Hero's Kingdom

Wolf Vs. Rabbit

Izumi's chest was about to burst open. Nerves and excitement raced through her as the crowd around them roared and cheered ready for her fight against Kacchan to begin. Everything she'd worked for up until this point had been leading up to this.

She'd watched him from the moment he entered the ring. No fur cloak, no adornishments... just him, bare chested and brawny. She'd watched his first fight and knew that going up against him would be the greatest challenge of her life... yet she couldn't avoid this any longer. He recognized that she was stronger, had stood for her when Monoma had put her down... but she doubted if his opinion of her had changed at all over the years they'd been friends.

She could still remember the day she met him...

~Ten years ago~

Izumi's father had died when she was three, but that didn't stop the young girl from trying to be just like him. She pulled out his old journals, admiring the pictures and doing her best to read the words on the page by using the reading lessons she'd been taught by her mother.

In those pages were worlds of knowledge just waiting to be explored, just by reading them Izumi felt closer to the man who'd been her father. She hoped one day she'd see all the things he'd seen, and perhaps even discover new worlds he hadn't.

At six, ignoring her chores and choosing to wander out in the forests and fields to collect samples, Izumi hitched on a satchel and carried around one of her father's journals. Using his notes she found the various ingredients and items she needed to make a tonic. This time she was determined to get it right.

Not realizing just how deep she was wandering Izumi followed the signs in the journal that lead her to the right type of plant. She admired its leaves and nodded.

"This is the one." She closed the book and stepped forward to grab the plant... and squealed as she stepped right into a net trap. She felt her body lift up off the ground and become tangled in the vines that'd been fastened into a net. The more she struggled to get free, the more her feet and hands became tangled. Her curly hair pulled up in twin tails with black ribbons snagged and she winced trying to pull them free too.

"Help! Somebody help me!"

"Whoa you actually caught something Bakugo!" Kirishima exclaimed as he, Sero and their leader Prince Bakugo ran up excitedly from the brush.

"What to you mean actually? Of course I caught something." Bakugo boasted and beat a fist into his bare chest. "I'm awesome." He pulled out a sharpened stone to cut his prey down.

Izumi squeaked her eyes tearing up as the vines snapped and she fell from the tree. The fall want high enough to break anything but it still hurt.

"Ow!" She struggled in the net again then her breath hitched as the boys surround her.

"Aww man it's just a stupid skinny girl." Bakugo scowled and leaned in sniffing. "I suppose she's just big enough for a small meal."

"Wha! Please don't eat me!" Izumi whimpered. "I won't taste good! Plus like you said I'm skinny."

"Stop teasing her Katsuki, let her go so we can do some real hunting." Sero complained.

"No way! I caught her which means she's mine!" Bakugo snarled to the others.

"Okay fine but what are you gonna do with her?" Kirishima asked casually. "She's right that she's too skinny to eat."

"Tch..." Bakugo crouched down over Izumi and tugged on a ponytail grinning. " I'll keep her as a pet. I've always wanted a pet Usagi."

"Usagi? I'm not a Rabbit!" Izumi complained but jumped and coward when he stood over her still tugging on a ponytail.