Test of Courage

12

Kirishima's POV
As the crowd around us left Kaminari and Sero came over to Bakugou, Iida, and I. A girl with short pink hair followed them. Her skin was a smooth caramel color and her eyes were dark with flecks of gold. She wore furs like everyone else.

"This is our friend, Mina Ashido," Kaminari gestured to her. She smiled.

"It's nice to meet you!" She said with an upbeat tone. I noticed Bakugou roll his eyes.

"I'm Eijiro Kirishima and this is Katsuki Bakugou," I responded and gestured to Bakugou next to me.

"And I'm Tenya Iida," The knight held out his hand and Mina shook it firmly.

"We can lead you to the inn your staying at until you have to leave," She said. She led the way along with Kaminari and Sero next to her. We weaved through the village and around small groups of people who hadn't gone back to their normal life's yet.

"Why did you guys volunteer to help us so quickly?" I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me. Iida hummed in agreement.

"Not a lot goes on around here, besides the basilisk attacks. It gets kinda boring," Kaminari said stuffing his hands in his pockets. Sero nodded.

"Anyways, you guys seem interesting," Mina added, "I can't wait to meet your other friends. Aizawa said they aren't here because of health issues right?" Now that the adrenaline and excitement wore off, worry for Todoroki came in. I glanced at Iida. I wouldn't be surprised if he was blaming himself. He took his job very seriously and was close with him too.

"Todoroki got scratched by one of the Basilisk's fangs and Midoriya took him to the witch Aizawa told us about," Iida informed them.

"I'm sure he'll be okay. The witch, Uraraka, heals villagers all the time and she's dealt with basilisk poison a few times," Sero tried to comfort us. I nodded.

"I hope so," I said.

"We're here!" Mina announced. The inn wasn't very big. It looked like you could only fit two or three of the clay homes in the village. I guessed they didn't get many visitors. The inn it's self was made of clay like the rest of the buildings here. The roof was made with wood and straw. A sign above the door read, 'Midnight Inn'.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow!" Kaminari turn to leave with Sero. Mina followed them.

"Whatever," Bakugou shrugged and went in the inn. I waved and Iida said goodbye. Then we followed Bakugou before he could get into trouble. Inside the inn was homey. It was dimly lit with lanterns and the light from the window. There was a few tables around the room for dining. In the back was a counter with stools around it. A lady with long raven black hair and red glasses was cleaning a cup with an old ratted rag. To the left was a hallway with a couple doors on either side. The three of us walked up to the lady in the back.

"Hello, I'm Nemuri Kayama. What can I do for you?" She asked.

"We'll be staying in town for a while so some rooms would be nice," Iida spoke for us.

"Okay, We don't have many rooms so do you mind if two of you share?" She asked.

"Bakugou and I can share, we don't mind," I say putting an arm around his shoulders. He crossed his arms and looked away. She got two keys and handed them to us.

"I serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Come eat whenever," She said. We nodded and found our rooms after looking at the numbers on the keys. Iida went into the first room and Bakugou and I went into the second room. We dropped our bags by the door and I fell onto one of the beds.

"Wow, this feels so good," I sighed happily. Bakugou fell next to me.

"Why does so much stupid stuff happen to us?" He sounded frustrated. I rolled over and wrapped my arms around his torso.

"Are you worried about Todoroki?" I asked. I knew he didn't like to show it but he did care for his friends. I saw his face turn pink.

"What? No!"

"Yeah, you are," I smirked. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm sure he'll recover soon and we can continue on our adventure. He's strong and he's got Midoriya with him. Maybe he can give Todoroki some of his determination." Bakugou chuckled.

Midoriya's POV
Tsu and I sat quietly in front of the fire. We both had a cup of tea in our hands. I had barely drank any of mine. My foot bounced nervously, no matter what I did to stop. I had no idea how long Todoroki had been in the other room with Uraraka but to me it felt like years.

What if I wasn't fast enough? Or didn't notice soon enough? If he died it would be all my fault. If he hadn't come to help me get rid of the sword we wouldn't be in this mess. Or maybe if I noticed his condition before he lost consciousness.

"I believe Uraraka can save him," Tsu's voice broke me out of my thoughts. "She's had a few patients from the village who were poisoned by the basilisk. I think he can be saved."

"Thank you," A grateful smile spread across my lips. We say quietly for a moment I took a sip of my tea. My foot was still bouncing but slower.

"Are you two close?" She asked.

"Yeah, we've been friends for a while," I say. A memory appeared in my mind.

I ran through town with Bakugou and Kirishima. We were around ten years old. I giggled. Then a boy caught my eye. He stood alone and looked lost. There was a burn scar over one of his eyes and his hair was split, red and white. I stopped and Bakugou ran into me, knocking us both over.

"What the heck, Deku!" He snapped. He stood up and brushed the dirt off himself. I stood too.

"That kid looks lonely," I said pointing to him. I walked over to him. "Do you need help? You look lost." He looked confused, like he couldn't understand why I was talking to him.

"I'm not lost, I've just never been here," He said. He noticed Bakugou and Kirishima waiting behind me. Bakugou told me to hurry up and Kirishima scolded him.

"Do you want to hang out with us?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Sure, does your 'dog' bite?"

"No, Kacchan acts like that a lot," I giggled. He had a small smile. "I'm Midoriya."

"I'm Todoroki."

Not long after I found out Todoroki ran away from the castle and his dad. Sometimes we helped him sneak out. Especially when his dad hurt him. In some ways we were relieved when the king got sick, he couldn't hurt Todoroki anymore. I heard the click of a door and Uraraka came out closing the door softly behind her. She looked tired. Tsu and I both stood.

"Is he okay?" I asked, my heart pounded.

"Yes, he just needs rest now," She said with a small smile. Tsu let Uraraka take the seat she was sitting in.

"Can I see him?" I asked.

"Yes, but he isn't awake."

"Thank you so much!" I left my tea cup on my seat and I entered the room Todoroki was in. When I opened the door I sighed in relief. Todoroki lay asleep in the bed. Most of the color returned to his face and his breathing was slow and peaceful. He wasn't wearing his vest anymore. It was folded neatly by his feet at the end of the bed. Through the hole in his cotton sleeve I could see bandages around his bicep where he was scratched.

Now that my worry was gone it felt like a weight was lifted off me and fatigue replaced it. As much as I didn't want to listen to All for One in my dreams I lay down next to Todoroki. I could feel him breathing next to me and it calmed me, knowing he was safe. Then I drifted off to sleep.