowing nothing at all. Sure, he could go to a Healer, but it also wouldn’t be bad if he could take care of himself.

Maybe he’d go to Lady Shuzenji and ask for some kind of crash course on the basics? She seemed like one of the few Elders who didn’t hate him on principle, after all, and she’d taken really good care of him when the dragon brought him back. She could have deemed him beyond saving and let him die instead. Sure, it would have probably gone against her Oath, but still…

He shook his head slightly at himself to force his mind to let go of that trail of thought. He didn’t want to go down that route again. All it would do was make him mad. So instead of letting his mind wander, he tried to tune in to Deku’s chatter again, although he was quick to interrupt him.

“What about your mother? You keep talking about your Healer teacher and your friends, but you hardly mention her. Are you still fighting?” he asked in a low, grumbling tone. It was true that Deku hardly ever spoke of his mother anymore, and considering the latest news Katsuki had had of the situation, it didn’t really bode well that he didn’t. He didn’t like it. It reminded him too much of what happened with his own parents and he didn’t want something like that to happen to Deku.

At first, only silence answered him, which was really answer enough. Katsuki scowled at the ground and grit his teeth.

“...Only kind of,” Deku said at length, but the dodgy answer still make the blond huff in irritation.

“Would have thought you’d have made up with her by now,” he grumbled, brows furrowing further. When his friend didn’t respond, he glanced over at him out of the corner of his narrowed eyes. “Why the fuck won’t you?” he pushed, mostly because he just couldn’t understand it. When he had been fighting with his family, Katsuki had planned to make up with them as soon as possible. They had just crossed a line they couldn’t come back from before he could, before his parents saw a reason to actually listen to him instead of condemning him. But Deku and his mother didn’t have that issue. There was nothing stopping them from sitting down and talking it out and finding some kind of compromise, if nothing else. Katsuki hadn’t had that chance, but if he had, he would have taken it and he just couldn’t understand why Deku refused to.

“Because!” the other boy exclaimed, as if that should explain everything. It didn’t to Katsuki, though he did look over at him again at the odd, agitated tone. Deku’s expression was surly and then he sighed, his shoulders dropping as his eyes narrowed into a frown. He looked more sad than angry, though. “She doesn’t trust me. And she won’t return the knife to me. That’s unforgivable,” he explained, though his choice of words made Katsuki’s expression darken as his thoughts swerved in an undesirable direction again. “She treats me like I’m a kid. I know I’ve been… causing problems, but I can handle the knife. I’m not going to be stupid with it. She hasn’t even seen the skill I wield it with. To her I’m just… acting out. And playing pretend. I hate it.”

Hating being treated like a child or like he was being unreasonable was something Katsuki could wholeheartedly understand. It had been at the core of his own fight with his parents, after all. If only they’d listened to him. If only they had trusted him, had believed him, they wouldn’t be where they were now. It was too late for what-ifs, though.

“Unforgivable, huh,” he couldn’t help but mutter. “Don’t throw words like that around when we both know you don’t fucking mean them. Not for real,” he said, trying to ignore the way his Magic stirred in his gut in agitation, already starting to swirl and coil in a familiar, heated pattern. Deku gave him an annoyingly worried look in response.

“Why are you so worked up about my relationship with my mom? You’ve been… kind of worried about her? Or something. And it’s not forgivable. You and I both know how important that knife is. It’s not her right to take it from me!” he replied, once again seeming to get agitated about the issue. And Katsuki got it, sort of. Deku had a point, after all. The knife was important and Katsuki had made damn sure Deku knew it precisely for that reason.

“That may be true,” he muttered carefully, ignoring his friend’s question since he didn’t feel like talking about that. He probably never would to be quite honest. “But it’s not so damn difficult to talk with her about shit and find a compromise that suits you both, is it? Why are you making it into a ‘you or her’ kind of deal when it doesn’t fucking have to be? You’re being an idiot.” And in Katsuki’s opinion, that was exactly what Deku was being. Because Katsuki just couldn’t understand his refusal to make up with his mother. She was Deku’s family and he didn’t get why his friend was so willing to disregard that when he had every chance and reason to try and work things out with her. Katsuki would have done that, too, had he had the chance.

“I’ve tried talking to her before,” Deku replied. “But she doesn’t want to listen to me. She doesn’t understand because she thinks you’re not real. She thinks I’m doing bad stuff or something because I ‘made’ a knife because of my ‘obsession with my imaginary friend’,” he explained, wiggling his fingers in the air quote gesture as he repeated his mother’s words. His tone quieted and his gaze lowered to the ground. “I know she’s worried for me. But because of that she isn’t listening. In your culture, you’re already an adult. I’m just… a kid to anyone who looks at me.”

“Doesn’t mean the old hag listened anymore when she fucking should have,” Katsuki countered with a quiet, angry mutter and a bitter snort, though he didn’t allow his thoughts to linger on the topic. “If you know she’s worried, can’t you fucking meet her halfway or some shit? Make her promise to give the knife back when you’re older or something. She keeps her fucking promises, doesn’t she?” he offered, knowing it wasn’t like Deku could try to prove his mother wrong like Katsuki had with his parents. But that just meant he had to find a different way to make things work. A compromise if need be. So long as he made up with her. Katsuki didn’t want him to make the same mistake he had. He didn’t want his friend to have to deal with the kind of pain he had gone through - was still going through, really.

“I… could try,” Deku replied slowly, his expression pinched. “But how will I care for it? She definitely won’t! She doesn’t know how to!”

