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Katsuki Bakugou was in high demand. His quick work of even the hardest to reach targets made him renowned in the circles that often hired assassins. No job was too small as long as he was fairly compensated. At least that’s what he thought before he was contacted to be a bodyguard.
“So you don’t want anyone killed?” Bakugou confirmed.
“No!” King and Queen Uraraka said in unison. They looked around the room even though they had cleared it when Bakugou entered.
“Not specifically,” the king elaborated. “The journey cuts through the neighboring kingdom with which we’re at war.”
“And through the Forest of Misfortune,” the queen added. Bakugou knew of it. It was aptly named, being filled with dangerous creatures and foliage alike.
“So, get the broad to her fiancé,” Bakugou started.
“Alive,” the King reiterated.
“I get paid half now, half at the other place. You know I’m gonna charge you the royal rate, right?”
“Yes and we’ll supply you with ‘whatever’ you need,” the Queen whispered knowingly.
The journey was only a few days but if Bakugou was taking a job this boring, he was gonna make it worth his while.
“I’ll need a silver blade and dagger, at least a week's worth of rations, and a dozen vials of undetectable poison. Oh, and I’d like a black horse.”
Bakugou already had weapons. He'd keep the horse and the food but sell the rest for an extra profit later.
“Done. How soon can you leave?”
That night Bakugou waited with his new horse, whom he’d named Black, for the princess to meet him in the cover of darkness.She came in a dark hooded cloak with a knight in a full suit of armor by her side. Bakugou rolled his eyes.
“So much for stealth,” he muttered. No wonder they’d hired him. Their knights apparently weren’t among the brightest stars in the sky.
“Thank you Sir Tenya Iida,” the princess said softly, lifting the knight’s helmet and placing a kiss on his cheek. “I bid you farewell.”
The knight bowed, glared at Bakugou, then left.
“Butt-hurt that he's not your escort?” Bakugou teased. The princess didn’t acknowledge him. She walked past him, leaving Bakugou in the dust. “Hey, you can’t just go walking off. I’m getting paid to keep you alive.”
“How exciting for you to venture into new business opportunities,” she said tightly. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather keep our conversations to a minimum.”
Bakugou didn’t mind that at all. He urged Black forward to cut off the princess.
“It’ll be faster if we ride.”
“Precisely.” The princess moved around Black and continued walking. Bakugou growled in annoyance.
“Listen, I don’t mind taking a pay cut by killing you here and now.”
The princess turned and removed her hood. Bakugou froze upon seeing her beauty. Round features, flushed cheeks, plump, perfectly pink lips. Strands of her brown hair blew in the breeze. In the moonlight, Bakugou could make out wet trails cascading down her face.
“Do it,” she challenged.
Bakugou dismounted Black and strode over to her, pulling his dagger from its sheath. The princess’s eyes did not waiver from his own gaze even as Bakugou pressed the metal into her neck. She kept her head high. Maybe she was stupid like the knight.
“I’ve killed for less,” he said.
“My fate is sealed either way. Save yourself the journey.”
Bakugou tilted his head. Was she asking for death?
“Don’t like your betrothed?”
“We’ve never met.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
The princess clenched her jaw in frustration.
“Are you going to kill me or not?” she asked impatiently. Bakugou almost laughed.
“Maybe tomorrow,” he said with a smirk. The princess didn’t relax when Bakugou removed the dagger from her skin. “If your guy is so bad, why go through with it?”
That was the one thing he never understood about royals. It was his line of thinking that you should be with someone that made you happy. Otherwise what stopped you from murdering them?
The princess looked away and lifted her hood to cover her face.
“I don’t see why that is pertinent information for you to have.”
Bakugou pulled at Black’s reins and they walked in step with the princess. She kept her eyes forward but Bakugou couldn’t help but look down every once in a while. There was something intriguing about her. It wasn't just her looks, her status, or the way she carried herself but he couldn’t figure her out. It was infuriating.
