Midoriya P.o.V
My mom always told me that I have a bad habit of picking up things that I like. Well. That habit of mine was still running strong in my vein.
When I took the 3 strangers I found wandering around late at night to our lodging house, Kirishima wasn't all that happy about it. He was glaring a bit and was about to scold me.
At least until he realized a particular red string.
"What?!" Kirishima exclaimed as he looked at me. It was clear on his face. He wanted to know how I met my fated mate.
I could feel my cheek burning up. To be honest, I still couldn't believe it. And to make things even more complicated, my heart was beating like crazy everytime Shouto kun was near. His pretty eyes, his face, his build, everything about him was just unfairly perfect.
And also the fact that my fated mate was indeed a legendary werewolf. It was miracle that I could meet him again after that one coincidental meeting. I remembered how All Might told me that meeting even a werewolf was considered a lucky thing with how perfect they hid themselves from the human.
Maybe that fact was also the reason I approached him.
If I wouldn't meet him anymore, at least this much was still alright, right? At least this would add to the memory that I would treasure for life time.
"Midoriya?"
Shouto's word brought me back to reality. I looked at the 4 of them. They were currently sitting at the opposite side of the table, each with a cup of hot coffee Kirishima had made.
"Oh, yeah, sorry, Shouto kun. This is my friend, Kirishima," I introduced my red head companion.
"Hi!" Kirishima greeted them with a big smile of his.
"Nice to meet you, Kirishima. I'm Shouto. And these 3 are my companion," Shouto said pointing at his friends. "Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, and Kaminari."
Yaoyorozu, the only girl in their group, stood up and bowed. Tokoyami, the boy with jet black hair, bowed his head slightly, while Kaminari, the blonde boy, gave us a huge grin.
I didn't even need to see their mana to know that the 4 of them weren't just a regular human. For sure, with their appearance they passed as a normal human. But the aura they emitted felt mysterious yet graceful. And absolutely screaming something not human.
"About the nomu..."
I looked around to see the source of the voice. Shouto and his companion looked at me expectantly.
That particular gaze wasn't good for my heart.
Kirishima was the one to break the awkward silence.
"How do you know about the nomu?" he asked.
Our guests looked at each other for a while. Tense were plain especially on Shouto's companions' face.
"Uhm... Kirishima kun, maybe we can talk about this later..." I tried to convince my red haired friend.
"No. This is important, Midoriya," Kirishima insisted. "What are the legendary werewolves planning to do in a human's village like this?"
My eyes widened in shock. I knew Kirishima must be able to distinguish the origin of our guests. But I didn't know he would be this direct about it. "Kirishima!" I stood up from my seat.
"No, it's okay, Midoriya."
I turned to look at Shouto who had stood up from his seat too.
"Allow me to explain, Kirishima san," Shouto said in a very calm voice. "My name is Todoroki Shouto. I'm the current leader of our pack and our territory isn't that far from this village.
"Not long ago, my hunters detected a strange presence on one of our hunting session. And yesterday I accidentaly heard about this 'Nomu' from you, Midoriya." Shouto's gaze was straight like it was piercing my eyes. And once again it freezed me on the spot.
"Erhm-hm" Kirishima cleared his throat. He still looked tense but I wouldn't miss that mischief light in his red eyes.
I blushed a bit while trying to calm my raging heart beat. "S-so you were still there when I talked to Kirishima about Nomu?" I asked him. "I thought you had left me," I added only in my heart though.
Shouto nodded his head. Even just for a bit I could see a slight regret in his expressionless face.
"I don't know exactly about this Nomu, but I concluded from your conversation that what my hunters saw was it," he said.
"What exactly your hunter saw?" Kirishima asked.
Shouto looked at the jet black haired boy. Tokoyami cleared his throat and started talking. "Let me explain in place of Todoroki sama," he started.
"It was in our hunting session yesterday night that we encountered a strange figure. I could show you the glimpsr of the figure if you want," he said.
My feeling became anxious from hearing what Tokoyami had said. Kirishima's grip on my hand turned my attention back to reality.
"You're trembling. Are you okay, Midoriya?" he asked purely out of worry.
I smiled weakly and nodded my head. I didn't even know what cause my feeling to be that unsettled but I had to get a grip of myself. All Might wasn't here anymore to keep the kingdom's peace. I had to at least be able to stand on my own two feet as the new symbol of peace.
"Please show it to us, Tokoyami kun," I said.
Tokoyami nodded his head and jet black mist started to form around him. The dark mist swirled around and formed a giant black bird.
"Black shadow, please grant us your sight of that night," Tokoyami said.
"Understood."
Hearing a nature spirit's voice was a common thing for me. But that was the first time I heard it that clear in my mind.
My vision started to blur until it became a total darkness. No. Not total darkness. My vision started to adapt to the dark surrounding. I wasn't moving my head but the scene in my eyes were moving super fast that I felt dizzy. I tried to count the trees to distract my mind but I gave up after a minute.
When I thought I was going to puke, the shifting scenery stopped still. I could still feel myself sitting in the warm cottage, but when my gaze fell on that particular creature I felt all the senses in my body telling me to run away.
Darkness wasn't even enough to describe it. I knew it was just an illusion, but even just that it was enough to show me how dangerous this creature was.
Not long after that I could feel my sight going back to normal. I saw around and found both Kaminari and Yaoyorozu shivering.
I was about to calm them down when a loud noise came from my side. Kirishima stood from his chair and he had the most serious face I had ever seen in his face.
