"Hnng, ow-"
You opened your eyes weakly, squinting in the light before opening them widely, finally remembering what had happened. You sat up quickly, hissing in pain and leaning back against whatever you were on before. The adrenaline of waking up had passed, and now all the straining injuries were hitting you at once, immobilizing your body. When you leaned back, a quiet grunt was heard behind you, and you turned your head as best you could to see Kirishima. He was passed out, leaning against a large tree stump with his arms poorly bandaged, scrapes and bruises decorating his skin. You were leaning against him, still too weak to move, and you sighed. What the hell happened?
Your ears were no longer ringing, but they were still deafened; everything around you was muffled. You heard a quiet conversation somewhere ahead of you, and you looked back towards the the direction of the faded sound. Squinting again, you could see silhouettes surrounding each other, moving back and forth. You needed to get up, and you needed to get to those people to figure out what had happened. You grunted quietly as you tried to move, but stopped, panting as you realized how limited your energy really was. Suddenly, Kirishimas arm wrapped around your body, whispering weakly.
"Glad to see you're okay, (F/N)."
You grimaced from the pain and whispered back.
"Kirishima, what happened? Where are we?"
You realized that when he moved to hold you, he was really just trying to keep you from getting up. He chuckled and coughed, gritting his own teeth to try and play off how much pain he was really in.
"You need to relax, you're seriously injured."
"What happened to you?"
Kirishima laughed nervously, leaning his head back against the tree and tightened his grip on you.
"Bakugou was the first one to realize you were gone, and after a while the others began to follow us. Luckily, with me, we were able to catch up to those guys pretty quickly."
The red head smiled and sighed, shifting his body to sit up more, and you followed suit. You pushed yourself to sit up straighter as much as you could before leaning back against him, feeling your heart beating out of your chest.
"But, I used up too much of my power. I should've transformed when we found you, but Bakugou wanted to get you out of there as soon as possible. When we got back over the hills, I collapsed, and we crashed."
Your eyes focused on your surroundings, and you understood what he had meant. The clearing you were in was filled with toppled over and broken trees, the foliage and debris swept away to the sides of the clearing. Dirt was kicked up, and you could only imagine a giant dragon crashing into the earth.
"Not only were you hurt from that fall into the road, but also from me...I'm sorry (F/N)."
You shook your head and shushed him, making sure he knew it wasn't his fault. Your head stung from the multiple distractions; the light, the whistling of the wind, and the pain from hitting it too many times, but it fought to focus on figuring things out.
"Where- where is Bakugou?"
Kirishima closed his eyes and nodded his head, motioning for you to look back at the echoing silhouettes ahead of you.
"He's over there with the others, but I can't hear what they're saying..sorry."
"You don't need to be sorry, I'll go find out."
Kirishima kept his arm around you, trying to hold you back, but sighed when you leaned away and fell into the dirt.
"(F/N), please, you shouldn't be moving."
Mustering as much strength as you could, you staggered to your feet, stumbling a moment before using another taller tree stump as a support. You looked back at Kirishima and gave him a thumbs up.
"I'm fine, it'll take a lot more than that to stop me."
You slowly walked towards the others as Kirishima chuckled again, moving his arm to lay against his stomach. He needed to recover, you needed answers. As you moved, your senses began to come back; your eyes became more focused, and your ears opened up, finally hearing the voices ahead of you clearly. You heard Midoriya, Kaminari, and Iida for sure, and Yaoyorozu and Sero were quieter, trying to talk but getting interrupted over the louder voices. Finally, you heard Uraraka shout your name in shock.
"(F-F/N!)"
She ran over to you, followed by Jirou. The girls reached for you, quickly holding onto to make sure you wouldn't fall. You inhaled sharply when Uraraka gently held your arm, and you realized it was probably broken.
"Are you feeling okay? We didn't think you would wake up anytime soon. Oh thank goodness."
Uraraka smiled with tears in her eyes, and you sighed, repeating what you had said to Kirishima a moment ago. As you smiled back at her, your eyes trailed up to look over the group, and they widened when they saw who you were really looking for. Bakugou was standing there behind the others, his face covered in bleeding scrapes and bruises, but with a look of relief. You instinctively wormed out of Urarakas and Jirous grasp, weakly stumbling over to the blonde. Midoriya reached out to stop you, but hesitated when Todoroki put a hand on his shoulder. As soon as you were close enough, you fell against Bakugou, hugging him tightly with one arm, and every ounce of energy you had. He stood there, a bit shocked, but mostly unsure of what to do, and stared down at you puzzled.
"(F/N)-"
"Thank you, Bakugou."
You whispered against his chest, aware that he wouldn't be able to understand you, but you didn't care. Finally, he peeled you away from him and checked you over, looking at the visible spots of skin he could see. He turned you around and moved your head side to side, stopping when you winced in pain. He sighed and mumbled under his breath, folding his arms as the others looked reluctant to let him put his hands on you again. You used your unbroken arm to rub your shoulder, relieved that you were quickly regaining your strength, but knew if you pushed yourself any further, you were probably going to collapse.
