#Todokachako

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 20

Chapter 20

         His cold atmosphere ran down his flesh as his subconscious mind was beginning to bring thoughts that should’ve caused panic hours ago to the surface. Uraraka wasn’t wearing his mother’s beads. He shifted, the couch radiating with his own warmth and his arm stiff from being wrapped around Uraraka, but lacking her weight. Todoroki felt his eyes rip themselves open as he panicked, beginning to glance around for her. Where? Where was she? Was she in another room getting sick trying to make sure they didn’t see her this weak? It was his fault; his presence was too much for most psychics and he had never learned how to pull that power back in it was like the air around him. He needed to learn to control it, so it wasn’t just her problem. It would be best to get away from him if she was struggling with being overwhelmed.  

         His feet hit the cold floor before he could even let another thought process through his mind, swinging open the door, to Katsuki and Uraraka in the kitchen. Todoroki leaned on the door glancing between the two of them arguing over what to cook for breakfast and how to cook it, while the Witch of the Forrest sat at the kitchen table bouncing who knows what in the air whistling to herself and clearly ignoring the world around her. Her eyes slid to him, “About time you got up.”

         Todoroki ran a hand through his hair, eyes lingering down towards Uraraka’s wrist, brand new beads, bright pink shinning around her wrist, it was likely the witch of the forest’s work.

         “Sorry, your mother’s beads were a little outdated, they were ready to break, I disposed of them properly. Even if you wanted to give them back to her it wouldn’t have been healthy.”

         Todoroki nodded at the witch glancing towards Uraraka, who smiled towards him, waving as the beads dangled against her, “Oh, and she also did some changes so I can start working on my magic now too! Look!” Uraraka smiled, beckoning the pots and pans towards her, the pots and pans struggled in the air, but they moved towards her and back.

         The witch laughed, “Whoever made your mother’s beads probably made the situation so much worse by suppressing her magic.” The witch shook her head, likely mistaken, knowing his mother, she had likely gone running home with the beads hoping to be taken back in by his ever-elusive grandparents who turned her away at the door. Causing the situation to go from worse to create the beginnings of his mother’s downwards spiral.  Todoroki nodded, as the witch continued talking, “I put my magic in those beads, not much so it won’t be overwhelming to start, but the beads will eventually start breaking unable to hold up to Uraraka’s powers. I’ll come back to fix them when that starts happening when I do that I’ll slowly and gradually add more and more power, during that time I want Uraraka to pick out an idea of something she was to siphon her powers out of. And Todoroki, work on your psychic field its everywhere. It would make a newborn baby cry.”

         Katsuki huffed in the kitchen seeming to take it as a form of insult.

         “I don’t want to hear it from someone who can’t even step foot outside.”

         “You want to go? My day to go outside is also your weakest day.”

         The witch rolled her eyes, drinking something she had clearly stolen from their kitchen, “We can go, but remember I am thee Witch of the Forrest, if it weren’t for him-“ she shot Todoroki a glance, “I would be the most feared creature in this whole land, “Next time you pick a fight, remember that’s for a reason. And I wasn’t just born into that power.” She paused, “No offense.”

         Todoroki nodded, it wasn’t like he was unaware of the power and privilege he was born with, even if he dreaded it, he had always acknowledged what advantages it managed to give him over others. He shifted unsure if he should come closer while Uraraka was in the middle of using her powers.

         “It’s okay, come here, I want to make sure it’s working while I’m still here.”

         He nodded, moving closer to Uraraka, “Would you be able to tell it’s working immediately?” His mind wandering back to when they first met, it took several hours before she finally went down, what if this happened again while the witch was away?

         She glanced between the two of them, “Should be good, Uraraka call me if you need anything, start with the basics, then we’ll work our way up to see if it’s just telekinesis or some form of magic, also call your parents.”

         Uraraka nodded, a soft but hesitant smile on her face as she showed her out the door. Uraraka closed the door, turning back to both of them in the kitchen before glancing between the two of them.

         Katsuki made a soft scoff, “If anything hurts don’t try to be a hero, just tell one of us,” before turning back to the whistling stove.

         Todoroki’s hand tightened into a fist, “You still haven’t called your parents?”

         “You know how it is, there really hasn’t been a chance for it,” Uraraka’s face became slightly redder, “It’s just how it is, I’ve got to go get ready for class anyway.”

         He glanced towards Uraraka, the pool of blood that surrounded his ankles flashing through his mind, his voice cracking in his throat, “Actually…did you want to stay home today? I don’t…I don’t think it’s safe, at least not yet.”

         Uraraka glanced towards him, her eyes shifting to the floor, “I don’t want to show that I’m intimidated, but also…if I can help him. Even the slightest bit, I want to help, but I can’t help if I can’t find him.”

         Todoroki curled and uncurled his hand, suppressing the urge to run his hand through hair, his voice a soft whisper, “Please? Just this week? It shouldn’t take long, I’ll hunt them down,” His voice quieted, “And take care of them.”

         It was the only way he needed to be honest with her. That was the truth. She needed to know she lived with a duo of murderers. His heart quickened in its paces. Waiting. Waiting for her reaction as the idea that she lived with murderers processed within her mind. The denial cycling through next, glowing in her eyes likely asking all the right questions and trying to push them down as a lie.

         He braced himself, moving slightly to the side so Uraraka could dart out the door running for her life, Katsuki lowering his head pretending not to listen, but likely thinking of the same things they were thinking. That Uraraka was going to run, fearing for her life any second. The verbal rejection that they deserved about to accumulate into the air.

         Todoroki braced himself watching Uraraka open her mouth, Uraraka’s voice cracked, “I made you a killer. It’s my fault.”

         Todoroki raised his hand, his own voice cracking, as he glanced towards the floor. The pot whistling from the kitchen the only noise in the house, it was practically a scream.

         “We weren’t innocent before you found us. Uraraka, it comes with the territory of being supernatural. All supernaturals you have ever met are killers. We’re not an exception.”

         “But, who, I haven’t-I didn’t see a single-“

         Todoroki glanced towards the floor, any sane person would run, “You did.”

         “You didn’t, you wouldn’t, you’re both so gentle. There’s-“

         “The supernatural that chased you through the woods. The horde after that. I killed at least fifteen supernaturals that night. There was a stalker about a week later. The man from the mall. I’m sure there’s more.”

         “The night of the new moon, a pack of werewolves, a curious fae that came too close for their own good, an unrelated stalker two days ago. I killed multiple supernaturals before I even found Todoroki.” Katuski paused glancing at the counter, “And he kills to keep me alive.”

         He couldn’t look at her, he couldn’t see the fear of him that he once held for his own father running through her eyes, he couldn’t see the panic as she wondered if she was next or questioned her own morals if she was ready to stay. “The backyard is built on corpses of others. At the end of the day….we’re bad peopl-“

         “You’re not! I know you two! You’re not bad people! I trust you and sometimes life hands you decisions that you have to make to keep yourself and those around you safe. And I know you two, I’ve watched both of you make calculated decisions. And I don’t believe either of you go around killing innocent people. I know, you know, you’re just trying to scare me away. You need to admit to yourselves that you’re just scared. It’s okay to admit that you’re scared!”

         Todoroki glanced up towards her, his heart rate was still beating incredibly fast, but it felt different. Not like someone was wrapping an elastic band around it anymore. His heart suddenly felt lighter than it did before. To the point, he almost felt dizzy. He paused backing towards the wall, slowly sliding down it. It was unusual, but somehow Uraraka made him weak in the way that she made him so much stronger than before.

         He glanced up through his hair, Uraraka right in front of him checking him for a fever, his mind wandering to something he should’ve said before, something he should’ve been clearer with. “I’d be willing to meet your parents again if you’d let me.”

         Uraraka nodded, “Sure, but not right now.”

         “The two of you get off the floor, I just cleaned that!” Katsuki shouted from the other room.

         Uraraka stood up, “Alright, let’s get breakfast, then crack this case and save more people.”

         Todoroki nodded, following her to the kitchen as the three of them sat at the kitchen table, arguing, babbling, and talking like a family would. Doing his best to push the image down of the blood encased around his ankles. It would be a while before he was able to push the image down but having some of the most important people to him in the world next to him eating breakfast helped. More than he would ever be able to appreciate.

         He smiled, before moving towards the house’s library, paging through the books, his eyes lingering towards the prison worlds kept behind his desk. No. He couldn’t be tempted. Those kept in prison worlds were serving out their sentences. If he let one out in exchange for information, he couldn’t tell what kind of terror he would unleash on the world. His fingers brushed over the books, unsure of who to ask, who would be willing, and who would ever have information on the current supernatural he was hunting. Would the price of their freedom be enough? Enough to save others? But what would be the cost? The only person that might know enough information was in a prison world because he couldn’t handle them. He had nearly died that night trying to put them in. Everyone in the area knew their reputation. Even deadly and new supernaturals were concerned with this person’s presence. Putting this person away was how he had earned his reputation. His fingers traced down the spine of the prison world’s book, but could he manage to seal them back up again? Especially after years of pent up rage that were likely stock-piling within the novel?

         The dial to the phone turned in the hallway, “I know it’s been a while…. hi, dad…I’m okay, I’m living with two really great people. I know, I know, it’s okay. He said he’d want to meet you again sometime, not yet, no I’m safe. How’s mom?”

         Todoroki let go of the book, pushing it back onto the shelf. Taking a breath, as he wandered away from the fastest help that there was to offer…but quite also the most dangerous.  

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 19

               Todoroki felt his heart strumming against his chest, reminding him of the warnings he had told himself, the warnings he had grained deeply in his own cranium watching his mother as he grew up. She was so weak in comparison to his father. Human. Uraraka had been so strong, her personality so powerful and presence reassuring to him, how could he have forgotten? How could he have pushed down the main thing he felt about humans. 

Fragile. 

Fragile. 

Fragile. 

His mind wavered to the time he had reached for his mother himself and accidentally left a bruise on her leg as a toddler, the panic and disgust swelled in him. He never wanted to be a drop like his father. She knew he didn’t mean it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. He knew even as a toddler; he knew that his mother was the most fragile out of their family. But he never wanted to be his father. Even with the gentlest touch, the kind that someone would use when going over delicate artwork or in an attempt not to squish the smallest thing, he had still harmed her. And now he had forgotten what was carved deep in his brain about humans. The most important thing. The topic that was so deadly to forget in this world. The topic that he knew that he was just deluding himself in, humans were fragile.

               And his human heart felt like something was shattering in his chest as he stared down an empty parking lot with the exceptions of Tsuyu’s knife, Uraraka’s phone and bookbag, and so, so much blood. His hand stretched to his chest tangling with his shirt. It hurt. The organ had been practically frozen solid for years. It had helped him forget. Forget himself. That his heart was human. He had been so carefully remembering to be gentle with humans that he forgot to be gentle with himself, and now that the ice he carved around his heart was melting, it was too much. The ground felt uneven. He felt like he was choking. Todoroki breathe. He glanced up, searching around for Uraraka, her voice sounding so near to him. His breath exhaled, forming life into the air and ascending to the sky.

               “Uraraka!” He called, his voice echoing into the distance, reverberating back through the air to him. He wasn’t surprised to hear the silence echoing back at him. There was so much blood, it would be hard to track her scent. He glanced towards Tsuyu’s things; she wouldn’t leave Uraraka behind. Or have the chance to escape. He walked forward, finding beads shattered around the parking lot, with no time to pick up his mother’s bracelet, he needed to find her. He was sure his mother wouldn’t mind that he had chosen Uraraka over the bracelet, “Uraraka!”

               His chest tightened as he pressed the thoughts of why he didn’t get useful powers, why couldn’t his family had been one that would bestow him something he could actually use to help his friends. Todoroki swallowed, the blood remained pooled at his feet, on the contradiction of his brain it was good that it wasn’t dry yet. That means it was recent. That means he would find her alive. But which way? Which way? There were no footprints, just a pool of blood, liquefying and diffusing in the parking lot. Todoroki reached for the phone in his pocket, glancing down towards Uraraka’s strumming against the pavement with the home phone’s number battering against it. He was surprised it wasn’t dead from Katsuki calling and yelling yet. Todoroki slid unlock on the phone, surprised again that it didn’t contain a password.

               “She’s not here.”

               “Then what the hell is?”

               Todoroki glanced towards the scene, it was likely something that Katsuki had seen before, “Everything’s going to be fine. Call for the witch of the Forrest.” He hung up the call in the midst of Katsuki’s yelling, before searching the phone book, Tsuyu’s number being one of the most recent calls. He hit the call button. The ringing of the phone not fast enough to match the beating of his heart.

               The phone clicked on, loud clopping steps reverberating across wherever they were running.

“Tsuyu? Where are you?”

“Up, three floors! I don’t know what we’re going to do-“ Tsuyu sounded out of breath, and he could hear that she was being pulled along, Uraraka’s breath faint but he could hear it in the background. Meaning whoever was chasing them was playing with them, treating them like they were a game. Todoroki swallowed. Plenty of supernaturals that still craved bloodlust tended to play with their food. It helped wave the bloodlust off for a little extra time before they needed to hunt down another victim.

“I’m on my way, leave a scent trail, something that’ll throw off the scent, run in a circle only if you have time, and hide. Don’t make a noise. I’ll be right there. If I can hear you both breathing through the phone, they aren’t far behind.”

“You better hurry up or there won’t be a body to find.”

Todoroki nodded, shutting the phone before throwing himself into the building, going up the stairs two to three at a time.  He wouldn’t lose this battle, he swung the next-door open glancing down towards the pillage of clothes nearing the door, no one in sight but the echoing of footfalls slowly approaching him. He glanced towards the stairs; they likely were in a way he wouldn’t suspect. He had a choice to make, grab them and get out or find the person chasing them and confront the problem. Todoroki swallowed, he didn’t want them to see him like he could be in the name of defending his territory or what and who was important to him. But he also couldn’t leave, while running and having them fear for their lives.

Todoroki felt his feet move forwards, knowing what he had to do. He needed to be swift and lacking in mercy. A shadow lingered on the opposite side of the construction-littered terrain, calmly walking about the territory and observing as if they were playing hide-and-seek with a child. Their red eyes slowly lingering down towards the clothing articles that laid at his feet. A small scoff of annoyance escaping them, a twist of their foot as if to say they were turning around, but turning back to him and approaching him.

“You do realize who’s prey they were right? How can you be such a glutton not to leave a single piece?” The person paused, their unfamiliar but cold eyes glancing over the clothes, “Not a single spot of blood, so either I’ve misunderstood or you’re the world’s most meticulous eater.”

A hollow laugh escaped him, “I might be, I’ve never left a mess behind from something I’ve started, and I’m not going to start now.”

The steps were careful, graceful, not a sound echoed in the corridor, laughter echoed down the corridor as the man spun back to him, “You know, if I didn’t know who you were you would’ve had me, I was almost impressed. Alright, fess up where’d you hide them.”

A scoff escaped him, “If you knew who I am, you should know that I’m not going to give them up,” He paused, almost startling himself when he found himself right next to the guy, his right-hand lingering over the man’s neck, his voice dropping to a soft but sadistic whisper, “I would take this as a warning and never look in the direction of this household ever again.” He hissed, before launching the man several feet back. His body only stopping once it collided with the wall, shaking the building. Todoroki glanced towards the wall structure, he didn’t know where those two were hiding, it would be best not to do that again. If he was lucky hopefully the guy would get his point and dart in the name of at least trying to keep his life until the next new moon.  

The man cackled, brushing himself off and unburying himself from the supplies, in the next moment Todoroki could feel warmth wrapping around his own next, “You’re not used to losing are you? Or even people being close to your level, huh?” The man laughed as Todoroki grabbed his wrist feeling his feet leave the floor, he had severely underestimated this person’s strength. His mind swirling between how he was raised, hoping to find anything that could save him while not being launched back into a regrettable situation, something that would at least give him something in an attempt to free himself.

He grabbed the man’s wrist, fire causing light to radiate off their face. Todoroki swallowed, wishing it didn’t make the man clearly able to see. He had half a face, jawbone protruding out where skin should be almost seeming as though someone had attempted sculpting the face and wanted to move from clay to a new medium. Honestly, they would almost look decent if it wasn’t for the blood that crusted the other side of his face. He could feel his fangs pulse, while his human half wanted to run somewhere and puke in rejecting of the sight. His mind screaming that he knew exactly what covered this man’s face, but also wanting to deny it to the point the words sounded as though they were static in his head. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t even want to think it. His hand tightened, the fires growing brighter, beginning to cascade up the man’s arm, but the man didn’t flinch. Todoroki attempted to swallow feeling the pressure get tighter around his neck, he needed to get himself free and soon. He needed to be stronger than this man. He was the strongest in the area, if he lost who would protect everyone else? They would be vulnerable. Spots were moving through his vision, at the corner of his eyes, and he could see his fire starting to flicker even with how much it had spread upon this man. Todoroki felt a pressure run through the back of his head, he hadn’t felt it before but if he was thinking straight he would’ve suspected that he was losing. But instead, he was concerned with his blurring vision and the weight of his head, the brown-haired bob flying towards the two of them in the background barely a thought processing through his mind, words that were loud incomprehensible in his mind before he hit the floor.

He could feel someone rolling him over so that he was staring straight up at the roof, saliva running down the side of his mouth.

“Oh no, oh no, Tsuyu what do I do?”

Todoroki felt his head rolling his breathing beginning to sort itself, but almost as though it was hyperventilating in an attempt to regain all of the oxygen he had lost previously, but not quite strong enough yet to return himself to his feet.

“Let me see, watch for the other one.”

“I know I’m watching”

“It doesn’t look like his neck is broken, I see faint bruising, but I think it’s healing currently.”

Their panicked voices dropped to whispers as he could feel their hands carefully check to see if he was injured anywhere else before considering moving him, Todoroki glanced behind Uraraka, a metal rod laid right against her leg, and a headless man several feet away. His hand brushed Uraraka’s hair out of the way, “I’m sorry.” He coughed, out of the two of them he hadn’t realized who had been the weaker out of the two of them all along.

She grabbed his hand, her shaking hands tightening around them as she clearly was trying to steady herself, “Keep your breath, we’ll move to a safer spot as soon as we know you don’t have any other injuries that you’ll bleed out from.”

“You keep rescuing me.”

“And you keep running to me as soon as I call you.”

“I, I’m supposed to be protecting you.”

“We’re a household, we take care of each other now.”

He glanced towards her, wondering if she could tell what he was thinking about through one look in his eyes.

A small soft laughter came from her, “Alright, we’ll keep a tally and whoever does the most rescuing has to treat the other to ice cream at the end of the year.”

A soft laugh escaped him, before he felt his eyes linger towards the body in the background. He would have to take care of whatever that was before other humans arrived in the morning. Likely he would have to burn it in hopes that it wouldn’t attempt to rise again like a zombie, or a vampire might if not properly disposed of.

Tsuyu coughed, “We should hide him.”

“I’ll be up in a few moments. I can fight whoever we find next.”

Tsuyu shook her head, “It’s not that,” she glanced towards the street, whatever she saw down there both relieving and stressing her, “I called my parents.”

Todoroki nodded, The Demon Hunters in the area. Never a good sign. Especially since they were likely going to take one look at him so weak and likely decide that it would be the best opportunity to take care of such a powerful demon. But on the other hand, he wasn’t ever fit for hiding, and they had mentioned there was another person chasing them through the corridors. “When was the last time you saw the other person?”

Uraraka’s hands tightened on his arm, “That’s the thing, we saw him and then he was gone…he looks like Katsuki’s old friend.” Her eyes were distant as though she was unsure if she wanted to share this information. It was clear the next question would be if they should or shouldn’t share the information with Katsuki. Her voice shook, “He didn’t seem like a-“

“There’s never anyway to tell until after you see them do it. It’s one of the things that keeps them alive, is they’re good until they’re not.”

Uraraka nodded, glancing towards the window, her attention coming back to him as he was already beginning to try standing.

Todoroki felt himself instinctively bristle feeling a cool metal on the back of his head. It had been a rough day already in the first place. He attempted not to let his hand curl around the clothes covering Uraraka’s knees, his hand bracing for an impact as he felt her flinch likely looking at whatever he was feeling behind himself. Todoroki paused still feeling unsteady, he wouldn’t be able to get away from whoever was behind him, especially not at the range they were at. It had already been a rough day. He knew he should’ve found a way to practically dress Katsuki up in a bee-keeper suit of sun blocking curtains and dragged him along. He pushed the ridiculous idea down, trying to focus on the situation. He uncurled his hand, slowly beginning to raise both of them.

