A Tarnished Hero

More undead hordes were met along the path, with Izuku and Katsuki decimating them whenever they got too close. It was beginning to get a bit bothersome, what with the unchanging scenery, the constant groans and their suicidal lunges, and worst of all, the chunks of flesh that splattered all over them whenever Katsuki blew one of them up to kingdom come.

They may be used to the stench and gore, but the feeling of uncleanliness affected both of them, Katsuki more so seeing as how he was still fully human. Imagine the number of viruses one could get with rotten blood splattered all over his skin.

He was only human, after all, and humans weren't meant to be walking petri dishes of rotting gore.

Unlike Katsuki, Izuku's concern wasn't the blood itself – his body was far beyond such worries – but rather the grime that clung stubbornly to his polished armor. Dried rotten blood stained his chestpiece and fur collar with bits of flesh lodged in the joints of his armor.

This was going to be a nightmare to clean once they found an ample spot to rest, hopefully another Site of Grace.

Izuku slid the corpse of a zombie that managed to get close to him off his zweihander, its body thumping on the ground like a puppet without strings. He raised his boot up and stomped it harshly against the corpse's intact head, its skull giving way against the force as it shattered, splattering grey matter into the ground.

Can never be too careful with them, and the only good zombie is one without a head. They made a mistake earlier that nearly cost Katsuki his finger when a zombie with only a single limb managed to latch onto Katsuki while its jaw unhinged.

Once they were done dealing with the sudden ambush from zombies that literally came crawling from their graves, both Izuku and Katsuki heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, the horde seemed to quell a bit, and the two of them could finally rest for a bit.

Izuku might be a tireless entity, and Katsuki a stamina monster, but fighting nonstop was mentally taxing. The rare moments where they could catch their breaths was soothing to their souls as they took in the dark and dreary atmosphere of the foggy cemetery.

"Annoying corpses." Izuku moaned, his zweihander's blade sunken into the ground as he stretched his joints and took out the bits and pieces of flesh stuck in them. "Blegh. Looks like I'll be having a date with Hewg later."

"Who's Hewg?" Katsuki piped up from beside him, a raised eyebrow declaring his confusion. Izuku stared at the ash blond for a moment, before snapping his fingers in realization.

"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you about the Roundtable Hold." Izuku hummed a tune as he laid his hands on the hilt of All Strike. Pulling it from the ground, he laid it against his shoulder and side-eyed the ash blond. "Basically, think of a pocket dimension where I can ask some people to help with my travels."

"Like… companions and shit?" Katsuki looked even more curious, as well as a tad bit confused.

"No, nothing like that." Izuku waved his free hand. "Something along the lines of equipment maintenance, a place to wind down when I get bored of seeing the same shade of green for the umpteenth time… And also, some therapy sessions."

"... You? Therapy…?" Katsuki looked on with disbelief, garnering an amused snort from the armored greenette.

"What? Is it impossible to imagine me needing to have a healthy mental state?" Izuku chuckled, his helmet muffling the sounds that exited his throat. "If I wasn't able to stay sane, I doubt you would be having this conversation with me."

Katsuki looked away, a frown hovering over his face. His throat bobbed up and down as his eyes looked far and away, a hint of guilt hidden deep within. Silence overcame the two, the wind whistling across their ears the only sound to be heard in this eerie cemetery.

"Been a fucking week since we've got here…" Katsuki started after a few seconds, his eyes staring far off into the distant horizon. "I've been thinking the whole time… About this place… About myself… About you…"

"Hmm?" Izuku raised an eyebrow at the statement, his lips forming a thin line across his face.

"Hell, wasn't even able to say the thing before I got sucked into this fucking fantasy world." Katsuki chuckled bitterly, a wry smile stretching the corners of his lips. He turned his head and stared directly into Izuku's eyes underneath his helmet. "So, before I forget. I'm sorry… For the shitty things I've done to you in the past."

His words came out like silk, no gasps or stutters. Izuku was a bit surprised to hear the ash blond apologizing, much more to himself, but then again, before they were sent here, Katsuki was about to say something to him that tore him up inside. Maybe this was what he wanted to do. Apologize for all the shit he's sent his way back to when they were young.

If he had apologized when they first met, back in the USJ, Izuku would've scoffed and flipped him the bird. However, his time training the whelp, as well as the time spent traveling with him made him realize the effort the ash blond had gone through to try and atone for the things he had done.

