His Other Half (KiriBaku)

Chapter 27

October 16, XX84,
-The Coliseum-
<Hi. As we know, we're dealing with the aftermath of a sexual assault. Coarse language and the like will be used.>

Rage simmered under Katsuki's skin. Eijiro had asked him to be patient, and he could try. Inko had given him a tonic that morning for the pained bruising, but no amount of potion could stop the emotions in his system.

He'd been attacked. Violently. Privately. He was still trying to wrap his head around it. An annoying drum pounded dimly behind his eyes, creating a fuzz that just wouldn't go away. A man had come into his space and tried to take what he protected, left him bloodied and bruised, and now that he'd gotten past the fright...

Now he was furious.

Both his parents still demanded to know what had happened. His father usually never accompanied them to the Coliseum, but he sat squarely on Katsuki's left now, uncharacteristically dark and brooding. Tenya kept vigil nearby, hunting for clues since Katsuki had refused to tell them anything, and Denki had taken to glaring at everything. His mother sat with Eijiro's parents, who showed their concern with hesitance.

Below them, in the ring, Eijiro cleared the first of the games in fifteen minutes. For the second game, only a handful buzzed in. They'd noticed Ei's particularly foul mood today and wisely decided to steer clear.

A gentle knock behind them had Tenya moving to let Izuku in, though he made a choked noise when Itsuka shouldered her way past. Queen Mitsuki stood in surprise to greet her, but was cut off when the girl gasped.

"By the gods, he was right," Itsuka put a hand over her mouth. "You do look terrible."

"Izuku—" Tenya tried to scold.

"Hey," the greenette defended, not looking sorry at all. "I couldn't have stopped her if I tried. The Andolis fighters have a way with their fists."

"A good thing, too," Neito cut in snippily from somewhere behind him, pushing through the group. "Or else today would drag on an unnecessarily long time."

Tetsutetsu was with them too, content to stay in the back and growl at a few of the guards. Shoto was also there, though the other prince looked more confused than anything else. No one had deemed it necessary to inform him what was going on.

Queen Mitsuki stood from her chair with a glare at them all. "Someone best tell me," she ordered, "what in the seven hells is going on." She turned to Katsuki. "What the fuck happened, brat?"

Down in the stands the crowd roared. The second game, over. Five minutes.

Itsuka grimaced, bowing slightly to the queen. Katsuki noticed suddenly that her armor was new, a plaited dress of a deep turquoise color, plates of silver metal running up her arms and thighs over her boots. It matched Neito's, whose was also new, though his was an almost purple sort of deep indigo and sported a coattail instead of a skirt, and the trim was in gold.

"His Highness has asked us not to say," Itsuka said. "Though it was expressed that there is a distrust among the guards."

Tenya bristled at the insinuation. "You think you are more worthy and capable than His Highness's own guards?"

"Of course not—"

"I do," Katsuki cut in quietly, effectively silencing them. Even he was surprised at how drained he sounded. "Until I know who I can trust, I do."

Concern laced the captain's tone once again, picking up the insinuation. "Your Highness?"

"Ei trusts them," he murmured, almost to himself. "That's good enough for me."