Riddles and Riots

.:Disbanded:.

          "You're a simple-minded, barbaric fool!" A large fist slammed against the cabin's wooden frame, spraying embers all over the small living space.
          As much as Bakugo loved getting into heated arguments, he would rather do anything else than fight with the imperious, literal hot-headed Duke of Hellflame. The idiot wouldn't listen to any reason, calling Bakugo a liar since he first opened his mouth not ten minutes ago.
          "SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH!" Bakugo threw his foot down, wincing as his magic sizzled in his bandaged hands. His patience wore dangerously thin.
          "Hey now, we're all on the same side. No need to bring a knife to each other's throats." Chief Hawks stepped between, using his feathers to push the two apart. "Also please don't destroy my house-"
          "I'm not the one picking the fight, bird-brain! I know what I saw!" Bakugo pushed through the scarlet down, squaring his shoulders as if he wasn't barely over half the size of the duke. "I put my own hand on the bastard's scales, it wasn't alive!"
          "Bullshit!" Now it was Endeavor's turn to shout, "I witnessed the massacre of my own people! Nothing could hurt it, not my fire, not my sword, not my entire military and all our weapons!! Only our dragon could put a scratch on it, but it, too, was put to death, like a mere rat beneath a horse's hooves!"
          Bakugo met his defiant stare with a look that could kill. Next to them, Hawks gave up trying to calm them, and rest his hands behind his head. Behind Endeavor, his daughter caught his arm, trying to console him. The younger, ivory haired brother stood lax beside the youngest, Todoroki. They shared the same look of discomfort.
          "Please stop! You're only making it worse!" The daughter cried. Both men disregarded her plea.
Bakugo spat at the Duke, "You're an idiot! Someone's playing us at a game! They want us to think we're inferior, so we'll cower and run instead of fight-"
          "Choose your words carefully, boy," Endeavor snarled, heat rising like a bonfire on his shoulders, "or you'll regret it."
          He did not regret it. "Either your shitty castle fell to a damn dud, or you were just too incapable of landing a fucking hit-!"
          "I AM HERE!" An unsuspected shout from the doorway made all heads turn. Endeavor's eyes went wide.
          With Deku, Uraraka, Mic, and Shinso at his side, All Might stepped heavily into the house, the floorboards creaking under the weight of his masculine form. Just outside, a giant bird preened its feathers, much like a bald eagle with a horse saddle strapped to its back.
          Bakugo growled lowly, "All Might...you have some fucking nerve-"
          All of a sudden a pair of large hands grasped his own. The king took a knee before him, head bowed and words saturated with remorse. "I rushed out here as soon as I heard what happened. I made a grave mistake. I sent you and your team into a trap that I should have easily predicted, and for that I humbly ask for forgiveness."
          Completely taken aback, Bakugo didn't know what to say, so instead he grit his teeth and exploded his fist in the king's face. Everyone gasped.
          "You're a dumbass."
          All Might coughed soot and smiled, "I suppose forgiveness comes in many forms. I'm very thankful, Prince Bakugo!" Then he stood back up, wiping his face clean and turning to the crowd to settle them. "Anyway, enough of my childish banter. It is most unexpected to see you, Endeavor. Why didn't you come to One For All? We could have helped you. Your people and family would have been safe-"
The Duke turned away with an arrogant huff. "Excuse my harshness, 'your highness', but my people stay with me, I'm their protector!"
All Might's smile wavered. "Please, do not take what I say as offensive, Endeavor...if All For One followed you to the Tribe, that would have not only killed the remainder of your people, but Hawks' people as well, and my soldiers. You should have come to One For All, or at least sent a letter of your whereabouts, instead of forcing me to order my knights on countless rescue missions for days on end. It was only because of your son that we were able to get info on your status, as well as the enemy."
Endeavor twitched, flames churning violently. "Todoroki stepped out of line and left without my permission. As his father, I will deal with him as I see fit. As for you, it was your own damn decision to send your men, I take no responsibility for your actions."
Everyone could tell All Might was growing frustrated, but the smile never truly left his face. "Todoroki, by coming to me, saved the countless lives I would have sent to your castle doors."
"He will save millions more when he comes to rule the greatest empire in all the land." The Duke clenched his fists with a fume of ash. Behind him, Todoroki covered his face shamefully.
All Might opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. It was no use dragging this on any longer.
"Let us continue this another day. There are more important matters we must discuss." He turned his attention back to Bakugo. "Were you able to get any information regarding the Ruby?"
"Ya, it's not real, like I already said!" He ignored Endeavor's angry growl, "I should have easily been able to tag it if it were alive."
All Might hummed with a hand on his chin. "How is that possible...this whole situation is certainly peculiar..."
          "Um, not to pry into the conversation or anything," Midoriya stuttered, adjusting the bandages on his forehead, "-isn't it a good thing the Ruby is a fake? I mean, I'm not saying it didn't do the things it did, it was horrible and your loss was tremendous and I'm so terribly sorry-!!" He waved his hands around as Endeavor cast him an evil glare.
          "I-I'm just saying, what if things aren't really as we think they are?" He rambled on, staring at his twiddling thumbs. "I mean- what if we're overlooking something big? We already weren't prepared for the army stationed in the city; in fact, we didn't even know All For One had that many followers to begin with! He could have thousands more! Not to mention, the way they separated people inside the kingdom to pick them off was completely out of the ordinary for their normal movements! This means they probably found something and were defending it, or needed time to do something! Because wouldn't you think it's a bit strange to put so many people in one place without a specific goal in mind? What on earth could he need that many people for? He wasn't planning on confronting you there, was he? No, he had to be looking for something, maybe remnants of something, or a hidden magical artifact-"
          "Oh my GODS, shut the hell up! You're making my ears bleed!" Bakugo lunged at Deku, who squealed with fright.
          "Hey, that's my job!" Mic laughed. Shinso punched his bandaged shoulder.
          All Might pondered for a long time as the room filled with loud arguments and lighthearted banters. When he finally made his decision, his expression was grim.
          "Young Midoriya, Young Bakugo," he called for their attention. The blond looked up from nearly strangling the other. "I am changing our course of action. As of now, Bakugo, I will no longer require your assistance."
The room was suddenly quiet again, echoing the sound of Deku's grunt as he was dropped to the floor.
          "Huh?! You still think it's funny to play games with me, don't you, All Might?! I'll beat your-"
"I understand it's an abrupt and unfair call for you." Bakugo went silent immediately as the king continued. "However, after the events of yesterday, I know now that I mustn't freely send your lives to fight what is much greater than I perceived. Your expedition made me realize how close the empire is to an even deadlier war than our ancestors once fought." He paused, as the prince shook with anger, then released the breath he was holding.
"If the dragon is not living, there is nothing you can do to track it down. We must take a different approach and leave the dragon be. My orders for you now are to stay clear of All For One, share none of this information with anyone, and to find a safe place should I call upon your help again."