1 Prologue

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Summer

Before

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Nature's silence. The sounds of animals burrowing into holes or scrambling for food within the thick underbrush. The ruffle of leaves as they brush against each other, the wind having other plans for their unmoving stupor. It is peaceful.

And then it's not.

The sound of two pairs of running feet, trampling the greenery with ease. A small lifetime of practice allows this pair of feet to vault over thick, winding tree roots that stick out of the ground like grasping fingers and pick their way over even the thickest of foliage. A cheer of excitement rings out in the air, the sound splitting whatever peace had remained into two unimportant pieces. The sound is full of vigor, the tellings of youth and promise, a sound that most would frown upon if they happened to be in close proximity.

As quick as the peace had been disturbed, the disturbance itself had passed by, a grin displayed on his face as if he'd conquered the world. Perhaps, in his mind, he had.

A ways off, a female voice called out, irritated and fed up with the young boys mischievous antics. "Katsuki Bakugou, I swear if you don't get back here, I'm going to hand you over to the Dragon of Saren before you could even think to apologize." The mother was quite a beauty. Eyes of ruby red with not a trace of her slow ascent madness due to her only child's personality. Her thin yet noticeably muscular figure was clad in a handmade skirt of various stolen fabrics, one side happening to show much more thigh than the other. Her top was a simple mixture of thick fabrics that covered the most of her chest and left her stomach exposed: an intimidating sight for some. It was not everyday you say a woman so fit she looked like she could incapacitate a man twice her size. She was not fit for the ruffles of soft silk that many maidens preferred to grace their delicate skin.

The lovely woman tromped through the plant life with a scowl that creased her sun-tanned forehead. While in the young boy's mind, he was flying faster than the wind, he was merely tottering a few feet away from her. When she reached him and snatched him up by the armpits, he squealed indignantly and demanded in a toddlers voice to be released amidst his thrashing.

With a sigh, the Mother placed him snuggly on her hip and carried him back into the clearing where their camp sat. A man sat at a small, unlit fire, his hands working on skinning a plump rabbit that sat in his lap. When the woman walked into the clearing, his eyes looked up and he gave a smile of greeting that exuded adoration.

"Did he run off again, Mistuki," he questioned in a humored voice as he sat the rabbit to the side and wiped the blood on his hands onto the fresh, green grass.

Mitsuki scoffed and leaned down to place a chaste kiss to the man's lips, "Of course he did. He's about as bad as you used to be with running off, Masaru. "

His face flushed with embarrassment, "Now, come on, I wasn't that bad. Besides, you always went with me no matter what so it couldn't have been that bad."

"I came because who else would keep you out of trouble," she said in a matter of fact tone, though her eyes showed that she would have leapt from the highest peak with him if he asked her to. The two had met years ago, years before their son came into the world. Masaru was nothing but a moneyless adventurer while Mitsuki was a woman who lived with a tribe of people deep within the folds of the forest itself. When the two met, Masaru was infatuated with her while Mitsuki was initially pretty sure she wouldn't have a problem killing him. After some time though, the feeling was returned by Mitsuki and, knowing that their relationship would not be welcome by her people, she joined Masaru on his adventures though she kept to her methods of living all the same.

Masaru was about to return with a playful jab when their son let out a whine.

"Mom, down. Let me down." Mitsuki sighed but did as the boy requested, warning him that she'd give him a good lashing if he were to run off again. Dejected, the boy plopped down down into the grass and began enacting his own little skit with the blades of grass around him in true toddler fashion.

With a playful grin, the boy's father moved from the seat shaped log and onto the grass. "What's happening here," he questioned curiously, pointing to a scene unfolding before him.

"A fight," Katsuki said loudly. "And I'm winning!"

Masaru nodded, "Of course you are, you're obviously the strongest one here. You've gotta protect us."

Katsuki looked up to his father and grinned victoriously. The little one had always been enthralled by fighting and adventuring. Adventuring he inherited from his Father and fighting, well, that was from his Mother. Katsuki had seemed to take on their talents, both good and bad in their own light.

The boy was suddenly on his feet, his tiny cape of leftover fabric swaying behind him. "I'm gonna be a... Dad, what's the word?"

His Dad tapped his chin and pretended to think for a moment before feigning an epiphany, "Warrior!"

The boy nodded excitedly, "I'm gonna be a warmior."

Mistuki stifled a laugh at the child's pronunciation and nodded her head, her blonde hair falling in front of her eyes as she did so. "Well of course you are. I would expect nothing less of a troublesome heathen like you."

