Chapter Text
The story began, as many do, under an endless night sky. The stars reflected in the still pool before them and refracted in the water droplets being thrown from Katsuki’s hair as he shook his head. He was grinning in that feral way he had and Eijirou knew that he would follow this boy anywhere. Katsuki’s face was tilted away from him as he took in the stars above them. The feral grin faded and was replaced with a look of soft wonder and determination.
He finally looked at Eijirou as he said, “I’m going to find the last of the dragons, Eijirou. That is going to be my trial.”
His trial. The final step to becoming a fully fledged Hunter. For Katsuki to be acknowledged as the next in line for chief, he had to complete a trial of his choosing. It could be anything. Some hunters had chosen to create a new building or to bring home the largest stag to date. Everyone chose something they felt they could complete, something relatively easy but which would still prove their worthiness. No one ever chose an impossible task. So why had Katsuki?
“Kat…you know that all the dragons went extinct decades ago. There are none left to find. Why don’t you pick something a bit more… attainable? We need a new nursery built after the last raid, why don't you make that your-”
“No, Ei! Those raids are the exact reason we need the dragons again. They protect us. If I can find them we won’t need to keep rebuilding over and over,” he argued. The wonder had left his eyes, but the stars were still reflecting in the red, shining as brightly as his misguided hope.
“You know you can’t come back until you finish your task. And I can’t help you. You will be on your own until you find them. And that is if they are still alive and want to be found. That is a big IF Kat! Are you really willing to take that risk?”
Eijirou knew he shouldn’t have said anything the moment he finished his sentence. Katsuki’s eyebrows drew down over his eyes and clouded out the starlight which had been reflecting in them. He turned away from Eijirou and faced the woods on the other side of the pool. The treeline was dark, and Eijirou was reminded of all the stories he had been told growing up about the things that lurked in the woods when the sun went down. Wolves the size of moose, humans who were impossibly fast and had a taste for human flesh, beings made of living darkness who could drive you mad if you so much as looked at them, and so many more. He touched Katsuki’s shoulder, drawing his attention.
“Kat. Please. Don't go somewhere I can’t follow you. I don’t know what I would do. You have been by my side for as long as I can remember.”
“I”m sorry Ei, but this is what I need to do. I won’t feel worthy of the title of Hunter if I do anything else.”
And that, right there. That was why Eijirou loved this man so much, why he would be willing to follow him to the ends of the world if he asked. Which was why he hated that this is what Katsuki had chosen as his task. He had chosen one of the few tasks which Eijirou wouldn’t be able to find an excuse to tag along for.
“I get it. Nothing I say will change your mind. Honestly, if I could I would probably admire you less,” Eijirou said with a sheepish smile. He rubbed the back of his head as he turned towards the village, ready to make their way back. He had seen enough of the stars for now. They still twinkled above, not caring that Eijirou’s entire world was narrowing down to the point where Katsuki’s eyebrows were meeting in the middle, his small frown which marred his beautiful face, the way his blond hair fell in jagged spikes above his eyes. He realized he was trying to memorize Katsuki’s face for the long time he would be gone.
Quickly looking away, he asked, “Have you told your mom yet?” His mom, the current chief would need to be the one to approve the Task.
“Yes. I told her this morning. She told me after dinner that it was approved.”
So that was it. There was no way that Eijirou would get to hold onto him. He was already gone.
“We are going to tell everyone tomorrow after breakfast. I plan on leaving before lunch.”
Eijirou felt every word like a punch to the gut. Gone before lunch tomorrow. For the foreseeable future. Maybe forever because the Dragons were gone. Mother above, why did Katsuki have to choose the one task which was impossible to complete?
They started walking back to the village, both silent as they processed what tomorrow would bring. The world around them was silent as well, as if somehow all the insects and creatures and even the wind knew that tomorrow, Eijirou’s entire world would be leaving.
When he finally found the willpower to respond, all he could eke out was, “Oh, ah. Ok. Will you come visit me before you go?”
Traditionally, the hunter on trial would see no one except the chief before they left, but Eijirou couldn’t help but hope that Katsuki would find some way to break tradition to see him as well.
“You know I can’t Ei.”
Then again, this was everything to him. There was no way he would risk it by purposely breaking the rules right away.
“Yeah. I know.”
They had reached the outskirts of the village by now, and Eijirou had to fight the urge to walk slower so he could spend a bit more time with Katsuki before he left. People were walking all around, smiling at them as they passed. Firelight danced across the surroundings and illuminated the small frown which still graced Katsuki’s face.
They reached Eijirou’s hut. It was a small thing, and the door was decorated with a small drawing of a spikey person Katsuki had drawn when Eijirou first moved in, out of his moms’ house. They both lingered outside, words unsaid floating in the air between them. Katsuki shifted on his feet, eyes studying the small drawing on the door.
Eijirou broke the silence. “Goodnight, I guess. I’ll see you…when I see you.”
Katsuki gave a small nod. Turning on his heel, he headed off to his own hut, leaving Eijirou to watch him go.
⟝╳⟞
When Eijirou woke up the next morning, the sun was just barely coming up. He slowly sat up, not sure what to do with himself. Usually he would go to Katsuki’s and wake him up, and they would head over for breakfast together. But he couldn’t see him today, and he didn't want to be there when Mitsuki told everyone. He didn't want the pitying glances or to see how everyone would react.
He could go back to sleep, but that wouldn't solve anything. He decided to drag himself out of bed, and go to the pool to bathe. Maybe the cold water would take his mind off of everything which was happening.
He pushed his blankets off and pulled himself from his bed, wincing as his feet touched the cold floor. The morning air was crisp despite it being midsummer. But the cold was what he was used to, living so far up in the mountains. He stretched, and felt pops travel up his spine as he twisted this way and that like a cat.
Standing, he glanced around the sparsely decorated area. There was a chair in the corner that Katsuki had given him when Mitsuki was getting rid of it. His bed, piled with blankets. A bin of water with a ladle next to it for drinking. A rug on the floor by the door, and that was it. He didn’t spend much time here, most of it spent outdoors in the forest and with Katsuki.
He made his way over to the bin and filled the ladle, taking a long pull of water. He splashed a bit of the leftover water on his face, and made his way to the door. Opening it, he walked out and directly into one Bakugou Mitsuki.
“Oh! Uh, hello there! How…how are you? Do you uh…need something?”
She looked as regal as always, spiky hair matching her sons and red eyes piercing his soul. However, Mitsuki never came here. What was she doing here? She should be helping her son get ready for his trial, not here doing…whatever she was here to do.
“I’m going to ask you to do something, but if you ever tell anyone I asked you to do this, I will kill you.”
“Oh uh, ok? What do you need?”
“I need you to go with Katsuki. Keep him company and make sure he’s safe. He chose a trial that is going to take everything he has and he will need you by his side to complete it.” She looked so much like her son as she was talking. Her mouth turned down in a small frown, her red eyes practically glowing with confidence and self assurance.
“Oh um. I can’t?”
Mitsuki’s expression grew even more aggravated. “I know that. Which is why I didn’t ask you to and you didn’t mean to. You are going down the mountain to trade and happened to run into Katsuki. Since you weren’t at breakfast you didn't even know he was leaving for his task today. Understand?”
Eijirou’s eyes had been growing wider and wider as Mitsuki talked, and when she was done, he nodded and said, “I understand. You can count on me.”
“He left an hour or so ago, you will have to hurry to catch up-”
He was on his way before she could say another word.