SOULMATES [My Hero Academia]

Blood and Sunshine - Mirio Togata

[Medieval AU]

Hello, beautiful.

Two words, haunting me my whole life. They've been inked on my wrist since birth, dark as midnight and innocent as sunrise.

I've yet to find their owner, and I don't know that I ever will; It's taken me a long time to accept that. As the heir to the throne of my father's kingdom, I likely won't be able to marry the soulmate whose first thought of me is tattooed on my wrist. I have to put my people first. Because that's what you do when you rule.

On a list of people that matter, every single one of your citizens comes before you in importance... and you settle into the slot of last place.

That's Kingdom Training Day 1 stuff, folks.

I'll catch you up a little, shall I?

-

Mirio Togata stood at the castle gates, grin wide and confidence brimming, his hands propped on his hips.

It was his first day as a royal knight. The first day of his new life.

Ever since that evil wizard cursed him and stole all of Mirio's magic, rendering his magician's apprenticeship less than useless, he'd struggled to find a new purpose in life.

But now... now he had a second chance.

"Well," he sighed to himself, "Can't stare all day." He walked over to the nearest guard and explained the situation, mentioning that his best friend, Tamaki Amajiki, already worked at the palace as a knight. A captain, if he remembered right.

The guard looked him up and down before squinting at him. "Do you have any proof?" they spat.

"Proof?"

"We had an assassination attempt earlier in the week," the guard explained, voice hushed as if confiding in Mirio, "If you are who you say you are, then you'll have proof to back up that... you are who you say you are."

A shiver ran through Mirio, like ice down his back. Assassination attempts? Tamaki hadn't mentioned anything at the tavern the night previous. Or ever. "Sure, sure," Mirio chuckled nervously, patting down his pockets, "Let me just-"

"There you are."

Mirio softened at the voice of his best friend, looking up to find Tamaki strolling toward the gate in his gold armor, a white cape fluttering softly in his wake. Tamaki looked anxious - eyes trained on the ground, hands fidgeting, chewing his lip - but that was pretty typical for him. "Hey, buddy!" Mirio grinned and waved, "I was just trying to get proof for this gentleman that I'm here for my first day of knight time. Knight stuff? Knight-ness? No, I like knight time."

Tamaki rolled his eyes and looked at the guard, jerking his thumb at Mirio. "He's with me."

The guard nodded approvingly and pulled a lever inside of his booth. "You got it, Captain Amajiki."

The wrought iron gates slid open with a horrendous screeching, and Mirio couldn't help but smile at the sight. It felt like the castle was welcoming him with open arms.

Finally.

-

"No, no, no! I'm not a child! I don't need a babysitter!"

Fury barely contained, I kept my eyes trained on my target, and my teeth clenched tight. I let my arrow free... only to have it miss the target completely, burying itself in the neatly trimmed hedge behind. Too tense. I groaned, reached for another arrow from my quiver, and knocked it.