Crossing Fates : Book 3 - Detain (BakuDeku)

28 - Dark, Light, And A Patch Of Black

The group had lunch brought up to them and by evening Izuku couldn't stand the sight of the apartment any longer.

They went to the main hall for supper, which was filled with quite a few more people than had been present at breakfast.

Supper was robust winter fare, hot and filling: roasted deer, rabbit and pheasant, white and sweet potatoes, roasted chestnuts, loaves of chewy honey nut bread, pumpkin and cranberry tarts, baked apples and plenty of wine, beer and water.

Mei joined them, along with a few of the other Elves that had traveled with them on the previous day, and the meal passed with plenty of lively conversation.

Most of the people in the hall didn't leave when they had finished dining. Instead, a few fetched musical instruments, and soon the sound of flutes, fiddles and drums filled the hall.

After several people called out in encouragement, a slender male with a sensitive-looking face stood to sing a ballad in Elvish. Even though Izuku didn't understand a word of the song, the music and the flow of the lyrical words were haunting.

Izuku watched and listened in silence. Everyone was friendly, the music was excellent and he had not heard anything bad, not from Katsuki, Tetsutetsu or Sekijiro.

So that meant everything was fine, right?

The evening should have been pleasant.

Table lamps and the firelight from both massive hearths gave the hall a warm, golden illumination. Sparks of Power from individuals glowed in his mind's eye like fireflies lighting a warm summer night, and the wild, secretive Wood's presence blanketed them all.

He could sense so much Power, and it was all undiluted by distractions from technology like television, cell phones and street traffic.

A few especially strong glows seemed to shine in the distance. Perhaps those were Mei's 'ancients.' Two of the glows might even be Sekijiro and Nemuri.

But underscoring everything was a sense of dread and anxiety he could not overcome.

He had to force himself to unclench his fists. Then only a few minutes later he discovered that he had clenched them again.

He ate because he was starving and eating was compulsory these days, but the food sat in his stomach like a rock.

An unseen pincer gripped him by the back of the neck, causing a dull, throbbing ache.

His tension roused the Bean whose awareness draped around his neck- his bright, loving energy unsettled.

He put a hand over his abdomen, whispering silently, I'm sorry, baby.

He tried to soothe his Bean, but he didn't really know what he was doing, and he was still tense and filled with dread himself.

The Bean's presence sharpened until it felt spiked with invisible claws. For the first time since he had become aware of the baby's existence, the Bean felt dangerous.

Oh great, go ahead and scare the dragon baby, why don't you? Knucklehead.

He breathed deeply and evenly.

Calm down.

He could just see how the future was going to go. If the Bean really turned out to be dangerous after he was born, Katsuki might have to be the one to take care of him whenever he had a toddler tantrum.

Yeah, it was going to be fun to get the answer to that question. For the first time that whole, rotten day, he felt a sneaking sense of cheer.

Gradually the baby calmed down again. As he turned his attention away from him, he felt again the sense of something lying stealthy and quiet underneath all the other sparks of Power, and his fists clenched.