Thinking of you, wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend. Now I will step forward to realize this wish. And who knows: Starting a new journey may not be so hard, or maybe it has already begun. There are many worlds….,

A little boy dreams of many things. He dreams of grandeur, of being the king of the world. His dreams are big though his body is small. He is cocky and he is arrogant but it is not unfounded.

Across the street, another boy slumbers and dreams of something more, even as he is taken from his bed. His dreams are simple and sweet, the kind that little children tend to have.

One will wake up the next day wearing his arrogance on his sleeve, and the other will wake up in a castle far from home.

One will be mourned, and the other will move on as life moves forward, and he will forget.

(But there is a saying that once you meet someone, your mind may forget them, but your heart never will. Nothing that happens is ever forgotten, even if you can't remember.)

This is not the beginning of the story, but, perhaps, a turning point. The endless cycle of this tale as old as time will perhaps, one day, break with these two.

But for now, two boys sleep and they dream of a better world.

The sky above him is not his own.

It is a myriad of colors blending, flowing, changing indiscriminately. First it is orange, flickering like fire. Katsuki thinks that it must be dusk, and that he fell asleep in the grass fields that dwell within the forest near his home. It happens often. The grass fields are quiet, the only sound permeating its' atmosphere that of the birds singing to each other and the insects vibrating. When the wind blows across the field, chilling his body from the warmth of the sun, Katsuki knows what peace is, and is gently lulled to sleep.

Then, the sky turns green as grass and he knows that this sky is not his. He watches it for a moment, disbelief welling up in his chest. His head fills with anger and he screams into the air, a broken, choked sound that tapers off into hysterics. Katsuki can't breathe and falls back into the plush grass, too soft to be anything but otherworldly. He screams and screams into the grass, pausing only to suck in air.

This world is not his own.

Eventually, he stops. He takes in a deep, shuddering breath, and wipes at his eyes angrily. He must collect himself because he is Bakugou Katsuki and he does not break down. He sits up, ignoring the blinding red of the sky, and he begins to think back to the last thing that he did.

It does not bode well for him.

Katsuki lives in a strange, out of place town. There are trains and cars and streets like the ones found in big cities, but if you walk far enough from the hustle, there is only lush forest and a mountain in the distance. Older folks can enjoy clean, unpolluted air without leaving their beloved town, and younger kids love to play in the nearby forest.

It's a perfect blend of rural and suburb, and Katsuki would hate it if not for the mountain.

The mountain hardly ever sees visitors, even from the tourists popular in the summer. Most are untrained to deal with the perils of outdoor hiking and so choose to explore the forest at its' base. People local to the area, especially older ones, do not trust the mountain with their children or their own. Strange things loom over it, and even those without some sort of awareness find themselves chilled by the imposing figure in the distance.

(Katsuki, however, isn't a superstitious fool.)

(If only he had listened, then maybe things would be different.)

(Somehow, he doubts it.)
That summer day is warm and bright, and Katsuki has the intense urge to feel the sun on his face. He likes to move, to climb, to burn off his energy until he is exhausted beyond belief. The mountain is his abode, his home, his solace. It offers him everything he wants that morning.

So he packs his bag early in the morning, filling it with the essentials that every good naturist packs. His mother sees him off with kisses to each cheek then his forehead. He's fifteen, though, and the sentiment embarrasses him.

"Have fun my little Kacchan," she murmurs with a gentle smile, fingers carding through his spiked mane. Katsuki snorts and rolls his eyes but nods. His hands are rough with callouses born from his hobby but they are gentle when he pats his mother's shoulder on his way out.

(He ignores the twinge in his chest when she calls him Kacchan.)

(He's never liked the nickname, but he can't say why. Like most things that piss him off, it has no rhyme or reason to it.)

(Still, there is a sense of wrongness from the name, like it is someone else's nickname bequeathed to his mother to fill a void.)

Katsuki shakes the feeling off physically and stomps out with a heavy boot. He taps his fingers idly on his thighs as he trudges past the neighborhood, trying to get as much excess energy out of his system. It's strange, really. His body is on high alert and he feels as if electricity is flowing through his veins. On edge, what he wants most of all is to throw a punch at someone, but there isn't anyone around deserving of his wrath aside from the nice elderly woman down the street who likes to give him homemade candy.

The path to the mountain takes about an hour on foot, and by the time he reaches the base, Katsuki is covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He huffs and downs the first water bottle quickly, wiping the excess water off of his chapped lips. Katsuki opens his phone roughly, checking the time. Above him the sun is crawling across the sky in a lazy arc, as if time is slowed.

Katsuki hefts his bag onto his shoulder, grunting, before starting the trek uphill. He only ever stops at the midpoint of the mountaintop, but something foreign is urging him to climb higher. Perhaps it's his innate sense of arrogance.