“You’ll care for it when you get it back. I can fucking deal in the meantime. Stop worrying about that shit.” If that was part of the reason Deku was so adamant to stay at odds with his mother, Katsuki needed to put a stop to it. Sure, having the knife uncared for for an unknown amount of time would be far from ideal, but it wasn’t like Katsuki couldn’t deal with it. He could. He’d have to. Besides, it wasn’t like Deku had had the knife these past lunar dances, so it had already went a considerable amount of time without proper care. With everything else going on, Katsuki hadn’t really noticed it before, but he did feel a slight change by now and that was likely because of that. His body felt just a little weaker, his reflexes a little slower. Still, it wasn’t anything he couldn’t deal with, especially if he knew to expect it, which he now did.

“Isn’t it important?” Deku shot back. Katsuki huffed, feeling more irritated and his Magic twisting a little more violently in his gut.

“Would I have told you it was if it fucking wasn’t?” he snapped, turning his gaze back to the earth and glaring viciously at it, as if the ground was the reason for all his troubles. Beyond his Magic’s agitation, another heat started to stir, that odd anger he could almost pretend was someone else’s starting to fill him once more. He growled at himself and forced himself to take a deep breath to try and stay calm. It didn’t help in the slightest, though his Magic calmed a bit. Another proof that his bouts of rage really weren’t all that normal. “Doesn’t fucking mean you have to choose between that and your mother. Both are fucking important. Quit trying to throw one of them away like it doesn’t fucking matter.”

“I’m not trying to throw either of them away!” Deku shot back immediately, although he didn’t sound as upset or angry as his outburst almost made him seem. He calmed soon after. “Kacchan, you’re being weird today! What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” Katsuki couldn’t help but snap back sharply, despite not really wanting to. Deku wasn’t the one he was angry at, after all. He took a deep breath  and let it out in a huff, hoping it would help him calm. It didn’t work. The heat of mounting rage in the pit of his stomach was still there, threatening to get worse at the slightest provocation. If nothing else, though, he at least managed to control his voice better. “Nothing’s fucking wrong.”

It was the truth, too. Or at the very least it should be. The thing with his parents was over and done with, there was nothing anyone could do to change it so getting pissed about it wouldn’t lead to anything. And Katsuki was over it, mostly. Enough to not get angry about it, or at least not to this extent. 

The only other thing that was wrong was the situation with the Hunters, but that was taken care of already, too. So there was no reason for Katsuki to dwell on it, much less to continue being angry about it. He got his retribution and he’d proven to everyone who had been in the right and who had been a traitor. It was over, he’d gotten his closure and his payback. So that couldn’t be it, either.

Which meant nothing was wrong and he had no reason to be angry. But he was anyway and he had no idea why, much less why his temper was so short. It didn’t seem natural. It didn’t seem normal. Something had to be wrong with him, but Katsuki had no idea what, and that was as irritating as it was scary, not that he’d ever admit to the latter.

“You’re mad about something, though,” Deku eventually pointed out. Katsuki snorted.

“I’m always fucking mad,” he muttered under his breath, glaring at the grass at his feet.

“About what?” Deku asked in a quiet tone. Katsuki didn’t answer, merely continued to glower at the grass at his feet. He stewed, unsure and unwilling to talk about it. About the worry that slowly started to grow within him because of his own temper, and more importantly how uncontrollable and unnatural it was at times. 

The silence stretched for a few moments. Deku was clearly planning to wait him out. Katsuki scowled and turned his head to glare at him slightly, only then realizing that his friend had stopped and was a few paces behind him. He came to a stop as well and clicked his tongue in annoyance, but ultimately gave in. Like he always did.

“I don’t fucking know, alright?” he admitted in a low tone, as close to a growl as his human throat could get. Which, when compared to the growl-like sounds Deku could make, admittedly wasn’t really close.

“You’re not sure what you’re angry about?” Deku asked, his face scrunched into a frown. Katsuki looked away, annoyance quickly morphing into irritation again, even anger.

“I don’t even know why the Hell I’m angry in the first place!” he snapped. His hands sparked as his Magic reacted to his rising ire and he clenched them into tight fists to smother it just like he was unsuccessfully trying to smother the rage that caused it. “I dealt with the shitty lizard! I dealt with the Hunters! I don’t have shit to be angry about but I still can’t calm the fuck down and it’s pissing me off!”

He was angry about being angry. Which he knew made no sense. It sounded absolutely insane, even to him, and that pissed him off even more because it made him sound like the kind of unhinged monster his tribesmen thought he was or would one day be. But he wasn’t! He didn’t want to be! He wanted to be normal again, he wanted to understand where this uncontrollable rage was coming from, he wanted to be able to deal with it and not have to feel like he was losing himself or his mind or his very humanity.

The only thing he had been able to come up with in terms of ‘dealing with it’, however, was occasionally just let it all out. Let the anger turn to fury and rage and let it run its course. Burn itself out. It hadn’t helped much so far, though.

Deku didn’t seem to get the severity of Katsuki’s admission, though, or the implications of it. In fact, rather than looking more concerned, his expression cleared up. He looked relieved, an emotion Katsuki certainly hadn’t expected, nor one he could understand.

“Maybe you’re going through puberty? I know a lot of Alphas who get particularly angry when their rut is coming. I don’t know if you have anything like that considering the gender thing, but that might be it?” Deku offered, tilting his head to the side in thought. Katsuki almost scoffed at his words, but managed to bite it back and at least tried to give it some thought. In the end, though, it made no sense. Because if it had been some part of his body growing into adulthood, then he wouldn’t be the only one having this problem. Everyone his age would. It wouldn’t be abnormal. But it was. He knew it was. And even worse was the fact that since he couldn’t control it, couldn’t control himself, he wasn’t safe to the people around him. His Magic was destructive and dangerous when not controlled right, which was why he still spent a lot of his time making sure he could actually do that. With his Magic being tied to his emotions, however, it was far more difficult. Which made him dangerous. He could seriously hurt someone if he got enraged too suddenly and his Magic got away from him because of it. He could even kill someone. And sure, he had killed in combat before, but that wasn’t the same. That was necessity.