And Izuku respected that. That being said…

"You think I'm gonna forgive you just because you apologized?" Izuku frowned, his fingers twitching upon the hilt of his blade.

"Hell no, and I don't expect you to." Katsuki shrugged. "God fucking knows I don't deserve it, doesn't mean I wouldn't spend my life doing what's right. I'm sick of doing stupid, villain shit… Sick of myself for even doing those fucked up things in the first place." He clenched his fists, eyes closed as he squatted down, head downcast. "Never has my life been this clear… And all it took was one of my friends getting cut in half, reflecting for ten months, then getting thrown into some weird ass fantasy world with said friend."

The ash blond chuckled as his hands played with the dirt, grime clinging to his leather gloves as he formed a dirt ball.

"Fuck my life, man…" He chucked it away, the ball of dirt landing atop one of the severed heads of a zombie he had slain.

Izuku listened to all of it while stewing in his thoughts. As much as he hated the ash blond for all the things he'd done to him, and all other victims during his bullying days, he couldn't really stay angry that much, not with Katsuki getting torn to death by his guilt and remorse. He was suffering, that much was clear to the greenette, and truthfully, as long he continued to suffer, will Izuku's inner demons be satisfied.

He might not outright show it, but internally, Katsuki was a mess. He'll forever carry it into his grave, the bundle of regret and remorse he had in the first chapter of his life… And that was enough for Izuku. Couldn't really fault him for his situation in the first place, what with the main culprit being a slime villain that was choking said ash blond to death before Izuku tried to save him, ending up with him getting torn in half..

And also, the literal cosmic being that thrust him into the Lands Between, but that was past the point. 

As such… He had no idea how to approach the situation… Here was Katsuki, his once-friend-turned-bully, that had suicide baited him, made him feel less like a human and more a pest, and had physically abused him for the better half of a decade with his quirk, drowning in guilt and regret… He didn't know what to do…

The two succumbed to silence once more, the howling wind rushing through the ears as the distant groans of zombies could be heard from all around. Only for it to be broken by Izuku sighing as he squatted down right next to Katsuki.

He may have had no idea how to respond, but he could always copy what someone would do in said situation, in this case, his dead mother. He closed his eyes and thought about his past. His fragmented memories proved it difficult, but he was able to bring some of them back.

Even after his father had left them, not even bothering to leave anything behind after the fact that Izuku was diagnosed quirkless, his mother didn't hate him. Well, openly at least. But there was one thing she said to him that came rushing to the front of his mind like a tidal wave.

"Your father… Ever since he left, I hated him. For leaving me behind… For leaving you behind… Our precious son… My baby… But I can't let it consume me, otherwise, who's going to take care of you?"

Her words echoed within the chambers of his mind, and Izuku knew what he had to do.

"Look, Katsuki. I hate what you did to me all those years ago… I hate you because you kept on doing them for years… I will never let go of this hatred, just because you fucking apologized." His words dripped with venom, the stoic, sometimes teasing veneer dropped and forgotten as he laid out his feelings he had locked within himself. "But… but… I will not act on them… Not until you give me a reason to… A new reason for me to hate you again…"

"That's all I ask." Katsuki was quick to agree, knowing that Izuku's metaphorical blade hung overhead like a guillotine.

"Good." Izuku clammed his mouth shut, the frown still on his face underneath the helmet. His chest felt lighter, his shoulders less tense. Fia was right, bottling emotions wasn't healthy. "Anyway, let's get going. Can't waste anymore time here, don't want the zombies to horde us again."

"Heh, read my fucking mind." Katsuki grinned, albeit weakly, and stood together with Izuku. Once more, they trudged on through the cemetery, cutting down anything that dared rise from the grave.

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Their boots stopped, imprints left on the ground behind them. Corpses of zombies littered the path they took, their once glowing eyes now dimmed, impossible to see within the foggy night.

"So… Chances this feels like a trap?" Katsuki asked as his eyes roamed the rope bridge hanging over a gorge.

"Yes." Was Izuku's simple response. Sighing, the ash blond readied his hands and removed the leather gloves, slipping them into a fanny pack all the while.

Izuku, meanwhile, deposited All Strike back into his bottomless box, garnering a raised eyebrow from Katsuki.

"You want me to accidentally cut the ropes when I swing?" Izuku's response caused Katsuki to nod, understanding dawning over him.

