That morning, Kaminari and Sero said their goodbyes to Tokoyami and Shouji, waving behind them as they walked out of the cave and into the field, before heading off towards the village.
"C'mon", Kaminari said, his voice brimming with excitement and confidence, the creature in the field the night before completely forgotten,"Shouji said that the village wasn't far."
The two walked through the fields, the shadow of the Apex Talon still looming far away, until trees slowly started to appear in their path.
One, then another, followed by a small group, then a bigger group, and finally, a forest.
"Hey, we're almost there!", Kaminari cheered,"Let's go, Sero, hurry!"
It only took Kaminari a second to bolt into the dark, mysterious woods without a second thought. Why was he like this?
Sero, surprised by his friend's sudden burst of energy, sprinted after him, calling for him to wait up.
"Kaminari!! We don't know what's in these woods!!!", Sero yelled, trying to warn his friend. Up ahead, he instantly saw Kaminari stop. Good. Maybe he was finally listening to reason.
Wait.
Kaminari never listened to reason.
Sero ran faster, the beat of his heart picking up pace as he panicked.
When he finally got to Kaminari, he stood in front of his friend and asked what was wrong.
There was no response.
"Hey...hey, Kaminari?", Sero panted, waving a hand in front of his friend's face,"Dude, what's going on?"
Still nothing.
Sero, his eyes now able to adjust to the darkness in the forest due to the thick canopy, noticed Kaminari's eyes. Normally golden and cheerful, they were now sullen and gray.
What had happened? Was he under a spell?
"Kaminari, wake up!", Sero tried, gently slapping his friend's face in an attempt to break the trance. Apparently, it worked.
"Huh?", Kaminari blinked, his eyes turning back to their normal color, and looked around urgently,"Sero? What happened?"
"You tell me."
"I heard a voice. It asked me what I was doing here, and then all of a sudden I was like this."
"Well that's-", Sero stopped mid-sentence when he heard a rustling from above. Someone, or something, was up there.
Kaminari and Sero whipped around in every direction, their eyes frantically searching for the source of the noise. All at once, all the birds in the trees few off. Small animals scurried away in a frantic rush.
"Would you think any less of me if I asked to hold your hand again?", Sero stuttered, one of his hands moving towards his kursarigama.
"Not at all, broskie", Kaminari replied, taking Sero's hand in his own before yelling,"Who's our there?! Dudes, seriously, we come in peace!!"
"Do you, really?"
"Yeah ma-"
"Kaminari?", Sero felt his friend's hand go limp in his own and turned to see that Kaminari had gone into a trance once more.
"Hey!", Sero squeezed Kaminari's hand urgently, and almost immediately he was snapped back to reality.
"I fell for the same trick twice. That's kinda sad. Alexa-"
"Shut up and look for the source of the voice!", Sero whisper-yelled, using all his will power to hold back an eye roll.
In an instant, they were silent. Kaminari's free hand reached into his jacket, grabbing the handle of one of his knives. Sero took the handle of his kursarigama in his own hand, prepared to fight.
"We don't want a fight!", Sero announced, trying not to sound terrified,"We're just headed to the next town over- we're going to see the mage Ochaco Uraraka!"
"Uraraka?", suddenly there was a blonde boy hanging upside-down from a branch above by his tail directly in front of Kaminari and Sero,"I know her. What do you guys want with her?"
Kaminari and Sero simultaneously screeched, stumbling backwards and falling onto the forest floor.
The boy hanging from the tree seemed unfazed by this. He wore a mask, though, so it was a little difficult to read his expression.
"Wh-who are you?!", Sero said, and borderline accusingly at that.
"Maishiro Ojiro. The other three are hiding, I guess", Ojiro paused before speaking up,"I think they're okay, guys! If not, they seem too cowardly to fight back!"
Ojiro dropped from the tree, easily landing on his feet as Kaminari and Sero scrambled to stand.
It wasn't long before three more people emerged from the forest.
One was a mage or a wizard, it seemed. He had purple hair, tired eyes, and wore a purple cloak that was speckled with white dots; they looked like stars; at the ends. He also carried a staff that gave off a very powerful magic aura.
The second was a shy looking one who seemed to want to stay closer to the trees, wary of the newcomers. A bird sat on his shoulder, singing to him when he got especially frightened.
The final person to emerge from the forest looked like a warrior of sorts. He was tall and built well, but wore normal clothes contrary to armor.
"This is Hitoshi Shinsou", Ojiro pointed to the sleep deprived looking mage,"Koji Koda", he pointed to the shy one,"And Rikido Satou", he pointed to the bro-why-you-gotta-flex-with-that-tallness-maybe-a-warrior guy.
"Denki Kaminari", Kaminari raised his free hand before pointing to Sero,"Hanta Sero."
"So", Ojiro asked, his fingernails becoming deadly sharp claws and his tail lashing with suspicion,"What do you want with Uraraka?"
"Fumikage Tokoyami and Mezo Shouji sent us. We're going to ask her to help us on our quest", Kaminari managed to sound confident with a strange animal man looking like he wanted to completely annihilate them.
"Tokoyami and Shouji?", Shinsou, the mage man, asked,"My emo brethren. How are they?"
"Good", Sero spoke up this time,"Still trying to get a hold of Dark Shadow, though."
"So what exactly is this quest of yours?", it was Satou.
So, yet again, Kaminari explained his quest. The people around him looked shocked, even a little concerned for his mental health, but understood his reasons.
"I'd definitely be ready to kill if someone hurt my dads", Shinsou agreed, nodding to Sero.
"You have our best wishes; and when the time comes...", Ojiro looked back at the other three, who all nodded back at him",Tell Uraraka to send us too. We'll help you. We all want to defend those who cannot defend themselves, and Koda hates seeing animals act up like this."
Koda, the alleged animal whisperer, nodded to Satou. Satou, who apparently spoke Koda's non-speak language, added,"Koda doesn't believe that the way these creatures are acting is natural. Something is definitely wrong, and it probably originated from the Apex Talon."
"Thank you for your help", Sero nodded gratefully,"But we'd better get going if we want to reach the village before nightfall."
"Of course", Ojiro agreed,"But these woods aren't exactly friendly, and you guys don't exactly seem...accustomed to it. Allow us to guide you to the village."
"Oh no, really", Kaminari tried to refuse, but the other four ended up joining them anyways.
They talked on the way there, Shinsou explaining and apologizing for his hypnotism spell, Ojiro sort of clarifying that they were the protectors of that forest, prepared to fight anyone who threatened it, Satou translating Koda's concerns about the behavior of the animals lately.
When they finally reached the village, a girl was waiting at the entrance for them. She wore mage's clothing and had brown hair. A staff at her side, she appeared to be waiting for something.
When they reached her, Kaminari spoke up,"Hey, who're-"
"Ochaco Uraraka. I've been expecting you; Denki Kaminari and Hanta Sero."
YOU ARE READING
Brick by Boring Brick
Fanfiction(A Bakusquad Fantasy AU Fic I Guess) Dragons. Everyone hates dragons. Kaminari, who's older brother died at the hands of one. Sero, who lost his father. Mina, who's entire village was burned down. The young King Bakugou, who's parents were killed...
