Black Cats and Wolf Spirits

Trials (Part 1)

(Katsuki's POV)

I woke to the slow, even rhythm of my mate's heartbeat and breathing, an almost silent song without a melody that I wished I could listen to forever. However, something had interrupted my perfect almost-silence.

"Y/n..." I grumbled, my lips against her neck. "Wake up, Idiot Girl." I nuzzled her, pressing her back closer to my chest. She hummed sleepily, reaching up and running her fingers through my hair. "Y/n, baby, we need to wake up."

"Nooooo..." She crooned, snuggling into my chest. "You're warm and comfy." She curled her fingers around locks of my hair. "I don't want to, Katsuki."

I pressed my lips to her neck, the pulsing sound of footsteps getting closer and closer. "People are coming, if you care at all." She sat up straight and pushed out of my arms, gasping. I sighed, but chuckled softly. "Thought so."

She smoothed out the dark grey skirt of a dress I didn't remember her getting and tugged her hair back out of her face, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. "I looked through the parts of the Grimoire I could read, but I don't know if I can do this, Katsuki." She ran her hands up her arm, which were covered in goosebumps.

It was such a strangely human thing that I couldn't help but stare. None of the dead and undead got cold, and the spirit types weren't normally in human-like forms if they could help it. I stood up and wrapped my arms around her, pressing my hands to her arms. "I don't want you to either, Dumbass. But I don't think we have a choice."

She turned as someone knocked on the door, her fingers curling in her thick skirts and tugging gently. She really was nervous. I whined softly, not sure how I could help.

She opened the door, coming face to face with a mess of a man whom I faintly recognized as a council member who had taught at the Academy when I went there. Aizawa was his name, if I remembered right. I pressed her protectively to my chest. If my memory serves me right, he wasn't exactly the merciful type.

"L/n and Bakugou, correct? I was sent here with a message about your Trial..." He muttered, looking even more tired than I remembered. "You have half an hour to prepare. I'll send for you then. Good luck."

Just as I remembered, he got straight to the point, not wanting to waste more time than necessary on another dud. Y/n stared at the space he had left behind, feeling a lot weaker than before.

"This is actually happening..." She muttered. "I don't think I can do this. I- I can't. I don't even need to go to that stupid wedding, I can't do this!" She turned and latched onto me for stability. "Fuck, can you help me look for records of previous trials? I don't want to be going in blind."

I nodded and watched her shuffle over to the bookshelf, where she knelt, letting her heavy skirts pool around her ankles, and drifted her fingertip across the spines of the books.

I read the names of the books on the higher shelves, one catching my eye. 'The Incomplete History of the Witch Trials', it was called. I pulled it off the shelf and opened it, trying to catch a glimpse of what was inside. It began with a lengthy history of how witches disappeared from the Spirit World, and the idea behind the trials, before finally listing specific trials and page numbers for where you could find it.

I placed the book in Y/n's hand, knowing by heart the kind of horrors it held. I had attended only two witch trials in my lifetime, one of which I was too young to remember. The other had been just after my graduation, featuring a girl my age, who's father had been the one to claim her Witchood.

I hadn't ever understood why people went through the trials when they knew they weren't a witch. Yes, even the smallest drop of witchblood was worth double the average person's weight in gold, but the trials were absolute hell, and impassible for someone who wasn't a witch.

The fame had been tempting for me once. To be the person who found the first witch in decades- no, centuries, would be the most glamorous title out there, besides Council member or Guardian. But now that I had a witchling right there, I was too terrified that the trials were too hard. So hard even a real witch couldn't pass them.

Y/n's brow grew more and more furrowed as she read, a steady flux of horror seeping into her expression. "Dear Gods..." She muttered under her breath, trembling from within my arms. "Katsuki..." She whimpered, "I'm scared."

"Me too."

The half an hour finally was up, and the door opened again. Y/n smoothed down her dress, re-tying the strings singing the back around her small waist. I twirled her hair around my fingers, giving it an unruly look that suited her well. I would have said so, if both of us weren't scared into silence.

Being matched out of the Academy and to the Council Hall was like a walk of shame. Eyes followed you wherever you went, wondering why you were there and what stupid thing you had done.

Y/n clutched her skirts tightly, eyes wide as saucers as she stared back. Anything to keep her eyes off the path in front of her.

We finally arrived at the Council Hall, the wide ivory doors glittering and imposing above us. "Don't show fear, but be humble." I whispered to Y/n.

"Oh, thanks! I'll try!" She whispered back, her voice right with sarcasm. We followed the large marble hallway to the courtroom, where the entire council sat in wait.

All thirteen members stared down at us, eyes filled with tired displeasure at the sight of the girl dressed in grey human clothes. However, when they caught a glimpse of her dark, earthy, almost black eyes, curiosity took over.

Murmurs took over the heavy silence, so hushed I couldn't quite make them out, even with my advanced hearing. However, one whisper made it's way to our ears, muttered almost unanimously.

"It's her."

End of Chapter.