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overtime-city-works · 2 years

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War against the world Part 2

Izuku, Shoto and Mei are now on ‘The Dragon chaser’. Now all they need to do is lay low until they can get back on land, but the crew have other plans.

Chapter 1

cw: Swearing, fighting, mentions of kidnapping, gore

Word count: 8,197

The ringing of distant bells and creaking wood woke Izuku from his dreamless sleep.

His brow furrowed at the hard press of a headache behind his eyes. The light seemed to be searing into him. He struggled to his feet, stumbled half asleep to the window and blindly reached out to somehow find something to stop the light. Izuku's wandering hand found something dangling from the window, and when he pulled it down from the hook and placed it under a book, the pain eased and he could finally open his eyes. Now away from the sun, Izuku could see the thing causing the light to become so sharp.

It was a glass orb, with more glass twisted around it in a criss cross pattern and several teardrop shapes hung from a thin cord of red string. In the teardrops was a fine deep blue powder. He turned it over gently, it seemed to be some kind of talisman.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Lady Mei said brightly behind him.

Izuku jumped. He'd been so wrapped up in removing the source of his discomfort he hadn't noticed the Prince and Lady Mei rousing also.

"It's nothing, my apologies. Let us go eat."

Luckily he'd stepped back over to Prince Shoto and had his back turned while Mei investigated the object. It would be inevitable with her never ending curiosity, he could hear her muttering to herself about its purpose and origins, and the light filtering through didn't seem to bother her as he helped Prince Shoto rebraid his hair. Even with his back turned he could feel the heat of it on him when Lady Mei held it back up to the sun.

"Is everything ok Izuku?" his Prince asked.

Izuku nodded, because how could he explain that the light had caused him pain?

Thankfully, Lady Mei had replaced the hanging ornament in the window without breaking it. Then it was time to swiftly inform the Lady on what had been happening. To Izuku’s dismay, Mei didn’t seem perturbed when she heard about what the Captain had done.

“There have been a few men that have come to my home who needed the same treatment,” she said in a voice more somber than her usual excited tone. “I am not as kind as the other maidens.”

It was then that Izuku was reminded that Mei had not grown up in the safety of one of the rich houses like other ladies; the shrine where they had found her before their quest had been out of the way in the countryside. Izuku didn’t really know anything about the Lady, just that she had been said to be incredibly important in helping them get to their purpose. For a moment, Izuku couldn’t help but think of the worst before Mei smiled.

“This ship is good,” she said as she thumped the wall of the ship with her fist. “There’s something about it, something good drawn to it. Like I sensed in you two.”

As usual, Mei’s sure words made Izuku feel better. He felt better enough that he was starting to get hungry. “Let’s go. I’m sure if we wait anymore there won’t be anything left for us and it’s important you two eat.”

He led them from the cabin out onto the sunny, noisy deck, and shielded his eyes from the early morning sun.

The salty sea spray felt almost magical on his skin as they walked, he no longer felt sick. For a moment he let himself really look out to the sea and watch the wispy clouds ahead. The endless water was almost the same color as the sky, it truly was more magnificent that he could have imagined. The air seemed to have a different quality, as if all of his burdens had been lifted just an inch so that they were not so heavy on his shoulders.

There were a few members of the crew on deck, but he could hear the raucous noise below on the mess deck. At the helm of the ship above the Captain’s quarters, he spotted a man so built he seemed to be as wide as the huge wooden wheel that no doubt steered the ship. He wore traditional Japanese dress, though the style was old as if it had been passed down to him from a grandparent but his sleeves had been cut right at the shoulders. Izuku could only see his watchful eyes, the rest of his face was covered in a light grey mask.

To his surprise, the man nodded. Izuku nodded back respectfully.

“My word, he’s built like an ox,” Lady Mei whispered hoarsely behind him.

He looked at her, scandalised that she’d describe someone like that out loud, and of course Shoto had the small crinkle to his eyes that meant he was amused and trying not to say it.

“Don’t be rude,” Izuku chastised as they descended down the wooden steps to the lower deck.

“I wasn’t! He has a marvellous physique, perfect for that job, I would like to ask him how he got so...”

“Manly?” Eijiro suddenly appeared as if he’d grown out of the wood and this time he wore a tunic with sleeves that were bunched around his wrists, frilly. The same type as the Captain's. “If you’re talking about the helmsman.”

Izuku nodded.

“He is,” exclaimed Mei.

Eijiro laughed, then he gestured over to the benches where the crew were still eating.

“No one really knows. Mezo’s real quiet about his story. We don’t mind ‘cause he's as soft as anything.”

The three of them squeezed onto the bench, and were passed a heaping bowl of steaming white food. It smelled foreign, but had a slightly nutty taste, and Izuku found he was far more hungry than he first realised. Out of habit he took a spoonful of the Prince’s food before passing the bowl back.

“Is it to your taste?” he whispered to Shoto.

The Prince nodded wordlessly, and Izuku was content with that. Just that he was eating it, slowly but surely, was a good enough sign for him.