“Don’t you dare move you disgusting demon-“

“Mom, it wasn’t him-“

“Tsuyu!”

“He came to save us!”

“Tsuyu, don’t fall for that, he’s probably just trying to-“

Uraraka launched herself towards the person behind them, likely to wrestle whatever equipment they had out of their hands, “I’ve had such a rough week already, I’d appreciate you not aiming a gun at my friends, especially during midterm week.”

Todoroki slowly stumbled attempting to raise himself to a standing position so he could see what was happening behind him, before lowering himself back to the floor, raising his hands, “I’m not going to attack anyone.”

“That’s what they all say!” Tsuyu’s mom shouted from underneath Uraraka, seeming as though they were losing the situation barely keeping the weapon out of Uraraka’s hands. Frankly, it looked similar to siblings arguing over a toy. Except it was a very dangerous element that could likely kill him considering what Tsuyu’s parents did.

“Mame- I’m a half- “

“He’s a demon doesn’t matter what he says- “

“I don’t give a damn if he’s a demon or not, I give a damn how he treats me. So, if you want him you’re going to have to go through me.” Uraraka stood, the glow of a thousand wildfires and the power of a stampede radiating from her presence. “Besides, don’t you have a more important job than to attempt to kill an innocent bystander? Especially one that regulates this city better than you could ever dream?”

“I do my job just fine!”

“Your job is murder, not control. I know you’re doing you’re best and I appreciate you coming to help save us and I know that it’s the only answer for a species so weak and so easily preyed upon can come upon, but there’s nothing wrong with leaving those who haven’t done wrong and those who are doing their best and haven’t hurt anyone alone.” Uraraka’s loud voice dropped to a whisper. Confusion as she ran through her explanation running through her mind. Clearly knowing that she shouldn’t reprimand Tsuyu’s mother for her job, and that it was something that she would’ve been doing in order to save their lives. But also, that it wasn’t fair to kill Todoroki only due to what he was.

Tsuyu’s mom let out a loud sigh, the noise of regret lingering through it, “You’re possessed child, move, it’s not going to feel good being released from it, but I promise it’s worth it.” Tsuyu’s mom switched, a knife in her hand.

Uraraka threw herself in front of him, “If you can’t be bothered to listen, over my dead body, and then some.” She hissed, Tsuyu’s mother came closer a lingering look of regret, “If you take another step closer, I promise only your nightmares will be where you feel safe.”

Tsuyu gasped, grabbing her mom’s elbow as she raised the knife, Todoroki moved grabbing Uraraka and spinning her to the other side of himself. He couldn’t have done much throughout the day to help her, but at the very least he could protect her from an on-coming knife. He braced himself, waiting for the burning to seethe down his back in the way he had heard it described before. Those who had been cut by a hunter’s knife and managed to get away even the tiniest of cuts and bruised never healed. He would have to find a way to hide it so that the forest residence didn’t think he was weak, and his father wouldn’t take it as a chance to start a war with the humans. But he wouldn’t change his mind. He couldn’t do much for Uraraka, at the very least he could be her shield. He swallowed, waiting for the pain.

“Honey,” Loud steps clopped against the pavement, “I can’t find anyone else in the building- “

The pain never came, Todoroki loosened his grip on Uraraka, full of rebellion that he was planning on taking the hit for her especially after she had riled the hunter up. He glanced over his shoulder, the two hunters standing side-by-side, Tsuyu’s hands still wrapped around her mother’s elbow, confusion, regret, and embarrassment more than obvious on her face.

What he believed was Tsuyu’s father, turned to him, likely looking him over as Todoroki slowly let go of Uraraka, pushing down his instinct to run. That was normal. They had pointed a knife at the two of them. If he couldn’t tell their clear resemblance he would’ve laughed at the similarity of the situation if it hadn’t been so dire.

Tsuyu’s father blinked at him, confusion clear on his face, “Are you….are you Rei’s son?”

He almost took a step back, heat rising to his face as he glanced towards his shoes, then back towards him, “Why do you need to know?”

Her father nodded, “Honey, he’s a half-demon.”

“Does that make much of a difference?”

“No, but the way he’s raised would definitely be different than most, it’s not often you run into a half-demon. Well, they are more common now a days since demons are beginning to adapt to look a lot more like humans. Anyway, how’s your mother?”

He glanced towards the empty corridor waiting for the person that had been chasing Tsuyu and Uraraka to appear at any moment. At the current moment, it didn’t feel real, as though they were playing some sort of game of tag and the person, he was expecting to show up was an imaginary player.

“Ah, right, not quite the right area to have this conversation. Thank you for taking care of our daughter, you should come over sometime and bring your mother-“

He glanced back towards him, his eyes narrowing, the humans he had been told about from his mother’s side weren’t much. From his perspective she had fought to survive taking everything morsel she could possibly get but in her eyes…humans were just as cruel as the stories of demons that her family told. Worse. Because in the beginning, most expects those similar to their own to help them out. He wouldn’t put himself in such a vulnerable situation. The story of how his mother had been practically sold off to his father because her family mistook her psychic powers for selling her soul. He didn’t trust either of his parents’ connections, no matter how much a sparkling recommendation either of them might’ve given them, “How did you know her?”

“We went to high school together. But you know how it is, after most people graduate, go their separate ways and never speak again. But I didn’t know-she….” There was concern radiating in the man’s eyes.

Todoroki glanced towards the wall, knowing exactly what the man was thinking about. Uraraka’s hand moved around his wrist, “Let’s go home.” She whispered, nodding towards Tsuyu and her family, before making their way down the stairs. Todoroki glanced towards the floor, attempting not to glance at the bloodstain walls, they had fought with everything they possibly could before he had arrived. And even then, they didn’t truly need him to step in. He hadn’t noticed Uraraka taking the keys or the quiet drive home. His mind was spinning, and he was regrettably beyond exhausted.

“We’ll get him next time. And we’ll save Midoriya too. No matter what we have to do to save them. We’ll help who we can.” Uraraka paused, sliding out of the car, “I was thinking that’s the way I want to do things. I looked Tsuyu’s parents over and I realized they do good in the world, but I also don’t want to be in-discriminatory of the good and the bad and accidentally take the good out of the world. I want to do the best I can for the world. I’ve decided how we’re going to do things, help who we can.”  

Todoroki nodded, that seemed like the way to be. The hunters’ presence had put his mind for a loop, especially when he was typically on the other end of the weapon. But in his defense, he had gone after murderers, serial killers, but didn’t that make him a serial killer himself? Todoroki moved his way onto the couch, his head spinning in circles on an already rough week. Uraraka’s soft voice sounding as though it was in the hall, “We’re all just doing our best. And that’s all anyone can ask for.” The sound of the shower turning on beginning to low him to sleep. It wasn’t until several hours later that his brain was starting to detect some form of weight on his chest as he attempted to breathe. But the presence wasn’t unfamiliar, instead of the panic he knew he should’ve been feeling, he felt relieved. Todoroki slid one of his eyes open, Uraraka’s head on his chest and her legs draped across Katsuki on the other side and he stayed, an arm thrown over the back of the couch and watching a movie. And suddenly his mind was quiet. For the first time in weeks, Todoroki found himself not only feeling safe, but content.  

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 8

Chapter 8

                 Even if this was only the beginning of the semester, after the semester she had so far Uraraka was sure that there wasn’t much that could surprise her. But this was something that caught her off guard. Her eyes slid down towards the unsteady knife in Tsuyu’s hand.

She was unsure. But she knew what it meant to her. Uraraka’s eyes slid towards Katsuki and Todoroki. The confusion in their eyes, but Katsuki moving his fingers in such a way they were cracking on their own as he was prepping to jump into the fight. It was possible that he considered losing the fight for his life the only lose that he would ever accept in his life again. Todoroki raised his hands, “We aren’t going to hurt you. We just came to take Uraraka home.”

               Tsuyu glanced towards them suspiciously. It wasn’t like her. It wasn’t like her to randomly pull a knife. Especially not on someone that she had seen before, and not on someone that had put her at ease previously or that her friend trusted. Uraraka glanced between the three of them. It was clear who she should be protecting, Todoroki and Katsuki weren’t pointing a knife towards Tsuyu, after all. But the chaos in her soul escalated her heartrate. Uraraka took a breath, Tsuyu wouldn’t have pulled a knife on them without a reason, and it was clear she was hesitant about it. Mostly her eyes were lingering on Katsuki. Someone in her mind that she knew was clearly dead.

               Embarrassment rushed to her, “I’ve been living with them for a little under two months now. They’re both safe I assure you.”

               Tsuyu lowered the knife, a complex feeling on her face. Todoroki ran a hand over the back of his neck, “I’m sorry if I did something to upset you. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

               “I need an explanation.”

               “I know. It’s not exactly that easy to explain.” Uraraka glanced towards Katsuki, sliding his hands into his pockets clearly attempting to not be paying attention but still annoyed.

               Tsuyu slid the knife into her pocket, her hands still shaking.

               “Come back with us, it’s not safe to walk home at this hour, especially alone. Not so close to my territory.”

               Tsuyu frowned, displeasure and embarrassment blending together on her face, “You’ve been taking care of Uraraka in a situation I didn’t know she was in and the first thing I did was point a knife at you two.” Tears watered to her eyes; frustration clearly prominent in the air.

               “Then don’t point knives at me!”  Katsuki snapped, rolling his eyes before turning to go down the sidewalk. Tsuyu glanced towards the street.

               “Katuski means don’t point knives at people who aren’t going to attack you.” Todoroki paused, “But there’s nothing wrong with defending yourself.”  He pushed his hands in his pockets, turning back to Katsuki.

               Tsuyu moved towards Uraraka glancing at the two walking ahead, “Are they arguing because of me?”

               Uraraka shook her head, “Katsuki’s just like that, he comes off as he’s yelling, but that’s just how he is.” She glanced towards Tsuyu, likely struggling to let go of the knife that was in her pocket. Probably feeling betrayed and hurt that she had kept such a secret from her. But how was she supposed to explain it?

               “You know…my family…they had mentioned this world before, but we never fully talked about it in detail…so I always brushed it off as a wives’ tale. But-“ Tsuyu’s eyes lingered on Katsuki, “How? Is it okay to ask…what is he?”

               Uraraka glanced towards Katsuki, kicking a can into the trash accompanied by loud shouts of people’s incapability to pick up their own trash, “Katsuki has never hurt me and I think I can promise that he’ll never harm you, but Katsuki’s a vampire. But he has special circumstances, hence why we’re walking so slow in comparison to how we usually go.”

               Tsuyu’s eyes went wide, but whatever thoughts she had considered remained quietly within her head, “Do you usually walk home on the night of the new moon instead?”

               Uraraka shrugged, “It might be a possibility. I don’t want Katsuki to feel responsible for me too. He only gets one night out a month.”

               “Hey! I may only have one night out a month, but what I choose to do with it is my choice!” Katsuki snapped, before turning back to the path ahead, the sidewalk beginning to disappear into the earth-crusted gravel.

               Tsuyu paused at the edge, “I should go back now.”

               Todoroki shook his head, “Although you likely can fight your way out you’re in my territory. A lot of dangerous creatures come in an attempt to challenge for my territory, I can’t guarantee they all have only above a human’s level of strength. I also have a few things I’d like to settle with you before you go home.”

               Tsuyu nodded, “I wouldn’t mind. Besides I’d like to get to know you two better if Uraraka decided it was okay to live with you.”

               They each nodded, continuing their trail towards Todoroki’s house. The crickets of the night chirped singing their merry tune, the quiet swish of the wind that one would only expect from a woodland based area instead of a city danced around their feet, playing with their hair. It was surreal and gentle. And Uraraka found herself craving that the world stayed like this, for just a little longer. That the world would let her savor each piece of the gentleness that it had to offer. The kind of gentleness that one wouldn’t realize they were missing until they finally paused.

               Tsuyu followed Todoroki into the cottage. Uraraka reached for the door, glancing back towards Katsuki who had his back to her, the cold wind wrestling in his hair and the faint scent of Fall beginning to set in. Uraraka pushed the door open, sliding a blanket off of the couch before reproaching Katsuki, throwing the blanket around his shoulders. He spun grabbing her wrist, “Who’s there?” He snapped, clearly relaxing when he realized who it was but the defensive and likely embarrassed tone in his voice remained, “Don’t sneak up on people like me.”

               “Like you?” She laughed, “The person that’s been taking care of Todoroki and I like a nitpicking nanny? I’m supposed to be afraid?”

               Katsuki’s eyes sparkled as he played with ideas in his head before turning away from her, sliding the blanket off of his shoulders, “Vampires don’t get cold. Here.” Uraraka took the blanket, folding It into her arms. Katsuki turned to her snatching the blanket out of her hands, and wrapping it around her shoulders, “Are you trying to catch pneumonia?” before he turned back looking towards the sky.

               Uraraka glanced towards Katsuki, wondering how their relationship would’ve turned out if they had met before he was a vampire, or if he had never become one. His personality was so strong and adamant she doubted that there would be much of a difference.  Her eyes traced towards where he was looking, attempting to hide his glance towards the sky, “Do you miss the light?”

               Katsuki snorted, “There’s nothing to miss.” Turning away he stuffed his hands into his pockets, trailing away. He glanced over his shoulder, “What are you doing? Let’s go,” before he began walking again. Away from the house, around the cottage and into a trail behind the woods.

               “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be out here?”

               “No one’s stupid enough to come out on the new moon.”

               “Why is that?”

               “I’m a vampire that drinks the blood of exclusively supernatural creatures.”

               Uraraka glanced towards him.

               “It’s similar to how humans are afraid of vampires because they never see them, they’re afraid of me because they know I’m not going to lose to them.” Katsuki moved forward, his next few words being spoken softly, “Not in front of you, at least.”

               Uraraka glanced towards him wondering if she was supposed to hear that. Katsuki was usually so adamant and loud with his personality, she had never seen him become shy with his words before. Her face buzzed, attempting to tell herself she was unsure what that meant. She followed him up the hill, sliding down in her wedges which were clearly not designed for such a terrain. Uraraka glanced up towards Katsuki reaching his hand out unexpectedly.

               “Hurry up already.” He grumbled as she let him bring her up.

               Uraraka felt her mouth drop.

               “I told you, I wasn’t missing anything.”

               She was standing on what could’ve been mistaken for a steep cliff, not quite a mountain, but not quite a hill anyone wanted to fall off of, in front of her laid a stretch of land encompassing a lake, fireflies radiated around it as the lake reflected each of them. Stars decorated the pond as it glowed blew, the colors echoing throughout the air. Uraraka could feel it in her veins, the entire place accumulated magic.  It was gorgeous. It drew her in, beckoning her. She had found home. She was home. She took a step forwards her foot slipping.

               “What are you doing?” Katsuki snapped his hand reaching for her, too late, she was already falling. And yet she felt safe. Katsuki’s arms wrapped around her, his hand placed on her head. It only took moments before the water hit them pulling them deeper. Uraraka took a breath, water pushing in instead of air when they finally resurfaced coughing it up. The air burned returning to her throat.

               “What were you doing?” He snapped as she glanced towards him.

               “I don’t know. I just. I just thought I was home and I took one step.”

               Katsuki glared towards the edge of the embankment, likely trying to decide how hard it would be for the two of them to get back up to where they were. There weren’t any clear routes to return to where they were standing. It wasn’t ideal to have fallen into what was basically an outdoor cave filled with water.  “Tsk. That bracelet is supposed to protect you from any supernatural element that means you harm. Todoroki should just throw it back.”

               “What if whatever element pulled me down here didn’t mean any harm? I felt like I was home. I felt safe.” And right then she meant it. She was sure there was nowhere safer right then that she could be than with Katsuki’s arms wrapped around her hips.

Katsuki let out a rough sound of annoyance, “Whatever it was I don’t trust it. Don’t fall for such a simple lure.”

Uraraka felt her hands move over the muscles on his arms, trying to push down the thought about how since she had gotten there, she had secretly been dying to touch his muscles. Katsuki’s personality was easily misunderstood, it wouldn’t be surprising if the one that had attacked Katsuki was out of spite via a misunderstanding. “Did you know the person that made you a vampire?”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Of course not. There’s no way anyone I already knew would’ve been able to take me down. Not even at that point of my human existence.”

“Did you want to go back to being human?”

Red flashed in his eyes as they swerved towards her before immediately swerving away. It likely wasn’t an uncommon question, but most likely had to keep it to themselves. Katsuki glanced towards the sky and for a moment Uraraka was sure that it would remain unanswered. “Who wouldn’t? Spending every single day trapped in that house isn’t ideal. I get by, but when the decision to leave gets taken from you? Anyone would’ve wanted to be free of it.”  

Uraraka glanced towards the water, struggling to reflect the both of them. Katsuki could’ve easily been out looking for the person who killed him-the one who turned him into a vampire, one that was trapped without even the faintest reflection of the moon for comfort-the person who had all the answers. She took a breath, her hands tightening around his shirt, “I’ll find them. I’ll find who did this to you.”

Katsuki scoffed, “Then what? Offer to be their dinner?”

Uraraka splashed the water in his face, Katsuki’s hand slipping as he pushed himself back wiping the water away from his face, a devious smile on his face, “I’m not going to let them get that chance.” He laughed, sending water flying back towards her, “Let’s see how well you swim.” Katsuki growled his voice attempting to come off as dangerous but struggling to hide the mischief in his voice as he reached for her. Uraraka pushed herself back pushing more water onto Katsuki, Uraraka blinked and he was gone. “Where’d you go-“ A hand latched around her ankle as he pulled her down. Uraraka laughed, finding herself dragged down into the lake. Uraraka took a breath letting him drag her down. She would take him by surprise, but she didn’t have any intention of losing.

Uraraka opened her eyes planning to get him back, instead in front of her was a creature steadily blinking at her as in an attempt to examine her. It wasn’t a kind of creature that she had seen before. It almost appeared to be a man, but with the body of an octopus. She attempted to push back, another tentacle wrapping around her as though it were a child struggling to hold onto a pretty rock that it was still examining, “Let go!”  She breathed watching the last bits of her air take physical form and rise to the surface where Katsuki’s shadow was steadily looking for her, clearly startled by the fact that she had disappeared and not come up from the lake yet, likely shouting things by now about how not funny this situation was. Uraraka tapped on the creature’s shoulder only for another tentacle to push her arm back. She glared at it, great, it thought it was okay to touch her but her touching it wasn’t okay. She glanced towards the surface, steadying her thoughts. She could do this. Katsuki wasn’t going to be able to get close to her any time soon. If she could just reach the halter hidden underneath her shorts. Her hand circled behind herself, beginning to struggle to remove the knife. The water beginning to run down her throat, it wouldn’t take much longer for her to blackout if she couldn’t make it to the surface soon. Especially with the creatures attempts to constrict her. It had the body of an octopus and a human likely it was carnivorous. It was likely more than excited to find a meal that would crave its hunger in such a place. Her throat burned, begging her to take a breath. The knife finally slid between her fingers. She didn’t have time to hope that she had enough strength to free herself. She just needed to do it. Her hand tightened on the knife taking the hardest swing she could imagine while underwater. The creature squealed, its tentacles unwrapping just enough that she could free herself. The world spun around her. She needed air. Now. Uraraka kicked her feet as fast as she physically can, surfacing.

“Uraraka, dammit!”

The air burned to rush down to her throat, “Her-“ the tentacle wrapped around her ankle dragging her down once again, the water rushed through her throat. She turned the monster wiping the knife out of her hand, fury burned in its eyes. Likely not used to their prey fighting back.  “I’m not your dinner!” She swung, the water managing to stop her massively as the creature threw her. Uraraka felt herself surface, before crashing down into the water again. “Up, where was up? Come on. Think.” Humans float. She didn’t have time, but she needed to stop struggling it would save her life. Her body flipped over pushing her back towards the surface. Uraraka pushed her way to the surface, watching the creature circle her. It wasn’t angry. It was playing with her. She was the prey, and this was a game.

“What are you doing over there?” Katsuki snapped beginning to move towards her.  

“No! Stay back!” She shouted, her hand wrapping around the other as she flinched glancing down at it. The creature had cut her hand with her knife. It wasn’t a pretty sight and would likely need several stitches to be taken care of. Uraraka blinked, it was too late, he was already next to her.

