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As Izuku Midoriya strolls into the quaint, quiet town of USJ, he breathes in the familiar dusty air with a smile on his face. The sun shines brightly onto the town square as people go about their day. Families holding their children's hands, friends talking animatedly, workers looking weary all pass by him and he watches them trying to catch a familiar face in the crowd. It has been years since he was last here but he can’t help but want to see his old classmates again.
“Hey kid, you’re in the way!” Someone yells from behind him and Izuku jolts out of his thoughts.
His face is pink as he steps to the side and apologizes to the man who had yelled. The man’s face is mostly covered with a white scarf and he drives a horse-drawn carriage into the town. The curtain where the passengers were sitting is quickly closed before he can see anyone’s face. A little odd, he thinks, so he decides to make note of it in his pocket notebook. On his mission, any minute detail may be of interest. He continues to walk through the town, wanting to reach his destination before sunset. After a few minutes of walking, music and conversation coming from the saloon’s direction becomes his guide.
The sign on the front reads The Kamino Saloon. It stands on the opposite side of town from where Izuku had entered. A couple of horses stand in a small stable next to the saloon. One is a medium brown color with a brown mane, while the other is an almost golden tan colored horse with a black mane. Izuku notes these details down and walks into the saloon.
Inside is a lively atmosphere with music playing in the background. Various people sit around tables sharing drinks and chatting away. A few men sit at the bar in front of the bartender who hands one of the men a mug of beer. He takes it back to a table. Izuku sits a couple of seats away from a man whose face is obscured by his hat.
“Howdy,” Izuku greets the bartender cheerfully.
“Howdy,” the man greets back. His black hair is slicked back and he wears a black vest over a white shirt, standing out from the rest of the crowd in their mostly earthy toned clothing. His dark eyes seem to analyze Izuku before he continues. “You must be new in town.”
“I’m travelin’ through these parts. I been here once a few years ago and everyone was mighty kind,” Izuku explains. He had visited that time with All Might, his mentor, the greatest gunsman in the world. He isn’t about to name drop him just yet though. He needs to gather more information about what’s happening around here.
“You’ll find this town is the same as always,” the bartender replies. “Can I get you anything to drink? Or eat?”
“Thank you, I’ll have a beer.”
“Comin’ right up.”
As he waits, Izuku pulls out his notebook and begins to go over his notes. He reviews the route he took to get to the town and absent mindedly begins to doodle on one of the pages. He must’ve been muttering because the man a few seats away from him looks up and stares. Izuku sees his hat move out of the corner of his eye and turns to glance at the man. The last thing he expected to see were a pair of furrowed brows over red eyes and blonde hair.
“Deku?”
“Kacchan?”
Izuku stares at him, speechless, thinking about the last time they saw each other ten years ago. Katsuki Bakugou was a force of nature even back then when they were still kids running through fields and pretending to shoot bad guys with toy guns. Izuku always wished to be as powerful and commanding as Katsuki was. He admired him and would always follow him around, despite Katsuki’s occasional protests. At age 12, however, Izuku and his mom moved out of that town to live with Izuku’s dad, who worked in a different city.
“What are you doin’ here?” Izuku asks first.
“That’s what I’m wonderin’ about you. What have you been doin’ all this time?” Katsuki asks right back. “You disappear when we’re kids and now you show up again in USJ town of all places?”
“I’m here on business,” Izuku replies. His instinct tells him to trust his old friend, but his logical side and training tells him to tread carefully.
Katsuki moves to sit closer. “What kinda business? Are you-” His question is interrupted by the bartender setting down Izuku’s beer. He glances at the man and then abruptly says, “Let’s sit at a table.”
He leads Izuku to a booth-like table tucked away into a corner of the saloon.
“Can’t be too careful,” he says in a low voice. “I joined the UA group, like I always wanted to as a kid. I’m working with the Aizawa and Best Jeanist teams. My group is tracking down a nasty villain that hurt some of my team members.”