He rummaged through the bottomless box for a while, until he withdrew something from within with a grin. Katsuki looked at him, his head tilting to the side at the odd weapon choice.

"Been a while since I've used this." Izuku strapped the caesti over his metal gauntlets – a bit uncomfortable, sure – and flexed them for a bit. "Can't ignore hand to hand if I ever lose my weapon during a fight."

"... Understandable." Katsuki hummed. "Anyway, we going?"

"Yep." Izuku popped the 'p'. "I have the front and you the back?"

"Yeah." Katsuki turned around and directed his gaze at anything that might be suspicious. Sure, zombies had already climbed out of the graves nearby, but there were others that still laid unsullied.

The two of them advanced, Izuku's eyes glued to the front while Katsuki made sure to check their six o'clock with fervent zeal.

When they reached the middle part of the bridge, Katsuki saw something moving on the edge of the bridge and immediately tapped Izuku on the shoulder.

Izuku turned around and saw Katsuki pointing towards the end of the bridge and saw the same movement. It was then followed by audible groans and those glowing blue eyes the zombies here had.

"Well, shit." Izuku muttered underneath his breath. Turning around, his eyes widened when he saw another horde of zombies coming their way. "Ah, fuck."

"Can't use my quirk too much." Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the incoming horde on both sides. "Don't want to collapse the damn bridge."

"Use your mace then." Izuku replied and the ash blond did just as he said. He got it from a soldier he had killed back in Stormveil Castle. He didn't really use it much because his Quirk proved too useful, plus it was like a muscle.

The more a Quirk is used, the more it develops.

Grabbing it from his belt – baldric to be more precise – Katsuki held it in his dominant hand and readied himself for the horde. This was going to be a hard fight, not because of their enemies, but because of their location.

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"Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought." Izuku grinned, his armor bloodied, and fists caked in gore.

"Fuck you." Katsuki scowled, his mace dripping with blood, staining the bridge with its crimson color. "Thought I was gonna fall off at some point."

"Well, that's what I would call a skill issue." Izuku teased and got a birdie for his troubles. "Anyways, need to get moving. We can't stay here.

"Thought you'd never ask." Katsuki hung his mace back on his baldric, ignoring the blood that splattered across his clothes and armor. They were already stained, what was some more?

They continued onward, ignoring the various bodies that littered the bridge. It took just half a minute before they reached the end of the bridge, only to immediately be assaulted by a rabid dog that was hiding within the bushes.

Izuku's instincts kicked into overdrive and punched the damned mongrel into the ground, before brutalizing it, leaving behind a dog with its head literally pulped beyond recognition.

"... The fuck, Izuku?" Katsuki looked at the armored greenette, his face a bit green at the sheer brutality he was faced with.

"I hate dogs. I also hate dogs that surprise me." Izuku sneered at the dog's corpse. The number of times he had died to dogs were too many to count.

They were fucking annoying.

Sighing, Izuku stood up and quickly unstrapped his caesti and deposited them back into his bottomless box, before grabbing All Strike and hefting it up against his shoulder.

Just in time for his eyes to catch a glint amidst the darkness. Eyes widening, he pushed Katsuki out of the way and an arrow lodged itself into his neck.

Pain coursed through his veins, blood clogging up his throat as he choked on his own lifeforce. Grabbing the shaft, he yanked the arrow out and blood gushed out of the wound. It didn't stop Izuku from grabbing his Flask of Crimson Tears and gulping down a sip.

His wound closed and the blood that choked him he spat out. Once he was no longer at risk of dying because of choking of all things, Izuku rushed towards the area where he saw the glint.

And lo and behold, there were two puppet soldiers, both of them using bows. Swinging All Strike, the blade cut through both of their bodies like butter, and they cluttered to the ground, lifeless… Inanimate.

"Shit… Thanks…" Katsuki came up behind him and called from below. Looking down, he realized that the two puppets were situated in some kind of elevated alcove.

"Gonna have to sharpen your situational awareness." Izuku said and Katsuki nodded at the statement.

"I know."

They looted the two puppets, the bows obviously of higher quality than those found amongst the bandits in Limgrave but lesser compared to Stormveil Castle's armory, and once they were done, they continued onwards.

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A/N: Sorry for the delay. Kind of forgot the day... It do be like that sometimes...

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