“What happened?” He snapped, following her gaze towards the creature circling her.  His eyes slowly moving back towards her, shifting down to her hands. Katsuki swallowed, anger likely bellowing in his chest in an attempt to overpower any other emotion. “I’m going to kill it.” An afterglow echoed throughout the surface before he was gone.

“Katsuki, wait!” She shouted, but it was too late, he was gone. The supernatural speed of his species likely being a bad trait bestowed onto someone who was likely already hot-headed before transitioning.  

She glanced down, beginning to attempt to stop the bleeding through wrapping her clothes around her hand, Katsuki clearly fighting with the creature below them. “Katsuki! Katsuki get back up here!” Uraraka shouted as the lake around them began freezing over quickly unraveling towards them. Uraraka took a breath, pushing herself down under the water, grabbing Katsuki by the arm. He glared at her, startled and likely thinking that something else was trying to attack them from behind. She pulled, pulling them back to the surface.

“What was that for? I was winning!” He snapped his fangs clearly protruding from his mouth.

“I was saving your life; the lake is freezing over!” She replied glancing up towards Todoroki offering her a hand.

“I’m going back down there to fight it! How dare it-“

“Katsuki.”

“I don’t need you to rescue me!” Katsuki snapped, glaring towards Todoroki over his shoulder.

Todoroki shook his head as Uraraka grabbed his hand, thanking him before testing the ice they were standing on. “Did you-“

The creature spun rising to the surface, water rushing off of it the way a creature from a sailing-horror movie would present itself, chin thrown high into the air, and a sense of uncontended authority flowing off of it, “Who dares touch my prey?” It boomed, its eyes locking towards Todoroki’s hand still wrapped around her own, “Just a pathetic mutt?”

“Get over here so I can kick your ass!” Katsuki snapped, his hands splashing against the water.

Todoroki glanced towards her, his eyes sliding down towards her hand flipping it over, “Did he do this?”

She shook her head, “My hand slipped on the knife.”

“So, he did.”

“I-“

“You wouldn’t have pulled that knife if you didn’t feel like you were in danger.”

The creature’s tentacles swung through the air with the ferocity of an angered cat’s tail. A soft scoff coming from them, “You do understand that prey is mine, correct?”

Todoroki instinctively pulled her closer, a soft growl to Katsuki, “Get out of the water.”

Katsuki glared towards him one foot already on the ice, “Don’t tell me what to do!” He snapped.

Todoroki’s eyes shifted to the creature, “You clearly don’t understand who you’re talking to. And by common knowledge, this is all my territory and these two are my closest assets. Are you telling me that you’ve openly admitted to attacking these two?”

The creature scoffed, “And what are you going to do? Call those fake supernatural government of this area?”

Todoroki’s grip tightened, clearly thinking about turning her away from what was about to happen as his arm pulled her closer, his muscle-flexing as he resisted the urge to pull her into his shoulder so she wouldn’t see what was coming next another hand beginning to raise, “I am the government in this area.”

Flames lit the sky echoing towards the creature as it let out a loud screeching before returning to its lake.

“Remember who this next time you decide to put your hands on either one of them. You will never get off easy again after that,” Todoroki’s eyes narrowed, “Do you understand?” He hissed.

The creature pushed itself underneath the lake without another word.

Todoroki sighed walking them back up to the top of the cliff where Tsuyu was waiting.

“What was that?”

“There are a lot of things in this world that many don’t know. But whatever it is, it needs to know who’s the ruler of this territory.” Todoroki shook his head, glancing down towards Uraraka attempting to hide her hand. “Katsuki go get dinner.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Katsuki snapped, already halfway down the other side of the cliff.

Todoroki turned back towards her, holding out his hand for her own, “Let me see.”

“It’s fine. I just dropped my knife.”

“When was the last time you washed it?”

“It was brand new.”

“We’ll disinfect it when we get back then.” He stated, before standing again and beginning to walk back towards the house.

Tsuyu wrapped her jacket around Uraraka’s shoulders, “It’s been a long night hasn’t it?”

Uraraka nodded, pulling the jacket closer, “It wasn’t bad though.” She found herself attempting to hide a soft smile. Not ready to admit it, but fighting back? Feeling like at moments that she was actually winning as the adrenaline pulsed through her? She felt so alive. There was a part of her that she knew wouldn’t be responded to well if she admitted it aloud. But her body was begging her to do it again. Todoroki opened the door leading her to the kitchen after giving Tsuyu rough instructions on how to get to Uraraka’s room to grab a change of clothes.

Todoroki drew a chair beckoning her to sit as he pulled out a first aid kit. He took her hand gently wrapping around it before beginning to blot the spot and disinfecting it.

A smile escaped her, “And here I thought Katsuki said that you were bad at life skills.”

Todoroki glanced towards the first aid kit a hazed overlook in his eyes, “I used to watch my older siblings patch each other up after a rough day in the house.” Todoroki paused, his hand resting on the box, “I’m not very good at doing it for other people though. Only myself.” He moved to pull out the wrapping gingerly wrapping it around her hand, carefully beginning to tighten it.

“You’re not going to hurt me. I don’t think the wrapping will even stay on like that.” Uraraka laughed as he shook his head slowly beginning to add more pressure. As though he were unsure how much pressure to make sure he wouldn’t hurt her. It was barely visible, but his hands shook, as though the smallest touch would shatter the porcelain she was made of. Uraraka brought her other hand to his face, “Don’t be afraid of me. I’m not afraid of you. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Todoroki’s mouth twitched, barely a moment away from dropping open as the clouds in his eyes shifted to the sparkle of a thousand stars, his hand wrapping around her. Uraraka bit her lip attempting not to flinch after she had just told him that he wouldn’t hurt her. He glanced down redlining his face, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Other people’s hands don’t typically stay intact near me.”

Uraraka let a small laugh out, it had been a rough start, but this was where she wanted to be. There was something that just felt so safe and familiar about the house. Like she had been drawn there, the house telling her that it was exactly what she needed. Todoroki near her, Katsuki back and leaning on the doorway facing away from them grumbling, and Tsuyu running into the room. This was exactly what she had needed. To be surrounded by the ones she absolutely adored. It was going to be a great semester.

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Uraraka glanced about watching Todoroki stuff as many things as he could into a suitcase.

“How far are we going?”

”Not far, but I need to make sure Katsuki’s supplied.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, if he spent any longer on the door’s frame, she was sure it would cave, “I’m not going to go rapid in the period of one day of blood loss. Only the weak go rapid.”

Todoroki sighed, “Either way I’d rather we stay away from such a problem. Those who become like that frequently don’t come back.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, as if he was attempting to make it into a new sport, he glanced towards Uraraka, “Make sure to remind this one to eat, also tell him when you’re hungry. It’ll be easier if you make him eat with you.”

Uraraka nodded glancing between the two. The way they were worrying-she couldn’t exactly tell them that it was setting her more on edge than she would admit, but it was more than clear that both residents had a deep distaste for Todoroki’s family. She rested her hand on the doorknob, glancing towards Todoroki loading items in the car, “just in-case they weren’t able to escape his family”, and Katsuki hands in his pockets stomping back to his preferred location in the ever-growing house. “We’ll be back soon!” She smiled.

“Just get going already!” Katsuki snapped, trying not to turn towards her. His voice was harsh, but something told her that something about the fact that they had bothered to say goodbye and the reaffirmation that they’d be back made him happy. Even if he refused to admit it. 

Todoroki returned to the door, handing Katsuki the key.

Katsuki glanced towards him, “You know, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. Don’t get trapped by your old man. Blood ties aren’t everything.”

“It’s nothing to do with blood ties. We’ll be in and we’ll be out.”

Katsuki nodded, Todoroki shutting the door. He slid in next to her in the car. Uraraka glanced around. It was a rather comfortable car. The seats were warm, the dash was full of more buttons than she could ever imagine. The car was far from designed for living in the forest area. Uraraka’s eyes slid towards Todoroki, clipping himself into the vehicle before keying the engine. It wasn’t unusual for people to get introduced to other people’s family members. There were only some occasions where such formalities that he seemed to be making were made. Uraraka brushed her dress down; she had just met them. And if he needed to make such arrangements surely, he would tell her first instead of throwing her into such a situation. Sure, he was essentially her landlord, and he could come off as rude, but he wouldn’t do that to her. She needed to calm down. She was living in his house and wearing a piece of jewelry that suppressed the pain of living in his household. Uraraka glanced back towards him, “Did you plan on living in the woods?”

“It’s my territory.”

“I mean did you want to live here? Growing up or even searching for a house is this the place you wanted to be?”

Todoroki was silent for a moment, either contemplating the answer or attempting to pay attention to the busy highway on the outside of town he was about to merge onto. “If I were more human, I think I’d want to live in a city. Somewhere where I could make a difference.”

Uraraka nodded, “I think all of us, even if deep down, want to make a difference in this world. Like a way of saying that we belong, a way of saying that we existed at some point.”

Todoroki’s hand tightened on the wheel, words that she was sure he wasn’t quite ready to say attempting to start a hurricane around in his head. There was something he wasn’t saying about his family, something that she could tell bothered him. She could feel the electricity run up and down her own hands as though this feeling in her hands was telling her to run. To run as fast as she could. That the minute that she stepped out of the vehicle she would have lost her escape. She would be a fox contained in a trap, having to choose between gnawing her own leg off or perishing there. Uraraka glanced towards the purple detailing Todoroki’s fingers from being wrapped around the wheel to the point that she was sure if he didn’t control in a moment, he would snap the wheel in half. The thought occurred to her. It wasn’t her feelings, the need to gnaw herself apart to escape the situation or the feeling of being trapped trying to tear off chains, they were coming from Todoroki. He was having a hard time suppressing the feeling. Those feelings were flowing off him with the force of a typhoon.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

He glanced towards her, “It’s too late. We’re already here.”

“Your father just said I had to visit, not that you had to come in. I’ll run in, introduce myself, give my thanks and leave. It’s my fault you had to come here after all.”

Todoroki let go of the wheel, an indescribable looking in his eyes as he examined what she could only believe was his childhood home. And he didn’t feel safe looking at it.

Uraraka glanced towards the building, she would go in and come out. She needed to be proud and confident. Show him that it was fine. Even if she couldn’t return the feeling of safety, he provided for her she could at least make him feel more like himself. The front door slid open, a woman standing at the door a soft smile on her face with a distant look in her eyes giving her away. The woman seemed to be far away in her mind even as she tried to present herself as a welcoming host.

“I didn’t know that you were coming for the party.” The woman smiled.

Uraraka felt her heart skip a couple beats. A glance at the house told her that this wouldn’t be a simple family get together. It would be luxurious and extravagant.

“No, we were just stopping by. He made the arrangement in order for some things I needed at the time.”

The woman sighed, “You wouldn’t bother at least staying for dinner? Even Natsuo’s here, but I’m sure he can’t handle it much longer. The only ones he hasn’t been impatient with yet is the waitstaff.”

“Fuyumi, I have a territory to get back to.”

She shook her head, “I know, but I don’t see why you have your territory set up like you’re asking them to come for you instead of leading the supernaturals in the area.”

“Maybe I don’t expect our species to just assume they’re in control and establish the hierarchy. Where is he?”

“Upstairs.”

Todoroki nodded, beckoning her to follow him, Uraraka nodded as they quickly made their way inside.

“He probably did this on purpose so we wouldn’t be able to get in and get out. Watch yourself. These people may be considered family friends, but they’re all people that owe him. None of them are friends and they are all dangerous. I’m hoping to be in and out, if you wind up separated don’t look or speak to anyone.”

Uraraka nodded, following him up the stairs. Todoroki was taking the stairs two at a time, doing his best not to be noticed by any of the party guests. She glanced down towards the extravagance below her feet. A simple party to most of the guests, likely hoping to get their name out there with higher-ups and people that would get them places. She had known they had come from different worlds, but this isn’t what she thought she meant when she thought that. Being able to see the extravagance and the difference between the two lifestyles they had come from. She glanced towards Todoroki, attempting to make his paces as fast as he could towards the door towards the center of the hallway. Attempting to suppress that feeling of being overwhelmed. She took a breath. She was stronger than she let on. She could handle this. It was just his father. Todoroki took a breath in front of her, a quick glance that she was sure she wasn’t supposed to notice towards her, and he pushed the door open.

She followed him into the room, glancing upon one of the tallest men she had ever seen. His back was towards her, but he extruded an aura that was almost overwhelming. But also left a foul taste in her mouth. She knew where she had felt this aura before, the one that left a foul taste in her mouth. The businessmen that had come and go through her family’s company. It was the kind of aura that flowed off of the rude businessmen. The instant they walked in the door she knew it was going to be a rough day. One where they were unnecessarily apologizing for any and every slight inconvenience. Mostly made by the businessmen themselves. But never the businessmen apologizing about the inconvenience of their existence ruining what would be an otherwise humble day. Uraraka took a breath. She knew how to handle herself. She had taught herself the etiquette for when her family worked their way up in the world. She knew she would have to mingle with the people that gave her such an aura. The man turned around carefully gazing her over, Uraraka took her dress into her hands beginning a courtesy, “My name is Uraraka, a pleasure to meet you.”

The bracelet jingled around her wrist.

The man nodded, glancing towards Todoroki, “If you were looking for a wife you should’ve told me, I would’ve introduced you to some other people.”

Uraraka felt heat run up the back of her neck, a glance out of the corner of her eye towards Todoroki. If he needed her to pretend such a thing then sure she would, if that would get them out of the room with this man. But he clearly didn’t approve. It wouldn’t be fair to lie, “Sir, I simply live with-“

“Uraraka is one of my tenants, that means she’s one of my people. Do not disrespect her.”

She towards Todoroki, a fire glowing in his eyes. It wasn’t the kind that most would have in their furnace to surround during the Winter, it was the kind that destroyed forests. Raging, destroying whatever was in its path. Instinctively, she reached up grabbing his forearm. Todoroki tensed, flinching as if he was ready to fight her off, before the muscle relaxed underneath her hand. He took a breath, glancing towards her. The gentle part of Winter glowing within his eyes. The soft, quiet of a first snow moved through his eyes, “How about you go downstairs to enjoy the party? I need a word with my father.”

She shook her head, “I’m not scared. I’m not going to leave you alone when you’re obviously uncomfortable.”

His muscle relaxed under her hand, “I’m okay. If anything happens, he’ll embarrass himself at his own party. He must’ve set this up, so it’d be harder for us to leave. Go find something to eat and I’ll join you shortly.”

“Okay, but if you need anything.” She hesitated, watching him nod before heading down the stairs. The halls were crowded. Clearly, there was no one she recognized, but this wasn’t the kind of party that she had ever expected to attend. Heck, she hadn’t even expected to attend a wild college party. The party she attempted to attend last week was more of a riot and she had darted out of there quickly. Then there was the festival. With the insane one that chased her through the forest. Uraraka headed towards the table of food, feeling as though she had just thrown Todoroki to the wolf that he was avoiding. It was her fault. He clearly hadn’t wanted to ever see this place again, but here he was, in exchange for such a cheap trinket around her wrist. Uraraka moved down the hall, statues and various trophies lined the hall. Whoever his father was masquerading as in the human realm, he was doing exceptionally well at it. Her hand slid to her wrist, the bracelet-was gone. Her heart skipped a beat. She needed to find it. Now.

She turned, ready to rapidly retrace her steps, a person pushing her back. “Sorry.” She muttered, begging to move around them.

“Wo, it’s fine. Did you come here yourself?”

She glanced towards the glowing eyes of the person. Something told her that whatever this person wanted by continuing the conversation wasn’t going to be something pleasant.  

“I’m sorry, but I’m in a hurry.” She moved around them, they grabbed her wrist.

“The only human here I would bet. Who found such a luxurious desert? This place really goes all out when they do parties. And here I was starting to think this place was so boring.”

“Let me go.”

“I don’t think you even know what kind of house you’re in right now. Now listen I’m close friends with the family of this place, you should listen to me.”

“I said let go.”

They attempted to yank her closer, “Unless you want to upset the family that lives here, which is a very dangerous and powerful family, then I would listen to me very carefully.”

Uraraka took a breath, “I am going to tell you to let go, only one more time.”

The person laughed, their other hand reaching for her.

“I said no!” She snapped, swinging her hand, a shadow looming over them. Uraraka glanced up towards the trophy case towering over her the shadow becoming larger and larger as it leaned towards her. The person who was holding her wrist hostage finally letting go as they darted away from the case. She raised her arms above her head, a pressure pushing her to the floor. Uraraka waited for the pain to hit her. Someone above her coughed. Uraraka slid her eyes open. Todoroki was there, gasping for air, as he attempted to push himself up, noises scrambled around them. Likely the guests coming to gawk at whatever the sound was and the waitstaff doing their best to fix the situation before it became worse.

A booming voice echoed throughout the hall, “Quarantine the area, I don’t want to see any on-lookers. I don’t need any guests discussing this. And divide in half, remove the person that did this from the party.”

“Are you alright?” She glanced, reaching to push the shelf that Todoroki was struggling to push off himself. A hand wrapped around from the other side pulling the shelf back up and gently setting it on the floor. He was quiet, taking her wrist and wrapping the bracelet around it.

Uraraka glanced towards the white haired person standing there. His features extremely similar to Fuyumi. This must’ve been Todoroki’s older brother. He nodded, a glance examining them over, “Don’t lose that. You’re going to need it if you want to continue living in his household.”

She nodded, “I won’t lose it again. I’m sorry.” Her hand tightened on her wrist before she glanced back towards Todoroki, “We should probably go somewhere and get you treated. That must’ve hurt. I’m sorry.”

Todoroki glanced down the hall, “It’ll heal in a couple minutes. Until then just sit here with me. I don’t want any other party guests to see you.” He shook his head, “I mean, this is-was-my house. I can’t just leave a guest unaccompanied.

“What happened?”

Todoroki shook his head, “One of the cases must’ve not been sealed properly. I’ll leave instructions to reseal them.”

               Natsuo’s eyes slid towards the bracelet on her wrist as he squatted down to join them, “I’m Natsuo, Shouto’s older brother. Nice to meet you.”

               “Uraraka.”

               “Did something startle you?”

               “The case mostly, I think we should take Todoroki to a room at the very least to make sure he doesn’t have any severe injuries.”

               “He’ll recover. We’re de-“

               Todoroki coughed.

               Natsuo shook his head, “Listen I don’t think the case fell on its own. Not after being up there all those years without a problem.”

               “And what makes you say that?”

               Natsuo gave a faint smile, “So, you came for the bracelet without knowing what it does?”

               Todoroki leaned his head against the wall, “I just knew I needed it.”

               “It’s an ancient technique made to suppress powerful psychics so they wouldn’t be burned at the stake.”

               Uraraka nodded, wondering if her mother had ever mentioned any psychics previously in the family. It wasn’t an unusual term most people had heard of the term before, but most people were also able to brush such terminology off as unrelated to their lives.

               “Our father’s side gives off a very powerful energy. What was making you sick was probably Todoroki himself. So, while it attempts to hide you from someone, or rather something, that may wish you harm it also suppresses the psychic energy that lets you pick up on his aura. Also, it was probably suppressing your powers.” Natsuo made a gesture as though he wanted to hold the bracelet.

               She glanced towards Todoroki.

               “Come on man, no one is going to make a move to eat her while we’re both still sitting here.”

               Todoroki nodded.

               She unclipped the bracelet, handing it to Natsuo, then glancing around. Something small. Something not frail. Or valuable. Everything in the hall looked of value in her eyes. Nothing looked like something she wouldn’t be afraid to crack or drop. They weren’t things she’d typically be within several feet of if it wasn’t for being required to come here to keep Todoroki’s end of the deal.

               Natsuo nodded, “That makes sense, you can feel the energy coming off of her. It’s so unrestrained it’s like a waterfall of food. The guest that found her first was probably trying to get her to be a snack.”

               Uraraka glanced towards Todoroki. It would be unfair to say that she was scared of his family, especially after his older brother was being patient explaining what was happening to her. But she knew the words that he was saying would imply that he would also want to eat her. Uraraka glanced towards his eyes. On the contrary she didn’t feel scared or uncomfortable. There was a familiar comfortable presence flowing off of him. Similar to the way that someone who wanted to fit in would be. Uraraka glanced towards her shoe, part way down the hall, beckoning it closer like one would with a dog. Nothing. She tried again. Nothing.