Izuku holds back a gasp at those names. The UA group is an underground vigilante network that works to keep the peace across the country. They were heroes in a world at odds with villains trying to take over. Of course Kacchan would join them, he thinks, it had been both their dreams back then to help their small town after all. Izuku knows he can trust him now.
“I’m here on a mission for All Might-” he whispers.
“Him?” Katsuki chokes out. He whispers back harshly, “Why? How? He’s been outta the spotlight for years now.”
“It’s a long story, but he trained me and now we work together.” Izuku replies, smiling a little. He pats the gun in its holster at his side. It was a treasure from the legendary man himself.
Katsuki looks at him in awe for a moment, his mind still deconstructing his old view of Izuku in favor of the one currently sitting across from him.
“So you can shoot a gun at a target now?” he says, “Who woulda thought?”
“I had lots of practice. I'm going to be the world’s best sharpshooter after All Might.”
“Huh, big words from someone who used to be a snot-nosed kid following behind me.” Katsuki looks him up and down again while saying, “Still look like one though.”
Izuku rolls his eyes, “At least you’re less of a stuck up little brat than you used to be.”
In response, Katsuki grins wide. “We'll test out your skills tomorrow then, how about that? Gotta be some kinda range or somethin’ here we can use for target practice.” There’s a hopeful edge to his voice that isn’t lost on Izuku when they lock eyes.
“You’re on, I'm not the useless Deku you used to know. You'll see.” Izuku is determined to make his skills known to the world.
An uncomfortable and slightly guilty look passes over Katsuki. It’s a little surprising to Izuku whose memories of him are from childhood only. Katsuki was a shithead back then. This look on his face gives Izuku hope that things can be different now, that Izuku can be seen as an equal and not a blind follower. He wonders what Katsuki has seen and done in the years they were apart. Although there is so much they want to ask each other, there’s a lull in their conversation as both young men reflect on their various experiences, shared or otherwise.
The saloon doors open as a man with dark spiky hair and a long dark coat announces, “We’re back.”
The bartender responds with a casual, “Welcome back, Dabi.”
Katsuki and Izuku both jolt in their seats at the name. They exchange a quick glance and understand, they're both here for a similar reason. They watch as another man in a long cloaked hood walks in behind him. He removes his hood as the saloon erupts into cheers.
“Shigaraki!”
He is almost instantly surrounded by people, the crowd moving along in with him as he makes his way to the bar. The bartender congratulates him, but for what reason, Izuku is unable to hear over the loud chatter.
Shigaraki, a notorious villain known to be leading what he calls “The League of Villains” had been taking over towns in this region and expanding his territory at a dangerously fast pace. He barges into towns and wreaks havoc in order to force the mayors or sherrifs to work for him. Effectively, he would be running the show and they would be forced to do his bidding or risk their own lives or the lives of the townspeople.
But USJ wasn’t supposed to be one of them. Since when had USJ fallen? Izuku and Katsuki were both unaware that the League of Villains had spread this far.
“This is bad,” Izuki says, eyes wide with panic, “We need to leave. It ain’t safe here.”
Katsuki shakes his head. “I’m here to fight that piece of shit. I’m not running away.”
“This ain’t the time,” Izuku argues back in an angry whisper.
The two leave their booth continuing their back and forth. As they approach the bar, however, with Katsuki’s sight set on Shigaraki at the opposite end, a large man bumps into Izuku. The drink the man was holding falls to the floor and he glares at both of them as the glass shatters.
“Watch where you’re going,” the man snarls at them. He stands a menacing foot taller than Izuku, and even though the man bumped into him, Izuku apologizes, not wanting to start any trouble.
“I’m sorry,” he says, bowing his head a little, hoping the man will accept it.
“Sorry? I don’t think you’re sorry at all. You bumped into me on purpose,” The man claims loudly. The bartender spares them a glance but looks away rather quick, focusing back onto the rapidly growing crowd near Shigaraki.