(The thought never crosses his mind, not until much, much later, that it might be someone else's influence.)

Katsuki climbs with a single-minded savageness, thoughts only on reaching the peak. His mind is cloudy and hazy, as if caught in a dream. His limbs are as light as air. Hunger and thirst are a foreign thing, meant for mere mortals with limitations.

Somewhere inside him, he trembles at the wrongness of his body.

At the top of the mountain, hidden from sight by foliage, is an old, decrepit shrine. The torii is little more than a rotted piece of wood. The kasagi is split unevenly in half, having lost its' shimaki and the nuki creaks ominously as the wind rushes by. Miraculously, the hashira are somewhat intact, holding the structure upright. The gakuzuka is nowhere to be seen, and the tablet housing the name of this shrine is lost as well. He can't even imagine the state of the actual shrine, seeing as its' torii is so disheveled.

The tugging in his chest urges him towards it, though, and he reluctantly follows its call. Past the overgrown sandou and rotten chouzuya stands the shrine. It stands halfway to the sky, in the process of being rebuilt, but its' carpenters are nowhere to be found, perhaps long dead. The komainu in front of it are worn by time and nature, their fierce expressions faded. Both the haiden and tamagaki are nowhere to be found, dangerously exposing the honden to the mortal realm.

Katsuki feels static in the air and some part of him wants to leave. The other part of him violently rejects that part because no way is he scared of an old, broken shrine from a long forgotten age. He scoffs at himself and trudges forward, glancing at his surroundings. Plants have pushed out the man-made structures, entwined permanently around them.

His legs take him to the half-built honden, entering its depths. The wood of the floor breaks easily under his weight and Katsuki sneers at it. Grumbling, he continues forward, legs creating a path in the rotted wood. Stubbornly, Katsuki drags his legs through it, even as the floor collapses around him. His body is too warm, practically feverish, but still he walks.

At the end of the hallway is a sad pedestal, upon which sits a suspiciously pristine but overall plain mirror. Katsuki perks up, lurching towards the mirror with sudden clarity and a desperation that bewilders him.

The very moment his fingers clasp around it, his vision goes black and Katsuki knows nothing.

Hurriedly, Katsuki searches his person. He slumps back in relief as he finds his bag, along with the pilfered mirror. Gritting his teeth in a grimace, he pushes himself to a stand and surveys the area. Around him are strange grasses weaving to an unknown source of wind. They brush up against his bare legs, caressing his skin softly, as if in reverence of his existence. Katsuki turns his head to the forest of mint green trees that tower over him, sharp eyes slicing through the foliage. The forest is as thick and dense as they come. Katsuki isn't even sure if light is permeating the canopy of the trees.

It's not the smartest option, but he has to walk through the forest. He should stay put but this isn't his world. He's….somewhere Else and has no idea what might inhabit this world. His best chance to survive is to keep moving and then figure out where to go from there.

With that in mind, he trudges towards the forest with heavy feet.

The moment he takes his second step into it, a body falls onto him, pinning him to the ground. The beast easily outweighs Katsuki by a great deal, possibly standing at 183 centimeters. Its' skin is red, and its' hair is long and obscures the teen's vision. He gags on the hair that catches in his mouth in disgust, the urge to vomit filling his senses. Two long, thick horns sprout out of its' forehead and the word oni flashes in Katsuki's mind.

"A human! A real live human! I haven't had one of you in centuries," the oni cackles at its victim. Drool drips out of the ogre's mouth and Katsuki recoils, struggling even further. The ogre switches its grip on him, its other hand raised high above its head, and Katsuki doubles his efforts to get free. The world's strange sun glints off of the ogre's claws ominously.

"Get the fuck off of me jackass!" he shouts, sweat slicking his palms. Something strange wells up in his chest, thrashing alongside him in his rib cage, and he frees a hand. Willing to try anything, Katsuki follows that instinct and smashes his hand, palm facing the oni, into its face. His sweat heats up to an alarming degree and explodes in the yokai's face.

The oni howls and grabs its face, giving Katsuki the opening he needs to fight back. Savagely, he throws his other hand towards the oni and screams Die! as his sweat ignites like a stick of dynamite. His palms are searingly hot and they're in so much pain that his eyes water but Katsuki has no time to think about the repercussions or the cause. All he knows is that he needs to get away and fast

Katsuki scrambles away from the ogre as quickly as he can, feet kicking up dirt into the air as his legs strain to carry him. His heart is hammering in his rib cage and adrenaline gives him a much needed energy boost to fling himself forward. Branches tug at his clothes and roots crawl along the ground in hopes of tripping him but Katsuki has never been clumsy.

(Not like-)

In all honesty, he doesn't want to run away from this fight. He wants to fight, he wants to win against his attacker and wear the thing's head as a trophy. His pride is screaming at him to turn back and fight but practicality and common sense forbid it.