               Natsuo shrugged, “It’s okay. It’s not going to come to you immediately. It’s probably because one of the guests upset you. Sorry about that.”

               She nodded, glancing towards Todoroki.

               Natsuo sighed, “Come on, let’s go at least check if you have any injuries left over.”

               Todoroki rolled his eyes, before a glance towards her.

               “I’ll be outside the room; I won’t go too far.” She glanced towards Natsuo following his lead, the easiest way to get him to comply would probably be to separate from him once he said not to. More than likely he would follow.  Uraraka glanced back, and surely there was his reflection in the mirror.

               “Um.”

               “What’s the matter? I know we don’t see each other much, but I’m going to do better now, you just watch. Ask me anything.”

               “Do vampires get that feeling?”

               Natsuo was quiet, looking ahead, “I’m not too sure. Vampires let’s just say, they feel things so intensely. Compared to any other species, there’s different types. That’s why you have so many stories of their lure, but I feel like most of the time most of the documents I’ve had to deal with have been from finally being overwhelmed by their own emotions.” Natsuo glanced back towards the roof, “They bottled everything up, didn’t like their situation, then just exploded. It’s not that I’m complaining, but I’m not particularly fond of my job that our family has given us.”

               Todoroki nodded before moving into the room and shutting the door behind him.

               “What an odd question…” Natsuo looked towards Uraraka, “Listen. I know we’re not particularly easy to get along with, but honestly, what do you think of my brother?” Natsuo was leaning on the wall, trying to glance away to hide the pleading and worried look in his eyes. There was something bothering him. The bracelet may have been back around her wrist, but even if this was what was considered to be a “normal” family she would know instantly that something was wrong. She could tell that it was something centered around Todoroki himself. But not because of Todoroki.

               “He makes me feel safe. I want to return that feeling to him.”

               Natsuo nodded, “I think he needs that. Right now, I’m not the one that can provide him with that feeling. I can see how he looks at me. Like he expects me to dart any moment. I can’t blame him. It’s the truth, when things got too bad in this house, I fled without the two of them. Like a coward.” He paused, likely considering the lack of mannered etiquette of dumping such information on a stranger.

               “I don’t think it’s cowardly to run away from something you can’t handle right now.” Uraraka paused, waiting for him to correct her instead he was quiet, “It’s alright to decide that you can’t handle something, even if it’s your own family. I’m not sure I really have the right to say this because of getting along with my own family, but blood ties aren’t everything. You need to find a place that you feel safe yourself before you’re able to make other’s feel safe around you. And that’s okay.”

               Natsuo let out a breath, a soft layer of snow coming from it before it evaporated. Uraraka blinked at it wondering if she had seen what she thought she had seen coming from him. He leaned his head against the wall, “For a while I was wondering what I would say to him when I saw him. How would I fulfill the role as a big brother I failed so horribly at that he should hate me, you know? But I’m glad you’re with him.”

               The door opened, Todoroki glanced towards them, “A slight bruise. Give it another hour or two and it’ll be gone.”

               Natsuo nodded, “I’ll walk you two to the door, you’ve had a long day.”

               They followed him, waving their good-byes after a quick good-bye to Fuyumi. Uraraka slid into the car, a soft click of the door. Natsuo beginning to walk away before Todoroki could turn.

               “Natsuo.”

               “What’s the matter?”

               “One more thing….I would’ve ran to. I understood the entire time. I never hated you.”

               Natsuo smiled, reaching for a hug before they said their good-bye’s and Todoroki slid into the car. Uraraka glanced up watching Natsuo wave at them through the mirror, doing his best to secretly wipe the tears coming to his eyes away. And Uraraka knew the wheels of fate were turning, from then on the future of their family was about to get on a wild ride that would change their family drastically. A small smile came to her face, knowing that it would be for the better.

               Todoroki puffed a cough, attempting to suppress it as he took a turn, “I’m sorry you didn’t get much out of going there. You could’ve had the day to study instead of meeting my family.”

               She turned to him, “It was an interesting experience, you don’t need to apologize. If you want, you can invite me next time too.”

               Like someone who had been drowning for too long to the point the air burned when they finally rose from the torrent waves doing their best to drag them down, Todoroki’s hand let up on the wheel.  

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 4

               Todoroki glared at the mansion, his hand tightening around the bag he was holding. It wasn’t enough to contain the empty hole radiating in his chest. The feeling that was bombarding him simply by looking at that house. If his hand tightened anymore around the bag the strap would shred from his summoning claws, his mind shifting to Uraraka’s heat in his arms as he picked her up off the hallway floor. Her erratic heartbeat. It wouldn’t be healthy for her to stay. He needed to adjust her environment. There’d be no point of bringing her home if she didn’t live. He couldn’t be the thing that killed her. 

Not after attempting to rescue her. Todoroki swallowed. He’d be in, then out. He wouldn’t stay longer than he needed to. And hopefully, he’d be back in time so that Katsuki would be able to enjoy his singular day outside a month.

               Todoroki sighed, his hand around the knocker on the door. He was capable of researching how to create what she needed himself. But it would take time. A luxury he didn’t have. He sighed trying to resign himself to using the door knocker. The door swung open. His older sister Fuyumi smiling at him.

               “Shouto!” She smiled, reaching for him.

               “Hey, sis-, where’s dad?” It was supposed to be an affection tone, and yet it came out dark and grumbly. The way his sister’s smile fell there would be no hiding it. It wasn’t his fault this place brought out the worst in him.

Fuyumi’s eyes darkened, her snowflake colored eyes swirling as she tried to determine the circumstances of his visit, “in the usual spot”

He nodded, as Fuyumi let him in the door, the saddened atmosphere from her likely realization that he wouldn’t be staying long. He glanced towards her; she must’ve been lonely. In such a big house, with a pretend family.

“The offer is still on the table.”

“It’s okay if I wanted to move out, I would find my own place. Besides how would I look if I had my little brother taking care of me?”

Fuyumi gave him a fake laugh. She didn’t want to admit it. She was a hostage to this house. She was trapped within the way that a person kept returning to a toxic relationship. The house had curled its chains so tight around her wrists if they weren’t metaphorical, she wouldn’t be able to move. There wasn’t much one could do when the person kept running back to what was the danger.

Todoroki shifted, moving towards the training room, he wasn’t much better. At the end of the day, he had returned to this cage. He shifted the door open, as expected the room was unnecessarily up in flames. He glanced around looking for the full-grown man who was having a temper-tantrum.

“I need something.”

“So, you’ve finally come crawling back?”

Todoroki slammed the door shut. This was stupid. He would create what he needed himself. He turned heading down the hall. He didn’t need to put up with this nonsense. He didn’t have time or the patience for it.

“Wait.”

He couldn’t turn around now. Not with the slight grin that was forming on his face. He needed to know he had won first.

“What did you come here for?”

“My mother’s bracelet.”

“An odd thing for a half demon to want.”

“It’s not for me.” The part he dreaded the most. The fact that he would have to tell his father what or rather who it was for. He turned, the bracelet already in his father’s hands. His mother hadn’t needed it after leaving their mountain, her psychic abilities eventually stabilized into a form of shield. But she had also left the mountain due to unwelcoming circumstances. Therefore, she didn’t need it. That meant it could only be in his father’s possession.

“Who are they?”

“I don’t know yet, but she’s under my protection now.”

His father threw him the necklace, it landed in his hand. He glanced down at it, wondering if Uraraka would agree to wear such an expensive looking piece. Maybe he’d be able to play it off as a gift that he never to use or a prize he had won. The bracelet was silver, but near contained a sphere that echoed with the constellations of the atmosphere, a reminder that the world had more to offer than they could ever imagine.  

“Thank-“ The words weren’t intentional, something that had slipped over his building courtesy that wasn’t there before, the words didn’t sound right coming from his mouth and especially not towards a man who truly didn’t deserve them. But the words never had time to form.

“In exchange bring her around some time. That’s what you can do to keep that.”

“We’ll see.” Todoroki tightened his hand around the jewelry. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was supposed to do, but if it prevented her from getting sick any further it would have to do. He had already stooped to asking his father to for it instead of creating it himself.

“Remember, we’re demons Shouto. Keep your end of the deal.”

He rolled his eyes, “I never agreed.”

“I’ll see you next weekend.”

Todoroki shut the door, annoyance bubbling in his chest as he glanced towards the jewel in his hand. He didn’t feel quite safe bringing her around his family. He wanted them to remain far, far away from them. Especially if he was going to keep his heritage a secret. He glanced towards Fuyumi tending the garden in the front yard.

“If nothing else, at least consider it visiting me?” Fuyumi smiled, her eyes darting around as if she wasn’t sure what she wanted to focus on. And after effect of their household.

He shook his head, “I don’t want her to know what we are.”

“What about Katsuki? He’s practically a hermit.”

“You know he can’t leave the house. I’ve already started researching what happened to him.”

Fuyumi nodded, glancing towards the flowers, “It’s an unusual circumstance, most vampires are capable of leaving the house during the night, then there are even some capable of walking during the day. The old ones, the ones who have made long-time friends with witches, the powerful ones.”