“No, really, I wasn’t paying attention, I’m sorry,” Izuku apologizes again.
“If you’re sorry then pay for my drinks,” the man growls, pushing Izuku a second time.
“You bumped into us, fucker,” Katsuki argues, his short temper almost at its boiling point.
The rest of what he wants to say is cut off by a yell from the opposite side of the saloon. From amongst the crowd on the other side, two men seem to have gotten into a drunken brawl. Some of the men surrounding them cheer and whoop at the violence.
“Beat his ass,” someone shouts. Others around him laugh.
“You gonna let him talk to you like that?” someone else screams.
The large man turns to look in the direction of the commotion while Izuku takes advantage of the distraction. He grabs Katsuki’s arm and pulls him away towards the exit. They’re almost there when the man sees them.
“They’re getting away!” He shouts as begins to run, and three other men join in his pursuit. He draws his gun and fires in their direction, hitting the door.
Izuku draws his own gun and shoots in retaliation. He hits the man’s arm and runs when the bullet makes contact. The man trips over a fallen table and the crowd begins running in different directions. Although the majority of them are still farther away from the saloon doors, a different man reaches them dangerously quickly and manages to grab Katsuki’s vest. Katsuki shakes him off as he throws a punch at the man’s jaw. It lands with a sickening crack. The two manage to make it out of the saloon, evading more bullets that start to fly their way.
“In the stables,” Katsuki leads.
Izuku follows him quickly, asking, “Do you have a horse here?” Katsuki nods in confirmation.
The two horses Izuku saw earlier are still there, albeit spooked by the gunfire. The brown one is neighing loudly but the golden one stops when Katsuki reaches out to pat his head.
“Meet Lord Explosion Murder,” he introduces seriously.
Izuku blinks, then laughs a little. “Hi, Lord Explosion Murder,” he greets the horse with a soft pat to the mane. It seems that Katsuki’s naming style hasn’t changed at all. Izuku takes his rifle out of his bag and slings it over his shoulder quickly. He reloads his pistol just in case while Katsuki takes out a few bottles from the bag over his horse’s saddle. He mixes a few of them into a larger bottle before stuffing a cloth in it.
“Time to blow shit up.”
“Wait,” Izuku says, “it’s too quiet.” None of the men that had been chasing them just now entered the stable. He peeks around the side. “We’re surrounded.”
“Let’s just bust through them all.” Katsuki argues. “Just cover me from inside here and I’ll distract them.”
Izuku is about to argue back but Katsuki leans in close to him. He clicks his lighter and as the cloth erupts into flames, he looks him in the eyes. “Trust me.”
Not having much of a choice either way, Izuku nods and Katsuki’s off, galloping away, flaming bottle in hand.
“YEEHAW, MOTHERFUCKERS!”
Izuku positions himself between the hay piles and finds an angle for a clear shot pointing at the men outside. He breathes in and narrows his focus on his targets. He waits for things to erupt again. As soon as the sounds of chaos reach him, Izuku takes his first shot. His first target screams and the others try to run, but he never misses a target from this angle. Soon, he makes his way outside the stables, quietly, to not draw more attention and sees the saloon on fire. Men are running from it, scattering in all directions.
Lord Explosion Murder and Katsuki are coming back towards the stables, the latter grinning like a maniac. Izuku practically jumps onto the back of the horse, holding onto Katsuki for balance. A black horse follows them and when Izuku manages to get a look at the rider’s face, his stomach drops.
"It's Shigaraki!" Izuku yells.
"Midoriya Izuku," Shigaraki calls, “You won’t get away!”
Izuku tries to aim at the man with his rifle but the dusty air from the ground and the movement of both horses hinder him. He shoots but his bullet doesn’t make contact.
“I can’t get a good shot,” he tells Katsuki.
“I’ll get closer,” Katsuki replies, as he slows the speed of his horse.
