Ashes of Love and War - TodoMomo

||Chapter 2 ~ Part 1||

'I have to win. I have to win. I can do this.'

Momo grasped her spear with both hands and held it above her head, blocking another attack. The feeling of steel striking against her weapon reverberated through her arms and down her spine in painful vibrations. The blisters on her hands stung. In the back of her mind, she registered pain as a few popped and liquid leaked through her fingers.

She didn't have time to stop and inspect them.

Gritting her teeth, she bundled the pain, thrusting it to the back of her mind as she used her spear to shove the soldier back.

Her halberd spear had been specially made for her. Shorter than a normal lance, it was lightweight and durable. Instead of a wooden shaft, the entire weapon was made of tempered metal, and it had a hook on the end like an axe. Tokoyami Fumikage, the half-man half-bird guardian of the temple, had given it to her as a gift.

She spun the spear around to create room and returned to her position in front of her friend, panting heavily.

Ash whirled around her like a snowstorm. The smoke from the temple fire made it hard to breathe, and her body wasn't used to endurance battles. The times she had sparred with Tokoyami had all been quick, short skirmishes, and never against so many opponents at once.

Never against men who weighed twice as much as her.

The worst part was that the soldiers knew it. They were taking their time, wearing her down, slice by slice, until they could move in for the kill.

Momo clenched her jaw in frustration.

There was a hidden passageway underneath the temple that Tokoyami had dug over the last ten years. It was small and could only fit one grown man at a time. Some of the younger priestesses and orphaned children had already escaped through it. If they could just get to the passage, she could fight the men one on one.

They may be able to escape.

Tokoyami moaned softly behind her.

Momo's heart twisted painfully at the sound.

He was trying to keep quiet so she could focus, but he was fading fast. The smoke from the fire was getting to him, and his stomach wound was deep. He had lost too much blood. If she didn't treat him soon, he'd go into shock.

Her throat tightened.

She couldn't let him die. If he died, she'd be all alone again. Tokoyami was all she had left. And a part of her, no matter how unrealistic, had hoped that they could escape together. Wetness prickled at the corners of her eyes, and she blinked back the tears.

"Ah, your monster doesn't look too good. Don't think it will last much longer," one of the soldiers sneered from within the crowd.

Momo forced herself not to look. Pulling up mental barriers, she tried to block their voices as the rest of the men began to jeer at her, taunting her to look back at Tokoyami so they could close in. She knew the only reason they hadn't rushed her yet was because of the demigod. Although hurt, Tokoyami was still a frightening enemy. With his power over shadows, he had perfect offensive and defensive abilities. The soldiers were cautious for now, but that wouldn't last.

Momo squared her shoulders, grasping her spear tighter. She couldn't give up. Not yet. Not when Tokoyami was still alive.

She just needed time to think, but the never-ending attacks and the slow-building headache from the smoke weren't allowing her to.

One overconfident warrior stepped closer.

She thrust her weapon at him. And he jumped out of the way, bringing his sword down to jam her spear.

She twisted her weapon. Using the axe side of the spear, she tore at the Athenian's calf.

He screamed and fell to the ground; dropping his sword.

'I can do this.'

It was just like Tokoyami had made her practice. She whirled her spear around, slamming the butt into the soldier's head and knocking him unconscious.

Momo tore her gaze away as a flash of silver caught the corner of her eye. Instinctually, she twisted and jumped back. Her vision swam at the quick movement, and her foot hit the sword that the warrior had dropped moments before.

Her eyes widened as she fell, the momentum pulling her to the ground.

Her left hand hit first; a jolting, jarring pain shot up her arm. Momo hissed through her teeth as the fire licked through her wrist.

'Stupid. She was so stupid.'

"Yaoyorozu!" Tokoyami's dark shadows shot out of the ground to protect her.

She took a moment to look down at her wrist. It was slightly swollen. She flexed it experimentally, and relief flooded her. It wasn't broken, only a sprain.

"I'm okay," she said, using the spear's pole to pull herself back up. She tried to wrap her fingers around the weapon's shaft and flinched. Her eyes widened and she tried to grasp the spear again, but her wrist throbbed horribly. She swallowed over a sudden knot in her throat.

The warriors were watching her. Their eyes gleamed in the morning light, like a pack of wild dogs that had scented blood.

A sickening thud echoed through her chest and reverberated down to her stomach.

They knew.

A couple of men took a hesitant step forward. Momo spun her spear around and pushed them back, but her speed and strength were gone. A ripple passed through the crowd, and then they moved forward in unison.

She tried to breathe, but felt like she couldn't. Unwelcome tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Anger and frustration filled her and made her heart pound in short little stutters.

Again. She was going to lose everyone she had ever cared for again, and the only person she could blame was herself.

If she could have just been stronger. If she could have been smarter and faster, then maybe she could have protected Tokoyami. Maybe he wouldn't have even been hurt in the first place.

It was all her fault.

Dread coursed through her as the Athenian's moved in.

No.

She wouldn't let them have him. They'd have to kill her first. He was all she had left. A desperate cry bubbled through her, and she clenched her hands as hard as she could around the spear. Preparing herself to fight.

"No! Yao--"

"Stop!"

Momo's heart stilled at the command, and she looked up.

Standing at the perimeter of the temple square was another soldier. He was lithe and taller than most men. Golden bangles wrapped around his left arm. Hanging from around his broad shoulders and billowing behind him was the red cape of Sparta.

Unconsciously, Momo swallowed as the warrior stepped forward. And she squinted through her tears and the smoke to get a better view of his face. He stepped into the early morning light, and she gasped.

The Spartan's hair was split evenly between two colors: half as red as blood, the other as white as fresh snow. Storm gray eyes, colder than steel, stared out from an otherwise soft face. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, and yet, at the moment, all she felt was terror.

Shouto Todoroki.