Todoroki shook his head, “I don’t think it has anything to do with his power.” He had seen Katsuki’s power firsthand. The last time someone had tried to break into his house. He remembered glancing towards the carnage that laid about doorway, Katsuki had slowly turned to him, a half-disturbing smile as a façade on his face, “Hope they weren’t friends of yours.” He knew they weren’t his friends by the words they had said upon entering. And if he didn’t know by now, having Uraraka in the house had proven Katsuki was capable of being patient. Todoroki knew he didn’t know much about Katsuki’s background, other than he was practically confined to being the guard dog of his house, but if he was able to discern one thing from a glance at Katsuki was that he had grown up making quick decisions to save his own life. Quick decisions with as much limited information he had on hand. And one of those decisions had stolen his life. In one of the most brutal matters he could imagine. Todoroki glanced towards the necklace, tightening his grip on it; he wouldn’t let the supernatural community steal Uraraka’s life too. He would be patient too.

~~~~

               Uraraka glanced through her fevered eyes, she had opened them a couple times since feeling one of the guys lift her off of the hallway floor to what she could only assume what was currently presiding as her own bed.  One of the guys had been coming and going, but in the darkness of the room she wasn’t sure who it was. What if they knew she found out? What if they knew she found out about Katsuki’s faked death and were poisoning her and every hour one of them would check on her to see if the poison had finished her off yet? That wasn’t it. In fact, she was starting to feel slightly better. This would probably be the best time to find some answers, when they thought she wasn’t able to move about the house, she slid off the covers. Gingerly she placed her feet to the floor planning on moving so quietly not even a forest animal from outside would be able to hear her move. The cold of the flooring flowed against her feet almost as a repellent to tell her to get back to bed. Sure, they weren’t trying to actively murder her, or at least it didn’t feel like-Todoroki probably wouldn’t have been bothered to bring her home at all if he was just going to murder her-but something didn’t feel right in this household. She slid into the corridor, checking bother ways, before sliding into the next room. She would have to be careful to avoid Katsuki’s and Todoroki’s rooms even though those rooms were the ones that likely provided the most answers. But she couldn’t risk running into either of them while her curiosity was getting the best of her. She slid her feet into the next room: a library.

               Even with the distraction, she found herself in complete awe. The room was lined with bookshelves all the way around, one would have to guess that the walls were made of bookshelves, as they cascaded around the center of the room, the only discernable clear position towards the back, a writing desk with a single lamp on it. Uraraka found herself moving towards it. She turned, running her fingers over the books behind the desk. Nothing quite struck out at her. The books seemed to have titles from various languages, but all of the books contained the scent of a well-aged book. There would be no doubt that these were hard to get hands upon in this day-and-age. She brushed the dust off, opening the book. A small creature flew out of it. Uraraka jumped backward, glancing towards the creature that glowed a luminescent sky-blue. It floated in front of her face, no bigger than her hand. She blinked at it glancing towards the book, “Guess you were trapped in there, huh?” Then back towards the creature wondering if it was a fever-induced illusion.

               Uraraka turned sliding the book back, glancing towards the creature which still floated in front of her. It wasn’t something that she knew naturally flourished in the area. But heck, who was she to say what creatures existed. They were still finding new creatures and organisms in the ocean, so how would anyone know all the creatures that existed on the land? The creature opened its mouth, she glanced towards it expecting no sound to come out of it at all, but instead, a deep booming voice spoke to her, “What do you desire?” It echoed throughout the room.

               She jumped glancing back towards the creature. She may have been accepting of its existence, but she wasn’t prepared for it to being spoken language. Her mouth opened, but before she could get the words out another interrupted her.

               “Don’t talk directly to it.” Katsuki snapped in the doorway before approaching her and slamming the glowing creature into the book again. He slid the book back into its place before scanning the books over, “What are you doing in here?”

               “I-I, I wanted to know more.” She replied.

               Katsuki rolled his eyes, his fingers twitching as he was considering something. Likely the fact that she had gotten out of bed with such a high fever and decided it’d be time to explore the house. He ran a hand through his hair, “Look, everybody’s got their secrets and problems. Don’t let that thing out again.”

               “Just because it’s different doesn’t mean-“

               “It’s dangerous. Don’t let it out.” Katsuki turned, stuffing his hands in his pockets before beginning to remove himself from the room, muttering to himself, “It would probably ask for something stupid in exchange anyway. No point selling your life for something you want that you’ll never get.” His mutterings already down the hallway incomprehensible to the human ear.

               Uraraka’s eyes shifted back towards the books, majority containing titles written in unknown languages and kept securely on the shelves. There was a careful organization, yet cobwebs decorated the edges of most of the novels. Uraraka swallowed. That could only mean the rest of the books contained other creatures. She glanced towards the book that contained the glowing blue creature. Katsuki had said it was dangerous. They had the goodness in their hearts to attempt to rescue her, even if it was just from the elements. That meant likely everything else in these books was a dangerous creature. She glanced towards the desk, completely blank. This room wouldn’t have anything that it could offer to her. If she knew anything about the unknown it was that most of the other species that humans tended to attempt to deny were incredibly particular about word choices. She shut the door behind herself, glancing towards Katsuki still stomping down the hall, annoyed and muttering how if she was feeling well enough to explore the house, she shouldn’t have collapsed in the first place.

               The images wouldn’t leave her mind. And Katsuki didn’t seem like the type to lie. She glanced towards his profile, he seemed so….so alive. If Katsuki hadn’t interrupted, her she likely would’ve decided everything she had done was a fever-induced dream. It wasn’t like her to go about wandering through other people’s stuff without their permission. Uraraka glanced towards Katsuki, his back still her as he wandered back towards the kitchen where he typically remained. She wondered if it would be smart to even ask. They were allowing her to stay there. They hadn’t asked many questions about her very obvious uncomfortable circumstances. Would it be fair to ask about their own? And yet-that image on the screen cycled around in his head. Katsuki was dead. But that wasn’t quite right either. She glanced towards him disappearing into the next room. He wasn’t quite alive, but he wasn’t quite dead. Stuck somewhere in the middle.  Uraraka followed him into the kitchen, he was wandering aimlessly. Similarly, to a bored tiger at the zoo. He had seemed to be trapped within the house.

               She took a breath, “Does it hurt?”

               “Huh?” He snapped, pulling pans out and placing them on the stove.

               A hand twitched moving to her other sleeve, “Being trapped between life and death, does it hurt?”  

               She expected him to slam the pot onto the stove, instead there was a silent quite movement to it. As though he hadn’t processed that she was beginning to figure out what was up in the couple days that she had been there.

               “It’s more like a buzzing. It’s not the way it’s supposed to be. I’m not like the others. Todoroki’ the secret-optimist has been researching ways to see if they can fix me.” Katsuki laughed, rolling his eyes, “there’s no proper way to bring the dead back to life.”

               “He knows?”

               “Can’t exactly not know that you live with a vampire that can only leave on the new moon.”

               “You’re a vampire?”

               He glanced towards her, his eyes widening before turning back to the pot a few angry mutterings as he stirred the pot, “So, you used me to figure it out?”

               “Essentially you told me.”

               “Ah, my death. Newspaper?”

               “No. Criminal justice elective.”

               “Weird they’d use an unsolved murder case. But when I get my hands on the vampire that made me that way I’m going to kill them. Tried to kill me I guess, but dumbasses didn’t realize how hard I’d be to kill. I’m too resilient to go down without a fight.” Katsuki let a tilt of a smile on his face. He was hiding it. How much everything had hurt. He didn’t want to be this way. “Of course, I don’t want to be this way. I can’t even enjoy the good parts about what I’ve become. But I’m going to show them what it’s like to live like this. They’ll never leave once I trap them in their own creation.”

               Uraraka nodded, glancing back towards the front door.

               “What?”

               “There was a knocking.”

               “Todoroki’s the only other who’d come here. And I would’ve heard it first if someone knocked.”

               Someone knocked on the door. Katsuki’s eyes shifted back to her, his red eyes squinting at her as he rolled up his sleeves, “I really liked this shirt too.” He huffed, before motioning her to stay with the food and leaving towards the front door. “Let’s see which dumbass thinks they can take me this month.” He muttered on his way.

               Uraraka glanced down towards what Katsuki was cooking for her letting her mind wander. Did that mean Todoroki was a vampire too? Was she just being kept as a meal until she was healthy enough to eat? She had ambitions too. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight if that was the truth. Besides vampires had plenty of weaknesses. Her eyes slid towards the wooden spatula laying out on the counter a crossed the kitchen.  She wouldn’t go down here.

               But she didn’t have anywhere else to go. And they had been kind. Uraraka shook her head. Kindness was a trap. But her gut said they didn’t want to hurt her, her gut was telling her that this…even with all the secrets it contained….was going to be home.

               “Where’s your key?” Katsuki’s voice snapped from the other room.

               “I forgot it. Where’s Uraraka?”

               “Kitchen.”

               “Okay.”

               “Wait, one more thing. She knows.”

               “She knows?”

               “Yeah, seems to have put it together about me herself.”

               Uraraka lowered the spatula, lowering herself to the nearby table. Even if she was ready to take them, a wave of dizziness was already flowering towards her. It felt as though she had dehydrated on the beach on a hot day. She slid to the floor her mind screaming at her to press her head to the cool floor that it would make her feel better. Uraraka grabbed the leg of the table trying to pull herself back up. She didn’t want to worry Todoroki more than she had already.

               The door slid open, “Hey, there’s a lot of things we need to talk about-“ Todoroki paused, suddenly by her side, “You said she was in the kitchen not that she had collapsed in the kitchen.”

               “Don’t be stupid I wouldn’t leave her like that.” Katsuki’s voice snapped from the other room.

               “I’m fine. Just a moment.” She whispered.

               Todoroki sighed, digging around in his pocket, “It was my mother’s. She needed it because she was too strong too.” Out of his pocket he pulled a small chain wrapping it around her wrist, a gem that glowed with the decadence of the nighttime sky.  

               “It’s probably expensive, I can’t accept this.”

               “It’s fine. I’m not sure how it works but that pressure you were just feeling should be easier now.”

               She glanced towards him, feeling the dizziness fade. She let out a breath, whatever it was, it was radiating from Todoroki. The thing that had made her dizzy without a second thought was Todoroki’s atmosphere, it was flowering off him like a rainstorm that was about to be upgraded to a tsunami. Something beautiful but tangling within his hands not yet to realize how much he was about to lose control over it. A single movement would tangle the thinly kempt wires. His presence was chaos. Just a moment until the thread snapped and tangled him more. It was strangling him.

               Uraraka scanned him over, wondering what he had gone through to obtain such an item, “Are you okay?”

               Todoroki let out a soft laugh, “You’re the one on the floor and you’re asking me if I’m okay?” He shook his head.

               Uraraka glanced at him, waiting for his answer.

               “Just had to visit a disgruntled family member is all.”

               Uraraka nodded, her eyes shifting to Katsuki’s back in the doorway as she moved to support herself, shifting onto the chairs at the table, “You said we have some things to talk about?”

               Todoroki nodded, sliding the chair back and giving Katsuki a slight glance before beginning, “The first thing is we may not be humans, but neither of us are going to attack you. Katsuki while having a temper is very intelligent-“ ,Katuski huffed from the doorway, “-And the second thing is regrettably, my father wants to meet you in exchange for that bracelet.”

               Uraraka took a breath. She had barely known these two for a week. And now she was meeting their family? Or at least Todoroki’s. She glanced down towards the bracelet the dizziness fading. If she didn’t have to feel like that again living here in exchange for meeting them, then that cost was virtually nothing.

               “Sure, when? What should I wear?”

               Todoroki frowned in contrast to what she expected. He glanced towards the wall in the kitchen before nodding.

               “What’s the matter?”

               “I don’t particularly get along with them. I was hoping to avoid the confrontation, but my father said it was a deal. I can’t exactly break a deal.”

               Uraraka nodded. Glancing towards Katsuki.

               “He can’t exactly leave the house. He’s too sensitive to light. Even an umbrella won’t help him.”

               “Curtain the windows in the car?”

               “But getting him out will be a problem.”

               Uraraka nodded, glancing towards the bowl Katsuki suddenly slid in front of him and another in front of Todoroki before moving to another room. She slid her eyes towards Todoroki was he sighed, picking up his utensils before beginning to eat.  He was eating with her. So, he wasn’t a vampire also. Uraraka slurped the food, waiting for him to say something. Was he going to say what he was? Was he waiting for her to ask? Or was he trying to keep it to himself? Uraraka glanced back down towards the bowl wondering if those questions would be okay to ask.

               Todoroki looked up from his bowl, “I’ll walk you to the college in the morning, I’ll give you some money to go dress shopping then we can go see them on the weekend.”

               Uraraka waved her hands, “You don’t have to, you’re already housing, feeding me and walking me back-and-forth for free. You’ve done plenty.”

               Todoroki shook his head, “It’s for meeting my family. It’s an inconvenience to you, consider it a courtesy of mine in exchange for me presenting this burden.”

               Uraraka sighed, “I guess if you need to keep your deals, I’ll keep mine.”

               Todoroki nodded before continuing his meal.

               “If we’re the only one’s eating why does Katsuki cook?”

               “Although he won’t straight out admit it, he likes to cook. But if you ask him, he’ll tell you he’s used to taking care of me.”

               Uraraka nodded taking the dishes instinctively washing them and heading towards her room where she opened her books and began to pour through them. Uraraka felt a hand on her shoulder.

               “You’re going to be late.”

               Her eyes slid open to Katsuki standing over her, gently shaking her awake in contrast to his noisy façade that he usually had. Her eyes slid towards the clock as she attempted to ignore the buzzing from her being asleep and the haze in her mind. Her bedroom door shut. Her eyes widened as she darted towards her dresser grabbing what she could and rapidly changing before she darted towards her bookbag stuffing as many books in knowing full-well she’d regret lack of organization when she got there. Uraraka darted towards the front door, Todoroki stood there putting his shoes on as he held out a bag to her, “Katsuki packed you breakfast.”

               “Thank you!” She shouted, a disgruntled reply in the other room along with a shout to shut the front door that they were letting too much light in. “From another room?”                “No, he’s being picky so he can wander around the house again.”

               Uraraka nodded, slipping out the front door and carefully sealing the front door again. She glanced towards Todoroki who shrugged.

               “I put the money in the bag. There should be breakfast and lunch in there.”

               Uraraka nodded accepting the bag, “You know you two don’t have to.”

               “It gives Katsuki something to do being trapped in that house. I don’t eat as much as most people. It’s giving him some entertainment.”

               Uraraka nodded, accepting the bag and turning back to the walk towards the college. It shouldn’t be too far now. She glanced towards him, “Are you sure it’s okay to walk me all the way each day? It isn’t an inconvenience? What about work?”

               Todoroki let out a faint laugh, “Don’t worry, your presence is by far the best of them all day.”

               Uraraka shook her head, trying not to let the words get to her. She couldn’t. She was nose-deep in work of her own and he was providing her a place to live. Besides he had secrets of his own. She couldn’t let this feeling get to her.

               “Uraraka!”

               She glanced up towards the woman with long-green hair bouncing towards them to join them, “Hurry up! We’re going to be late!” Tsuyu paused her eyes sliding over to Todoroki, a mischievous smile summoning to her face.

               Todoroki nodded, before glancing at her, “What time do you get out?”

               “About two or three hours I’ll have a break, but then I should be out by four.”

               Todoroki nodded, “After your shopping, I’ll come back here to pick you up.”

               Uraraka nodded watching as he turned walking away.

               Tsuyu glanced towards her, eyes sparkling as she was ready to know all the details, “Who is Mr. Mysterious? You never mentioned having your eyes on someone other than possibly Midoriya before.”

               Uraraka felt herself blush, playfully punching Tsuyu’s arm, “It’s not like that. I mean-I-he helped me out. We’re living together.”

               Tsuyu raised an eyebrow, “As in dating? You’re this far and didn’t say anything?”

               Her face heated more, “Tsuyu it’s not like that! I- Like roommates!” She called after Tsuyu who was already halfway a crossed the campus. Uraraka glanced towards Todoroki over her shoulder, she didn’t know what Todoroki was, but he didn’t make an action of hearing what Tsuyu had said. She scanned him over. He wasn’t bad looking either. Uraraka turned back hurrying after Tsuyu. She would have to sort everything out after the shopping trip. Her mind wandered letting her imagine what the weekend would bring her.

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 16

               He knew his eyes were glowing, a signal from his demon-half. He couldn’t suppress it. There were so many thoughts circling in his head right now. Desperately fighting to be the dominant issue that he needed to take care of.  The way Uraraka was looking at him as though he had just killed Bakugo. Or the blood that painted the room. 

Bakugo was going into a blood-binge rampage. He never wanted to trap him in there. In the last two years although the blonde would never admit he had considered the two of them to be friends. Todoroki set the book onto the table. In the end, there wasn’t a single thing he could’ve done for either of them.

               “Todoroki? What’s happening?” Her voice wavered; she didn’t have to say it out loud. She was scared. For Katsuki. And of him. His parents had warned him growing up that humans would always be scared of him. At the end of the day, this was always the answer. Maybe he had brought her in out of spite after all. Maybe he didn’t truly care for her, but a sense of pride was boasting in his chest and now his pride was screaming because they were losing the uphill battle.  

               The book rattled in his hand, likely Katsuki was too powerful for the dimension he was sealed in, he would have to keep the book by his side day in and out until he was able to help him. Her scent waded over him. Todoroki swallowed. He had forgotten about that. He had become so comfortable in her presence that he forgot that her scent presented herself as a literal meal to most creatures that roamed the night. The book refused to cease its rattling, Katsuki was desperately trying to keep himself from being entrapped. He would never hear the end of it when he finally let him out. Todoroki swallowed, his eyes lingering towards Uraraka, “Have you considered asking Tsuyu if you can stay with her for a while?”

               Her eyebrows knitted together, “What’s the matter?” The prison world’s rattling drawing her attention, she swallowed, “Katsuki’s in there?”

               Todoroki nodded doing his best to suppress his own guilt, wishing that he could’ve managed to hide this scene to at the very least save Katsuki’s dignity. He would likely carry that shame for months. Uraraka nodded, leaving the room and coming back with a bag. “He carried this with him to meet his parents.” Her shaky hand reached for the light before deciding it was best that they left it off. Todoroki nodded taking the bag out of her hands, wondering what had been previously kept inside. Uraraka was back again, this time with a towel, and a mop bucket. He wasn’t sure where she had discovered that in his maze of a home, but she had found it. At least the home itself had begun to accept her. Her voice was a soft whisper, “You need to move.”, but he heard it. And the message was loud and clear. He needed to start working on saving Katsuki.

               She paused as he glanced towards her, “Todoroki….did you give him human blood?”

               There was a silence in the kitchen, “I didn’t give him anything. You told me you two were leaving.”

               Uraraka’s breath hitched, “Are you sure? But Katsuki’s the one that went to find you and he said he did.”

               Todoroki’s grip tightened on the bag, who had given him this? Who was powerful enough not only to get passed the Witch of the Forrest’s barrier on the house, but to disguise themselves as Uraraka and himself without any of the residents of the household noticing? “We aren’t safe here. We need to go.” The words were bile in his mouth. He needed to stay here. The answer to helping Katsuki was probably still within the house. And likely whoever had broken in had this as their plan all along. They hadn’t attacked any of the residents but made it impossible for Katsuki to move about and made a carefully plotted plan that they would have to be separated. He had been careful not to give Katsuki any human blood what-so-ever. He had been so careful, not even a bit. Todoroki’s eyes moved towards the blood in the kitchen knowing his brain had already processed it. They were going in circles and he had a decision to make. He could either kick Uraraka out of the house or keep Katsuki trapped in the prison world. He took a breath, his mind wandering to Uraraka sleeping on the streets. He didn’t want to see her like that ever again. But it wasn’t safe for her here either, someone had broken in. But he could use her help digging through archives on how to help Katsuki. Todoroki took the cloth from her, “You shouldn’t be touching any of this. I’m sorry you had to see this.”

               Uraraka nodded, glancing around, “Does this happen…often?” She had been living with them for a while, she knew this hadn’t happened before, she was likely trying to fill the silence.

               “It’s the first time. I don’t know who broke in or who snuck him actual human blood or why.” The questions were driving him insane. They were practically infuriating him-Uraraka’s hand landed on his shoulder.

               “We’ll figure it out. We need to help him.”

               He nodded. There was nothing else they could do but try. They couldn’t afford to fail. Uraraka’s hand stiffened on his shoulder, as she glanced towards the location his office was, slowly standing up and reaching for the nearest would-be-weapon, “What’s the matter?” He didn’t know what it was, but the presence she must’ve sensed finally waved over him, bristling his demon-half. Someone uninvited was in his territory. A cruel smile blossoming to his lips, a fool was in his library.

               “This presence it’s similar to Officer Jenkins…before, before his body was found in a ditch.”

               Todoroki nodded, his eyes lingering down towards the bracelet still around her wrist, “Take Katsuki,” he slid the book into her hands making sure she was using enough pressure to keep the book closed, “Go hide. Ask the house to hide you, it should move.”

               Uraraka gave him a bemused and confused look but moved outside of the room, already running down the hallway that should’ve led to the back door, but turning at a new room that opened for her. Todoroki nodded watching the wall close, he probably should’ve told her that was a good sign and nothing to be frightened of. But he didn’t have time, he needed to get to whoever was in the library. And show them what it meant to invade a demon’s territory. Todoroki took a breath, summoning the amount of strength he could manage. This person must’ve known and had contact with whoever Uraraka’s parents had hired. He still felt weak, but he wouldn’t let them see that. He couldn’t let them know. Todoroki grabbed the nearest weapon off the wall, dragging it down the floor neat the tile he had designed to making an incredibly loud screeching sound to accompany his footsteps. He slid the office door open, “I’m assuming you made an appointment correct?”

               A woman in an office suit had herself placed on his desk, paging through one of his books and a fresh stack towering towards her knees on the floor, her purple hair cascaded down, and a look of displeasure was clearly painted on her face, as if he was the one to rudely interrupt her while she was reading. The woman scoffed turning the page, “Just getting rid of a little bit of a mess I left behind. You see my last shell left such a mess. You know possessing him was rough, he had such an undesirable quench for blood, but this one, this one’s quite,” She glanced up from her book, then back down to it as though it wasn’t worth her time to pay her full attention to him, “Quiet. It leaves more room for clear thoughts, and one of those was why don’t I clean up the trail I left behind? And what do you know, I wind up here. At the strongest demon in the area’s house.”

               “You can’t have him.”

               “I’m not looking for a him. I’m looking for a young college-aged woman. She seems to know more than she’s letting on.”

               Todoroki felt himself bristle, if they wound up at his house and weren’t looking for Katsuki-then Uraraka-“I’m sorry, you must’ve just missed her. The Witch of the Forrest doesn’t get frequent visitors. She’ll be quite displeased to hear it.”