He never wanted to kill anyone for any other reason than that.

He huffed out a breath and shook his head. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. At least forcing himself to think was helping him calm down a little, helped the bubbling rage simmer down to the manageable level of simmering irritation. At least there was that. Finally, he shrugged, the only answer he really gave Deku in the end.

Next thing he knew, Deku was right beside him and their wrists and fingers brushed. Katsuki hadn’t even noticed his friend come closer. He blinked and frowned slightly, both in confusion at the odd gesture and what it caused. He felt oddly warm and his heart sped up. Deku’s proximity had been coaxing such reactions from him for a while but the young Yuueian didn’t know what they meant. The warm feeling felt nice, though, even if it was confusing. It even soothed his anger a bit more, allowed the simmering heat of it to grow cooler in his gut. He thought it must be because Deku was someone he trusted. His friend. Someone unafraid of touching him and talking to him, someone who treated him like a person and not a monster waiting to show its fangs. There was hardly any other reason for him to react the way he did, was there?

“I’m sure it’ll pass, Kacchan. Kento-sensei says it’s normal to be very angry at our age. Maybe you can burn off the anger by hunting more?” Deku said with a slight smile before his gaze fell to Katsuki’s torso and the scars there.

“Took to flying lately. ‘S good stress relief,” Katsuki replied in a low tone as he pulled back, though his gaze was still glued to Deku’s hands.

“Flying? Did you learn how to fly with your Magic? That’s so cool!” Deku exclaimed with a gasp, his eyes widening a little. Katsuki preened just a little bit under the praise. He couldn’t deny it made him feel proud to hear his friend’s amazement. Just a little. Really. Only a little.

After the recent lunar dances, it was almost a foreign feeling.

“Yeah, I figured it out,” he said simply, but quickly decided to change the subject. He was pretty certain Deku didn’t want to know the details of the when and how Katsuki figured it out all things considered. “Anyway, what the Hell was that about?” he asked, motioning between Deku and himself, as if that would explain what he meant. Of course, it didn’t.

“What do you mean?” 

“The wrist rubbing, what else?” Katsuki rolled his eyes at the question. What else could he have meant, considering Deku had done something he absolutely hadn’t expected or understood? Hell, Katsuki had thought his friend was about to take his hand. He was kind of disappointed when he hadn’t, too, although fuck him if he knew why.

Deku didn’t answer right away, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as if he didn’t know what to say. Katsuki raised an eyebrow at him and the other boy seemed to shake himself.

“It’s… the wrist rubbing? It’s a comfort thing,” he said and took Katsuki’s wrist again, turning it so he could take a sniff at his palm. Which was honestly weird as fuck, but this was Deku and Katsuki was starting to learn it was something he did. Something people like him did. So he let him. Besides, it wasn’t as if his being willing to do that didn’t mean anything to Katsuki, either. Katsuki’s palms could create explosions. He could literally blow Deku’s face off right now if he wanted to. He wouldn’t of course, but the fact that Deku knew it too, that he trusted him enough to come so close to his palms - the most dangerous part of his body, really - meant a lot. Still…

“I don’t need fucking comfort. I’m fine. I’m not a brat,” he muttered in a low tone, eyes narrowed into a scowl and his gaze avoiding Deku’s. He didn’t pull away, however.

“You don’t do that?” Deku asked him, pressing his wrist to Katsuki’s again and looking up at him with a quiet hum. He completely ignored Katsuki’s muttered protest, or at least it seemed that way. Probably for the best. 

“No, we don’t. Why would we? There’s no damn reason for it to work any specific fucking way, is there? It’s just skin to skin contact,” Katsuki said, brows furrowing further in confusion.

“It’s not really just that! It’s like... “ Deku trailed off and narrowed his eyes, his expression turning thoughtful. “We do it to our friends and people we like. There’s scent glands in our wrists,” he said finally and held up both his and Katsuki’s hand, inspecting them. His eyes widened. “Look! See, mine sticks out a tiny bit more than yours!” he exclaimed excitedly. Looking closely, Katsuki could see some sort of lump on his wrist. It wasn’t particularly big, but protruded just enough to be slightly noticeable. “We just rub our wrists together to show... um… that we’re friends?” Deku went on and Katsuki blinked slightly. If wrist rubbing was done between friends and Deku just rubbed his wrist, then that was basically a declaration of friendship, right? That was what it sounded like, at any rate.

A warm feeling spread through him at the thought. Sure, he and Deku had been friends for years now, so it wasn’t like Katsuki didn’t know he was Deku’s friend, just as Deku was his. But still, it was different to have it confirmed out loud. Declared boldly like that. He almost missed the rest of what Deku was saying because of the feeling it invoked. 

“And it’s comforting to smell your friends on you. It’s like… the smell helps to calm you down. It covers up bitter smell that people who are scared give off. It’s really nice,” Deku paused briefly, but went on almost immediately after, “Though I guess that wouldn’t do anything to you since you can’t smell it in dreams…” he trailed off at the end and gave Katsuki a small, slightly embarrassed smile before letting go of his wrist entirely. Katsuki kind of missed the contact if he was being honest. “Sorry, it must seem weird. I’ve never really thought about it before.”