“We’ll stop here for the night,” Bakugou said after a couple hours. “It’ll be better to get sleep in a kingdom that isn’t trying to kill you.”
The princess nodded and Bakugou went to work preparing the fire. She started to walk off and Bakugou scolded her.
“Stay in my line of sight. If anyone’s killing you, it’s gonna be me.”
“An interesting sentiment,” she said. “Can’t have someone getting the better of you.”
Bakugou scowled as the princess picked berries from a bush nearby. He was careful to analyze them when she dumped a small pile in his palm.
“I’m not going to kill you,” she whispered.
“Not intentionally,” he retorted. “Who knows what a palace brat knows about edible plants?”
“I know that the leaves on that tree behind you will make you itch for days. The weeds your horse is eating can be used to treat insect bites. You can eat the berries I picked. You can even dry them and use them in tea blends. They're naturally tart.”
Bakugou stopped chewing his food and looked at her quizzically.
“I had a lot of time on my hands growing up,” she explained, picking at the food she’d gathered.
“Anything else I should know about you?” Bakugou asked seriously. The princess smiled softly and popped a berry into her mouth.
“I’m a light sleeper.”
“I don’t like to kill people in their sleep if I can help it.” Bakugou considered it a disrespect to his targets. Plus, he enjoyed a good fight.
“So you’ll kill me tomorrow morning then?” she asked in an innocent tone. “Or will you wait until lunch?”
Bakugou had never met someone so blasé about death. It was refreshing from the people who begged for their life before he took it.
“I’m hoping for a little notice so I can plan my last meal,” she said. Bakugou laughed and the princess smiled.
“When I decide to kill you, I’ll let you know,” he answered. “Consider it a courtesy.”
“How polite of you.” The princess finished her handful of berries and rubbed her hands together to rid herself of the residue. “Goodnight.”
The princess lied down on her bedding, watching him attentively until she decided it was safe to fall asleep.
The next day, they rode to the border dressed in regular attire so as to not draw attention. It was a good strategy as they entered the neighboring kingdom.
“Reason for entry,” the guards requested.
“This is my husband,” the princess said without hesitation. “We’re here for business. I’m an apothecary.”
One of the guards gave her a judgmental look.
“Your wife always speak for you, sir?” he asked Bakugou.
“I don’t know how it is here,” the princess began and Bakugou looked at her in shock. “Where I am from, how you speak to a lady shows a lot more about your character than the patches you wear upon your clothes. If you have a problem with the way I speak, I’d be happy to move on and disregard Prince Yoarashi’s request for my services. I’ll be sure to let him know who did not allow me entry. I’m very good at describing faces.”
The princess was a little terrifying when she wanted to be.
“I’m sorry, we weren’t notified-” the other guard began.
“Feel free to request an audience with him to verify. Though I am familiar with the symbols of your army. I suspect it’s not a viable option for the two of you.”
Bakugou wasn’t good with words but he knew how to spot someone who was. In his opinion, this conversation was essentially her assassinating someone.
“Feel free to pass,” the guard who had disrespected her muttered nervously. “Give my regards to the prince.”
Bakugou led Black and the princess far enough away so they wouldn’t be overheard.
“That was-”
“Risky,” she interrupted. “I’m sorry, it was the only thing I could think of. I thought it would be better to not leave a trail of bodies in our wake.”
He knew she was thinking about the ramifications it could have toward her kingdom but honestly he was thankful he didn’t have to deal with the aftermath of killing someone.
“I hate cleaning blood out of fabric,” Bakugou said, agreeing with her sentiment.
“It really is a hassle.” The princess’s eyes widened and she laughed nervously. “I mean, I’ve heard it’s a hassle,” she revised. “I wouldn’t know…being a princess.”
“Right.” Bakugou still didn’t know what to think of this woman. She wasn’t like any princess he’d encountered. Though admittedly, he hadn’t met many that he’d had an actual conversation with. Bakugou wasn’t one to drag out jobs. It only wasted time.
