A Wanderer

Chapter Six

Ochaco had been thrashing Deku's back for the past ten minutes, but he hadn't even acknowledge her. The woman would have used her quirk on the man, but she wasn't very adept with it and floating him into the sky would have seemed cruel considering what he did for her, even if she was opposed to it."Put me down !"

The man's green eyes bobbed around as he studied their surroundings. He had booked it off the farm and they were miles outside of the small town that Uraraka called home. Deku sighed."If you say so.", as he dropped the woman onto the ground. There was a loud thud and the loose soil below popped into the air.

Ochaco gritted her teeth as she looked at the back of Deku. She lifted her small hands and bawled them in frustration, but poor Ochaco was tongue tied."Y-Yo-Ahh, I can't stand you !"

Deku glanced at the woman and rolled his eyes."I couldn't tell."

Ochaco shot up and stomp her foot against the ground."Who the hell do you think ya are ?"

The man turned around fully and peered at her with dumbstruck eyes."Is that really what you want to know right now , not who just tried killing you !"

"They wouldn't have tried killing me if it wasn't for you !"

"Oh, so this is all my fault huh ? No thanks Deku, I didn't die tonight because you came and saved me, despite me always being a total bitch to you."

"D-Did you just call me a bitch when you caused all of this ?"

"Guess what, we wouldn't be in this situation if you would've just let me leave. But no, you had to appease your country girl fantasy of making some random dude who needed a place to stay work for you, did it turn out like you hoped !"

Ochaco placed her hands on her head and let out a frustrated scream."Y-You are so damn self absorbed !"

Deku laughed,"Oh that's a good one, especially considering it's coming from you ! Someone that's biggest problem ever has been what plant to water that day."

"And what do you worry about, what girl to piss off in the next town !"

"No !"

"Oh my bad you're a wanderer so you probably usually sleep in a bar with old men that look like grizzly bears and smell like booze !"

Deku gave the woman a scolding look and turned away from her."If I'm so damn bad then how about you go walk home and ask those guys nicely for your home back !"

"Great idea !" Deku looked back as the woman as she began to walk away. His face was filled with rigid frustration, but it began to soften as she walked from the man. He wiggled his lips in contemplation and let out a defeated huff."Stop !"

Ochaco stopped walking and abruptly turned around."What is it Mr. Big Shot !"

"You can't go back."

"And why's that ?"

"Be-Because they'll kill you."

"Well then what should I do ?"

"Stay by me until we figure this out."

"Oh no, you're just an accident waiting to happen."

Deku covered his face in annoyance."Can you not be so stubborn for once and just listen to me ? Please just do it for my sake; I won't be able to sleep knowing it let you go out, especially at such a dangerous time."

.....

Ochaco sat on a log and rested her head on her hands. She stared at the bland, patchy ground and cursed herself."He's such a jerk." The woman deepened her voice as she tried to mock Deku."Stay here Ochaco while I go and find some firewood. It will be safer cause you're a helpless woman that can't do anything cause I'm Deku the guy with an awesome quirk that only gives a damn about myself."

"That's not what I sound like."

"Ahhh ! When di-did you get back."

Deku looked at the girl as he held firewood in his hands."About halfway through your whole spill." He then laughed,"It was pretty funny if I'm going to be honest, so at least you've got that working for you."

"Got what workin' for me ?"

"That personality of yours," answered the man as he walked past her and placed the wood on the ground. Deku began to stack the wood methodically and made a few annoyed grunts as the wooden stack collapsed.

"What are you doin' ?"

"Making a fire, I thought it was pretty obvious."

"I know that, but you had it stacked up so why'd you try and change it ?"

Deku focused on the logs in front of him and began to specifically stack them on top of each other."Because if you don't do something the right way then it won't work like you want it to." The man then smiled as he looked at the fortress of wood."There we go, now it will burn the whole night without the worry of it going out." Deku pulled a stick from one of the logs and began to quickly rub it between his hands.

"That's not gonna-" Uraraka stopped herself when she saw a spark emit from the friction and catch the stick on fire.

"What was that farmer girl, were you saying something I couldn't hear you over my fire."

Ochaco let out an annoyed grunt and crossed her arms.

.....

Deku and Ochaco sat on the log and looked at the fire. The flame crackled and a few embers popped onto Deku's leg. Ochaco looked at him and bit the inside of her cheek."Wh-Why do they want you, the regime ?"

Deku shrugged his shoulders."I dunno."

"I think after everything you could at least tell me that."

"Fine you want to know truth ?"

"Yeah, I kinda do considerin' I'm goin' to be by your side until we figure this stuff out."

"Me and those guys just don't get along. I use to be a thorn in their side years ago and they hold grudges so I'm stuck running from them."

"What did you do to make them so angry ?"

"I tried chopping of the head of the snake, but I got bit...bad."

"Y-You tired to kill-"

"Yeah, but that was a really long time ago, that's not me anymore now I'm just a wanderer."

Ochaco looked away from Deku and at ugly dirt below her feet."Y-You said you lost someone you loved once, did that have anything to do with it ?"

The man next to her let out a huff and stared at the fire that seemed to be roaring more in more as the seconds passed."That was one of the hardest things to see." Deku clinched his fist and gazed at it damp eyes."Sometimes no matter how strong you are people you love will always get hurt, and you can't do a damn thing about it. But you can't lose anything if you don't fight." The man shook his head and wiped away the tears in his eyes."We should get to sleep because we have a long ways to go."