“You can smell the scent other people give off? What the actual fuck? And what the Hell do you mean, it wouldn’t do shit ‘because I can’t smell in dreams’?” he couldn’t help but ask and his voice did nothing to hide his astonishment. It wasn’t just about being able to smell that kind of stuff, either. The idea that a person’s scent could have such an effect on anyone was outlandish, to say the least. Sure, some scents could have various effects and Katsuki knew that. Some could put you to sleep, poison you, kill you, there were a myriad of effects and Yuueians made use of them, too. It was how Hunters’ scent bombs worked. But that a person could give off a scent that could affect someone else just seemed impossible outside of having very specific Magic. Especially since it wasn’t like you could smell the scent other people gave off. Only Deku apparently could… unless he was dreaming with Katsuki, where his senses were muted. Just like Katsuki knew his to be. The scents of the forest when he dreamed were never as strong as they were in reality, after all. It was more like a memory of a scent or something like that. “So you guys can actually smell each other? And the scent affects you?”

“Yeah,” Deku nodded, giving Katsuki a curious look. “Everybody has their own scent, but there are different smells that mean different things too. They’re kind of automatic. When we go through second puberty, though, everything is a lot stronger. Our senses are more sensitive. Especially our noses. There’s a lot of things I’ve been noticing more recently about myself. I thought you just didn’t know because we can’t smell things in dreams, but is your nose weaker than mine? Or do you just not give off the same scent cues?” Deku’s didn’t wait for Katsuki to respond. Instead, he went on, but in his usual, annoying mutter that Katsuki could never make out. The young Yuueian rolled his eyes and was about to snap at his friend to speak up, but the other boy seemed to catch himself before he got the chance.

“I can tell a lot about people from scent. Like… when I’m feeling bad, my Pack’s scent changes to comfort me. I was, um, trying to do that here but it doesn’t work,” he said, as if he hadn’t interrupted his explanation at all. “We have scent glands in our necks too,” he continued and took Katsuki’s hand again. The blond let him, watching curiously and mind whirling to take all the information in. Deku brought Katsuki’s wrist to his neck and made the blond brush their skin together. Katsuki felt another, slightly soft protrusion in his skin. The gland he was talking about, probably. “They’re a lot bigger than the ones in our wrists. And are, um, important for courting. Doing something like this is kind of intimate. Like kissing someone’s cheek.” Katsuki’s eyes widened at that particular piece of information and he immediately snatched his hand back, feeling his heart race in his chest and his blood rush to his face and ears.

“Don’t fucking do that, then,” he said and looked away with a scowl. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him. He felt hot all over and his Magic swirled through him in agitation (or maybe excitement?) and his heart refused to slow down. He knew he was embarrassed, flustered, but it was somehow also more than that. He wasn’t sure how, though. He didn’t recognize the feeling. All he knew was that he didn’t like it. (Except he did. It felt really nice, this warmth and the way his Magic coursed through him without ever stopping.) “You could have just explained, damn it. No need for a fucking demonstration,” he spat anyway, because it wasn’t like this could have been anything else. Just a demonstration. Somehow, his own words caused the warmth to dissipate in an instant, his Magic abruptly stopping in its course and retreating back to his core, locking itself inside. Suddenly, he felt cold. He hated that feeling even more than the previous one.

“S-Sorry! I just- sorry,” Deku stuttered, ducking his head and rubbing at the back of his neck. “A-Anyway, yeah. We can smell a lot of things,” he said, clearly trying to push the conversation forward, but the attempt was awkward at best. Katsuki merely grunted and refused to respond (or even look at Deku for that matter) until he got himself back under control.

“You’re more like the shitty lizard then like me, then. He can smell shit a lot better, too,” he finally said once his cheeks no longer felt hot and he felt confident he wouldn’t stutter embarrassingly or anything like Deku just had. The other boy blinked and then frowned a little and pursed his lips.

“Yeah, I guess I would be more like a beast to you,” he mumbled. Katsuki rolled his eyes and huffed at the somewhat sullen response.

“Didn’t say that. Just that your sense of smell is more like a dragon’s than a human’s by Myordice standards. Don’t fucking put words in my mouth, Deku.”

“I’m a human, too, Kacchan.”

“But you’re different from the humans in my world. You’re different from me,” Katsuki deadpans, though his eyes are narrowed. The calmness he’d been enjoying was dissipating like the warmth before it. He turned his head away. “Excuse me for fucking trying to understand and compare to something I actually get somewhat.”

“I know that,” Deku gave a little sigh of his own, before repeating again in a quieter tone. “ I know. Sorry, I’m just… I’m not mad. I don’t like being told I’m like the dragon, though. I wouldn’t hurt you like that.”

“I know that,” Katsuki replied, throwing Deku’s words right back at him. Something in him eased, the irritation threatening to rear its ugly head simmered down, but he still didn’t turn to look at his friend. “I didn’t say you would. Fuck, why would you think it would even cross my mind?” If anything, Deku was the one person he trusted above anyone else to not do anything even remotely similar. To always stand by him. Sure, they may have had their disagreements and arguments every now and again, but they always made up in the end. They were friends. Katsuki didn’t want to lose that. He didn’t even want to consider it a possibility.