They didn’t talk again until nightfall. They moved steadily through the land, with the princess acknowledging any travelers they passed. Bakugou took note of her carefully calculated greetings and responses. Perfectly vague and simple so no one would think much of them. There was no doubt that this princess was brighter than her knights.
“Is this all you do?” she asked after they set up camp. Bakugou nodded. “Do you ever wish for something different?” He shook his head.
“I’m good at it,” he said. “It satisfies me.” Bakugou rubbed his eyes. He was too tired for this.
“You didn’t sleep last night,” she realized. Bakugou glared at her.
“Of course I didn’t. I’m getting paid to protect you.”
“Is that why you didn’t kill me today: to protect your reputation? I know of you, Murder God. I know you are the best, which means that everyone thinks that.”
“It’s only the truth, princess.”
“My name is Ochako.”
Bakugou’s eyes darted to her. She held his gaze as firmly as she had the night they met.
“You have a flashy alias. Quite memorable,” she said. “If you do kill me, I’d like you to at least acknowledge that I have a name outside of the title I had no choice in.”
“Did you have a choice in your given name?” Bakugou goaded. A smirk tugged on the corner of Ochako's mouth.
“No, but at the point that I fully understood its meaning, I had already become accustomed to it. 'Tea-child' seems appropriate for what you know about me, yes?”
“An innocent girl who is knowledgeable in plants," he answered. 'I’ll be sure to bury you beneath a berry bush.”
“That’s all I ask.” Ochako picked up a rock and tossed it in the air. She caught it and looked back at Bakugou. “I’ll take first watch.”
“No you won’t.”
“That wasn’t a request. Kill me if you must but you will sleep tonight. Mark my words.” Ochako tossed the rock again and Bakugou realized she was threatening him.
“You couldn’t knock me out if you tried,” he said, readying himself to dodge at a moment’s notice.
“I’d like to avoid violence if possible. Sleep,” she commanded. “You’re drifting away as we speak.”
Bakugou blinked away the exhaustion and scowled.
“I’m fine.”
“If you don’t sleep, then I’ll likely die at the hands of someone that won’t show me an ounce of decency. No last meal, no berry bush grave. I thought we were getting along. Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course not.”
“What would I gain from slaughtering you?”
“You could run-”
“If I planned on running away, I would have already done so,” Ochako snapped. She once again tossed the rock up and without breaking eye contact with him caught it effortlessly. Bakugou wasn’t looking at the rock anymore. Ochako’s eyes reflected the flames of the fire so brilliantly that Bakugou would’ve assumed they were burning inside her. Part of him wondered if she had some magical blood in her veins. How else would she have this kind of influence on people?
“I will sleep because I want to," Bakugou muttered.
“Good. I will keep watch.”
“Great.”
Bakugou lied down tentatively, watching Ochako carefully.
“Good night,” she whispered, her eyes scanning the horizon. It was barely a minute before Bakugou fell asleep.
He awoke the next morning to the crackling of a roaring fire and the sizzling of meat on a spit.
“I was sick of dried meat," she told him.
“How did you get those?” Bakugou asked, looking at the couple of squirrels that had been prepped for cooking.
“They walked right into my hands.” Ochako held up her hands which were stained with berry residue. “I love squirrel.”
Bakugou checked the bag on Black that held the poisons. They were all sealed. Ochako took a bite of steaming meat, analyzing Bakugou as she ate.
“Really?” Bakugou sat down and turned the spit. He liked his meat a little more charred.
Ochako nodded.
“I figured this might be the last day I can relish in the little pleasures of my old life before my new life starts.”
Bakugou knew if they traveled quickly and took a shortcut through the river, they could potentially get to the castle very late in the night.
“Actually, it’ll be two more days,” he said. Ochako looked at him in surprise. “I know a safe path through the forest but it’s longer.”