The people closest asked them where they came from, and to Izuku, the boisterous shouting, questions asked while chewing food, and slight shoving every time someone moved was almost comforting. By the time breakfast was over, Izuku was sure he was bombarded with the introduction of at least six other crew members—though it was very hard to keep track of them all.

Afterwards, Eijiro took them aside to see where they would be sent on the ship for the time they remained on it. While they were asked questions, the crew were busy pushing aside the benches and clearing up the wooden dishes from the meal with a quick pace as if they expected to be attacked at any moment.

In the paths of light from the cracks in the deck above, Izuku could see people laying in hammocks that hung from the ceiling, one of them was in a shaded area out of the way, swathed up to his nose in black material.

Curiously sat upon his chest was a small black bird; it seemed quite content to simply lay on him. Curious, very curious. He sneaked a glance at Prince Shoto, and was baffled to see that he had a small upturn to his mouth.

"You three. What are your skills?"

Mei butted in first, announcing that she wanted to work with the gunners and she didn't mind getting her hands dirty. Izuku almost protested, but saw the animalistic look in her eye when she got excited about something and decided against it. Even Eijiro didn’t protest.

"Anywhere you need us I'm sure we can help," Prince Shoto said politely.

One of the crew nearby had snorted at that.

"Really? We've only got one powder boy if you're desperate I'm sure he'd like some company." Over on the other side was another lithe man like Yuga who had been sweeping the deck. He wore traditional clothing, there was a black bandana around his head, his feet were bare, and a sly smirk stretched his lips.

A bushy haired woman next to him snickered as she worked on some sort of figurine, a sharp knife cut the edges.

“Fuck off Denki." Eijiro sighed, then gave them an apologetic look. "You said you worked in an eatery?"

"Yes," Shoto said.

“OK. You two can be with Rikado until we reach Ama Island, and Mei...you’ll have to go and get Fumi the Master gunner.” Eijiro pointed over to the crew member with the bird. He looked peaceful, that was until Lady Mei went rushing over to the resting man and demanding he show her the canons. The bird squawked and flapped up against the ceiling, and the poor man almost fell out of the hammock.

“She’s like a typhoon,” Izuku muttered, and Eijiro laughed good naturedly.

At the back of the ship was an area for cooking, and by a large pot hanging by chains to the ceiling was Rikado. He was inspecting an array of tubes with different coloured powders, next to him sat a small barrel that had a yellow coloured powder that smelt odd. But it was something that made Izuku almost hungry once again.

"Rikado, hope you don't mind a couple of helpers until we reach the Island," Eijiro greeted lightly as he held his arm up and lent on the beam next to them. He was still shirtless.

"No, but I'm sure I don't get a choice." The man looked up and smiled jovially despite his words.

The Quartermaster then turned to them and looked more serious.

"So uh, both watches night and day have food together at six bells, Mezo is the one that rings it. Make sure not to be late or Tsu will poison you."

The grin only made that half as dangerous.

"Any supplies you need just see me and I'll sort it out," Rikado interjected, gesturing to the array of powders.

"And Tenya Iida—the purser. Unfortunately unlike what Rikado over here thinks, we don't have a unlimited supply of money—"

"Sure we do! We just let the ladies have you and we're rich!" came the shout to their left once again.

"I swear, you get back up on that rigging Denki or I'm letting Ochako know it was you who stole her underwear!" Eijiro fired back, though there was a good natured grin on his face.

Denki gasped, looking extremely affronted and placed a hand on his chest. "You wouldn't! She'd never let me down from the Mizzen again. Fuck you, it wasn't even me."

"Who cares, she'd believe me," Eijiro flipped Denki off.

"Yeah only because of favouritism." Denki stuck out his tongue before bounding up the stairs to the main deck.

"Anyway," Eijiro said as he looked at Izuku again, "one more thing. The most important thing. No one gets any special treatment, no extra rations or spices or specific cuts of meat, nada. Not me, not the rest of the crew, not even the Captain. He'd actually throw you off the ship if you tried. We're all equal here."

"Understood," Shoto said next to him.

"Great!" Eijiro grinned. "I'll leave you to it"

With that the quartermaster walked off, and he and Shoto were left in Rikado's company. The cook, even though he wasn’t intimidating to Izuku, was interesting in his own right.

Rikado was quite open, open enough to tell them he’d had to run away after being falsely accused of poisoning his Master’s food. His little sister had come with him and even told them she was waiting for him in Tottori. He talked while they helped him wash rice and boiled it. He carried on talking while they peeled potatoes, and he scolded Denki for coming back for a second apple.

There was a quiet moment. While Rikado and Shoto were talking about rationing and what food supplies they'd need, Izuku wandered off in search of more secrets. He wanted to know this ship from mast to the very wood if Prince Shoto truly wanted to stay here. He also desired to know why Shoto would pick this ship in the first place.

He found nothing unusual for a pirate ship at first. However, in the back of the stores between the barrels and a near empty sack of rice was something that caught his eye. Izuku leaned forward—forced onto his tiptoes to reach it—and to his delight he pulled out a bow.