“I don’t think you would think that! I just… Everytime I think of the dragon I can only see you like… when you were hurt. Dragons are monsters. I don’t want to be seen as a monster.” That last sentence in particular was said in a quiet, subdued manner Deku rarely showed anymore. Katsuki bit his lip, but didn’t answer. He didn’t say he knew the feeling even though he did. Probably better than Deku could ever guess. “And I know that’s not what you meant. It’s still hard for me to control myself,” Deku added after a moment, then shook his head and began walking again, passing Katsuki without glancing at him. His hands were in his pockets, his shoulders slightly hunched, his entire posture screaming discomfort. “Let’s just forget about this. It was a dumb conversation anyway. I’m a weirder human than you, and you’re a weirder human than me.”

Katsuki didn’t reply as he began following after his friend. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what he felt anymore, it was all too much of a jumbled mess inside of him. On one hand, his friend’s defensiveness of him, his upset due to how Katsuki nearly died admittedly made him feel a bit better. But on the other hand, he couldn’t agree with Deku that dragons were monsters. Not fully. He lived with one now. He learned they were intelligent. They weren’t beasts. They might hate humans as much as humans hated them, but who the fuck knew, maybe there was reason for that. It wasn’t that he thought dragons weren’t dangerous, he knew better than anyone they were. It wasn’t that he trusted the one living with him further than he could throw him, either. And he definitely wouldn’t get within blasting distance of him if it wasn’t for whatever ‘bond’ was between them. But he could admit they weren’t the kind of monsters he originally thought them to be. Ultimately, though, he kept his mouth shut and respected Deku’s request to end the conversation. The potential fight or debate they’d probably get into if he pushed wasn’t worth it.

They walked in silence for a while, each of them lost in their own thoughts, until Deku decided to speak up.

“I'm going to get better. And be more mature. I'm gonna try to talk to my mom. And I'm gonna be an adult about things,” he said. Katsuki glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and nodded slightly. Honestly, it was relieving to hear Deku would try to make up with his mother, finally. Took him long enough. Katsuki knew better than to say that, though. One call-out was enough.

“Me too,” he said instead. “I’ve given it more thought. And I made up my mind. I will become the Tribe Leader. One way or another.” It was really the only option left to him anyway. Or that was what it felt like. If nothing else he’d done up until now had convinced his tribesmen that he deserved their acceptance, then he was fucking going to make them accept him, whether they wanted to or not. Simple as that.

“Really? You’re gonna actually try to do it?” Deku asked, his head whipping towards Katsuki so he could give him a wide-eyed stare. The Yuueian nodded determinedly in response. “That’s so cool! When do you think you’ll do it?”

That was a good question. Especially since it wasn’t like he had any specific deadline to meet. Potential candidates for a Tribe Leader’s successor were evaluated until one such successor was picked. That could happen tomorrow or it could happen in ten season cycles, it all depended on All Might. And Katsuki would have to prove himself the best out there, among not only his peers, but his elders, too. People who have tried to gain All Might’s favor for entire season cycles already. He had to catch up to them, be better than them. That would take time and he would be at a clear disadvantage. But once he proved himself, once All Might picked him, that would be it. From there, he couldn’t predict when he’d be Tribe Leader, though. That depended entirely on how long All Might thought he needed to instruct him and when he decided to hand over the reigns. But as for the rest…

“Give me two season cycles,” he said confidently. “I’ll have All Might name me his successor by then.”

“That’s… That’s amazing!” Deku said, but he didn’t really sound as excited as he usually would have been. Katsuki narrowed his eyes, but didn’t question him on it. “You can become a leader that young?”

“Any adult can become the leader. So long as he is named successor and is trained by the current leader in stuff he can’t learn otherwise,” he replied, then huffed in slight annoyance. “But I’m young. All Might will look to older tribesmen first. So I need time to convince him I’m the best pick. And if I dally too much, he’ll pick someone else. So two season cycles. He has to pick me as his successor by then. How long it actually takes from there for him to cede his spot depends on him, not me. Can’t predict that.”

For a second or two, there was only silence. And then—

“I guess… I should probably stop calling you ‘Kacchan’ then,” he said. Katsuki froze mid-step and his head snapped up to stare at Deku’s back.

“HAH?!” There was really no other way Katsuki could respond to that. What the Hell?! Where was this coming from? Why all of a sudden?

“It’s a little kid’s name. It’s not really the name for a leader.”

So what?! It was Katsuki’s, damn it! It was the last one he had! Maybe it started out as a nickname, maybe it had just been because Deku hadn’t been able to pronounce his actual name, maybe it didn’t even have any real meaning but that didn’t matter! It was his name now! He didn’t want to lose it! He couldn’t! Then he wouldn’t even have one name left! 

“I don’t give a shit!” Katsuki growled, jerking his head to the side and glaring at the far horizon. “What the fuck else would you even call me?” he grit out, although really, it didn’t matter. Nothing else would be the same. Nothing else would be so familiar to him it might as well be a name, meaning or no meaning. Anything new Deku came up with would be a nickname and nothing else. Katsuki already had a myriad of meaningless nicknames in the village. He didn’t want or need another one. He wanted to keep the last name he had. But there was no keeping it if the only person who knew and was willing to call him it would stop. He hated that. He hated that it felt like once again, he couldn’t do shit to keep something he desperately didn’t want to lose.

 “Your… name?” Deku said, although it sounded more like a question. He turned to look at Katsuki and their gazes met briefly, Deku’s confused, green one with Katsuki’s angry red. “I mean, Kacchan was supposed to be your name—” and it was, that was the fucking point, Katsuki almost yelled “—but I couldn’t really say it back when we were little. But I have all my teeth now and I can actually say it right,” Deku went on. His next question came out tentative at best. And considering what he asked, it was probably a good thing, because there was no telling how Katsuki would have reacted if he’d been more pushy about it. “I can’t call you by your name?”