Shigaraki nears, close enough for Izuku’s second shot to hit his left arm, near his shoulder. He lets out a pained screech, eyes brimming with hate. But before they can celebrate, a whooshing sound catches their attention and suddenly a small grenade explodes close by, throwing both of them off the horse. The impact knocks the wind out of Izuku when he hits the ground. He gasps for air, looking for Katsuki and Lord Explosion Murder. He allows himself to feel some relief when he sees that they’re still near, and mostly okay. He crawls on his stomach to take cover behind a large rock, lucky enough to be able to grab his rifle on the way.
From a little distance, he sees Shigaraki approach Katsuki who’s still on the ground. “Bakugou Katsuki, we meet again.”
"You'll pay for fucking with my friends," Katsuki growls.
Shigaraki laughs coldly, "You can't catch me. If only you had joined me first, then your poor friends wouldn’t have gotten hurt and you wouldn’t have to die this way. I’ll kill you and then I’ll kill that Midoriya brat too.”
“Why are you after him?” Katsuki asks, trying to buy some time.
“Because I hate All Might and everything he stands for.” Shigaraki’s face contorts in pure hatred. He raises his gun to shoot him at point-blank range. “Go to hell.”
Before he has a chance to press the trigger completely, his hand is hit with a bullet from Izuku’s rifle. He used the rock he was hiding behind to aim right at Shigaraki’s gun. The gun goes flying away and Shigaraki curses. He turns his head wildly to Izuku’s direction. He wastes no time, firing again, but this time he aims for Shigaraki’s legs. The impact causes him to scream out loud and fall to the ground.
“I’ll kill you all!” He screeches in pain. “Both of you and All Might!”
A well-dressed man on a horse sprints in their direction and as he approaches, he yells “Shigaraki!” Izuku recognizes him as the bartender. He wonders again how entrenched the League of Villains had become in USJ. He stays put with his rifle pointed at them.
“Don’t come closer,” Izuku warns. He fires another shot in their direction, making sure not to hit them.
“I’m only going to take him back,” the bartender says, face neutral even when the bullet almost grazes him. He slows his horse and stops behind Shigaraki.
“Kurogiri – no,” Shigaraki argues, but the man ignores his protests, grabs him, and helps him onto the saddle. Almost as quickly as he arrives, he leaves with Shigaraki.
Struggling to sit up, Katsuki motions at Izuku to shoot but he shakes his head. Shooting someone in the back when they kept their word isn’t how All Might taught him to be. Instead, he lets out a sigh of relief, and makes his way to Katsuki who glares at him.
“Sorry, Kacchan, I just wanna get out of here,” he tries to explain but when he gets close, Katsuki turns away and it sends his stomach into knots. No one seemed to be after them anymore but they weren’t safe.
“Where’s Lord Explosion Murder?” Katsuki asks. Almost as if on cue, the horse appears and neighs in response. Katsuki smiles and pats him before turning back to Izuku.
“You got a way out?”
Izuku looks down. “No,” he admits.
“Where you goin’ now? I can take you there.”
“Really?” Izuku asks, hopeful, stepping closer to him. “Don’t you have to go back to UA?”
Katsuki shrugs. “They can wait,” he says. He swings onto the saddle and turns to face Izuku. He holds out a hand, splotches of red blooming on his cheeks and ears. Izuku smiles up at him, chest feeling lighter than it had all day, even when Katsuki scowls at him and demands, “Hurry up.”
He accepts the outstretched hand and they’re off. The sky is completely dark now, and until they're out of the town, they’re both silent. The weariness is setting in as Lord Explosion Murder continues trotting out in the dark.
Katsuki asks, “Are you going back to meet All Might?”
“I have to meet up with a few others first, my friends, Todoroki and Iida. They’re in a nearby town,” Izuku explains.
Katsuki groans, “Half-and-half and Glasses? You know them too?”
Izuku gasps, “You know them?”
“Unfortunately.”
With that, the conversation flows easily between the two young men who, although exhausted but mostly unhurt, have a lot of catching up to do. Their journey as partners has only just begun.