It wasn’t true. There were no safe paths through the Forest of Misfortune but there was more risk in cutting through the river. Ochako’s words had not been taken into consideration.
“Then I will savor these final days of freedom,” she said, closing her eyes in appreciation.
Bakugou cleaned up camp while Ochako readied Black for the journey. They’d traveled maybe an hour before Ochako leaned her head against Bakugou’s back.
“I hope you don’t mind if I rest,” she said softly. Bakugou tightened his grip on the reins and cleared his throat.
“I don’t.”
The conversations between them were few and far between until nightfall.
“We’ll reach Prince Monoma’s castle tomorrow,” Ochako said, looking out into the dark forest, where the sounds of animals buzzed around them. “Are you sure you don’t wish to kill me?”
Bakugou fiddled with his dagger as he looked into the flames of their fire. He shook his head and Ochako exhaled sadly. She lay on her bedding and looked up through the canopy. Bakugou looked up and saw the moon shine brightly through the trees.
“You could always hire me.” Bakugou smirked and Ochako laughed breathily. “I’m very discreet.”
Ochako turned her head toward him and smiled.
“Good night, Murder God,” she said. “For an assassin, you’re not half bad.”
Bakugou waited until he was sure Ochako was asleep before placing the spare silver dagger in her personal bag.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this but, for a princess, you’re not half bad yourself. You can use this after the wedding.”
Bakugou kept watch, his eyes moving from the forest to Ochako. Every noise made Bakugou uneasy except for her rhythmic breathing. They were deep into enemy territory, a dangerous forest, and near the border of the next kingdom. The list of possible attackers was high.
A bird called in the distance and Bakugou’s hair stood on end. That wasn’t a normal call for this area. A small ball rolled into their camp and Bakugou didn’t hesitate. He jumped over the fire, grabbed Ochako, and rolled away as the explosive went off.
Black neighed in the distance but it was barely audible over the ringing in Bakugou’s ears. Ochako’s eyes squinted through the smoke and her lips moved but he couldn’t hear what she said. Her eyes widened in fear.
“Behind you!” she shouted but it was too late.
Two pairs of arms pulled Bakugou off Ochako and he thrashed in their grasp. One of the men kneed him in the stomach and the other punched him so hard in the head that he passed out.
When Bakugou woke up, he immediately felt the bonds on his wrists and ankles. There was a gag in his mouth and he could feel the bark of a tree cutting into his back.
“He’s awake,” someone said. A large, intimidating man squatted down to Bakugou’s eye level.
“Don’t worry about your little girlfriend,” the man said. “We’ll make her death quick.”
Bakugou pulled at the ropes and screamed in frustration. These idiots knew how to restrain someone. Ochako was not tied, kneeling on the ground far away from Bakugou, but she was guarded by two men, one with a blade held at her throat. “
“You, on the other hand,” the man continued, “are worth a lot of money.”
“We went through your things,” one of the guards near Ochako said. “Pretty snazzy weapons you got, Murder God.” He waved the silver dagger at Bakugou then weaved it through his belt. Ochako’s eyes darted to the weapon before she went back to staring blankly ahead.
“Escorting a princess? That’s a bit of a demotion,” the man teased. “It worked out for us though. Prince Monoma thought it’d be difficult to find her but you hand-delivered her.”
Bakugou watched Ochako’s calm mask crack at the name of her fiancé. She glared at the man in front of Bakugou and her fingers twitched.
“Kill her first," the man told the guards as he stood up. "I think Murder God should witness his first failure before I kill him.”
The guard without the blade caressed Ochako’s face.
“Shame the prince wants to use her as a scapegoat,” he said.
“It’s such a waste,” the other guard said in agreement. He lifted his sword from her skin, preparing to swing it. “Ah, well. Any last words, princess?”
“My name is Ochako,” she answered. “You should know this before I kill you.”
She pushed the guard into the bushes. Vines immediately wrapped around his body, pulling him into the brush. Ochako quickly grabbed the dagger and pulled the sword from his hands before he disappeared.