It was well made, from a wood that allowed the user a light, powerful strike. Nothing like the stiff, formal designs of the bows at the Palace. After a quick glance around, Izuku ran his fingers along the string and found it to be in good condition. He lifted it, and with his right hand hooked his fingers onto the string and tested the strength. It was easy to manoeuvre, well used, and well taken care of. He wondered who on earth on this ship would have something like this. It was truly a beautifully crafted weapon.

Upon further investigation, he found a leather bundle, and inside found nine arrows, all with the feather of a crow. Interesting. He was inspecting the sharp, serrated edges of the arrows when he heard Rikado call for him. Carefully but quickly, Izuku wrapped up the arrows once again and placed them with the bow back between the barrels and made his way back out into the lighter area.

“Go and take this up to the Captain,” Rikado said as he held out two onigiri wrapped in the seaweed they’d just made.

For a moment Izuku hesitated, but then mustered his courage. He nodded and took the food. Izuku made his way back up the steps onto the Main deck and shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked around for the Captain.

The man who’d murdered over twenty people just the night before was stood by the helm. Izuku could tell he was conversing with Mezo, but when they approached up the steps he turned to them, his face expectant. To Izuku’s surprise Yuga was also at the helm deck, sitting on the thick wooden railing with back to a piece of wood that stuck up. He held a map. When he saw Izuku approach, he waved good naturedly. Izuku waved a little back.

“Captain,” Izuku started.

Captain Bakugo turned, and fixed him with a questioning look before he looked down at the food that he held out.

“Ah...Rikado’s babying me again.” The Captain grinned before taking the onigiri.

“Only because you won’t remember to eat unless someone brings it to you—despite what you preach about meals—you're not as bad as Hitoshi though,” Yuga piped up, and didn’t even flinch when the Captain sent him a warning glare.

“Tell Rikado I can get it myself,” he said as he addressed Izuku again.

“Rikado says that you’re welcome.”

Captain Bakugo rolled his eyes, and Yuga laughed where he sat, then they became focused on their work once again.

“You’re dismissed for food as well, Kyoto.”

Izuku nodded and walked over to where Prince Shoto and Lady Mei stood at the left hand side of the ship in the corner next to the Navigator’s room’s window. Izuku was quickly learning that with a crew of twenty and three levels you had to fit yourself into spaces before other people could.

Izuku bit into his onigiri and found it pleasantly edible. The vegetables he and Shoto had prepared themselves made it even more filling, and whatever powder Rikado had added made it taste even better. The Lady Mei had smudged powder on her forehead, she’d folded down the top of her kimono for comfort, and was already looking like a part of the crew.

“The guns they have on this ship are fascinating. They have a completely different system to the Japanese army. Fumi was explaining they took the ship all the way back near a place called the Bahamas! Can you imagine going that far? The craftsmanship of the guns are insane, they’re heavy to move, but such a beauty—”

Lady Mei suddenly leapt onto the rigging at the right hand side of the ship to look behind them. She was shading her eyes, and whipped her head up to the Captain; eyes wide in alarm.

“Captain!” she yelled. “We’ve got a ship six hundred yards ahead of us!”

“What the fuck? How’d she see that?” a shout came above him.

Izuku looked up to see another of the rigging crew. A woman with a long bob held back by a pink slash of fabric—again in the same foreign clothing as the men. Izuku looked up to the helm to see the Captain pull out a large gold telescope, and Izuku and all the rest of the crew awaited his verdict. Surely, they wouldn’t attack?

“He can’t be thinking of attacking can he? Aren’t we close to Tottori?” Shoto whispered to him. He sounded disbelieving too.

“Naval flag! Get into your positions!” the Captain yelled.

Izuku’s heart dropped to his stomach and he looked to his Prince. They had just begun their journey, he was not letting anything happen to them despite their need to get to the stars. If they died, or if they got caught by the Military, then it would be the end of it. Izuku wanted to hide both of his charges in the hold.

“That’s the ship that has Hitoshi on it, we need to take her." Izuku heard Denki's voice from above. He looked up to the rigging to see the man climb down from the rigging for a moment, and drop onto the deck in front of him.

"What if we get hurt, or if one of the men dies? We're getting close to Tottori, yes?" Izuku asked.

Denki looked serious, and the rigger looked up to the Captain who stood looking as though he knew all of the world’s secrets. “I tell you not one of us has died since we joined. Not a single one.”

Izuku found that extremely hard to believe, but the resoluteness with which Denki said those words was almost intimidating. He knew that Denki felt about Captain Bakugo the way he felt about Shoto. Plus, the determination they had to get their navigator back was admirable.

So, Izuku took a deep breath and looked at Shoto. At times it was difficult to tell what he was thinking, but Izuku could see the tenseness of his shoulders.

“You’re not a sworn-in crew member, if you want to be safer I’d head down to the third deck where Koji is,” Denki added, before someone shouted at him and he leapt back up onto the rigging and climbed the ropes with ease.