               The woman nodded turning the page, “I’m sure,” she turned another page before setting the book down and moving to the bookshelves, clearly ignoring the unnecessary sword he had brought with him, she pulled down three more books, “Since we’re on the topic, how is that child I left with you?”

               “There are no children in this household.”

               She slid herself back onto the desk, “Don’t play dumb, we both know I mean Katsuki Bakugo.”

               “He hates you; he hates being a vampire and will probably kill you that minute he sees you, now get out you’ve overstayed your welcome.”

               The woman laughed, “I just told you I jumped bodies. Now can vampires do that? I’m not a vampire, honey.” The woman leaned back on the desk, putting the book into her lap, “You know I did spend a couple of hundred years thinking I was a vampire too or at least some variety of a vampire.” She glanced towards her nails, beginning to clean them, “Then one day I decided humans weren’t enough. They never were, I was always so hungry. I feel like if there was the supposed embodiment of lust, I guess we’re gluttony?” She set her heels down onto the floor sliding off of the desk, “Although you may be concerned about it, I haven’t let that many of your victims out of the prison worlds, besides I’m sure most of them have served long enough sentences.”

               “You don’t get to decide that-“

               She shrugged, “I’m sure they’ve all served several life sentences. You know what the other’s say,” She took several steps closer to him. Todoroki glanced about the room, if he were to light this room up it would go up in flames he couldn’t risk it, she was by his side whispering in his ear, “You’re a softy and unfit to rule this forest.” Her laughter reverberated about the house. “I mean you can’t even protect one human. Speaking of which, I need to clean up my-our tracks. You know the law, it’s okay to do what we want as long as we don’t leave any witnesses behind.”

               “So, you’re here for both of them.”

               “You know Katsuki doesn’t count as a witness. Now hand the burnet over.”

               Todoroki glanced about the room, the house was magical, but the fact that it hadn’t kicked this person out meant the house was probably considering this person to be from the same family as Katsuki due to their lineage. “If you’re not a vampire what are you?” And that meant even if he lured them to the hallway the house still wouldn’t take care of the problem. He would have to take care of the problem without trashing the house.

               The woman laughed, “Wouldn’t you like to know? Now, where is she before I start looking for her myself.”

               He took a breath, his fingers buzzing with his powers begging him to use them although he knew the house would burn, especially in this room. Whoever this person was it was likely they had been watched for a while. Likely they had been looking for Katsuki and after finding him had decided that they were going to either steal him back or kill him. Did whatever they were have the same circumstances of hierarchy as a vampire clan? He didn’t want to know. “I’ll have you know Katsuki is part of my pack.”

               “Ah, yes.” The woman rolled her eyes, “Demons one of the most-greedy creatures on the planet. I’d say, but that’s right after a human.” The woman huffed looking at him, “I won’t be so dumb to neglect how powerful emotions can be when you’re both creatures that are the epitome of greed.”

               A small scoff came from him, “I only have two that are under my watch and you’re a threat to both of them. It sounds like you have already made that mistake by even looking at them.”

               “And yet you haven’t killed me yet, are you curious? You want to know what Katsuki is. Or I could be lying that I’m not a vampire and we’re vampires in the first place. What is it you want to know?”

               Todoroki took a breath, taking another step back as they willingly followed him towards the door, “I might be. I am in charge of the safety of all of the residents, that comes first. But remember I don’t need you.”

               The woman laughed, “Or do you?”

               Todoroki took a breath in, attempting not to let the anger bubble to the surface, he didn’t want them to know they were winning. The air wafted in, the woman’s scent lingering towards him. Human. The scent was oh, so very human, even more than Uraraka’s scent. A silver lining glistened from behind the woman, Todoroki glanced up towards the corner of his eyes-Uraraka was in the center of the room tiptoeing towards the woman, with a knife that she had managed to find somewhere within the house. Todoroki glanced back towards the woman-dangerously close to him, one of the most feared creatures in the country-wearing a gigantic and triumphant smile. They weren’t jumping bodies. They were possessing from a distance to hide themselves. The woman in front of him was innocent.

“Uraraka, no!” It was too late as he reached for her, Uraraka had already plunged the woman’s back with the knife. The woman let out an uncannily unmistakable cough before collapsing to the ground, foam forming at the mouth the body twitching down and falling to the ground. Todoroki grabbed the body, sliding it the floor before letting it go and turning away to gag. There was something so unsettling about what had just happened. The body was dead. Likely, it had been dead before entering the house and that’s why the house did not register the problem. Bile spread onto the floor.

Uraraka glanced towards him, “I’m sorry. I-I just couldn’t do nothing and-“

He nodded, “It’s okay, it’s going to be okay.”

“Maybe, maybe we can help them.”

Todoroki shook his head, trying to pull her away from the body, she was too good-natured. That strike wasn’t to kill, and the body died too fast. He didn’t want her touching that thing, especially not after whatever sent it. Whoever was controlling it wasn’t doing much with it, likely they had chosen their host by the fact that they thought they wouldn’t attack it immediately and the fact that the human scent would throw them off. They had chosen the library because they knew his family was known for the fire abilities instead of his mother’s ice. They had snuck in somehow tricking the three of them to look like each other and given Katsuki human blood. Something he couldn’t handle. And it was all his fault. He had been too proud. He hadn’t been careful enough to ask the Witch of the Forrest to reinstate the forcefields. They knew that he was weak. Uraraka’s hands tightened on the sleeve he had around her. And they knew that they were capable of getting to Uraraka under the implications of the demon law in his forest. This was a carefully calculated plan. He had put them all in danger. Uraraka’s hands tightened on his sleeve as he glanced down letting go, attempting to suppress the heat from rushing to his face.

Uraraka tightened her grip on his sleeve, “They had the answers. They know what happened to Katsuki, they know so much and what happened to his friend. What have I done?”

Todoroki let the urge to run his free hand through her hair take over, “Nothing wrong, nothing wrong.” He whispered, swallowing, trying not to look at a likely innocent and unknowing by-stander on the floor. He would have to hunt down whoever had sullied her hands with such dirty work. Even if he knew the reason was the fact, he wasn’t able to protect her. The reason that she had saved him. Was his fault and that he was too weak. And the enemy knew. The reason they had taken so long, sent a person that would be able to take their time was the fact that they were setting up to see if Katsuki and Uraraka were truly within this house. And if they’d be able to get in and out without a problem. They had done a basic demon trick. How it slipped by him, he was sure they would be laughing wherever they were about how much of a fool he was for not realizing the woman in front of him was possessed. And telling them how much he didn’t know. “Uraraka? Where’s Katsuki?”

“I hid him. The book calmed down after I hushed it a little bit and told it I’d be back.”

“I’d hurry back to it, be careful not to let him out.”

Uraraka nodded, before hurriedly leaving the room, not before he noticed her wiping her hands on her pants. Likely trying to remove the bloodstains that now covered her flesh.

Todoroki sighed, moving towards the body that laid on the floor, wondering who this woman was, or how long she had been dead before entering his home. Todoroki swallowed, rolling the body over and examining the neck. There were no bite marks. He wasn’t sure if that relieved him or worried him. How did they do it? This person didn’t leave the psychic traces of a demon. His hands lingered towards the books ready to page through each one to find his answers. He glanced towards the body. It wouldn’t look good if he started researching while walking around a dead body that was still boiling up vomit and bile. But it was probably best if he didn’t touch it. No. He needed to get rid of it.

Uraraka came back, the book in her hands, glancing towards the body, her voice shook and her hands tightened on the prison world Katsuki was sealed in likely thinking about handing the book over, “I guess I should clean that up.”

“Don’t.”

She glanced towards him, “I did it. I’ll take responsibility.” Darkness painted her face; it was clear she never wanted to kill anyone. And it would be even harder to explain to her that Katsuki’s killer was still out there and there was an innocent victim at their feet. Should he explain to her that they had minions? Or able to possess others? He didn’t know the circumstances, nor did he want to freak her out, but he also didn’t want to leave her defenseless.

“I’ll take care of the body. Stay with Katsuki.” He glanced down towards the book, “I didn’t seal him properly he might be able to hear us still.” The rattling of the book had stopped shaking. Katsuki must’ve finally settled down. It was an unlikely situation, but in Uraraka’s hands, he was beginning to expect she was some sort of miracle. His eyes lingered towards the blood that covered her hands. She was a miracle he had tainted. He picked the woman up, shutting the door behind himself so she wouldn’t see him drag the body down the hallway. Glancing up, he was thankful the house had at least appreciated the sentiment. He swallowed glancing towards the edges of the woods, lingering eyes blinking and waiting. He had typically dealt with the bodies of those who were too dangerous for prison-worlds or those he couldn’t imprison by giving them to the scavengers of the forest, but this one didn’t deserve such a situation after all they had probably been through. He sighed, shuffling away, from his mother he knew the proper human burial rituals. He couldn’t give them much, but he could at least try. This person would’ve likely been through the same situation that Katsuki had been through.

Todoroki sighed, “Sorry, buddy, there’s not much I can do for you.” He made a couple snaps of his fingers unsure which religion wanted this, but there were at least some rights for someone, and no one would be able to find the body. “Hopefully in the next life, you’ll be given enough blessings to make up for the hell you’ve been through.” He snapped his fingers again, a fire illuminating his face, “Here’s to us, hopefully, the future will be better for the both of us. And you’ll be free in your next life.” He lowered his fire to the body, watching it burst into flames. The body had crumbled to ashes in a disorientating short amount of time, whatever this person had done to the body it was something completely unsettling. He could feel the wind swish through his hair as the body had finally become nothing been the ashes of what it used to be. The wind cradled the ashes in the way he hoped this person would face tenderness in their next life before carrying them away.

Todoroki brushed himself off, staring at the stars that sparkled in the sky, quelling his bloodlust, knowing his hands would be stained red by the end of the week. Whoever had decided that murder was fun was about to learn who was in real control of this game. A prison world was too good for them. There would be no gentle fire. No, who had put them through this awful scenario, who had taken Katsuki’s freedom, his sense of safety, and bloodied Uraraka’s hands, they would suffer. This person had gotten away with too much on his territory for too long. Todoroki brushed his hair back, attempting to quell the bloodlust and rage that poured through his eyes, knowing that his blood was pumping with the desire to hunt. An ecstasy of a different kind was pulsing through his flesh. When he found this person, wherever they were, they were going to suffer.

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 15

Chapter 15

               Uraraka set the cups on the table, there wasn’t much they could do except return to the house where they were staying. She glanced between Katsuki and Professor Bakugo, the lingering feeling that she didn’t quite belong to this conversation moving closer and closer to her conscious mind. “I’ll go wake Todoroki, he’s probably up by this hour.” She whispered, standing, but hoping that they really didn’t hear her or would acknowledge her. She wasn’t sure quite yet what they were going to do about Professor Bakugo. But at this point in time, he was a current danger to Katsuki.

               “You’ve got to come back! Your mother and I have missed you so much! I can’t-I just can’t believe you’re alive.” 

Tears that would drown a fish in its own tank rushed out of professor Bakugo’s eyes as he sat across from Katsuki, likely going through a scene that he thought over in his head over a thousand times only to know that it was just but a daydream. Knowing that because of some psycho he would never have even the last chance to bury his son. But now in his eyes, his son was sitting right across from him, moving as if nothing had ever happened in the first place.

               Her voice turned to a hushed whisper, “I’ll go get Todoroki.” Before moving into the other room. He was asleep, but he would be able to help figure out the problem.

               Seraphina stood near Todoroki’s door, one of the books from the library in her hands, “It’s a grimoire. From an ancient and powerful witch, but it doesn’t seem to be taken from a witch…it almost seems like a gift.” Seraphina glanced towards her, “Oh, sorry, I’m mumbling to myself in the hallway, you’re probably curious now ain’t ya? Most of the books in the library are either prison worlds or have a decent amount of damage on them. This one does not and only contains healing and barrier spells. It’s the kind of book I would give as a gift to a newbie witch. Probably for the birthday right after they get their powers.”

               “Interesting, I’m actually going to see Todoroki to discuss a problem with him,” Uraraka paused, a hand on the door, “Do you know how to help?”

               Seraphina shook her head, “It’s probably best not to help him. At this point…he might turn rabid being allowed to roam free after such a long confinement.”

               Uraraka bit her lip, “Rabid?”

               “You know, like a blood-binger? It’s a common trope in all the vampire lure for a reason. It’s that dangerous that even humans with little to no psychic ability instinctively try to get away from someone who’s gone rabid or is on a blood-binge.”

               Uraraka nodded, glancing towards Todoroki’s door. Katsuki might not have seemed as level-headed to someone who had just met him, but there was no way that Katsuki would allow himself to lose control of himself to such an extent that he wasn’t able to control himself. “I think he would be alright. I trust him.”

               Seraphina coughed, “It’s not about trust.”

               Uraraka shut the door behind her moving to Todoroki’s bedside, sitting on the bed, “Hey, Todoroki? How are you feeling?” Seraphina said the rest of getting rid of the curse would basically be like a human sweating out a fever, Uraraka reached over for the cloth.

               Todoroki shot out of bed one hand grabbing her arm, eyes wide, and the other glowing.

               Uraraka glanced towards the floor, doing her best not to let her eyes slide towards the glowing hand raised at her, “Sorry…I was just trying to change the cloth.”

               Todoroki shook his hand attempting to get the fire to dim out as she slid her frost-covered underneath her other hand, “It’s alright. I thought the Witch of the Forest would tell you it’d be dangerous to go in here.”

               “She said it’d basically be like a fever, but she probably didn’t realize that I would scare you. You know having the atmosphere of mostly a human after all.”

               Todoroki nodded slowly, before glancing towards her, “It’s not often you come into my room, what’s wrong?”

               Uraraka looked at her hands, attempting not to fiddle with them, “Katsuki’s father is here. He wants to take him home.”

               Todoroki took a breath, inhaling deeply, before glancing towards the perilous stack of books that would soon need a mountain climber for a librarian stacked next to the bed lamp. “We should let him go, then shouldn’t we?”

               “It’s important to be with his family. But-he’s going to get hurt….I’m sure he already knows…I’m sure he was hurting already. But I can’t-“

               Todoroki’s door swung open, “Don’t you two make decisions for me.”

               Uraraka glanced towards Katsuki leaning on the door, “I know what happens to vampires with intense emotions, I know what happens to those that try to stay with their families or explain. He’s been pressing me for answers for how and why.”

               Uraraka nodded, “Then what are we going to do?”

               “You two are going to do nothing. I will take care of it.” He shook his head before returning to the kitchen where he could clearly hear Seraphina attempting to entertain Professor Bakugo.

               “He’s trying to ease your worries in his own way.”

               “Do you think he’s happy? To see his father?”

               Todoroki leaned his head back against the headboard, “I don’t know, I’m not much of one to speak on families. And he’s never told me himself about his family. I tried to offer him a condolence to find his family and explain the situation once.”

               She glanced towards him, the look on Todoroki’s face as he stared towards the ceiling telling her that the result would be less than amicable.

               “He told me not to bother, it would only make matters worse.”

               “His father seemed just concerned.”

               “He was worried about what his mother would think. He said that his mother was a lot like him, but she’s louder with her opinions. Likely would’ve complained that he lost the fight.”

               “He died, how can- how would a parent be so cruel?” Uraraka curled her fingers through some fabric. It was just too cruel to imagine. That not even in death was he able to escape his mother’s judgment or concern about her harsh words.

               “Sometimes people are just people. Even if their blood, sometimes, they’re just strangers. Strangers that happen to share your DNA.” His voice was soft, gentle, as though he was speaking words, truths, his truths, that he had to break to himself thousands of times before.

               “Alright, I’ll go see if they need anything.”

               Todoroki nodded, “If anything goes wrong call me.”

               Uraraka nodded, moving towards the kitchen, Seraphina stood in the hall, her fingers paging rapidly through the book in her hands and satchel filled with grimoires, “I’m leaving tell the Demon of the Forest I said thanks for the books, I’ll return them when I’m ready. I’m going to fight to expand the territory the people at the edge have been driving me nuts for days.” Seraphina smiled, not having moved a single inch from the spot she was in before she entered the house.

               “Will do.”

               “Also,” Seraphina sighed, turning Uraraka’s arm over, “Be more careful. He may seem like he has his powers under control and he’s not quite timid. But he carries an anger that only some would understand.”

               “I’ll take your advice, but I won’t stay away.”

               Seraphina laughed, handing over a wet washcloth, “Run that under some cold water and gradually get warmer so you don’t burn yourself. Also, that officer you met yesterday? He wasn’t an officer at all, don’t keep looking for Officer Jenkins found his body in a sewer a couple days ago, just keeping looking for his presence and stay away from it.”

               “I’ll make sure to keep that advice too…but how am I supposed to catch them then?”

               Seraphina scoffed like she was looking at a child, “You want to deal with supernaturals based on human law? You’re talking to the wrong person on how supernatural law works.” Her eyes lingered towards Todoroki’s door, “It’s not as stringent, but we try to keep a decent balance around here, but it’s not going to be the same. I hope you have a good long talk with those in charge and about our rules before you try to catch them.”

               Uraraka nodded, wrapping the cloth around her arm before beginning to move to the kitchen. A shadow leaning over her, Uraraka glanced towards them.

               Katsuki sighed, likely looking over the frostbite beginning to cover her arm, “I’ll tell him to be more careful.”

               “Do not mention it. I kept it hidden for a reason. Don’t tell him.”

               Katsuki leaned on the wall, observing a house that he had observed likely a thousand times in his nearly two-year imprisonment of the building, “My dad wants me to go home.”

                Uraraka swallowed attempting not to let her concerns bubble to her chest, not to let the concerns that were beginning to overflow affect his decision, “Are you going then?” She couldn’t meet his eyes, she wasn’t ready, she didn’t want the answer. Anyone would want to go home after two years. Especially, after two years of taking care of two strangers.

               “Yeah…” He paused, before glancing back to the other room, “Did you want to go with me?”

               “I can’t leave Todoroki here by himself. Not after everything he’s offered us and everything he’s done for us….not after that incident…not until I fix it.”  

               “We’re just going to visit. I need someone to drive us back if we stay too long, can’t exactly try to drive while trying not to sizzle.”

               Uraraka laughed, he wasn’t making eye contact but staring into the other room. With any other tone she would’ve thought that he was just watching his father fiddle with the mug in front of his hands, “Are you speaking from experience?”

               A barely noticeable blush sprung to his cheeks, “Hey, it’s not like anyone else wouldn’t have attempted it already.”

               “So, can you go outside if you’re wrapped in those curtains?”

                “It’s not much of a journey. Can’t see anything so there’s no point.”

               Uraraka nodded, “I’ll come along.”

               “I’ll tell Todoroki we’re leaving; we should be back tonight.”

               Uraraka moved, lowering herself to sit across from Professor Bakugo, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was your son.”

               Professor Bakugo let out a small laugh, his hand clinging tighter to the mug, “You know? That question you asked when I first handed out the project makes a lot more sense now. How did you come to live here?”

               Uraraka glanced at the table, maybe one day her mouth would run dry of answering this question and begin to refuse to work, “I was being chased. They helped me.”

               Professor Bakugo nodded, “So, are you like the other two?”

               “Supernatural? Who knows?” She shrugged as Professor Bakugo seemed to give a knowing nod.

               “Sometimes the world is just like that.”  

               Bakugo threw a bag over his shoulder, “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

               “You’re going to see your mother. It’s been a while.”

               Katsuki shrugged, before turning to lead them out to the car, “Did he need anything before we left?”

               “Make sure we locked the door.”

               The lock was already underneath her hand as they slid into the car. For most of the drive they were silent, Professor Bakugo would sometimes offer a word or two, or ask them how long they could stay for or ask what was in the bag Bakugo had brought with him but he was frequently answered with a grunt or a half-answer signaling that Katsuki wasn’t ready to reveal any of this information to him. It didn’t take long for them to get to the Bakugo’s house, Katsuki shuffled the bag over his shoulder, almost protectively sliding it behind him, before glancing up towards the house. If a passing stranger were to jog by, they would assume that he was staring at the building in disgust or contempt. But Uraraka knew what it was, it was longing. He wanted to go home. His father slid out of the car looking between the two of them as Uraraka hit the buttons on the car keys.

The front door swung open, “Where have you been all night!” Mrs. Bakugo snapped from the front steps. If one were to assume that males usually take after their mother, they would likely be right in this circumstance, she appeared exactly how Uraraka had expected Katsuki’s mother to look like. Anger blazed in her eyes as she darted down the stairs, “And where in the world have you been! You get your butt in here before you wake the whole street!” She snapped, dragging Katsuki into a neck-lock and up the stairs into their home, her mouth full of words berating him for disappearing and worrying him. As much as Uraraka was sure that he was strong enough to make her let go, he was letting her drag him along.

               Uraraka took a shaky step towards the house, “It’s alright, come in.” Uraraka nodded towards Professor Bakugo, unsure if she was being invited in as a guest or the perpetrator of the whole situation. A glass of whatever liquid was in the house was slammed down in front of her as Katsuki sat across from her, his parents on each side, “Where have you been? And you better tell us the full story and the truth! I can’t believe you had us worried sick! Do you know how often the police come here to update us on your so-called tragic case? I can’t believe you would go out of your way to stage your death. This better not be for a girl you never seemed like that,” Mrs. Bakugo glanced towards her, “And she seems like the type that would drag you back here after learning your story.” Mrs. Bakugo grunted, pulling knots from her hair and an elbow on the table, “And while you’re at it tell me where Izuku went, Mrs. Midoriya has been worried sick.”

               Uraraka swallowed, Mrs. Bakugo would never receive the answers that she wanted.

               Katsuki’s hands clenched, tightening around the fabric of his pants, his voice a soft mumble, “I couldn’t protect him.”

               “Huh? Speak up!”

               “I said he’s fine! I’m sure he just wandered off and got himself lost!” Katsuki snapped, before glaring back down at the table.

               Mrs. Bakugo scoffed, “You two knew this city like the back of your hands, I’m sure two years is more than enough to constitute lost.” She sighed, slamming some food onto the table.

               “Don’t waste the food.” Katsuki sighed, pushing the plate back towards her.

               “You’ve been missing for two years and you’re going to tell me you’re well-fed? Fine. Starve on my account, it’s not like I wanted a meal with my son anyway.”

               Mrs. Bakugo slammed a plate in front of her, “It’s not poisoned, so hurry up and eat.”

               Uraraka nodded, as Mrs. Bakugo placed a hand against her head, “So, you’re telling me not only did you come home after not sending even a letter for two years straight, but also don’t know where little-Izuku is?”

               Katsuki’s eyes darkened. He knew where Izuku was, but no one at the table was going to like the answer. The red sparkle in his eyes glimmered, almost seeming to sparkle as the next words he spoke came across huskily, “Don’t worry about where Izuku is. It won’t do you any good.”

               Mrs. Bakugo suddenly went quiet, returning to her dishes, setting one out for Professor Bakugo as he slid into his seat from the other room. Uraraka glanced towards Katsuki as he shook his head, as if a way to say don’t mention it.

