Ch. 28: The Battle of Aruba Pt. 1

1.8K 84 54
                                    

(Y/n)'s POV

"Everyone hurry! Gather around!" Mina shouted, running across the deck with Valentina.

"Val? What are you doing on the ship?" I asked, wiping my hands that were greasy from working in the cannon room with a rag.

"Uraraka just returned with report that she spotted the League and they are hot on our trail. They'll likely be arriving at Aruba in just a few hours. We need to prepare for battle," Valentina spoke solemnly yet deliberately. Katsuki walked to the edge of the ship and hung his head, tension building up in his shoulders.

"We have the upper hand this time-- we're expecting them. It's going to be alright... is there a reason you seem so stressed?" I asked, placing a hand on Katsuki's back.

"I know we're in a good position and I know we have a solid plan, but I keep flirting with the idea of just going on the run again. We're diving head first into danger, specifically with people who want both of our heads on a platter. I can't help but think maybe I'm making an awful decision," Katsuki admitted. It was unlike him to be so honest in times like this. Usually he was over-confident and cocky, so I knew this had been really bothering him.

"Kat, we have to save those kids, and I personally want to pay Tomura a little visit. Look, even the dream world is on our side. I have three dream tattoos from the past 48 hours that will definitely be useful: A firework, a conch shell, and a cross," I pointed at the various images.

"I don't mean to doubt you, but those don't sound very helpful," Katsuki looked at me with concern.

"I've already tried out two of them. The firework gives me abilities like you and the conch shell summons a fake version of Todoroki and the sirens."

"Then what about the cross?" Katsuki asked. I hesitated to speak because I knew the dream that paired with that image wasn't one he would like. I had a hunch that using the cross quirk would likely be some sort of self-sacrifice, which Katsuki would be highly opposed to.

"Didn't work when I tried it-- it must be circumstantial." I half-lied. I didn't try it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was circumstantial. Back in Maracaibo, I almost never had circumstantial dream tattoos, but now it was fairly common. These were much riskier than immediate ones because I wasn't able to test them out before needing to use them.

"Just be careful, those circumstantial ones make me nervous. We should finalize preparations for contact with the League. Did you finish prepping the cannons?"

"Yes, they're all set. I just need to put on my disguise, but I need to borrow a flintlock pistol or something," I told Katsuki and he motioned for me to follow him to his cabin in order to grab one. Katsuki was worried that I would be targeted immediately when the League saw me, so he suggested that I disguised myself as an ordinary crewmate. This would make it easier for me to infiltrate their ship.

We entered Katsuki's cabin and he walked over to a bookshelf. He removed a water-damaged book from the shelf and set it down on his desk.

"Don Quixote? I didn't know you were into Spanish literature," I commented, recognizing the book.

"Oh no, I've never actually read this, I'm not well-versed enough in Spanish to get through it. My mother, however, used to tell me the story of crazy Don Quixote though before she died. I found this rare copy washed up on the shore of Brazil a couple years ago. It's one of the original copies, too bad it has suffered so much water damage," Katsuki grimaced at the condition of the book before opening it up to reveal a small envelope.

"Don Quixote is actually one of my favorite books. I was in the midst of reading it when you so kindly kidnapped me," I chuckled before leaning over to see what was in the envelope. Katsuki removed a skeleton key from the envelop and then pulled out a narrow chest that was in his desk drawer. He used the key to unlock the box and reveal a glimmering pistol. It was made of nickel and ivory (A.N.: I DO NOT PROMOTE THE HUNTING OF ELEPHANTS FOR IVORY! I AM JUST TRYING TO BE ACCURATE WITH THE TIME. PLEASE VISIT WWF's WEBSITE FOR INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN HELP FIGHT AGAINST THE POACHING OF ELEPHANTS).

Buried Treasure (BakugoxReader)Where stories live. Discover now