That information made Izuku feel a lot better, and he immediately began to guide Shoto down to safety. He could tell that Shoto wanted to fight, and wanted to prove he could be an asset.

“This isn’t a battle we need to get involved in. You need to be safe if we’re to make sure everyone can live,” he said in a low voice, as every crew member was bustling about.

“I understand that more than anyone Izu...and I will stay down there, but it will take both of us to bring the Lady down there also.”

Shit. Izuku had forgotten that. They hurried over to where Mei had seemingly sworn herself into the crew by aiding the riggers. How a lady could move with such agility he didn’t know.

“Time?” the Quartermaster shouted as he practically leapt up the steps to the helm where Captain Bakugo stood with Mezo.

“We need to gain speed or we won’t match them!” Mei suddenly shouted amongst the noise.

"Don't order me about!" a crew member shouted back.

The sea was loud, crew were rushing around, heaving the ropes and completing tasks that Izuku had no idea the meaning behind. He saw men and women pulling ropes, and he heard the sails above him groan in the wind as they were pulled forcefully open; the wind picked up as they surged forward.

“Are all the sails fully open? What about the T’gallants?!” the Captain shouted.

“You know what happens if she’s pushed too far Captain and you shouldn’t risk raising the T’gallants,” called a woman with bouncy black hair hair. In a traditional men’s kimono, she wore a bright blue sash across her waist and was holding a bucket, and attached to it was a small turn with rope wound around it. Under her arm she held a large hourglass.

“Tohru’s right, Captain.” From above, the short haired woman climbed down the rigging and slung the rope she wore around her waist over her shoulder.

To Izuku's surprise, Tohru shoved the rope, bucket, and hour glass into his hands and he was ordered to follow her. He scurried after her and watched as the lithe, adept woman climbed down the rope ladder on the side of the ship unaffected by the whipping wind and sea spray as she balanced on a tiny ledge and held onto the rope ladder with one hand.

“Leave the bucket on the deck and pass me down the rope and chip log!”

Oh, Izuku knew then what she wanted to do. Izuku tossed down the chip log and Tohru caught it expertly. Izuku knew that there would be knots tied in regular intervals along the rope and when he called the time on an hourglass, Tohru would count the knots that had passed the ship’s stern: the back of the ship.

Izuku flipped the hourglass as Tohru tossed the triangular wood into the sea, it immediately whipped behind them in the water and the rope turned faster than he could keep up with. As soon as the minute was up, he called the time and Tohru gripped the rope with the knot just below her hand.

“Speed, six nauts!” she shouted.

“Six nauts Captain!” Izuku relayed behind him.

“We can push her harder, Ochako the back sails will hold it,” Captain Bakugo said.

“Captain, even if the other sails hold we’ll end up running her down at the bow and go face first into the water or just have the whole rigging crew fall off the sides of the ship!” Ochako exclaimed, she looked close to pulling out her hair already.

“I don’t really feel like drowning today,” Tohru called up.

Izuku, despite the severity of the situation, couldn’t help but feel amusement at the sigh in Tohru’s voice, as if this situation had happened before.

“Drowning would not be fun, especially if it's just us.” Ochako had reached Izuku’s level and was currently winding rope around his and Shoto’s waists. Izuku found they were being tied to the side of the ship.

“Raise the T’gallants,” he ordered.

Izuku’s eyes widened as Ochako just rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath how lucky Hitoshi was.

Below him, Tohru made a sound of frustration. Ochako rolled her eyes but then it looked as though she took a deep breath and shouted to the crew up in the rigging to raise them. High, high above, the smaller sail above the Mizzen main sail was dropped. Immediately Izuku had to hold onto the side as the ship creaked and rocked. He looked down, and thankfully Tohru was OK.

The ship suddenly jolted, and Izuku didn’t hesitate before reaching over and pulled Tohru into his side as they were sent crashing face down into one of the waves. The men were calling, pulling ropes as the sea spat furiously at them as they tried to level out the creaking body that was fighting to stay stable. Shoto was gripping onto the wooden edge of the deck behind him and Izuku was amazed that Ochako had even thought about the bumbling newcomers at a time like that.

“Brace up! Bring her into the waves!” He heard the Captain shout, and then the faint yell of Eijiro copying the order.

Izuku couldn’t breathe deeply because of the amount of salt attacking his lungs. Tohru had wriggled from his grasp and was now stumbling over to another crew member with flat hair.

To his left, as the ship bucked and lowered like a horse, Captain barked at Mezo to put his full strength behind it and the large man yanked the wheel with all his strength. He turned and turned and seemed to fight against the very sea itself when he held the wheel in position. Finally the ship seemed to surge up and level out once again on the waves.

“Speed?” The Captain shouted.

Tohru was sprinting over and almost jumping into the sea before Izuku could react. She expertly slung out the chip log, and Izuku scrambled to set the timer once again. Like before he called the minute.

Tohru laughed.