               Mrs. Bakugo made some grumbling noises, as Bakugo picked up an empty plate that Uraraka was unsure where he had gotten it from, “I’m done, I’m going to wash the dishes.” He mumbled, before excusing himself from the room, dragging the bag he had brought with him behind him.  

               Mrs. Bakugo sighed, “Listen, I’m sure from your perspective it sounds like I’m a bad mother…I was just…worried. I thought I lost my son. I am relieved he’s alive, but he disappeared one night and never came back. The next morning the police were on my doorstep telling me that he and the neighbor’s child were dead. I couldn’t even bury my own son; they had no bodies.”  She paused, recollecting the plates. “I have a lot of emotions right now, and this is the only way I’m able to really express them. But I promise I care for my son. If he’s alive I’m sure the neighbor’s son is,” But he wasn’t. “I just want to know what happened….and why he didn’t come to me for help.”

               Uraraka nodded, resisting the urge to put her hand on top of Mrs. Bakugo to comfort her, “I’m sure he has his reasons. Everyone does. But I think they each need time to deal with what they need before they come to terms with it. He’ll come around when he’s ready.”

               A small smile tilted on her face, “I don’t know who you are, but I’m sure my son trusts you very much to bring you back here when it was going to be such a rough night. Please keep letting him rely on you.”

               Uraraka nodded, “Of course.” She glanced towards the kitchen, barely visible through the crack in the door, Katsuki holding his arms as he stared out the window, a form of anger and regret lingering in his eyes, “I’ll go get him to rejoin us.”

               Mrs. Bakugo nodded, letting her go to the kitchen.

               Uraraka approached quietly, placing a hand gently on his arm, “hey-“

               She felt a small jump under her arm that she wouldn’t have noticed if she wasn’t touching him, “Guess witches are good at disguising their presence too, but who knows what prey they would want with that skill.”

               Uraraka let out a small laugh, “Go back to your mom. She doesn’t mean her harsh words.”

               A sigh escaped him, “She does. Growing up Izuku was significantly weaker than most children, but he clung to me like a bunch of burs in the woods.” Katsuki sighed, washing the dish that he likely had grabbed from the kitchen cabinets to appease his mother after whatever he had did to her to make her quiet about Izuku. “He was with me….the night…” Katsuki paused, staring at the water running throughout the sink, “that night.” He turned the knob.

               “Your parents didn’t seem to think he was with you, maybe he could still be alive? Or like you?’

               “Did you not hear the part about significantly weak? He’s dead.” The sink knob bent slightly underneath his pressure as he released it, “Todoroki gave me some instructions for us to get out of this mess.”

               “This mess? That’s your family in there.”

               “My very human family. Do you not know what happens to vampires that stick around with their human family? They kill them.” Katsuki reached for the hefty bag at his ankles, throwing the strap back over his shoulder, “Let’s get this over with.”

               “What are you going to do?”

               “I’m going to erase their memories, the sooner the better.”

“You died! You could at least talk to her for a while!”

“She wouldn’t understand! She never does!”

“You’re similar to her in that regard where you can’t say what you mean! Go tell them you missed them and care for them!”

“What am I supposed to tell her? By the way mom I have no idea where Izuku is, pretty sure he’s dead, it’s my fault and by the way I lost the fight against a serial killer? Oh, one more thing, I’m dead.” Katsuki’s eyes blazed and were in pain at the same time. But they blazed with the words that he had thought to himself a thousand times, but never wanted to physically hear. Uraraka’s eyes slid to the open kitchen door.

Mrs. Bakugo stood the plates unsteady in her hands and confusion painted clearly on her face, “Katsuki, what do you mean? You’re standing here right now.” Tears were pricking her face as though she had somehow known the answer the whole time. The reason the cops had shown up at her door two years ago, the reason there was no body, the reason he hadn’t come to visit. “I forbid you from leaving with that girl, you’re not going anywhere until you explain everything in detail.”

               Katsuki ran a frustrated hand through his hair, “I was going to start with dad because I thought he’d be easier,” he muttered shuffling through his bag. Uraraka took a breath knowing better than to look down, knowing better than to look in the bag. But she needed to. There was no stopping her from watching what he was about to pull out of the large duffle bag he had brought with him. The red bag unsteadily sloshed in his hand as Katsuki took a large swig, a darkening red running down the side of his mouth before he turned to his mother, not bothering to wipe off the red lines that smeared across his face.

               Mrs. Bakugo swallowed, crossing her arms, her voice shook, “Whatever you’re planning on doing you will do no such thing. You will stand there and explain yourself.”

               A soft hollow laugh came from Bakugo as he reached for his mother, locking eyes with her, “You had a little too much to drink, had a nightmare and woke up to having a very similar dream to your husband not that you would admit it. If you ever meet someone that looks like me in the streets or in public you will not call his attention to it, but instead insist you and your husband go the other way knowing full well that if your son was to actually come back to life it would only be a trick and a lie. It would hurt just as much. Now, go to bed knowing that this nightmare was a blessing and a warning.”

               Mrs. Bakugo nodded, turning before walking towards her own bedroom. Katsuki’s eyes glowed, in the way a glowstick glowed after it was broken. And behind his eyes he was hiding how positively bright that glow was about to be.

               “I guess I’ll go see my dad now.”

               “Make sure to say goodbye this time.”

               “I was never supposed to get the chance to say good-bye. That’s the way this world works. When you’re dead you don’t get that chance to say good-bye. When you’re dead, you’re just dead.”

               Uraraka grabbed his arm, struggling not to press her hand into his arm muscles, but also not pull him back to look her in the face, “And here you are standing here, with a second chance to do just that. Say good-bye. It’ll be alright.”

               The tension in his arm loosened although his voice didn’t betray it, “I’ll consider it.” Before he moved to the other room. Uraraka took a breath, trying not to listen, doing her best not to hear Katsuki’s voice crack as he said the good-bye to his father that he never thought that he would get. Not to listen to his father pleading with him, knowing full-well what was coming next. And not to listen to the soft padding of Professor Bakugo returning to what he would be to her, just professor Bakugo. Her elective professor who she had met by chance.  

               Katsuki came in, swiftly picking up the bag and keys before clomping down the stairs, swiftly out the door as though the house itself was what was burning him. Uraraka followed steadily behind after cleaning the glasses and any signs that guests had been within the house, locking the door carefully behind them. Katsuki stood there, the light reflecting on him as he stared towards the streetlamp, likely a string of curses of its existence teasing him so, one hand on his hip and the other running through his hair full of frustration. Guilt ran through Uraraka for thinking it, but with the light showing his skintight shirt rippling up his back muscles, he looked good. Guilt ushered its way back for her. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.” She whispered nearing him.

               “I know that!” He snapped, trying to hide all of his give away quirks that he was mad. He didn’t dare to turn to face her, he had left the blood caked to his face to scare his mother so that from the depths of her subconscious she wouldn’t even try to search for him. “It’s just, it’s just” His hand ran back into his hair as his voice trailed off.

               Uraraka took a breath, leaning against the car and pulling him against her, “It’s going to hurt, that’s normal. But until you’re ready rely on us.”

               Uraraka wished she had an umbrella, Katsuki’s head stuffed into her chest, and rain poured down Katsuki’s face dripping onto the sidewalk.

***

               It had been late into the night when Katsuki and Uraraka returned home, they quickly made their way to their rooms, not without Uraraka moving to Todoroki’s to check to see if he was awake, check his fever muttering about how she was unsure if that was the right temperature and plans to ask Fuyumi in the morning. Todoroki slid out of bed not long after. He carried himself against the wall wandering what they had attacked him with that he was so weak for so long. It shouldn’t have been much longer now, especially that the fever was beginning to break. It had gotten the Witch of the Forrest in enough of a frenzy for her to come along to see him. Surely, she was just after whatever form of magic they had been using to add to her collection. And the debt they owed her through a favor.

               Todoroki attempted to ignore the fact that they had come home smelling like each other. They had gone to Katsuki’s house, he needed to acknowledge that fact that Uraraka was going to smell like the Bakugo’s either way. And that it was going to be a rough experience for the both of them. As much as he wished he could’ve gone with them, something told him that Bakugo’s pride would’ve never allowed him to do as such. Todoroki moved to where the noise in the house was coming from, the kitchen. Katsuki was likely still outside his room in an attempt to distract himself.

               “Katsuki? Are you alright?” He moved to the kitchen, the satchel he had taken with him completely empty, the sound of Katsuki dry heaving from the kitchen, causing him to open the door faster. Todoroki felt his shoulders relax seeing Katsuki with his hands pressed to the kitchen sink, but tense again when he looked at his surroundings. Katsuki spit out blood into the kitchen sink. Bags of blood laid around the kitchen floor, each completely empty. Todoroki swallowed attempting to resist the logic that was boiling in his head. “I didn’t realize you had gone through all of it, it’s been a while I’ll get you more.”

               Katsuki fell to one knee, attempting not to damage the counter, “Don’t look at me.” He snapped, red caking his face.

               Todoroki swallowed. Those blood bags were typically a year’s ration for him. And he had drunk it all within the fifteen minutes that they had been home. There was something wrong. Todoroki glanced towards the bags at Katsuki’s feet, they weren’t what he typically used to collect blood either, “Where did you get this blood?”

               “You gave it to me, in the hall.” Katsuki’s fingers dug into the floor, the starting signs of an addiction vibrating through him. The typical vampire’s blood-levels were lower than a human’s, which meant faster intoxications. Todoroki had read about the coaxing smell of a human’s blood. How it was positively addicting to most vampires. He would have to. Todoroki breathed the remaining scent from the floor in. Human. Todoroki swallowed, hearing Uraraka pad to the kitchen door, he pushed his hand against it as she began to try to open it.

               “Hello?”

               “It’s just me, I got a little sick. Don’t come in here.” Todoroki croaked, miming for Katsuki to be quiet, but his human-heart strummed against his chest. Upon hearing Uraraka’s voice, Katsuki’s eyes glowed significantly brighter than he had ever seen. Whoever had thrown human blood into his bag and whoever had disguised themselves as him was going to pay for throwing his house into chaos. Katsuki crashed against him, as Todoroki threw him back towards the other side of the kitchen. Several things clattered from the cabinets.

               “Are you okay? It’s okay, it’s normal, I’ll come in and help you clean up.”

               “It’s alright, don’t worry, just go get a drink of water from the bathroom.”

               “Are you sure?”

               Todoroki glared towards the book sitting on the table, “Positively.” It wouldn’t be the worst world to put him in, and it was now vacant. He snatched the book up off the table, struggling to grab Katsuki before slamming his face into the book and slamming the book closed as fast as he could against Katsuki’s struggling.

               “I’m coming in.” Uraraka glanced around the kitchen her eyes wide, her mouth agape as she searched for the right words to ask, “Where’s Katsuki?”

               Todoroki glanced down towards the book in his hands, knowing he only had himself to blame. He shouldn’t have brought a human back into his house in the first place. He knew what the right thing to do was.  He had a promise to keep to her. But the more important one was the promise he had to her safety. He would need to tell her to leave. Uraraka was ankle-deep in blood bags and yet she was looking for Katsuki, concern on her face, instead of properly placed fear. Todoroki shuffled up from the floor, the book not leaving his clutches, nor his side until he figured out how to help him, “Uraraka, I’m afraid there are a couple of things that we need to talk about.”

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 Uraraka had been running through the forest for what felt like hours. The man-no, it, whatever it was had such an atmosphere and presence there was no way she could possibly have described it as a person. There was no doubt that the monster was still on her trail. It felt as though every turn that she stumbled through the woods that thing whatever it was, was clawing at her ankle. Uraraka found herself begging, praying, maybe, that whatever it was would be concluded as a nightmare, fueled by too much to drink in the morning. But her bleeding leg, the pain, and the panic that radiated in her chest begged to say otherwise. It was supposed to be a good night. Tsuyu had invited her for a night out to meet some people to get her out of her shell, but instead, the festival broke out into a riot. She had never met Tsuyu at the meeting place and instead found herself face-to-face with a monster with eyes that radiated the essence of the sun. It hadn’t taken her more than a breath to realize that she needed to run. That she should have never made eye contact with whatever it was. And in her panic confusion, she found herself trampling her way through the woods.

               “Girl, come back.”

               Uraraka glanced over her shoulder, that thing, still on the edge of the woods as though the woodlands were acting as though some form of barrier. She glanced back towards the house now on the edge of the horizon, becoming bigger and bigger the more she ran towards it. It was worth a shot. She paused, glancing over her shoulder, whatever it was, the woods seemed to be some form of barrier to deter it from coming closer. Her eyes slid towards the house. Or whatever used the house as its domain was way more powerful than it. The creature took made a sighing noise before carefully prodding its feet forwards and continuing its pursuit at a quicker pace than before. She turned darting towards the house, finding herself beating on the door. “Come on, Come on.” She whispered, knowing that things presence was on her trail. It had made no secret of what it planned on doing with her and she didn’t plan on being anything’s meal. Not after what she had been through. There was no way she was going down without a fight for such a simple reason. Uraraka watches the lights echoing against the walls through the curtains in the windows. The residents weren’t responding-or they were smart enough then to open the door. She took a breath, grabbing a stick. If she was going to die, she was going to at least fight for her own life.

               Uraraka’s hands tightened on the stick as the monster approached likely deciding if they would need any condiments for their dinner that they wouldn’t be getting, “So, you just go into town and decide to eat any unsuspecting civilians?”

               The monster shook its head, “I haven’t eaten a human in a long-long time. I went into town for the festival. But I took one look at you and I knew, I could just smell it, you would be the most delicious meal I’ve had in years.”

               Uraraka took a step back, something about their voice told her that they weren’t lying about any of the details. And made her wonder how many other creatures would think similar thoughts. She swung the stick hoping to at least blind the creature who had decided that she was the perfect hunt for dinner. Its reflexes much faster than the average human, it reached up snapping the stick in half. The wood becoming shrapnel that engraved itself into nearby trees and the sides of the house she had stumbled a crossed. Uraraka swallowed. With how much power this creature probably contained, the residents inside probably knew. They lived in the woods. They knew better than to come to the door. She would have to protect them. Uraraka darted back towards the woods. She knew she didn’t have a chance of making it back to town if there was anyone capable of helping her. But at the very least she could keep this creature distracted enough that it wouldn’t remember this house and the residence inside would be safe. She dug her feet into the concrete preparing herself to dart into the woods.

               “Who’s there?” A soft-disgruntled voice came from behind the door.

               Her heart pulsed, “No matter what you hear stay inside! I’ll protect you!” Uraraka took a breath, she needed to run and now. If the resident couldn’t listen to instructions, then they would also be in danger. And there was no reason for a higher death count then there had to be. She darted back towards the horizon, wondering how close she really would have made it to the city. If she would find anywhere that would give her help. There weren’t many places that she could run to that would keep her safe. Places that wouldn’t be able to keep her safe. Uraraka’s eyes slid towards the door behind her. Behind her was a living-innocent being completely unaware of what was happening outside their front door.

               And she needed to keep it that way. She needed to keep them safe. Uraraka darted towards the center of the field back towards the woods, daring the creature to come after her. They took the bait. Clomping after her once again, seemingly growing bored of the game of chasing her around in the woods. The creature wrapped their hands around her ankle dragging her through the gravel and dirt that lined the ground. Uraraka failed at suppressing a cry of pain as the rocks cut her leg, trying to suppress the panic from her heart knowing that she was about to be eaten. The monster threw her against the trees, dragging her back again. Uraraka took a breath, trying to suppress the feeling of pain and blood trickling down her forehead. The creature dragged her closer bringing her up by her ankle, she felt her hair trying to find its way back to the Earth. And wish she had time to apologize to Tsuyu. IT was supposed to be a fun night out. And now-it had turned into wondering how long it would take for her discovered body to be found in the woods. How long it would take Tsuyu to grieve and finally realize that it wasn’t her fault. She would have to watch over her until she was ready to live as herself again. But she wasn’t ready to go. Not yet. The words left as a soft hollow whisper, she wasn’t sure who she was pleading to, but she knew she didn’t want to leave her friends behind. Not while knowing they would find themselves guilty for her clear murder, “Help me.”

“Who dares hunt in my territory? Without bothering to introduce themselves? Do not bother begging for your life.”  A voice growled.

Uraraka found herself dazing in-and-out of consciousness, the feeling that wrapped around her ankle suddenly slacking. She knew she was falling to the ground. But then a hand wrapped around her hip, warmth pulling her against whatever it was. Trying to ignore the feeling of blood trickling down the side of her head, she glanced towards the fuzzy image of a stoic face, a red-and-white braid wrapped over their shoulder. The last coherent words before she faded into the darkness were a growl of someone addressing another that had overstepped their bounds,

“How dare you come for what’s mine?”

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 7

Chapter 7

                 It was supposed to be an easy assignment, Uraraka ran the pencil behind her ear attempting to half-listen to her groupmate’s theories and half-push back spilling what had actually happened. She couldn’t exactly say that perhaps no one made off with the body and perhaps he was still alive and kicking somewhere. For the most part really. The project was about strategizing and the ability to think outside the box, but it was also odd that they were being given an unsolved murder case to figure out. She tapped the pencil against the desk.

               “You’re usually so focused what’s wrong?”

               She turned to Tsuyu, wishing that the fact that she knew Katsuki was up-and-walking around wouldn’t interfere with her ability to think straight. Her ability to think creatively, at least, so that she could come up with a possible viable conclusion on what happened. Something that masses would understand. Not that the body got up and walked away on its own-wait, did he?

 Or did someone drag him to Todoroki’s first? Did Todoroki have to resurrect him? Uraraka shook her head. There was one absolute consistency in vampire lure. And that was how to become a vampire. Todoroki had nothing to do with it. Also, there was the other fact that they had been discussing. Assuming that the killer had come back to clean up their mess.

               “There’s a couple things. Why only one kill? Typically, such brutal killers consider this a work of art, and artist have the tendency to keep creating. I also feel like we’re assuming that the killer came back to clean up their work, which I don’t think is likely unless they got cold-feet about displaying what they did.”

               Tsuyu let out a soft smile, her eyes likely wondering why she hadn’t chosen such a field for her own major. There were a couple answers to that. One of them being the need for answers would drive her insane. She would keep going. And the world keeps spinning. At the end of the day, there would just be more to solve. She couldn’t burn herself out like that. But the case was unsolved. The killer was still out there. If they saw Katsuki was alive. They would be back to finish the job. Uraraka glanced towards the window, or was it something more? Was it some form of vampire etiquette none of them understood. The person who forced the transition on Katsuki thought they actually killed them and darted? If they saw Katsuki was alive would they try to finish the job to seal the loose ends or would it progress the other way? No. Knowing Katsuki, that person would try to finish the job. There was so much blood. They were trying to drain him dry. That person probably did. How his heart began beating again she would never know. The conclusion to that would be there was a serial killer on the loose that would attempt to drain the next nearest victim dry.

Uraraka flipped the page, her bracelet jangling against the paperwork. Her eyes slid down towards it. There was no reason to worry. Todoroki would more than likely swoop in like a hawk the minute something went wrong.  Uraraka took a breath, but she couldn’t rely on them to save her each time. Uraraka took a breath, writing a couple drabbling’s down into her notebook.

The third of their four-man team turning to her, “What do you have? I’m in a slump. Most killers either become serial killers or leave something behind. But we’re working on the why the body was gone. It’s so hard to determine the motive without the killer.”

Tsuyu turned to them, “Most would decide cold-feet. Like at last second they changed their mind or decided to hide it.”

The third person in the group nodded, their eyes sliding towards Uraraka, “What have you been thinking about?”

“If they had cold-feet and decided to hide what they did, why didn’t they clean up the mess they left behind? I think it wasn’t necessarily the killer that moved the body.”

They nodded at each other. Emily, turned the page, annoyance beginning to glow in her eyes, sliding her phone closer to her before setting it down again. It was likely both the fact that they were struggling with a hard angle in which Uraraka found herself guilty for knowing the answers to but having to withhold them because they couldn’t present such a conclusion in class and that Emily’s boyfriend was the other member of the group. And they were not only late, but no message and they weren’t replying either. “He said he was free at this time. And we went around her schedule too.” Emily flushed, glancing down at the table, “Sorry, I’m just a bit embarrassed. I suggested he join our group and now he’s not here.”

Uraraka waved her hands, “It’s fine. Maybe, she got held up in traffic or is having a hard time parking.”

Emily glanced towards the clock, nearly eleven-thirty…..in the night. Uraraka knew exactly what she was thinking. Those were all unreliable excuses. There was no traffic at such an hour and the campus was practically deserted. Emily slid her supplies into her bag, “If either of you have any time after this, that’d be great. I’m sorry about….ya know.”

“It’s fine. Sometimes somethings happen. I hope Jasper’s okay.” Tsuyu stated as Emily nodded before heading out. They waved bye to Emily before beginning to pack their own things.

Uraraka took a breath, “What if the answer to what happened to him is something that we can’t explain in class? Like something no one would quite be able to understand?”

Tsuyu glanced towards her, shaking her head, “No matter what we come up with it’s going to sound ridiculous. We just have to figure out how to back it up so that it’s believable.”

“How about we just arrest the killer and bring them in for show-and-tell.”

Tsuyu laughed, shaking her head at her, “Don’t do anything crazy now.”

“Do you think we’ll get extra credit if we bring the killer in?”

Tsuyu shook her head, glancing towards Uraraka’s pathway back, “Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you back? I don’t see Todoroki’s car today.”

Uraraka shook her head. In the darkness of the night, the offer was super tempting, but there was no way she was going to let Tsuyu walk her all the way home than wandering her way around the demon-infested woods that was the borderline Todoroki’s territory. She would be up all night with nightmares unsure if Tsuyu had made it home.  

“It’s fine, I’ve got my pepper spray. I’ll be alright.” Lies. She knew what she wanted. The woods that had begun providing her comfort in the recent days were ushering an atmosphere that made her want to check over her shoulder every two minutes. And the powers that Natsuo had spoke of were being suppressed by the necklace that was also keeping demons and other creatures from wanting to eat her.

So, she had a choice to make. Powers and becoming dinner or barely hidden behind a thin piece of metal. Right now, it was not being dinner. She secretly wanted Tsuyu to walk her home. In the past couple of days, she had grown comfortable with Todoroki being by her side. But there was something chilling about him not being here at the current moment. She waved bye to Tsuyu doing her best to put on a smile. A smile and presence of reassurance. In the last couple of days, she also found herself becoming a progressively better actor. She could do this. She could figure out how to survive in both worlds. Uraraka glanced towards the stars, if their home led them to discover Katsuki’s killer what would she do with that information?