"Can someone fill me in on what happened?"
Yaoyorozu spoke up first, pointing over to Mina, who stood the furthest from Bakugou with a scowl.
"Mina was the first to notice you were gone for a while, and when she went to check on you, she found Bakugou and Kirishima-"
Mina crossed her arms and chimed in, venom clearly on her tongue.
"TӉeҰ were actЇng weЇrԀ, anԀ Ї maҰ өr maҰ nөt ӉaѴe tӉөugӉt tӉeҰ were trҰЇng tө ҜЇԀnaҏ Ұөu..anԀ Ї aℓsө maҰ өr maҰ nөt ӉaѴe attacҜeԀ tӉem-"
"-But when we all ran out to find Mina, Kirishima was able to explain the situation before it got too violent. Thank goodness he did in time, we were worried another fight would break out."
You hummed and glanced back up at Bakugou, who looked away the moment you two had made eye contact. Kaminari walked forward to move up in the group, with Jirou following right behind.
"We searched for over an hour, and when Kirishima finally picked up your scent, him and Bakugou left before even telling us where to go."
You grimaced at what he had said. Not sure why, but the idea of you having a 'scent' set you off. Sero was about to speak, leaning over Yaoyorozu before getting cut off by Mina. She quickly walked over to you and pulled you away from Bakugou, ignoring your wince in pain and resting her hands on your shoulders.
"SөrrҰ tө cut Ұөu guҰs sӉөrt, Бut Їt'ℓℓ Бe nЇgӉt sөөn, anԀ (F/N) sӉөuℓԀ reaℓℓҰ Бe sөmewӉere tӉat Їsn't өutsЇԀe, өr wЇtӉ БaҜugөu."
You shrunk into yourself as she spoke, pouting your lips at her words. She had a point, it has been weeks since you had stayed somewhere that wasn't a forest or riverside, but, what about Bakugou? Worming out of her hands, you lifted your arm weakly to rub the back of your neck, chuckling as you started to disagree.
"I mean, it would be nice to stay somewhere warm, but I don't think there would be an issue if I-"
"She should come with us, we were heading west anyways!"
Midoriya interrupted you and had Uraraka and Iida nodding, Todoroki still distracted by the conversation from before. Yaoyorozu folded her arms and smiled, offering her own deal as Sero agreed.
"We could also take her in, we'll have to return those horses, and I'm pretty sure there was an Inn nearby."
"It would be great! I think the place Tsuyu works at is just a couple miles South; we could stay there for the night!"
Everyone agreed and disagreed with each other, trying to decide what was best for you, and you sighed. Eventually, Mina had set you aside and you were once again standing awkwardly next to Bakugou, who glared at the group as they spoke. He couldn't understand them, but he heard your name on their tongues enough to know they were planning something. His face slowly turned into a scowl, but stopped when you put a hand up to his cheek, wiping the blood away from his eye before it dried.
"You are really beat up, Bakugou."
His eye twitched and he brushed your hand away, mumbling under his breath. He looked down at your arms and sighed, seeing the bruises and cuts covering everything he could see. You had no idea how bad your injuries actually were, and honestly you didn't really want to know. Hearing your name once more, you finally furrowed your brows and turned to everyone, speaking loudly to interrupt them.
"Wouldn't it be best for me if I decided where I should go and what I should do?"
The group in front of you quieted down and Iida spoke hesitantly, almost trying to downplay your choice in the matter.
"(F/N), I know it may seem better to do that, but you've been travelling with someone who's been lying to you, and you were almost, well, you were kidnapped!"
You frowned and motioned to the others.
"Yes, I was kidnapped, while I was with you guys! It might seem worse to travel with Bakugou, but so far, both parties have been dangerous."
Uraraka tapped her fingers together nervously, pouting before looking up to you with a quiet and anxious voice.
"I think what Iida is trying to say is, we're just worried about you, (F/N). Trusting Bakugou is difficult now, knowing everything we know-"
"But we don't know everything, right?"
You looked over to Midoriya and pointed down at his bag, and he perked up, pulling out his journal and turning to the pages he needed before you yanked it out of his grasp.
"These are all just theories, but did you try asking Bakugou?"
"Yes, and he wouldn't tell us!"
Midoriya ripped the journal from your hands and slammed it shut, glaring at Bakugou before glaring back at you, his face softening to a more concerned look.
"No matter what he says, I don't know if you'll be getting any truthful answers from him. Do you really want to keep travelling with someone you can't trust?"
You went to answer, but your throat dried, forcing you to stay quiet. You looked back up at Bakugou, and leaned to look over at Kirishima, who was still leaning against the tree trunk. Inhaling deeply, you turned back to Midoriya and nodded, and he sighed, putting his book back into his bag.