“Seven nauts!” she yelled, and there was a chorus of cheers across the ship.

At that speed the navy ship was coming into focus faster than Izuku thought was possible. The wind was whipping his hair around his face. He helped Tohru back over the side—and since he deemed his job done, he undid the ropes to go and get Lady Mei.

Mei was still watching the ship ahead, and she’d been gathering intel with the aid of the Captain’s very own telescope. It wasn’t until perhaps two minutes later that Mei climbed down from the rigging and headed towards the Captain, and where Mei went, Izuku went as he was responsible for her.

“The man who Captains that ship has a stern that holds the carving of the moon, the second flag they fly also has an embroidered silver moon and a yellow sun,” she announced, voice grave.

Izuku looked at Shoto in absolute disbelief. He couldn’t believe their misfortune. Shoto stiffened, and it seemed that the rest of the men did not understand the implications of who was Captaining the ship...all except the Captain.

“It was a possibility they’d use a royal flagship to get him to Tokyo but I was hoping they wouldn’t make it so hard, fuck,” Eijiro said, voice harsh.

“A Royal with just one symbol would be a military yes...but with both the symbols it means something more surely,” Shoto said, his voice carefully blank.

Izuku realised that they both had to somehow convey their information without revealing their identity.

"Higher than that?" Yuga asked incredulously.

"The Emperor's personal fleet," came a deep, scratchy voice behind them.

Izuku turned to see Mezo had looked over at their words.

Eijiro’s mouth dropped open. Yuga let out a litany of swears as he slumped against the back of the ship.

“Why on earth would they hold Hitoshi with other high personnel?” Eijiro asked, his voice incredulous.

“I think the better question is what did he do to make them put with the highest security?” Yuga rolled his eyes.

“Did you see the Captain?” Shoto asked Lady Mei.

The Lady revealed to them that he had worn a Yellow kimono with a red belt, was stocky, and had a katana with the head of a water dragon. Izuku would know that uniform anywhere, he’d seen it multiple times when the Emperor’s men sent them messages and orders.

Keigo Takami, Izuku thought.

Izuku had no idea, no inkling that Captain Bakugo’s navigator was on Takamin Tamaki's ship. If he had, then he would’ve absolutely found another Captain to take them to the stars. Takami was a force on his own, but if he was on deck, then Snipe would be too and those two working together meant that a lot of the crew were going to die.

He wanted to ask if any of the crew were long range fighters—like both Takami and Snipe were, but he couldn’t exactly say that.

"How much do you know about this ship?" Shoto asked the Captain.

Bakugo explained in a gritted voice that the Captain would be a bitch to take down, that going alongside them in battle and being boarded would be suicide.

"What is your plan then?" Izuku asked, sceptical about whether he should go with the Captain or try to sneak his charges and himself onto a rowing boat.

"Cannons. Hisashi. I have a fuck ton of cannons," Bakugo patted the mast in front of him affectionately.

The Captain's plan was ludicrous. Absolutely insane, and Izuku was becoming convinced that Shoto was the same when the Prince refused to let Izuku sneak them off the ship. From the Captain’s quarters, Eijiro brought out two large guns. They looked far more advanced than the Tanegashima guns that Izuku had remembered seeing when he was young. They had to be from other countries. It was at that point that Izuku finally managed to coax both Lady Mei and Shoto down to the hold.

There was a period of waiting, something that Izuku found hard to bear. It felt like he was imprisoned again, just waiting for the battle to start, for Shoto and himself to be killed. Though this time his mind was kept more at bay while he helped a large, mute man move and pile heavy sacks of sand against the side of the ship. The ship thundered forward, and like the Quartermaster had hastily informed them, the ship would be heading straight towards the ship.

Izuku heard the mass rumbling of the canons above moving, and looked over to Mei who seemed far too excited about the ordeal and then suddenly, as if a fog had lifted, he was unafraid. Shoto’s father had unintentionally harmed his fleet by outright banning any involvement with other countries. Izuku had been so busy thinking about how both Snipe and Takami were such good bowmen that he failed to comprehend the fact that this ship simply had so Much. Firepower.

If they wanted to, Izuku wouldn’t doubt they’d blow the ship into the sky, and he then thought the only reason they weren’t going to do that is to make sure that Hitoshi wasn’t caught in the crossfire.

“I don’t feel comfortable with how many people they’ll kill with those cannons,” Shoto said lowly.

Izuku looked up at the ceiling, and two seconds later, someone screamed, “Fire!”

He was unprepared for just how loud the cannon firing would be when they were just underneath. His whole head reverberated with it, shook him down to his very bones. He was feeling restless; he needed to know what was going on...if Captain Takami had died. Despite their desperation to get to their mission, Izuku still felt remorse at the fact men he probably knew of would die.

“How far do those guns fire?” He turned to Koji who was squatting at the back of the hold, with a small goat in his arms, covering its ears.

He tried to ignore just how terrified and distressed the creature was; he was surprised it hadn’t died.

Koji held up a hand and lifted two fingers on one hand, and three fingers on the other.