As the guard’s screams faded into the darkness, Ochako swept her hair out of her eyes, using the dagger to secure her hair bun in place. Bakugou had never been more attracted to anyone in his life.
“Now,” she said, settling into a fighting stance, her hands gripping the hilt so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Who would like to die by my hand?”
“Little girl thinks she can play with knives,” the large man teased. The other men tentatively laughed. “We’re professionals, sweetheart.”
“Then this will be embarrassing for you.”
Ochako spun, swinging the sword onto her other guard, who fell immediately.
"Get her!" the man yelled. The other men charged but Ochako fled deeper into the forest.
Sounds of pain and terror echoed throughout the forest. Soon Ochako ran back out alone, her skin adorned with leaves with some peeking through rips in her clothes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she cut Bakugou out of his bonds. “I needed to get them away first. I’m not skilled at big groups.”
He removed his gag and took the sword from her.
“I'm surprised you're skilled at all!" he said. "But if that wasn’t you, what were those noises?”
“Oh, they stepped into some strangling vines, there’s quite a lot of carnivorous plants that favor humans here,” she rattled off. A few of the men came back covered in far more injuries than Ochako. “It was a lot harder to find safe plants in this forest than not.”
Bakugou couldn’t believe that the intriguing thing he’d been trying to figure out about the innocent princess who knew about plants was that she wasn’t hesitant to use them for murder.
The large man stomped out of the forest, shaking off vines that tried climbing up his legs.
“I will enjoy this,” he muttered, lifting his sword for a fight. “Kill them both.”
The other men charged and Bakugou took them all out, making it look effortless as he did so. Ochako moved out of his way so he had more space to move as the large man went after Bakugou.
It was a difficult fight but Bakugou was regarded as the best for a reason. His reflexes were on par with a viper, striking with just as much power and venom. The man was losing and he was desperate. He pushed Bakugou towards the deadly vines that waited to ensnare another body.
Bakugou heard her battle cry before he saw Ochako jump onto the man, removing the dagger from her hair and plunging it into him. Ochako dropped to the ground as the large man fell to his knees before he fell to his side. Bakugou carefully approached her, making sure the man was down.
“That was…impressive,” he said. He pulled out the dagger and gave it back to Ochako.
“Sometimes if a little girl plays with knives enough, it can come in handy.” Ochako cleaned off the dagger and tossed it in the air before catching it by the hilt. “It’s certainly a skill I’ll use when I kill my ex-fiance.”
“First rule of killing royalty,” Bakugou said before whistling for Black, “is never do it for free.”
“Then we should pay Prince Yoarashi a visit. I’m sure he won’t be happy that Prince Monoma tried to have me killed on his land.”
"You sure the forest did your dirty work? I don't want these morons following us."
Ochako climbed up onto Black, then leaned down to kiss Bakugou. To say he was surprised was an understatement. To say he was ecstatic was not.
“I think I’ve already proved that I would kill for you,” she whispered as she pulled away. "But yeah, they're not gonna follow us."
Bakugou never thought he’d find someone that ticked all his boxes but here this woman was, willing to commit crimes for him. It was every man’s dream.
“Besides," Ochako said, "if Prince Monoma wanted the job done right the first time, he should have hired the best.”
Bakugou laughed and joined her on his horse.
“As long as you do the talking, I don’t think Prince Yoarashi will make the same mistake.”
“Was that a compliment, Murder God?”
“Bakugou,” he answered. “My name is Katsuki Bakugou. You should know if you plan on kissing me again.”
Ochako put her hair up with the dagger once again then wrapped her arms around him. Bakugou's heart had never beat this fast during a job.
"Maybe after I'm no longer engaged," she said slyly.
"Then there's no time to waste, Black. Hyah!"
The horse broke into a gallop and Ochako hugged Bakugou tighter.
"I wonder if there's a way to kill him and get your other half of our contract," she thought aloud.
"Now you're talking!"