Tears.

Pain.

Agony.

Joy?

What was this?

"It feels so wrong," she cried. My mother, Bakugo realized."He was only born yesterday. Couldn't we have waited a bit longer?"

"If we didn't do this now, I doubt we would ever," he hushed Mitsuki, hugging her close. My father, Bakugo noticed."To protect him from the Red clan, we have no choice."

"It hurts, Masaru," she cried, figure trembling.

Scared, shaken, fearful.

Who was this?

"I know," Bakugo's father said back, clutching her tightly."It hurts a lot."

Uncertain, scared, withering.

What was this?

===

"She's good people, Mitsuki, have a little faith," Masaru said almost pleadingly.

"We can't trust anyone," Mitsuki said back, fist clenched at her side, ferocious intensity in her gaze."Didn't you say so yourself?"

"That was years ago," he said back, trying to catch her gaze, trying to plead with her."We've settled down, your old clan hasn't found us once, we're safe."

"For now," she mumbled angrily.

"Yes, so let's live in that now." He grabbed her hand, clutching it softly."If you keep letting all those little problems, those little 'ifs' get to you, you will never be able to enjoy life."

"And you think letting this fucking woman into our lives will solve that?" Mitsuki asked, bite to her words.

"It's a start," he responded."Plus, Katsuki needs a friend."

"...Fine."

He smiled.

===

"It's rare to see you by the stream," Inko said softly, looking like she wasn't to sure if she should talk or not."Cleaning clothes?"

Mitsuki looked up at her but otherwise said nothing. Of fucking course she was doing the laundry, what the hell else would she be doing? Taking a shit?

Inko looked like she wanted to say something else but stayed quiet, plopping her own clothing basket down to start working. Mitsuki watched out of the corner of her eye as Inko attempted to wash her clothes, motions slow and weak. She just couldn't bare it any longer.

"You're not scrubbing hard enough," Mitsuki mumbled, catching Inko's attention.

"What?" She asked, not hearing Mitsuki.

"I said you're not scrubbing hard enough, you idiot," Mitsuki said, coming over to Inko and grabbing the garment she was currently working on."You need to do it like this." She went to show Inko the motion and Inko just smiled back at her.

"It's been hard ever since Izuku's father died, so I haven't really been myself," Inko said sheepishly."So I was glad when you let us stay nearby you. We're kind of like family now...I would like to think."

Her smile was blinding, so blinding, in fact, Mitsuki could feel fat tears start to pour down her face.

Family. She hadn't heard that word in so long, hadn't felt the warmth that accompanies that word even longer. She used to think of it as something bad, something to be hated, but the way Inko cherished it...it made her think such a word had some hope to do good.

Family was a good word. She liked it.

"A-Are you okay?" Inko looked around in a panic, as if something around her could help cure Mitsuki's growing tears."D-Did I say something wrong? Do you need any help...?"

Mitsuki sniffled a bit, wiping her tears away."No, Inko, you've done enough. Thank you."

"I-Inko?!"

"Yeah, I think it's about time we get on a first name basis." Mitsuki smiled."Since we're family."

Mitsuki could barely contain her laughter at the weird stuttering sounds that came out of Inko's mouth after that.

===

"I don't think they're getting along," Inko mumbled nervously to Mitsuki, watching as young Bakugo and Izuku played with each other.

"What?" Mitsuki asked, moving to look at their children."They look pretty fucking friendly to me."

"Yeah, but Bakugo..."

"What? Has he done some stupid shit to your kid?" Mitsuki asked, looking ready to go out there and deal some damage."I'll fucking kill that brat."

"No, no, no, it's nothing like that!" Inko stressed, waving her hands back and forth."It's just...Bakugo doesn't seem to be connecting to Izuku as much as I had hoped. I thought they could help each other out because of their similar situations, but that seems to have backfired."

"Oh, that?" Mitsuki sounded relieved, like this was a small matter."He's just a stubborn brat, runs in the family. He'll come around eventually."

"I hope," Inko said, looking back at the two kids."They would be good for each other."

"I get how Izuku could help, but my brat helping him?" Mitsuki scoffed."He's a bad influence, if anything. Cursing all the damn time, that little shit."

Inko let out a nervous chuckle."Yeah, but he doesn't back away from a challenge, even at such a young age. Even when confronted with somebody stronger than him, he won't back away. I think everyone needs someone like that in their life."

"He's 7, Inko."

"...I know."

===

"Hey, old hag, I have a question," said Bakugo, standing in front of his mom with a determined gaze.

"Don't call me an old hag, brat," Mitsuki grumbled back, staring up at her kid as if in permission for him to continue.

Bakugo fidgeted a bit."Where did we come from before we came here?" Bakugo asked."Izuku said he came from the North, what about us?"

Mitsuki suddenly became cold and Bakugo felt her stare pierce through him. He was scared, but too proud to admit anything. Was what he asked so strange? Was it deserving of such hostility?

"Don't ask me that ever again," Mitsuki said coldly, causing Bakugo to flinch."And don't even think about asking your father."

"Old hag," Bakugo mumbled weakly before running out of the cabin.

===

Fire.

Burning.

Screams.

Who was screaming? What was going on?

"We're getting out of here," Mitsuki said, quickly packing everything she valuable she had, along with some of Bakugo's things."Grab your sword, Katsuki, we're leaving."

Bakugo knew she was serious the moment she said name. He grabbed his sword, plus an extra knife for good measure, and followed his mom. Masaru was waiting at the door of the now burning house, pure fear in his eyes.

Who was this?

They ran through the woods, screams, flames, and bodies following behind them.

"You devil!"

"Get back here, you traitors!"

"Burn in hell, demon incarnate!"

"Burn! Burn! Burn!"

Let the whole world burn.

===

"We can't run for much longer, Mitsuki," Masaru said softly so that they didn't wake Katsuki.

"I know," she said sadly."But we need to get him out. If not us, at least him."

There was a silence. They both knew what their words truly meant.

"Don't worry, that's why we gave him the marble," Masaru said, holding Mitsuki's hand."Not to avenge, but to remember how he lived, and how much we loved him."

Mitsuki smiled, holding Masaru close. Their drive, their assurance, all in one little marble.

How absurd.

===

Pain.

She was dying, wasn't she?

This was death.

Was Katsuki okay? Was her child okay?

He had seen something no child should ever have to see from their parents. Fear, weakness, a parent needed to appear strong so their child would look up to them, respect them, and take after them.

But they has shown Katsuki nothing but a false sense of calm as they lived and fear as they ran. Katsuki had seen the flames of death stare him in the eye and then met death in a different form.

Tragedy. Katsuki had experienced a scorning tragedy no one child should and all Mitsuki could feel was sadness and  a ever-burning hope that her child wouldn't be fueled and changed by such tragedy.

"We love you, Katsuki, we both love you so much. So don't turn our death into justice."

===

"Wakey, wakey, my dear Dragon Tamer."

"She won't respond, you idiot, she's dead."

"Shut the fuck up, or do you want me to turn you to dust? You might be a Dragon Tamer but those staples make you weak," the man's voice was muffled, as if he had something over his mouth.

"...Hand bastard," the other mumbled back, otherwise staying silent.

"Can she move? I want to see her move!" Another voice asked, this time a girl. She sounded far to happy.

"Not yet, the Dragon Tamer's body needs time to adjust to its wakening." Black smoke, piercing yellow eyes.

"That's fine," the muffled voice replied."We have time, because a certain figure decided to enter back into the Todoroki kingdom." He laughed, sound horrid."We're just buying our time, turning pawns into kings."

"Yuck, more stupid game references," the girl groaned.

"What a pervert."