Katsuki didn’t reply right away. He was too busy trying to reign himself in, because the mere idea of Deku calling him by his name made his Magic explode out of his core and twist and coil in his gut in a hot, agitated mess of anger and fury so intense it was frankly a small wonder he didn’t get nauseous. Or quite literally explode. He glared at the grass at his feet and grit his teeth. If looks could kill, the plant life would be withering under his glare. He clenched his fists. His entire body trembled with suppressed rage and in the distance, thunder rumbled threateningly. But somehow, he managed not to snap too badly.

Deku wasn’t like him, he reminded himself. Not the same culture, not the same world, not even the same species. He might not know about second meanings. Even if he did, it wasn’t like he had any way of knowing about Katsuki’s. The Yuueian hadn’t told him and considering how furious just thinking about it made him, he probably wouldn’t for a while. If ever. So he had no right to snap at him or yell at him no matter how infuriating his offer was. And he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t. He could control himself, damn it.

He still looked up at his friend with a heated glare, though, wanting to make absolutely certain Deku would know not to ask again.

“You’re the last person I ever want to hear that accursed name from. Don’t even fucking think of calling me that. Ever,” he growled and if he were talking to anyone else, it would have been a warning with an ‘or else’ tacked on at the end.

“A… Accursed?” Deku repeated, eyes wide and shock and confusion written clearly across his face. “What do you mean? Is it not your real name? I thought…” he trailed off, thankfully, because his prodding made Katsuki want to yell at him to shut the fuck up. He clicked his tongue instead and looked away, relaxing one of his hands just enough to allow small explosions to form. It didn’t help, though. In fact, the attempt only resulted in his Magic swirling even faster and more violently inside him, twisting between his bowels. He clenched his hand again to smother the explosions, trying to do the same with his mounting anger, the nearly uncontrollable rage.

“I mean I fucking hate it,” he spat. “If I never hear it again it’ll be too fucking early.”

“Is it… a bad name? Like, does it mean something bad? Kacchan, what’s wrong?” Deku kept asking and took a few steps towards him. Katsuki immediately backed up to keep the distance. He wanted to lash out, to explode something, to hurt something like he was hurting and Deku was the closest target. But he didn’t want to hurt him, he’d never want that, it would never be right. He felt like he could only barely control himself, though. He didn’t trust himself not to do something he knew he could never undo.

“STOP FUCKING PRODDING!” he yelled, gripping his hair with one hand and glaring at the ground, willing himself to calm even as he felt like his rationality was going to slip right through his fingers because of the rage threatening to consume him. It felt similar when he was awake, only worse. He couldn’t hold himself back when he was awake at all. Here he could, if only barely. Small mercies. “Damn it, just drop it, Deku! Before I do something I’ll fucking regret and don’t wanna do and can never make up for!”

“Okay. Okay, I won’t ask,” Deku said quickly and Katsuki heard him back away, clearly understanding that Katsuki wouldn’t have done so without a reason. “I’ll… we can think of a different name? I won’t call you by your first name.” The blond huffed angrily, but the words placated him at least a little bit. Enough that he at least felt somewhat in control of himself again.

“Why the Hell can’t you just keep calling me what you’ve always called me?” he muttered angrily and released his hair, flexing his fingers. He wasn’t calm exactly. In fact, he was still pissed. ‘Kacchan’ was his name, damn it. The last one he had left. Like Hell was he going to let Deku take it away from him, too. No way. Over his dead body. He would not lose it.

“I can still call you it if you want!” Deku assured him immediately, and it was almost surprising how much that helped. Almost. “I just didn’t think you wanted to be called a kiddie name since you were becoming the leader. Sorry, Kacchan. I didn’t mean to make you mad,” he said and Katsuki took a deep breath, slowly managing to relax his tense posture a little more.

“‘S fine. You didn’t know,” he said, although his words didn’t really match his still angry tone. He was trying to act calm when really, he still wasn’t. He was trying to, but it was like he literally couldn’t. But at least the urge to hurt something, to kill even, had abated. Katsuki swallowed. He never wanted to learn to enjoy killing. He never wanted to want to do it. He hated feeling like that. It wasn’t right, not when it’s been instilled in him that killing for the sake of killing was unacceptable. “Ask me another time. When I’m not so fucking pissed. I’ll explain then. Whenever that will be,” he said, both to let Deku know he might be willing to talk about it at a later date and to just distract himself somehow from where his thoughts were straying.

“Okay,” Deku said quietly, although it was pretty obvious he doubted he would ever ask again. Katsuki couldn’t really blame him considering how he’d reacted, but while a part of him felt sorry for it, he didn’t really have it in him to apologize. At the end of the day, his feelings on the matter were justified. Although there was really no point in taking them out on Deku of all people. The only ones who deserved to face Katsuki’s anger were Teepee Head and Flame Hair. And they were already dead by his blade.

“Fucking Hunters,” Katsuki muttered and then started walking again, not really looking where he was going. He didn’t have a destination in mind. He just needed to move, to somehow get rid of this agitation that kept his Magic coiling in his gut, ready to erupt again at the slightest provocation.

“Huh?” was Deku’s eloquent answer as the nerd moved to follow him, but remained a couple of paces behind. Katsuki exhaled forcefully, his nostrils flaring, and hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his pants comfortably.