"I think she means brave," Masaru commented, earning a light kick in the shin from the blonde woman to his right. "Oh, wow, rude," he joked, sticking his tongue out at her. Sometimes he forgot who the toddler of the family was.

"I'll show you rude," she threatened as she pounced on her beloved, the glint of mischief in her eyes. With a swift movement she smacked the side of her hand into Masaru's ribs and looked delighted when he groaned at the subtle pain.

Reaching out, he spiders his fingers up his wife's side and she jerks away, unable to help the involuntary giggle that escapes her. She sends Masaru a warning glare but he isn't taking it and dives into the fray of the oncoming tickle fight. By now, Katsuki has stood and declared his involvement in the "fight". The group played amongst themselves, nothing in the world around them bothering them for even a slight second.

A truly perfect family.

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Spring

After - Years Later

Three days until meeting

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Katsuki stared down at the rippling water before him. The fish beneath its crystalline surface swam in circles, their unknowing eyes searching for the food that Katsuki had dangling from a piece of knitted thread. In his other hand, he held a sharpened stick, ready to plunge it into the fishes unsuspecting body.

Once the animal got close enough, the blonde thrust downward and didn't let up until he felt the end of the pike slam into the rocky bottom of the river with a barely audible thwack. With hope written across his face, Katsuki lifted his weapon and grinned. Just at the end sat his target, it's body thankfully unmoving.

Satisfied with the day's work, Katsuki strung the fish up on a string and attached it to the bundle of previously caught fish. There weren't many, only two or three. He didn't have any other mouths to feed and he knew better than to over hunt in one area. He slung the fish over his shoulder, the feel of dead and slimy fish scales against his bare back unsettling but familiar as he began his trek back to his current campsite.

The area beyond the pebbled river bank was lush and green, overflowing with plants that Katsuki had seen many times throughout his life and even ones he hadn't. Purple flowers with layered petals and ivy with slick leaves that made the plant almost look artificial.

He picked his way over roots with ease, readjusting the rope of fish every so often to keep them from falling into the dirt. The last thing he wanted was to have to give his dinner a bath before he ate it.

Above, the sun filtered spottily through the trees, illuminating the forest and leaving little ovals of golden light on the dirt. The scenery was peaceful. No animals dared come near him and even the pain in the ass mosquitoes hadn't begun to bother him yet. Birds sat in the highest branches of the trees, paying him no mind as they sang and searched for their short time mates. Katsuki listened to their entertaining tune, his eyes trained on the area around him. While animals didn't seem to bother him, humans surely would.

Never had he seen another person so far into the forest but he wouldn't rule out the possibility. His parents had met that way after all, though he was sure he wouldn't be finding the love of his life out in the middle of a plant infested woodland. If he was lucky it would just be a traveling merchant he found, though those people usually stuck to the main paths. He knew where they usually went - he had to if he felt like snagging a few good items from them. They typically carried cloth and herbal medicine, which was quite a popular attraction these days with winter coming, but it didn't hurt to take some of their gold. Well, it didn't hurt Katsuki to take it, he didn't care if it hurt them.

When the blonde finally made it back to the small "clearing" he called camp, he took his dinner and tied the string holding it into a low hanging tree branch. The clearing wasn't really a clearing of any sort. Just a small area that didn't have many trees and was void of thick foliage, it all having been trampled or killed by something, whether it be lack of water or too much sun, he didn't know. He'd set up a small fire but otherwise it couldn't even be considered a camp.

Katsuki untied a fish from his small bundle and grabbed the pointed roasting stick he used for food off of the ground, skewering the fish easily. Leaning the branch haphazardly against the tree, Katsuki got to work starting a fire. With a few dried twigs and fatwood thrown on top of some logs, he had one going soon enough and sat down to roast his dinner.

As he cooked, the sun slowly went down. By the time he'd cooked all the fish to a golden brown hue and eaten them, it was dark and Katsuki was ready to sleep. His days were typically filled with thieving or hunting so sleep was always an appreciated thing in his livelihood.

Grumbling, he laid on the ground, his bare shoulders facing the crackling warmth of the fire as he tried to fall asleep. While the ground definitely wasn't comfortable, he knew he couldn't complain. He'd slept on the ground so many times that he should have been used to it by now. If his Mother were there, she'd click her tongue at him and scold him for acting like a spoiled noble child.

With a small smile on his face at the thought, Katsuki drifted off to sleep, wondering if he'd actually wake in the morning or be eaten by a creature of the night.