Why Pirates Hate Water

17. Betrayal

The cave was cold and damp, the only light being the sun from behind them. They had made sure to leave early enough in the daylight to not worry about the sun going down, but considering what they had been through thus far, they may need more time.

The three walk almost blindly through the cave, only coming to a halt when Izuku had almost tripped down a large set of stone stairs. Small mining lanterns lit the way at the bottom of the stairs. This was the right place. They descended down the stairs without trouble or traps. It was what lay in the rest of the walkway that would trouble them. A large owlbear was sprawled across the ground, sleeping, guarding. One wrong step would alert the beast.

Izuku raised a finger to his lips, pursing them in a very librarian like motion. He went to the outermost wall, tiptoeing and stepping around the creatures tail as he slid his back ever so slightly against the wall. He barely applied any of his weight into his footsteps and quietly and cautiously stepped away on the opposite side.

Shoto began next, giving a slow start. His efforts; however, were not as cautious, and a small jolt of his foot kicked a rock that hit directly against the tail. He scrambled to the other side with Izuku, now backing both of them up and away from the owlbear. Katsuki looked at the two in shock and put his hand on the hilt of his sword, keeping it at the ready in his sheath.

The rock did not wake the owlbear, merely causing a small stir. Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the beast, waiting for its breath to steady before sneaking past with the other two.

As soon as they were far enough away from the owlbear, Izuku heaved out a sigh of relief.

"Tch, watch your feet half n half." Katsuki spat, marching on ahead, not waiting for the other two. Izuku just looked at Shoto with a sheepish smile before walking off to catch up. Shoto let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, looking down at his shaking hands before shoving them back down to his sides and jogging to meet the others.

"How far is this cave?" Katsuki grunted at no one in particular.

"I'm not sure. The island isn't too big, so it shouldn't be much further before we hit the ocean." Izuku stated, watching the path in front of them. He was extra fidgety from not only the pressure of the moment but also the two guys that he was in love with being there with him.

Katsuki paused, holding an arm out in front of the other two. He stood in front of a large fissure in the ground, going from wall to wall. It was at least 10-15 feet wide and endlessly deep. He inspected it for a moment until he heard a squeak from next to him.

Shoto stood by the wall, holding Izuku's collar as he tilted him by the edge of the crack.

"Hey! What're you doing?!" Izuku yelled out, grabbing onto Shoto's wrist.

Shoto didn't meet his eyes but did see Katsuki charging at him in the corner of his eye. Before Katsuki could manage to get close, Shoto let go.

Katsuki instantly slammed Shoto against the cave wall, half watching him and half looking back down at the pit. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Katsuki screamed out, tears welling in his eyes as he held a bruising grip against Shoto's neck. Shoto stared blankly at the bottomless pit, his expression unreadable.

"You're going to take me to the treasure." Shoto managed to get out through his strangled breath.

"Why would I do that, hah?!" Katsuki was fuming, his grip getting impossibly tighter. Until he felt a poke at his stomach. He looked down slightly to see a drawn knife being held at his skin. He wouldn't have time to grab his sword, and any falter would lead to him getting stabbed. Katsuki was stuck.

Katsuki backed away, not caring that Shoto was now following closely behind with the knife at him at all times. He dropped to his knees in front of the pit, his tears falling endlessly down into the pits of despair. "You killed him." Katsuki stated. "YOU KILLED HIM!" Katsuki roared, angrier than he had ever been. "JUST KILL ME THEN! DO IT!" Katsuki paused, heaving a sob, "Please.... just kill me..."

Shoto stood behind him, shocked at the statement. He shook his head, sucking in a breath. "You will take me to the treasure." He repeated, firmly grabbing Katsuki shoulder and heaving him to his feet. Katsuki struggled against his grasp, trying to throw himself into the pit. Shoto gritted his teeth and tightened his jaw. "You will get me to the treasure, or I will kill your men."

Shoto could see the hurt in Katsuki's eyes. They had spent months together, laughing, bonding, and exploring. Katsuki had thought that he might have been in love. Now, Izuku was dead, killed by Shoto Todoroki. His blood was boiling with anger. Anger. Regret. Guilt.

"Fine."

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☆Hello Lovelies, I'm back as promised! Little bit of an interesting chapter. Thank you guys for almost 2k reads!♡ See you next week for another chapter!☆