“Two hundred to three hundred yards?” he asked, and the man nodded.

That was far more than a bow. He was terrified it wouldn’t work, but he hastily explained his plan to his two charges before racing up the decks to see what was happening. All of the crew were poised to board, and to Izuku’s disbelief, they’d targeted their firing to the front of the ship where the wood was weakest. They’d crippled it with two blasts.

Smoke rose in plumes from the ship, and Izuku knew that Takami would be planning a boarding assault with whatever remained of his men. Denki had been right in trusting the Captain, Izuku was beginning to realize just how disadvantaged Japan was becoming with the banning of trade.

He ran over to where he could see the captain.

"Fucks sake. Hanta! we need to make sure no one mans her! Get the gunners ready to fire again on my signal!" Captain Katsuki bellowed.

Izuku looked up to the Mizzen, and then at the other ship. He knew there were bow and arrows down in the stores and that more cannon fire would do nobody any good whatsoever.

He sprinted below deck, ignoring Sato's calls and shoved his way through the crew into the stores. He dug behind one of the barrels and tugged the arrows and the bow free before racing back up into the chaos.

"Captain!" Izuku yelled as the ship lurched in order to match the port side of the Japanese ship.

“The fuck is it!?” Bakugo's eyes pierced into his own as Izuku stumbled over to where he stood.

"I have a good aim, and now we’re close enough this will give us an advantage… I can Shoot them individually when they try to climb up and we won’t waste gunpowder while the men are up there."

Bakugo grinned. Feral excitement spread in Izuku's belly.

“Get up to the highest point and take down anyone that moves.”

“Yes Captain.” Izuku nodded, before turning and slinging the bow and arrows around his shoulder. The rope was coarse under Izuku's hands as he hauled himself up the rigging, his muscles burned, and Izuku bit down against ache before finally pulling himself to the lookout post where Hanta was kneeling. At Izuku's arrival the man shuffled over to make room.

“ One and a half metres before range,” Hanta yelled, and Izuku swiftly settled into position, pulling an arrow from the strapping and positioning it against the string of the bow as Hanta readied his gun. The deck was in his sights, the wind blowing the sail and covering the wheel at a pace of three. Izuku let out a breath, waiting for the right moment and kept his gaze trained on the deck.

They moved in closer, and Izuku didn't even move his head when he heard Lady Mei climb up to the mizzen and shuffle along next to him.

“Don’t tell me to go back down. I won’t be ordered about. Shoto’s looking after the goat man,” Mei hissed in his ear.

At this moment, with her superior eyesight, he could trust her, and so when she told him to aim and fire three degrees left, he listened. His arm ached; the arrow whistled passed his face and cut through the wind. He couldn’t hear it, but he knew that his target had dropped.

“Cover your ears." Hanta propped the gun up into position and flicked the flint.

Even while covering his ears, the noise from the gun next to him made him wince. He was still amazed at how accurate the weapon was. Izuku prepared a new arrow from the quiver, and watched for the sail to move out of the way of the helm. He blew out a slow breath, before his arm was yanked up to the Mast at the back of the ship.

"Snipe," he breathed. The man had been climbing up.

Izuku had to kill him. It took another moment of composing himself before he sent an arrow whistling through the air. His stomach turned as it hit Snipe in the back, and the man fell from the mast. The only thing that gave Izuku closure was the fact he knew the man had no family.

Izuku worked in tandem with Hanta. Each time he reloaded, Izuku sent arrows into the crew. When they became level with the ship, the other crew led an assault first—which Izuku was expecting.

From the day before, Izuku knew just how brutal Captain Bakugo could be, and they certainly didn't hold back with the military. To his relief, the weapons that Bakugo's crew wielded were a match. The smell of gunpowder and burning filled the air as several of Bakugo's crew fired from their hiding places before people with knives and swords fought.

"Don't stop now," Hanta muttered next to him.

He had three more arrows, he had to make them count. But, he knew deep down that he could not kill Takami. If he did, he would never meet the mercy of the Emperor. So, he aimed his bow elsewhere towards a crew member climbing across the planks Takami's crew had laid. He saw a man fighting with Eijiro, and it was then he saw Yuga being pushed against the edge of the ship, barely holding his sword against that of a much larger man.

In this situation, he had no idea who he could help, who would die if he hesitated.

"Who?" he let out breathlessly.

Hanta didn't warn him before he fired, and the man who'd been battling with a different crew member fell from the platform.

"Aim for the ones trying to get across," Hanta ordered.

Izuku nodded, and then he heard a whistle. He pulled Mei and Hanta down hard. There was a thunk above them and an arrow with a red feathered end pierced the wood.

Takami.

Izuku couldn’t see him, but he knew the man was there.

"Fuck," Hanta cursed. "Shuffle around the mizzen, we'll just have to get a couple of the ones on board."