Uraraka sighed, glancing towards the sidewalk. It would result in them on a major avoid list or having to fight for her life. If Katsuki couldn’t survive with how built he was then currently she didn’t expect to manage to put up a fight. Especially against someone who was a supernatural creature. Wait-what if the killer was human? Uraraka glanced towards the sidewalk, what if the killer was human and then a vampire came along afterward pitying Katsuki because of his age and with little hope attempted to resurrect him, walked away before that happened because of being long gone by the time they attempted something, and Katsuki then woke up confused thinking that a vampire killed him? Uraraka shook her head, realizing something, a crucial detail that would enhance her investigation. She had never asked Katsuki himself.

The gruesome scene circled in her head, there were so many details. But mostly the sheer amount of blood was the distraction. The fact that there was so much had pulled her attention away from the more crucial details of the scenery. The familiarity, it had been playing over and over in her own head for days on end becoming clearer and clearer each day. Uraraka felt her eyes slide down towards an alleyway that she must’ve stayed in before Todoroki found her. The faint rustic color of what could’ve been mistaken as rust coloring the edges of the alley. The fading color splattered about. The alleyway both beckoned and scared her. The world tilted, Uraraka felt anger rush over her heart, the need to run into the alleyway whirlpooling around in her head as she felt the anger pump in her veins. Suddenly being thrown back, feeling as though her neck was snapping. Uraraka took a breath. Lowering herself to the sidewalk. She hadn’t moved an inch. She couldn’t make herself follow such an impulse. Not into an alley with that feeling. Not into that alley. There was no mistaking it. This is where Katsuki had been murdered. And that event was clinging dearly to the alleyway. Begging someone to unravel it.

Metal clanked as Uraraka glanced towards the emergency stairwell, one of the residents dragging out their cigarette, “Hey, girl, you okay?”

Uraraka nodded, “Sorry, I-I just didn’t feel good suddenly.”

“Happens a lot around here. I’d move if I could, but hey, at least rent’s cheap.”  

Uraraka nodded again, attempting to wave good-bye as they kept talking. She sent a soft smile before heading further towards Todoroki’s house. Without a companion, the trip was feeling as though it was taking forever. She knew she hadn’t gotten lost. That wasn’t possible. She knew how to get there; Todoroki had walked her there a bazillion times so far. She knew the way. She had gotten there on her own the first time. Faint footsteps echoed behind her. Uraraka swallowed, the feeling of someone grabbing her by the neck in the alleyway still resilient in her mind, picking up her pace as her hand slid to the pouch where she knew she didn’t pack the pepper spray that morning. Uraraka took a breath. She could handle them. They didn’t look too tough. And they probably underestimated her if they were already following her without a second thought. If she could just round the corner and throw a good right hook, then she’d make a run for it. Startle them then escape. Uraraka took a breath quickening her paces the paces following her beginning to match. She took a breath, running for it, the person’s footfalls not bothering to hide that they were following her anymore and already attempting to catch up to her. Uraraka spun, their shadow approaching. Just at the right moment, she threw the punch, Katsuki pushing her hand away barely dodging, a wild smile painted on his face.

“That surprised to see me?”

A mixture of embarrassment and anger mixed through her chest, “Why didn’t you call out to me?”

Katsuki shrugged, glancing towards the alleyway, “Figured you were having one of your psychic attacks and wasn’t sure if it’d be a good time. After that, I did call out, but you didn’t hear me.”

Uraraka nodded. That alley was where he had been murdered. She couldn’t really hold his struggle to call out to her against him. She attempted to keep her hand from moving to her neck to itch it….anything to remove the feeling of someone having their hands around her throat, being dragged to the wall and fighting for her life, anything to remove the brutal feeling of the way Katsuki was murdered. It hurt so much. He made it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. But he was angry. He was desperate to win. Like anyone would be. And he had lost the only thing that could be considered purely his own no matter what anyone else said. Uraraka took a breath, trying to steady the dizzying feeling spinning in her head, begging her to get out of the funhouse and take some Tylenol,  “Was that-? Where you?”

Katsuki glanced over his shoulder, his voice given off a slight grumble, “Yeah. I go back there every so often to see if the bastard that made me this way is going to show their face.”

“Are the person who murdered you and the person who made you a vampire the same person?”

Katsuki’s red eyes flashed through the darkness, “Huh? Of course, they are. There’s no way a regular person would’ve been able to take me. Not even as a human.”

She let a slight smile slip, the amount of self-pride that bubbled within him was something to admire. She wondered if she could cultivate and sell it. The fast pace of heels clopped down the sidewalk. Uraraka glanced over her shoulder, seeing Tsuyu, covered in sweat and worry on her face.

“I couldn’t just leave you. I’m sorry. And then I heard you scream, I’m-“ Tsuyu’s eyes slid over towards Katsuki. “He’s alive?”

Uraraka felt her heartbeat increase a few notches. The confusion on Tsuyu’s face as she attempted to connect the dots becoming more and more prominent by the second. Her eyes slid towards Katsuki who glared towards her, “I’m as dead as they come.”

“Don’t lie to her. You’re not. You still are capable of moving yourself. You’ve been undead for a while now.”

Uraraka glanced over her shoulder, Todoroki standing a few sidewalk panels down the street, “Sorry about not being there. Katsuki said he’d go since it’s the new moon tonight.”

“It’s alright.” Her eyes slid back towards Tsuyu, what wasn’t alright was the fact that she felt like a liar to her best friend. That she hadn’t confided anything in Tsuyu. And that she was likely about to find out about way more than she wanted her to know. How was she supposed to keep her safe? Tsuyu meant it when she wanted to go into the criminal justice field. It wasn’t a fling or because it was a decent job choice. It was her passion. And Uraraka felt like a criminal hiding evidence.

Tsuyu slid a knife out of her pocket, “Uraraka, get away from them.”  

[lovetnaomi]

Couldn’t focus all day but for the last 3 hours I’ve been writing a todokachako (leaning more towards Todoroki x Uraraka) outline after getting a random inspiration from another anime I watch

I can’t decide if I want to do a FanFiction or attempt a fan-comic/doujinshi, but I also know my writing is a lot better but I feel equal desire for both

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 18

               The hours passed in a mundane way, leaving Uraraka feeling as though she was in the middle of cramming for her finals, exhausted. They had found little to no information on what Katsuki was or who had attacked him. And on top of that, she had found herself opening several books that were actually prison worlds in which Todoroki had to dart into the library only to slam them back into the book before the prisoner was able to become coherent of their situation.

 After he had separated the books, explaining how he categorized the room, embarrassingly glancing towards Katuski explaining that he might have more of a grip on the organization of the room due to the fact that he typically would toss the prison world over and say be his guest if he decided that, that supernatural creature would be dinner for tonight. Also, by the pure chance that Katsuki was able to explore the household due to his sunlight containment.

               Uraraka took a breath, steadying herself as she shoved her own books into her backpack, moving towards the door, “I’m going to head to class. Tsuyu is going to meet me halfway, so if you two want to keep pouring through these books, I have human books to pour through myself.”

               Katsuki and Todoroki glanced at each other, “I think that would work. If it’s her family….” Todoroki’s eyes darted like trying to decide between trust issues and if it was safe enough to let her walk with Tsuyu, “She should be strong enough for anyone unruly to pick a random fight.” Todoroki’s eyes darted towards the desk.

               “Just admit you like walking with her.” Katsuki snorted from behind the desk pulling another book down, catching the one’s that shuffled down with it in his other hand.

               Todoroki blushed, opening his mouth, but his voice cracking instead of forming words.

               “It’s okay if you want to walk with me.” She whispered as Todoroki glanced towards Katsuki.

               “The murderer has been running loose for two years without the bodies piling up, I’m sure one of us doing the research instead of three is okay for a spare hour.”

               Todoroki nodded, shuffling from his spot to Uraraka, “I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”

               Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Don’t need a babysitter.”

               Todoroki shut the door behind himself, “I don’t think he’s a vampire, but that bothers me more. I don’t know how to help him if he isn’t….” Todoroki glanced in the distance, “And if he isn’t a vampire, my research to help him….it starts over. Two years of wasted time-“

               Uraraka placed a hand on his arm, “It’s not wasted time, you were busy trying to help your friend.  Trying to help someone, even if you don’t get any results, isn’t a waste of time.”

               Todoroki nodded trying to feel more reassured then he had previously. He had to find a way to help him. One way or another.

               Uraraka paused, glancing towards the stars that illuminated the morning sky, the wind rustling in her hair, and cotton-candy painting the sky behind her, “Do you think he wants to be a human again? Did you two ever sit down and talk about it?”

               “Why wouldn’t he?”

               “I think he does, but at the same time, he needs someone to talk to about it. From a different perspective, not just a human one.”  

               Todoroki sighed, “I know, but I’m still human.”

               “You are,” she took his hand, “And you’re not…just like him. Reassure him. We need to make him feel like you make me feel.” The words slipped Uraraka’s mouth, slipping her hands out of his to hide her darkening face but unable to disguise her quickening heart rate.

               A smirk played on the corner of his lips as he leaned closer towards her, “And how is that?” doing his best to let his voice roll from the back of his throat knowing he was struggling with it.

               Uraraka’s eyes popped out from behind her fingers, “Like he belongs. We’re a family now. An odd one, but it’s what we’ve got.”

               Todoroki glanced towards the candy-colored sky, “How am I supposed to do that when I’m struggling to accept myself at the same time.”

               She smiled, fist-pumping the air, “Rely on each other, we’ve got this. And this first thing we’re going to do as a family activity is take down a serial killer.”

               An irresistible puff of laughter escaped him, “Doesn’t sound very family game-night friendly.”

               “Oh, we can do that right after!” She smiled already calculating who to invite over, the conversation melting into random small talk and various topics. The topics were random and chaotic, they showed Uraraka’s nature to him and he knew he could relax around her, but most of all they felt safe.

All too soon he could see Tsuyu’s silhouette over the horizon and hear her heartbeat, “I better let you go, she’s here.”

“You can walk us the rest of the way if you want to. I’m sure Tsuyu has a different opinion of you two than her family does.”

Todoroki shook his head, “I don’t want to get mixed up in hunter business. They get confused too easily and too fast in these situations, especially since I have so many supernatural creatures under my protection, and territory. And if anything were to happen to any of us they wouldn’t realize the full scale of the problems they are about to cause. It’s not because I don’t like her, but I’m protecting not only her, but ourselves by keeping my distance. It’s better that her family doesn’t even know I’m in the area.”

“But haven’t you been in charge of this territory for a while?”

“Something like that, but humans, even the one’s that know about supernatural variety, typically don’t know about supernaturals territories and when they do find out about them….there’s typically a large problem in both communities with high numbers of casualties.”

Uraraka nodded, glancing towards Tsuyu already over the hill, waving towards them. Todoroki waved towards her before turning to Uraraka, saying good-bye and disappearing.

“We’re going to be late if you just stand there all day.”

“I know, I’m coming.” She darted towards Tsuyu, wishing her heavy backpack didn’t bounce with every step that she took.  She glanced towards Uraraka thoughts of a different time coming back to her, the soft whispers of one of the villains they were hunting threatening Katsuki by attacking Tsuyu because of the similarity between her and his childhood friend. “Hey, what-have you been okay lately?”

Tsuyu sent her a bemused look, “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

Todoroki’s warning muttered through her head but keeping her friend safe didn’t have anything to do with the territories, this was a warning about the serial killer, a just-in-case. Uraraka swallowed, “We found the person that murdered Katsuki.”

Tsuyu glanced towards her, her mouth agape, “We were supposed to solve how he died, not who killed him.”

Uraraka nodded, “I know, I know, but listen. It’s not something that can go into our project.”

Tsuyu glanced over her shoulder, “Are you sure it’s safe to go to class today?”

“Yeah, I don’t think they would’ve let me leave the house if it wasn’t for you though, they’re such worrywarts.”

Tsuyu nodded, “So, what do they look like? Can they not go out during the moonlight like Katsuki?”

Uraraka took a breath this was going to be a whole lot of explaining, maybe they shouldn’t have gone to class today, but instead they should’ve just invited Tsuyu over for more manpower. “We don’t think Katsuki’s a vampire.”

Tsuyu drew back, “He drinks blood and is weak to the moonlight. What else would he be?”

Uraraka shrugged, “We don’t know. The person who broke into the house last night-“

“Wait! Someone broke in and you didn’t think to tell me?”

“Todoroki and Katsuki were there, it was fine.”

“You mean the serial killer broke into the house and was looking for something….or someone….which was likely Katsuki…and you stumbled onto new information.”

“They can possess people…but not people…whoever-what ever it was they sent to our house, when I killed it…..It wasn’t naturally it foamed so badly.” Uraraka attempted to suppress the shaking in her voice. She had always told herself she wanted to help people, but she had never discussed with herself if she was driven to the corner where she had to decide to kill to help someone would she. She just did.  “Tsuyu, I killed them. Todoroki won’t say it, but I know…from the look on their face they were innocent.” Her voice shook as she glanced towards Tsuyu, “I took one look and grabbed a knife. I just did it.” Uraraka took a breath steadying her breathing, “They first appeared as the officer I was supposed to interview, but after I met them on the street and Katsuki was out and we barely escaped, that officer showed up dead. The reports are confusing because the autopsy says months before. Todoroki burned the second corpse that showed up later. We don’t know who their possessing or how many they can possess at a time, or what they are or what they look like.”

Tsuyu nodded, taking a breath, “But we do know that they were there at the time of Officer Jenkins actual death and the person Todoroki gave an arbitrary funeral too.”

Uraraka nodded, “We just have to find that too. If they went for them themselves or send a corpse.”

Tsuyu nodded, “If we consider the fact that Katsuki’s….well, alive-ish right now we can assume they went themselves for him.”

Uraraka nodded, that was a good sign hopefully they would make some progress and soon in their investigation. She glanced towards the girl entering the class before them, her eyes likely run dry and still wearing black. Uraraka swallowed. It was the girl in their group. She likely needed to attend her boyfriend’s funeral soon. Tsuyu sighed, glancing the girl over likely thinking about how she would never truly know how her boyfriend died. Or what killed him. Uraraka took a breath, patting Tsuyu on the back before following her into the class. She nodded at Professor Bakugo, before sliding into her regular desk and glancing towards Emily, “Hey, are you okay?”

Emily nodded, “I guess the case just got personal is all….” Her eyes slid to across the room but not as if she was really looking there, “I just keep thinking what if Jasper…what if he found out something? Something too much and was on the case and well….” She paused taking a breath, her hand scratching the opposing arm, “I haven’t told the police…but you know, it’s personal…”

Uraraka nodded, it made sense, but that could put Emily herself in danger. The human police could get in their way at the same time….her eyes slid over to Tsuyu likely pondering the same things over. Emily had the right to attempt to avenge her lover if she was going to go for it, but not at the cost of her own life. Tsuyu glanced towards her, likely thinking over the same thing. “I think it would be okay to tell them. Just as a precautionary measure to protect yourself. You don’t know if they hunted him down for a different reason.”

Emily sighed, nodding, an arm tightening around the other, “I just keep thinking maybe if I went with him, you know how it is all these maybe scenarios where you figure out how you could’ve saved them or what you could’ve done in your head, knowing full-well you’d never get the chanc-“ Emily glanced up behind Uraraka causing her to spin around.

“Professor Bakugo, we’re sorry we’ll get started soon-“

He held his hand up, “Actually, Uraraka, I wanted to see you out in the hall.”

Uraraka shuffled through her books, doing her best not to let the fluster of questioning why show on her face, “I’ll be right back, Tsuyu can you-“

Tsuyu nodded, already setting up the presentation and their theories to explain their research to Emily, each lacking the true supernatural aspects. Uraraka nodded, following Professor Bakugo to the hallway, letting him shut the door behind himself, before pulling out his phone tapping at it.

“Um, prof-“

“Uraraka, I know you’re a good student and a rather good person, but I’m going to need you to answer this honestly. I need to know,” He flipped his phone, revealing a photo of her and Katsuki talking in the kitchen, time-stamp of only two days previous glowing at the bottom, “What have you done with my son?”

Her mouth ran dry, she couldn’t possibly say that was faked, she didn’t know Katsuki before his death. So, that also eliminated the confusion of her knowing him beforehand as a secret girlfriend since not only was it in the professor’s phone, but also, she wasn’t around Katsuki before he went missing. “I haven’t done anything to him.”

“Please, Uraraka.”

“I haven’t done anything to him.”

“Uraraka, you may not know this, but Katsuki is my son and I need to know how you know him or why you two were apparently at my home and why I don’t remember any of it.”

“Katsuki doesn’t breathe professor. Please, please stop looking.”

The professor squinted at her, seeming to think something over, before glancing at the long cascading hallway, it seemed longer than she had ever considered it before. “Is he at least happy?”

“Who could be in that state?”

“At least you’re not lying.” The professor ran a hand through his hair, looking very similar to Katsuki in that moment, “If he did breathe, I think he would’ve liked you very much.” A soft smile came to the professor as if he understands how much he truly understood. And that he shouldn’t go looking for Katsuki. Professor Bakugo turned his hand on the doorknob, “If by some form of supernatural mistake, if you meet my son, even for a moment, can you tell him I was-no, I am proud of him. Always will be.”

“If such an occasion did exist I certainly would.”

Professor Bakugo nodded, as if saying I know you would, even if I didn’t ask, before silently heading back into the classroom.

Uraraka slid into the seat next to Tsuyu, glancing over the project. The lies carefully constructed and displayed on a PowerPoint in a way that the rest of the class would deem plausible and likely mistakenly nod in agreement at. Emily nodded, fixing the last image into place on her own laptop, before glancing towards them, “So, for the presentation, we’re going with the fact that it’s likely the work of a serial killer. We don’t think they were caught, but caught the eyes of a different victim and moved onto a different territory,” Emily presented various other imagery with similar circumstance, “And since it’s not famous it’s likely not a copy-cat killer, but the same killer moving about as each victim catches their eyes.”

Tsuyu nodded, “I think that will help, that’s what we’ll go with for the presentation on Wednesday.”

Uraraka nodded, right now it was better than the truth. Most of the time she was sure that the truth and being straight-forwards with most people would solve most of the problems between them, but reciting that there’s a supernatural killer running around creating other supernatural creatures and killing as they pleased wasn’t a very scientific theory, or information that would typically be listed in a professional environment. Especially one where everyone else wasn’t a supernatural themselves. They shuffled quietly looking at each other, before stuffing everything away, “So, I need to go talk to my family, I’ll see you guys around” They nodded at Emily, before her and Tsuyu left the room, Tsuyu clinging to her arm as if she was afraid of losing her.

“Ochako, you know….you’ve been under a lot of really strenuous supernatural circumstances lately, did you want to come over to my place for now?”

Uraraka glanced down, genuine concern glowing in her friend’s eyes, if she knew what was happening lately the concern likely would’ve only grown stronger. She resisted the urge to sigh, Tsuyu would’ve been a massive help in the research for helping Katsuki and finding the killer, but she couldn’t risk worrying her any more than she already was.

“You know you can rely on me for anything you need…” She paused, glancing away, “Even if it’s problems with the guys, I promise to not try to kill them again.”

Uraraka let a laugh escape her, “It’s not that, we’ve all been busy with rather stressful things, but I appreciate it.” She smiled, placing a hand on Tsuyu’s that rested on her arm.  She didn’t want to worry her more than she already was. “I appreciate you being around, and also that I can talk to you about anything.”

Tsuyu nodded, “Just don’t get too headstrong, you can rely on me.”

Uraraka smiled, pushing the backdoor open to where Tsuyu’s car was parked, they were leaving later than most, so most people had already cleared the campus or were currently in another class. Only a person lingered in the outskirts of the campus. She glanced down at Tsuyu happy that they were practically done with their project and almost ready to present, but feeling unsteady knowing that she would have to move forward with the real case without her. She couldn’t put this burden on-Uraraka’s eyes shifted back towards the person in the outskirts, staring the two of them down. Uraraka took Tsuyu’s arm, not letting her let go.

“Ochako?” Tsuyu whispered.

Uraraka took a breath, ushering up the least suspicious voice and carefree voice she could, “Hey, how about you let me come over to your place tonight? I heard the guys were making killer pancakes.”

“They don’t-“ Tsuyu nodded, slowing seeming to understand, “Actually yeah, I thought I saw that they just left, but they must’ve meant that they left to get the ingredients.”

The person watching them approached them carefully, almost in front of them even with Uraraka’s efforts to move to the side of them to carefully walk by, keeping Tsuyu on the side away from them.

“I’ve been looking for you.” The man laughed.

Uraraka took a breath, “Must’ve had the wrong person, sorry.” Before pushing Tsuyu forwards hoping she wouldn’t look.

“Not you.” The man smiled, glancing down towards Tsuyu.  

“Didn’t you ever wonder what happened to the last one the little green-haired one you tried protecting?” He scoffed, “I honestly, thought about grabbing that green-haired girl off the streets, I thought it’d be fun to do it all over again with similar circumstances-”

Uraraka scrambled for her phone, shifting it from her pocket, pressing the dial button as fast as she could, Tsuyu’s presence directly behind her, she hadn’t started running. And likely she wouldn’t either, she likely could tell that she wouldn’t be able to outrun the danger they were facing. Her heart was pounding, and she was sure that any supernatural could hear it in a five-kilometer radius, Uraraka swallowed glaring them down, “Stay back.” She pressed her back against Tsuyu, half-hoping to shield her, half-hoping Tsuyu would realize that there was the outline of a knife hidden in the back pocket.

“You know, I thought it would be fun to drag the green-haired one to Katsuki, you know see a re-enactment. Watch him make the same mistakes all over again, just cuz of the minor resemblance. But after being in that house, I’m starting to think I’ve got the wrong target. Maybe I’ll see something better this time with you.” The man reached for her hair, Tsuyu pulling the knife out of the back of the backpack, before pushing herself in front of Uraraka pushing her back and swinging.

“Hello?”

Tsuyu ran towards the man, before he swung sending Tsuyu’s form tumbling through the air and slamming into the wall, she slid down the wall, hitting the ground, unconscious and blood leaking from her mouth.

“Tsuyu!” Uraraka darted between the two, her phone rattling, “We’re at the college! Stay there I’ve got it!”

The man grabbed her arm as she couldn’t resist a gasp of panic escaping from her. Uraraka glanced towards the movement of the doors leading to the outside from the college; Professor Bakugo stuffing his paperwork hastily into his bag as he headed out for the day.

“Professor! Stay back!” Uraraka shouted, the next thing she knew, she was being thrown the professor’s widening eyes as he darted towards the perpetrator yelling at them for attacking his students being one of the last things she saw, slamming against the building, she slid down it. Uraraka glanced towards Tsuyu, then towards her phone practically vibrating with Todoroki’s and Bakugo’s reassurance that they would be right there. Uraraka could feel her unconscious fading, but she needed to do something fast, or Bakugo’s father would be that man’s next meal. Uraraka took a breath, moving in front of Tsuyu with the last of her strength, she reached for her bracelet snapping it into little pieces as it exploded across the courtyard.

Power welled up inside her as if this time instead of being suppressed it was building, stacking latent power, she didn’t know how she knew it but she knew, she had the power of a volcano coursing through her; raw, deadly, and indiscriminatory. She was a force of nature. Uraraka took a breath, soft wind ripping Professor Bakugo from the man’s clutches, and then without a second to spare ripping the walls off of the university building, Uraraka pulled attempting to resist the urge to barf knowing that if she fainted any moment now the vomit would not be a good place to land. The building collapsed on the man, leaving no traces, he would have to be unburied. And hopefully, they would find something there. Uraraka pushed herself up, stumbling to move forward, ignoring how drained she felt. Todoroki was half-way across town and moving rapidly towards them, he would be here soon. Her shoulders relaxed, as black blurred through her vision, she needed to know they were underneath that pile of rubbage, but her feet tripped, and she was going down. The last thing she heard was the buzzing of her phone with Bakugo’s voice in an attempt of reassurance.