"What's wrong, Kir-"
"That's nomu, Midoriya," he said grabbing my hand. "I could swear in Bakugou's name that that was nomu."
Kirishima, blessed with the ability to travel beyond worlds and long life, must had seen one in his entire life. Unlike him. I had never seen one, but with what I had learnt so far there wouldn't be anything more fit with nomu's definition but that thing we just saw.
I turned toward Tokoyami. "Tokoyami san, can you please lead the way toward the place you saw that thing?" I asked him. "If it's alright with you, Shouto kun," I turned to Shouto and added. There was that strange butterfly sensation once again when I looked at his face.
Shouto looked at me for a while and sighed, like he knew that I wouldn't budge even if he didn't give the permission for it. He then nodded.
"But we are going with you," he added.
"You shouldn't, this human problem isn't one you need to meedle with," Kirishima retorted.
Once again, the tension raised. Kirishima wasn't usually acting like this.
But then Shouto stood up. "It also happen in our territory so this is our problem too," he said not leaving any more room for further argument.
My red haired friend sighed. "Okay, but make sure you won't get too close to it," Kirishima said, "and immediately go back to your territory once all of this problem finish." For the next part of the sentence Kirishima looked at me for a while and gave me an apologetic gaze. I shook my head and gave him a smile. He wasn't wrong. If I needed to cut all my ties, this included one with my fated mate. One with Shouto.
Shouto looked skeptical about Kirishima's requirement. "Why?"
"Just promise me you won't, it include the 3 of your friends too. If you insist on going you have to stay behind us and never get too close to the nomu." Kirishima crossed his hands, not wanting to explain more. From the look in his eyes, he was serious about it.
I turned my attention back to Shouto and his companions. "Y-you can believe in what Kirishima said. He had met those creature once before so there must be a reason behind what he want you guys to do." I tried to sound more confident and calm but nevertheless I was never the best at speaking up in front of people.
"Okay."
I looked up and found Shouto's eyes had soften than before. "We will support you guys from the rear and we won't get too close to it."
"Great!" Kirishima exclaimed as he stood up and ran to the back room. Not long he had gone back with his bag and mine.
"Check if you have everything ready, Midoriya," he told me as he tossed my black bag. All Might always told me about this creature of darkness and how to handle them. With One for All power as the sole counter measure of their power to be honest I didn't really need any other stuff to fight it. But since Kirishima kept telling me to take care more of my self I had put several healing potions in my bag. Aside from it, there was only that mysterious magic book that I felt like I had to always bring with me since that time I found it.
"I'm ready, Kirishima kun!" I exclaimed.
"Okay." Kirishima turned his attention toward our guests. "Then, could you lead the way, sir black wolf."
Tokoyami scoffed but then decided to ignore Kirishima. I didn't know what make Kirishima acted that way. We had been together for so long, but still there were many things I didn't know, especially when he was still travelling alone.
The 6 of us walked toward the forest. With the light from the moon, the forest path was not that hard to navigate around. At least until we were deeper in the forest heart.
"U-um, guys, do you think we would need any additional light now?" I mumbled.
The 5 of them looked at me weirdly. And then the realization hit me. Among the 6 of us, everyone had clear night vision but me.
"I don't think it is wise to create light and make our location detected," Tokoyami said.
I looked down. He wasn't wrong about it. And even if I used some magic to make my vision clearer at night, the mana I produced would only attracted the noisy forest spirits. That absolutely wouldn't be preferable.
I jumped a bit when suddenly I felt someone wrapped their hand around mine. "It's me, Midoriya." Shouto's voice was dangerously close to my ear, and I think I could feel his soft breath brushing my ear. "Just grab on to me so you won't get lost or left behind."
I nodded and tighten my hand around him. And that was enough to calm all the stress I had built up all this time. Being with Shouto was like being at home itself. The thought of him leaving me behind after all of this was finished made my heart throbbed.
Life wouldn't even let me enjoy this sweet moment of my life. Shouto stopped dead on his track and pulled me toward one of big tree nearby. He hushed me up.
"What's wrong, Shouto kun?" I whispered as quiet as I could.
Even the moon light wasn't as bright in this deep part of the forest, Shouto's eyes seemed like gleaming their own light. It was pretty.
"I sense a movement nearby." As he said that, I felt cold chill ran through my spine.
I had never seen one.
But once, in one of my training session with All Might, he had brought with him a little remnant of the Nomu's mana.
And since that time I would never ever forget the feeling I got from it. The pure blood thirsty terror feeling was still the same.
"That's nomu," I whispered toward Shouto.
I could feel his muscle tensed up and how he had put himself in alert mode. "What are we going to do, Midoriya?"
"I'll fight it," I said. Strangely I sound calmer than ever.
Shouto's eyes widen in shock. Even though he didn't say it directly I could tell what he was thinking.
I shook my head. "No, Shouto kun. I'm not crazy or anything," I started as I reached out toward the thin air. Golden mana started to gather around my palm, and my familiar wooden staff formed in it.
"I'm the One for All Mage, and this is my job."
A.N.:
Hi guys!^^ it's been a long time... and I totally fail at following my schedule... 😂😂 guess I will just do it on my pace and have fun with it...
Next week will be my final term test... wish me luck guys... though maybe I should go studying, but writing this fic is also part of me relaxing my mind a bit from the studying stress...😂😂
How is your day so far??
Hope you like this chapter, and see you in the next one!^^
-Meli