Izuku obeyed, and he and Hanta took out five more men together. Izuku knew it was far too dangerous to head down then, and so he waited with the other rigger up in the eye. The fighting seemed to reach its crescendo, and Izuku felt useless without his bow. To his surprise, he saw Denki launch a spear from near one of the sail holds down to the deck, and then scurry away light on his feet.

Izuku also wasn't used to seeing women fight, and he was impressed with the women he saw hold their own against the crew. The fight was bloody, brutal, with Bakugo's crew too sustaining injuries. But like Denki had said, when the fight lulled and the pirates flooded onto the naval ship, they were injured but none of them had died.

Izuku wanted to climb down, but they were still at risk from being speared by an arrow. All Izuku could do was watch. It seemed the crew was pushing onto the other ship. But where was Keigo Takami?

"Hanta! The archer's kicked it!" came the shout below, and Izuku held up the cracked mirror lady Mei handed to him.

When it was not shot down, Hanta deemed it safe to climb down from the mizzen. He informed Mei and himself that 'they did good' and to help Tsuyu tend to the wounded. Izuku felt as though the world was going just a touch too fast. But he still stumbled over to help the crew on the ship carry the unconscious and injured down to Tsuyu.

He was unafraid to show some of his skills, but this time he was content that he and Shoto had not drawn their swords so to speak. Truthfully, being up in the mizzen had been exhilarating, and Hanta had been quite enjoyable to work with. As predicted, not many of the crew had serious injuries since they had the upper hand. Izuku wondered again just where they got the ship.

It was as he was helping Tsuyu bandage up Sato's waist that once again they heard the huge boom of the cannon above, and he was still gripping the swath of white fabric they used to move men from the floor onto the work bench. His eyes found Tsuyu's wide ones. Without a word he hurried upstairs to see what was going on.

To his astonishment, when Izuku climbed across the planks onto the Japanese ship, he saw the smoldering, smoky remains of a reinforced metal door; they'd actually blown into the room using one of the small cannons to reduce casualties. At that moment, Izuku’s vision seemed to block out the rest of the men and Keigo Takami’s crew. Captain Bakugo and the others had charged into the room, and Izuku could see in the clearing smoke the Captain advanced upon Takami.

He and Shoto had been kept separate from it all, and yet...Izuku knew that somehow, killing Takami would be a mistake. There would be repercussions for killing him; someone that Izuku was sure spent much time at the Emperor’s home. In a panic, Izuku wrapped the fabric around his face and forced himself to cough as he stumbled around still brawling men.

There were eight wooden cells, four on either side. Bakugo had Captain Takami against the back wall of the room, the military Captain was still loosely holding a katana.

“Captain!” he shouted, just as Bakugo was brandishing his gun.

Bakugo barely looked over his shoulder and Izuku raised the cloth up to his eyes so Takami wouldn’t see his face.

“If this ship is related to the Emperor we could bargain for money,” he said, coughing again.

“Or we’d have a target the size of Japan on our backs,” Bakugo grunted.

“Think of how much information we’d get about the other ships, I’m sure he won’t be useless,” Izuku tried, it wasn’t his best argument of persuasion, but it was all he could think right then.

“Captain, I’ve got 'Toshi.” Someone said to his right, his hair was flat to his head and he wore a traditional kimono.

Hitoshi.

It was then that Izuku saw just who had been the cause of all this, being supported by a member of the crew was a man. He was filthy, bound in chains that fit painfully around his throat and then down to his wrists. When he looked up, it was as though Izuku had stepped into a cool lake of water on a summer’s day. The hair on his arms and the back of his neck stood on end as he met the other man's eyes.

It was then that the fighting ceased, and Bakugo’s crew were victorious, the last man on Takami's crew was defeated, slain by a woman with cropped black hair, a black piece of fabric covering her face, in her hands were much smaller knives. The battle seemed to have ended as if Hitoshi commanded it, as he raised his head just when the last man fell.

“He’s right...that right there is Keigo Takami, a member of the Samurai employed by the Emperor himself.” Hitoshi’s voice was deep, but rough as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time.

Bakugo hissed so much vulgar language Izuku grimaced, but the Captain ordered Takami be tied up and taken with them. Izuku couldn't help but feel relieved, and yet still anxious as they bound Takami with his hands behind his back and led him from the barred room.

There were men in several of the cells, and like before, the Captain made his speech about joining them before the intimidating woman passed him a ledger of their crimes.

"Check the tags on their ankles, we've got two child murderers here," the woman said, voice like a venomous snake. "And I think I know why Toshi was brought with this lot."

"Good work Kyoka" Captain Bakugo said as he took the thick, blood spattered book.

Izuku left before the Captain decided their fates, he'd seen enough of the brutality and the righteousness of the man for then. He knew his duty was to Tsuyu and his Prince, and perhaps if he could gain Takami's trust, save him a terrible fate and have information on the Emperor.

Once out of sight of Takami, Izuku removed the material from his face and laid it down, he instructed the man to lay Hitoshi down on the sheet as the other crew members were busy raiding the ship for everything they had.

"Shit-careful of my hip" Hitoshi hissed as he was shifted and Izuku and the other crew member lifted him to carry him across.