"Then we can't force you to come with us. I just hope you'll stay safe."
Everyone quickly objected but Midoriya stopped them, repeating himself that they couldn't force you to do anything. Todoroki nudged Uraraka and whispered to her as the others looked amongst themselves nervously. Her eyes lit up and she nodded, reaching into one of the many pockets in her dress before stepping over to you. She took your hands in hers as your eye twitched, trying to hide the searing pain. Uraraka placed a small polished stone in them, and when you looked into it, you saw it was reflective, like a mirror.
"You can use this to get into contact with me. It's unlimited, but if it gets damaged in any way, it'll make it harder to use."
You nodded and thanked Uraraka, cupping the stone before putting in a secret pocket in your bag. Looking back up, you hugged the brunette and looked at Midoriya, who walked over to Bakugou. The blonde scoffed and looked away, keeping his arms crossed as Midoriya spoke sternly.
"Ї Ԁөҋ't ҪДЯЄ ЇҒ ҰөҴ Ԁөҋ't tЄℓℓ ҴЅ ѠӉДt ҰөҴ'ЯЄ ҏℓДҋҋЇҋԌ, БҴt ҰөҴ ҜЄЄҏ ӉЄЯ ЅДҒЄ, Ԍөt Їt?"
"Ї ДℓЯЄДԀҰ ДӍ, ԀЄҜҴ-"
Bakugou looked over and saw everyone glaring at him, and sighed loudly, as if their concerns were an inconvenience.
"Ї Ԍөt Їt."
Mina tapped her foot and chimed in, her accent still broken, but thicker, now speaking in her native tongue.
"ЅӉЄ'Ѕ ҪℓЄДЯℓҰ ӉҴЯt, ДҋԀ Ѕө ЇЅ ҜЇЯЇЅӉЇӍД, Ї ЅҴԌԌЄЅt ҰөҴ ҏҴt ДѠДҰ ҰөҴЯ ҏЯЇԀЄ ДҋԀ ℓөөҜ ҒөЯ ӉЄℓҏ Їҋ tӉЄ ҪЇtҰ."
Bakugou growled and barked back, probably insulting her by the look of disgust on her face. She turned with a pout and walked off, slowly followed by Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and Kaminari. Sero was hesitant to leave, but waved goodbye before jogging to catch up with the others. Todoroki sighed and called your name, tossing a small golden coin in your direction. You caught it and held it up, raising an eyebrow at the newly discovered royalty.
"Use that anywhere in the capital, you shouldn't have any issues, and it's also unlimited, so don't let anyone try to take it from you. Take care, (F/N)."
You went to thank him, but he was already turned around, walking away with Iida as the knight looked back at you sternly. He wasn't angry, but most likely upset that you chose to stay behind. Uraraka and Midoriya were left, and after sharing one more glare with Bakugou, the green haired boy left, calling for his friend as the brunette bowed, leaving you alone once again.
The trees whistled in the wind as you put the coin in your bag, looking up at Bakugou with a questioning expression.
"What now?"
He pointed over to Kirishima, who was awake again, and moving slightly. You ran as best you could over to the red head as Bakugou followed behind, staring down at his companion as you helped him to his feet. Kirishima tried to play off his pain once more, joking that it was embarrassing he needed a girl to help him up. You huffed and joked back.
"Okay, I guess I could just drop you-"
"N-No no, I'm kidding! I appreciate it (F/N)."
Bakugou rolled his eyes as Kirishima winked at him, cursing under his breath and pulled the red head away from you, holding him up while you talked to each other.
"The others said they were heading West and South, where should we go?"
Kirishima mumbled quietly to Bakugou, who spoke quietly back, their tones serious and more adult than you had heard in a long time. After a few more words were shared, Kirishima was shocked, turning to look at Bakugou with wide eyes as the blonde nodded sternly. He sighed and laughed, looking back at you to translate.
"Bakugou said we're going to the capital."
"Wh-What?! You mean, Enjeer?!"
"Yep."
You stared at both of them, puzzled for a moment before Bakugou steadied Kirishima, making sure he could walk on his own before they began their way out of the forest. You shook your head and weakly jogged to catch up, calling out to Kirishima again.
"But why? I never questioned it, but clearly we've been avoiding civilization up until now.."
Kirishima pointed over at Bakugou, who only growled and walked faster to get away from you.
"Mirag aren't really...welcome, here. We've been avoiding it to avoid trouble, but I guess something changed his mind."
It must've been something Mina or Midoriya said. You bit your cheek and looked out over the horizon once you exited the forest. You could see the castle walls yet again, and looked to your right. The long gravel road hazed as it disappeared in the distance. This was the road you fell into. Looking down at it made your head fade, and you shook off your feelings as Bakugou turned at the crossroads, calling out your name as you ran to catch up. What will the capital be like?