“You asked what was wrong,” he grumbled, glare still focused on the ground and his earlier anger simmering down into more or less his usual amounts of irritation. His Magic still continued to swirl and coil in his gut, though, filling it with heat. “The Hunters were what’s fucking wrong. Starting to think I shouldn’t have let them off that fucking easily.” Not that he’d let them get off easy at all. He knew that. But he still couldn’t help the vindictive thought. Prolonging their death would have been cruel and far from honorable, which was exactly why Katsuki had made it quick instead, but that didn’t mean a part of him didn’t sort of wish he’d had the option not to. The option to give them back all the pain they’d caused him and then some.

“The Hunters?” Deku asked, eyes widening. He sped up to catch up to Katsuki and walked beside him again. “You mean you confronted them? What happened? Did you fight them?”

“Fought them, killed them. As they fucking deserved,” Katsuki replied with a shrug.

“K… Killed them? But…” Deku stuttered and trailed off. Katsuki gave him a wary look. They were from different cultures. Different worlds. Different species. What did that mean for something like this? How would Deku react? Would he accept it? Try to understand? Or would he condemn Katsuki, call him a savage like a Lycan would, uncaring of his reasons or the circumstances?

“But what?” he grumbled, more to just get it over with. He didn’t want to think his friend would react like a Lycan or anything. But he was still irritated and on edge and his Magic refused to settle down, so his mind followed and made him think of shit he really didn’t want to think about.

“Is there no prison in your Tribe? To lock them away for the rest of their lives?” Deku finally asked after a longer moment of silence. Katsuki snorted, but rather than derisive the sound was more an angry one.

“Like anyone was gonna lock the assholes up even if we had one. Between my word and theirs, whose fucking story do you think people believed, huh? Even you thought I might be stupid enough to pick a fight with a fucking dragon because I damn well wanted to,” he pointed out. And the worst part was, Deku wasn’t even the only one. Hell, even his own parents had been willing to believe that. The only difference was that when he told his friend he was wrong, he’d been listened to. Deku had believed him. His former family hadn’t even given him the benefit of the doubt.

Which honestly still hurt to think about. To know they’d be so willing to judge him just like everyone else. He’d been so sure they wouldn’t, that they’d known him better than that. Guess not.

“Was it an accident? We, um, we fight a lot too. But usually killing is an accident during those times,” Deku asked next, although then he blanched and cried out in realization before Katsuki could answer. “Did you challenge them to a duel to the death?! Kacchan, you’ve barely recovered from the dragon attack!”

“I’m fine, stop fussing!” Katsuki snapped, though not as angrily as before. Admittedly, Deku’s worry was comforting. It was good to know he cared. That someone cared. Because he knew damn well that in his waking world, no one did at all. They had been more worried about the Bakugou family’s honor and no one had cared that Katsuki was protecting it, not sullying it. No one had wanted to even believe it. He huffed in irritation and shook the thoughts away. “I waited until I recovered to challenge them. I’m not an idiot. And it wasn’t a normal duel. I challenged them to a trial before the Gods. If they didn’t fucking deserve to die, the Gods wouldn’t have let me kill them. At least I had the decency to make it fair. I didn’t resort to shitty underhanded tactics like the cheap cowards did.”

“Trial before the Gods?” Deku repeated, tilting his head to the side a little. “How would the Gods stop you from killing them? Is it some kind of magic duel?” he asked and the familiarity of the conversation veering back into explanation territory of the differences in their lives and cultures soothed Katsuki’s simmering anger a bit more. His posture slumped a bit more as he relaxed.

“It’s a duel where Magic of any kind is prohibited. It’s fought with ceremonial weapons. Wooden, covered in leather. Can’t cut worth shit, obviously. Not unless the Gods decide they should,” he explained in a low tone, finally raising his head to look ahead, rather than at the ground.

“So… So the Gods sided with you,” Deku said quietly. Katsuki rolled his eyes.

“Obviously,” he muttered, because it really was obvious they would and Deku of all people should agree with him on that. His friend didn’t seem to hear his input, though, because he kept going.

“That’s good. They… They deserved punishment. I guess your Gods thought that was right.” There was something odd in Deku’s voice as he said that. Katsuki frowned and turned his head to look at him, his gait slowing to more of a leisurely walk then the near-jog it had been before. Deku’s eyebrows were furrowed and although his words implied he was fine with what Katsuki had said he’d done, his expression made it pretty obvious he actually wasn’t. Not really. “It’s… hard to believe you’ve killed people, though. I can’t really imagine it. I would be sent to jail for life if I ever did something like that,” he continued before Katsuki could question him. Then he smiled. It was small and not as bright as Deku’s smiles could get. It was more relieved than anything. But more importantly, it was genuine. “I’m glad you’re ok,” he said and Katsuki looked away, feeling his cheeks warm. His Magic, which had stopped swirling and coiling like a hot, angry snake by now, vibrated in him like a cord. It was an odd feeling. And one he’d never experienced before. But… it didn’t feel bad.

“What’s so hard to believe about it? It’s not the first time I did it. Won’t be the last, either,” he said, motioning to his sword both to show the case in point and to make sure Deku knew what he was talking about. He wasn’t happy to admit as much, though. Because he didn’t enjoy killing. But he knew it was a necessity and he knew he would do it again. It was that or being killed most of the time and he personally preferred the former.

Deku opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again without making a sound. He blinked. Furrowed his brows thoughtfully. Then his eyes widened a little and he nodded.