"I'm sorry, we'll try and be more gentle," Izuku said, and his voice was quieter than usual, as if he thought it would stop Hitoshi’s gaze from flicking up to him.

Something about it was almost intimidating, his dark stare made Izuku grip the sheet tighter as they carried it up to the main deck.

"He's way tougher than he looks, he’s just being dramatic" The other crew member said with a roll of his eyes.

“I’m hurt Mashirao, literally and emotionally that you even think I’d over react,” Hitoshi said, Izuku couldn’t see the smile as he had to be careful where he stood but he could hear it in Hitoshi’s voice.

Izuku helped carry Hitoshi across the gang plank, and to his surprise, Yuga appeared out of thin air and instructed him to take the injured man to the Navigator's cabin.

"There's more space, Tsu said it's getting crowded downstairs," he explained.

In the Navigator's cabin, Izuku found himself having more medical knowledge than the other three, but Mashirao helped him managed to get the chains off with a lot of strength and tough work with a set of bolt cutters so large Izuku wondered how he even lifted them.

"Do you have any injuries that you're concerned about?" Izuku asked as he began to check Hitoshi over.

The man was a tapestry of bruises when Izuku started to clean him up, thankfully Yuga had come back from Tsuyu’s with a thick, green paste that Izuku knew would be good for the cuts and bruises. Hitoshi told him not to worry, that there was nothing too serious. Izuku did all he could not to get distracted by the smooth plane Hitoshi’s stomach. Despite the other man’s protests, Izuku pressed gently on Hitoshi’s rib and hip, and the answering hiss told him all he needed to know. He’d likely either been thrown on that side or been beaten to the point he was injured. The huge bruises were yellowing though, so they had healed some, and Hitoshi said he could breathe comfortably.

“My ankle...it’s dislocated I think, I tried to climb out the window and ended up face down on the floor.”

“I don’t know how you survived those weeks,” Mashirao commented in a low voice as he helped Izuku wrap bandages that Izuku wiped with the paste securely around Hitoshi’s waist and chest.

Izuku realised Hitoshi’s injuries must’ve been a lot worse than they imagined with the way Mashirao was Grimacing and Yuga was biting his thumbnail where he perched against the bed. He could see the pinch in Yuga’s brow, and feel the twitch of Hitoshi’s muscles as he reached a sore part of him which seemed to be everywhere.

“I gotta say at some point I did that zen thing you said you do,” Hitoshi said, trying to be funny, but he just sounded strained.

“Don’t you worry,” Yuga said with enough venom to kill a man. “We got them back.”

“I’m aware-ow-I’m pretty sure Kyoka took down five of them on her own -ow, fuck-”

Izuku was gently turning Hitoshi’s face this way and that, to make sure his neck was uninjured, and apart from the bruising he seemed in good shape. Hitoshi’s eyes met his own as he looked down at him from above.

“You’re new,” he murmured.

“Yes,” Izuku said simply as he swiftly moved down to Hitoshi’s ankles to check the movement, it was a lateral dislocation. Hitoshi’s ankle was bent inwards, and the clean lines and lack of Hitoshi’s complaints told him there was no break. “Mashirao, please hold his calf firmly”

Hitoshi only lifted his head to eye him, and Mashirao got into position.

“You know what you’re doing?”

“Yes.” Izuku answered, and without warning, swiftly moved Hitoshi’s dislocated ankle back into position. He felt the thunk, and then the movement was suddenly much smoother.

“Motherfucker! What the fuck-What” Hitoshi let out, and then he stopped and flopped back on the table. “Ow.”

“I’m going to throw up,” Yuga said, his voice faint.

“Better?” Izuku asked and he gently lifted Hitoshi’s ankle up and pulled the man down slightly, so his calf was pressed against Izuku’s chest and there was no pressure at all on the now less swollen area.

“Yeah...yeah it’s better-where did Katsuki find this one?” Hitoshi’s head turned to Mashirao who too was looking slightly stunned.

Yuga had taken out a bottle of alcohol from somewhere and was swigging it down, after a brief pause and a deep breath, he passed to Hitoshi who struggled up onto his elbows and took large swallows.

“On his way to being sold in China” Yuga hissed, his cheeks now more colourful after the assault on the alcohol bottle.

“I saw him shoot down at least three of Takami’s crew and he’s been here a day.” Mashirao said, eyeing Izuku also.

Hitoshi’s eyes lighted in surprise, and Izuku saw the genuine lift of a smile to his lips.

“Looks like he’s just the type of guy we need.”

“Thank you,” Izuku let out softly, he could feel his cheeks heating, and he couldn’t help holding on a little tighter to Hitoshi's leg. “Your recovery time is six to twelve weeks.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Hitoshi groaned, and flopped back onto the table.

#War against the world fic #Overtime-citymha #shindeku #izuku x hitoshi #my hero academia #boki no hero academia #shoto todoroki #prince!shoto #pirateau #pirate!bakugo #historical au

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