Bakugo POV:

Holding the whimpering child, I slide my back down the statue's side. Rocking the baby back and forth to try and lure it back to sleep, I pray that all the dragons had left..

But what confused me was the fact that that girl was at my mothers and fathers grave. She was a dragon, and with the attackers. So why didn't she demolish anything like the others?

Sitting down against my mothers statue, I look at the baby under my cape. It was a girl, and she couldn't be more than a few months old.

Curly black hair was tangled over the top of her head, and she had a cute mole right next to her left eye. She looked quite a bit like her mother before.. that..

Carefully standing up, I walk out of the tree line and back into my kingdom. It was a dreadful sight, very few buildings were left standing. The rest were aflame and crumbled, barely worth scavenging.

Scanning for any last dragons, I was relieved to see none. We were safe, for now..

"Hello?" I call out, hoping for an answer. "Is anyone alive?"

"Help! I'm over here!" I hear a man call out.

Looking to where I heard the voice, I look over and see one of my people stuck under the rubble. His foot and back were covered by one of the wood support logs from a house.

Setting down the baby a safe distance away, I rush over to the man. And lift the log just enough for him to crawl out.

"Thank you," He breathes out, sweat dropping from his forehead.

"Are you alright? Does anything hurt?" I ask, kneeling next to him and examining his foot.

"I'm okay, I think it'll just be bruised.. Oh my gosh I am so sorry Your Majesty, I didn't recognize you! I-"

"Sir, please. It is alright, no need for that." I interrupt. "I'm going to go help more people if you are okay. If you are good to walk I hope you'll consider doing the same."

Standing back up, I walk over to the baby and pick her back up. Luckily she was still asleep, which was surprising.

Walking around my destroyed kingdom, I get into a routine. Getting an answer, setting the baby down, helping, and searching again.

In the end, I had only found seventeen survivors. Three could walk, nine were tending to their wounds, two were unconscious, and another three were crying for their loved ones. I was too afraid to go look through the castle..

All of my friends were in there, my servants, my home..

The castle was gone, in shambles. My only home was nothing but stones littered across the gardens. Maybe two, three, walls were left standing.

It took everything in me not to cry as I prepared myself. Wrapping the cape around my body, I create a temporary cradle backpack on my back. Freeing myself of holding the baby, I take a breath and start digging.

The steward.. was the first found. But it seemed like she was long gone. Her face was bloody and scorched, and a few of her fingers were missing from her one hand sticking out. I did like her..

The more I dug, the more bodies of my staff I had found. The butler, the maids, the chefs... not one of them was alive. But I had yet to find Mina, Iida, or Sero.. I prayed they were still alive, somewhere in this mess.

Digging through the stones where the dining hall was, I spot a pair of glasses. Some stupid, nerdy, square glasses.

"Iida? Are you there?" I call out, frantically pull the stones away.

"B-Bakugo?" A weak cough comes from the stones behind me. "Help.."

"Hold on, Iida!" I yell, flipping around and quickly turning over the stones.

Continuing to flip the stones, my hand reaches a familiar flock of hair. Uncovering Iida's head, he takes a shuddering gasp of fresh air.

"Iida!" I say in relief, moving down to remove the rest of the stones covering his body.

His arm and the side of his head was bloody, and luckily there were no burns. But he was short of breath, and his eyes kept wandering.

"Iida are you there?" I ask, worry growing terribly.

He didn't respond, and his eyes kept drifting away.

"Iida, are you there?" I repeat, grabbing the sides of his head and pulling it up to force him to look at me.

"Ba-Bakugo.." He breathes out, eyes still not focused.

"Come on, stick with me!" I say louder than I should've.

"Please.. don't worry.. about.. me." He managed to whisper, "Find.. others.."

Iida, always so selfless.. too selfless.

"I will be.. okay." He smiles weakly with a sigh.

Giving a soft nod, I gently lowering his head back onto the stones. He will be okay.. 

I stand up again, feeling the baby shift against my back. Scanning the rubble once again, I see slight movement on the opposite side. Just one rock, moving slowly up and down. Breathing..

Scrambling across the rocks, I make my way to the only sign of life. Collapsing to my knees, I quickly throw the rock away.

Sure enough, there was a chest underneath. Tumbling the rocks over, I was pleased to recognize a familiar face.

"Mina! Please, are you there?" I ask, grabbing her head and pulling her to me.

"Hey.. what's goin' on?" She smiles stupidly.

There was blood on her lip and shoulder. And it seemed like her foot was broken, too.

"You are stupid." I shake my head, "Are  you alright?"

"Mhm.. I am awesome.." She giggles, must've hit her head.. "Don't look at me like that you silly goose!"

"Okay, you stay here, and I'll keep looking for Sero or any other staff member of the castle. Okay?"

"Yup! Peachy-O's."

"Alrighty then.." I sigh, laying her back down. Hopefully she'd be fine there.

Continuing to dig through the stones, I find several more bodies. Only two of the maids were alive out of the staff I had found. We had lost so many..

"King Katsuki!" One of the townsfolk called over, they had also been searching the rubble with me.

"Yes?" I ask, hoping for the best.

"Another survivor.. he's asking for you. I don't know if he will last long.." The man explained, holding someone in his arms.

Running over, I glance at the body he was holding. They had a terribly familiar head of black hair..

"Who is it?" I ask hesitantly, sitting down beside him.

"He didn't say."

Looking down at the bloody body before me, I was petrified to see Sero. Why, why him?

"Bakugo.." He coughed, his whole body shuddering.

"Sero, please. Hold on for me. Hold on for us, Mina. Mina needs you.." I beg, supporting his neck by holding its base.

"Bakugo.." He repeats weakly, "If.. If I don't make it, tell.. tell everyone that I'm sorry.."

"Don't say that.. you're going to make it.." I try to convince myself, as Sero gives me a pitiful look.

"Promise me-" He was interrupted by a horridly-sounding cough, "-that you'll tell them."

"I- I promise.."

i would like to formally apologize for the pain i caused to y'alls frail hearts

-1200 words-

~tragedy out <3 <3