Test of Courage

18

Todoroki's POV
"How did you sleep?" I asked Midoriya. We were rolling up our sleeping bags so we could stuff them in our bags. It looked like he actually slept last night, the bags under his eyes were lighter.

"Better than usual," He gave me a small smile which made my heart flutter unexpectedly. Was I sick?

"That's good," I nodded. Our temporary camp didn't take long to pack up. We began our walk once again. While we were walking I noticed how Bakugou and Kirishima held hands while we traveled, now that they told us of their relationship. I felt a ping of jealousy. I didn't like either of them like that, I just wanted a relationship like theirs. But with who?

My eyes scanned our group and I stopped at Midoriya. I thought of how he made me feel. Originally I thought I felt differently about him because of this adventure, but now I was beginning to think it was more. The way he made my heart flutter when he smiled, how scared he made me when he got in trouble, how his looks stood out to me. Just thinking about it made my face feel hot.

"How much longer do you think our journey with take?" Iida asked Mina, Kaminari, and Sero.

"We should be there in three or four days," Mina said, tapping a finger on her chin thoughtfully.

The next few days passed by. It was quiet besides the pack of Lupus Lapis we encountered and the Titana Ursa. The Titan Bear was easier to get rid of since our group was bigger and Iida and Midoriya both had experience. Kirishima got along with the three from Nedzu quickly. They joked around and kept the atmosphere light.

On the third night we settled down to make camp. The sun had nearly set and stars twinkled above us. We had our dinner cold like every other night. Even though it had been days since we've seen Shigaraki and the others, we didn't want to risk it. When everyone went to sleep, I took first watch. Kaminari would watch after me.

I sat quietly listening for any sounds. The time passed slowly like it usually did during look out. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the sound of stones tumbling. I looked around for any sign of a threat, but I couldn't see anything in the darkness. Midoriya sat up next to me and we made eye contact. I knew he heard it too and we both got up quietly with our swords ready. We waited for a moment and soon there were hushed voices.

Midoriya and I crept towards the voices on alert. As we got closer I could make out what they were saying. We hid behind a cluster of rocks, I could tell they were on the other side.

"-find them soon. We should arrive at Mt. Shimura tomorrow and if they find the entrance there's a chance we can't get in too," A voice I recognized to be Shigaraki's spoke said.

"They should be close," Dabi's voice said in reassurance, "With eight people it should be hard to get far, fast in the mountains."

"I can't wait to see their blood!" Toga giggled. Midoriya and I glanced at each other. I shifted on my feet. We were crouched awkwardly in order to be hidden be hidden by the rocks. When I moved I heard a loose stone roll from it's spot. With wide eyes I prayed they didn't hear me. It was silent for a second.

"Did you hear something?" Shigaraki asked. I grabbed Midoriya's hand and we ran back to the camp.

"Guys wake up!" I whisper shouted, "Shigaraki is close, we need to getting moving." Every was on alert and quick to back up camp.We began to run as I heard Dabi's voice. I couldn't make out what he said. Bakugou held Kirishima's hand, leading his over the rough terrain. I could hear the three from Chester gaining on us.

As we were running Midoriya tripped. I helped him up and I could see Shigaraki behind us. Out of panic I grabbed Midoriya's hand and I ran faster than before. If Shigaraki were to catch any one of us it definitely shouldn't be Midoriya. Not only did he have the sword, they would kill him with no hesitation. The mountain was sloping down and we were running into a valley. In front of us stood Mt. Shimura. We were so close, but Shigaraki was gaining quick.

Heat erupted behind me and Midoriya pulled me to the ground. The others did the same. Blue flames licked the sky above us. When the flames dispersed Midoriya and I scrambled to get up. We pulled out both of our swords and turned around. Shigaraki and the others were there. They wore smug expressions, as if they already won. Bakugou and Kirishima ran forward, their own swords raised.

"We'll hold them off, get Midoriya out of here," Bakugou demanded. Dabi laughed. I could tell Midoriya was going to protest but Iida ran forward too.

"I'll help!" He exclaimed and Sero ran up with him.

"Let's go," I say, tugging Midoriya's hand, "They are strong, I'm sure they can handle themselves." He hesitated before nodding his head. Mina and Kaminari ran with us. We raced across the valley to the foot of the mountain. We scanned the steep cliff side in front of us. I searched desperately for Provorago's symbol. I could hear the commotion from the others behind us and my stomach twisted.

"I found it!" Mina cheered. Kaminari, Midoriya, and I ran to her side. She cleared moss and dirt from it and not far below she found a notch in the stone. She grabbed it and pulled but the door didn't budge. I joined her and still, nothing. Kaminari and Midoriya joined in and we got the door to scrape open. We got it open enough for us to slip in. We closed it behind us so I would be harder for Shigaraki and the others to follow us if something happened to our friends. I felt sick at the thought. I hoped they would be okay.

We were left in the dark when the door shut and Kaminari pulled out a torch. When he lit it the light bounced of the walls of a long damp corridor. A dripping sound echoed through the mossy walls. I took a step forward but Mina held her out, stopping me. Her eyes scanned our surroundings.

"This place has a lot of traps and challenges so we have to be careful, one of us could get killed," She said, "See?" She pointed to the ground and wall where three feet apart were one inch gaps. She stepped on a stone in the floor that was slightly elevated, but not enough to be noticeable. It sunk down under her foot with a grinding sound. Giant round blades slid quickly through the gaps starting at one wall and disappearing into the other. I gulped.

"Yeah, you two should lead since you know the most about this place," I said. They nodded uneasily. The four of us carefully made our way down the corridor, Mina and Kaminari in the lead, Midoriya and I close behind. Occasionally we would stop and Mina or Kaminari would trigger a trap. All of them were deadly and would have definitely killed us.