“You’re right,” he says quietly. “ But I… I still hope you won’t have to do it again.” Well, that was wishful thinking and both of them knew it. There was no way Katsuki could get around killing others. He wouldn’t have been able to avoid it entirely even if he hadn’t chosen to become a Warrior. Killing was just a part of life in Myordice. It was what you had to do to survive. That was just how things were. “I’m just glad you’re alright,” Deku said again and moved closer, but then froze mid-movement and pulled back again, holding his arms awkwardly at his sides. Katsuki frowned at the odd movement, trying to understand what it was supposed to be, then rolled his eyes. Of course. Deku was touchy-feely, far more than anyone Katsuki had ever seen. He’d probably wanted to do something his people often did, like the wrist rubbing or something. “Hopefully next time you can make a more diplomatic decision. I know you wouldn’t have done it unless it was absolutely necessary, though. That’s why I hope you don’t have to do it again.”

“Stop being naive, Deku,” Katsuki grumbled, throwing his arm over his friend’s shoulder without looking at him. He might not be big on touching others, not like Deku was, but he could tolerate it every now and then. For his friend’s sake if he needed it. If it felt nice. This kind of did, so it was fine. “I killed before. I’ll kill again. ‘S not something that can be avoided. It’s part of how fucking life works. You kill or you’re killed yourself. And I don’t plan on fucking dying any time soon.”

Deku turned under his arm as he was talking and pressed himself to Katsuki’s chest, arms wrapping tightly around him and face buried in his neck. Katsuki stumbled slightly, not expecting such a move, and came to a stop. He tensed and grabbed the back of Deku’s shirt to pull him off, but then stopped himself.

This was the third time Deku had held him like that. The first time had been years ago, but Katsuki still remembered it. It was seared into his mind, as was the second time in the first dream they shared after Katsuki recovered from his encounter with the dragon. Mostly because no one else had ever done it. Yuueians weren’t all that big on stuff like that. Or maybe that was just the Bakugous, he wasn’t sure.

Or maybe it was just him. That was a likely possibility, too, all things considered. People didn’t trust him so of course they weren’t too willing to touch him or let themselves be touched, much less to hold him like this. Deku was literally the only one.

The previous times, though, he hadn’t held on so tightly. As if he had to keep Katsuki in place, stop him from leaving or something. The blond bit his lip and relaxed slowly, keeping his arm across Deku’s shoulders a bit awkwardly, but ultimately allowing him to hold on to him.

“I know that,” Deku mumbled into his neck. “But be careful. I won’t… I won’t ever know what happened to you if you die.” His hold tightened even more. He trembled a little. Like he was… scared or some shit.

Was he scared? Scared that Katsuki would die and he wouldn’t know? That was almost a foreign concept for Katsuki to wrap his mind around. Sure, he knew that Deku cared, but… but… no, no but. Deku cared. That meant he didn’t want Katsuki to die. That was normal. He shouldn’t be so surprised. 

“I don’t want to lose you,” he heard Deku all but whisper and his breath caught in his throat, taking his voice with it. He couldn’t answer even if he wanted to, even if he knew what to say. That was different. That implied a Hell of a lot more than just not wanting Katsuki to die. He’d know, he felt the exact same way. He just never thought Deku might, too. He’d expected even less to ever hear such words be directed at him out loud. His cheeks became hot again, like they were on fire and his Magic started to flow through his entire body again in that odd way that filled him with warmth.

They just stood like that for a while as Katsuki’s scrambled brain attempted to pull itself together into something cohesive and capable of thought again. By the time it did, Deku shifted and started to pull away.

“Sorry. I know you don’t like that stuff,” he said quietly, one arm pulling away from Katsuki completely so he could rub at his neck. Which was ultimately what made Katsuki react, though there was hardly a thought behind it and he’d be damned if he could explain why he pulled Deku back to him the way he had in that moment, holding him tightly against his chest. It just felt… right, somehow. He let out a long exhale, nearly a sigh and gathered himself. Deku had said it. It was only right Katsuki did, too. His friend deserved to know.

“Me too,” he admitted quietly, glad he couldn’t see Deku’s expression. And that Deku couldn’t see his. “I don’t… wanna lose you, either.” The words almost got stuck in his throat, almost remained unsaid, but he did say them, if very quietly. He had no reason to chicken out, after all. Deku deserved to know. And if the nerd could say it so easily, Katsuki could, too, damn it.

“Promise me something,” the young Yuueian said next, ploughing on before he could talk himself out of it. His voice grew stronger, louder again. Even a bit imploring and authoritative. What was meant to be something of a request (because Katsuki didn’t plead) turned into more of an order. “Never betray me. Ever. Promise me, Deku.”

“I won’t,” Deku said immediately, without an ounce of hesitation. “You’re my best friend, Kacchan. My Packmate. That won’t end. I’m here for you as much as I can be.” Katsuki still wasn’t quite clear on what a ‘packmate’ was supposed to be, but it didn’t really matter right then. He let out a long sigh and felt something in him he hadn’t even realized had been coiled tight in anxiety loosen. For the first time in a long while, he felt the last of his anger fading away. In its place came sheer, bone crushing relief the likes of which he’d never felt before. 

There were words on the tip of Katsuki’s tongue. Something he wanted, even needed, to say. But he wasn’t really sure what these words were. They were there, urging him to say them, and yet they weren’t, they fled the moment he reached out with his thoughts to try and grasp them.

“Thanks,” he ended up saying instead, because that needed to be voiced as well. Because Deku had no idea how much his reassurance meant to Katsuki. How much his promise and his lack of hesitation meant. He had no way of knowing. But that was alright. Katsuki knew, and that was enough.

Deku wouldn’t ever betray him. He would always stand by him. That was enough. As long as Katsuki had this one friend, it would be enough. Even if no one else believed in him. This was enough.

“You’re welcome,” Deku said as he pulled away, brushing his wrist against Katsuki’s. The blond let him. He turned his head away, feeling his cheeks warm yet again. He didn’t say anything else.