"Get back here! I'm going to enjoy ripping you to shreds and plucking out your entrails, human!" the oni screams, stumbling through the forest after him. Katsuki scowls at that, weaving through the plants and trees naturally.

"Same to you fucker! Let's see how you like being dead with your head on a stick!" he retorts. The oni roars, crashing through trees in a rage not unlike Katsuki's famous temper tantrums. Katsuki snorts in the face of the danger, his hands tucked into his body as close as he can get them. They ache and throb, though strangely, are starting to feel better.

Suddenly, the oni's next roar is cut off, a high pitched, strangled sound emerging from its mouth. Katsuki skids to a stop and turns too fast, slipping and falling onto his back. He sputters indignantly, trying and failing to stand.

Beneath him, a thin sheet of ice covers the ground. Katsuki glances up as a shadow falls over him, hands thrust forward and explosions searing his palms. His new attacker yelps, though it doesn't seem to be from pain. He scowls at that, preparing himself for the next attack at a moment's notice.

"Whoa there! Calm down, I'm not your enemy!" A friendly, male, and most importantly human, voice assures him. Katsuki snorts and looks at the new monster, stopping short once he catches sight of the teen's face.

The boy is the same age as Katsuki. The first thing he notices is his vibrant red mane of spikes and piercing red eyes. They burn through him, heating his body up uncomfortably. There's a small scar above his right eye, easily mistaken as an eyelash of some sort and Katsuki averts his eyes. The teen has sharp teeth bearing a bright grin that he feels inclined to take as a personal offense. The other boy is also, distractingly, shirtless, wearing only a pair of black hakama that emphasize his pale, muscular skin. His arms are thick and sinewy with muscle and his abs are well defined. Compared to him, Katsuki almost feels like a stick.

He looks human, for the most part. But in his inspection of the boy, Katsuki can see that his skin isn't smooth, but clay-like. He almost wants to reach out and run his fingers over the boy's stomach and feel the texture of it but violently curb stomps that urge six feet into the ground where it belongs.

"Eh? How fucking asinine do you think I am?" he flings at the irritatingly attractive teen. He bristles further when the teen offers a hand, his smile pissing Katsuki off even more.

"It's ok buddy, I'm not some human-eating oni. I'm human, like you!" Katsuki gives him an unimpressed look, slapping away the teen's hand and stubbornly pulling himself to a stand.

"You must really think I'm an idiot. Your skin looks like rock, Shit for Brains," he snarls, his temper rising to the surface. The teen scratches the side of his head sheepishly, a nervous laugh bursting out of his mouth.

"Ahhh there's actually a reason for that! You're probably new to the Spirit World and don't know its' Rules," he says. Katsuki opens his mouth to tell him off when a girl slides into view.

"Eijirou-chan! I froze the oni!" she chirps excitedly, arms thrown over the teen's neck in a celebratory hug. Katsuki eyes her with disdain.

The girl is shorter than both teens by a few centimeters. Her hair is shiny and black, absorbing the strange sunlight in subtle ways. Her skin is as pale as snow, paler than even the other boy. She's clothed in a simple blue kimono tied with a long white obi. When she turns towards Katsuki, he can see that her entire eyes are a bright, unearthly blue and her face has an unnatural beauty to it that would enthrall him if he was anyone but Bakugou Katsuki. His own eyes fall to her legs and his stomach churns in dread as he realizes she lacks feet of any kind.

"Good work Yukiko-chan," the boy known as Eijirou says happily. Yukiko releases her hold on him and floats towards Katsuki in childish amazement, inspecting him from head to toe.

"What's your Name, human?" Yukiko inquires, bobbing gently from side to side. Katsuki snorts.

"Bakugou Katsuki," he answers, because Yukiko could freeze his ass so fast he wouldn't get a chance to counter. Yukiko seems happy with his answer and slides away to stand beside Eijirou. Eijirou puts his hands on his hips and smiles even wider.

"That's 'to win' and 'explosion' right?" Eijirou casually throws out. Katsuki narrows his eyes at him.

"What's it to you Shitty Hair?" he snaps viciously, little bursts of his newfound power sprouting across his palms. It doesn't hurt as much anymore, and Katsuki should probably be concerned about that. Eijirou throws his hands up in defense.

"Nothing! It's just, in the Spirit World, Names have power. My full name is Kirishima Eijirou. The kanji for 'cut' and 'sharp' are in it, so my skin can harden and cut things," he explains patiently. Katsuki snorts. "How long have you been in this place anyway? If you don't have a place to go, why not come with us? There's a whole village of humans in your position," he offers quickly, changing the subject. Katsuki gives him a hard stare.

The truth of the matter is that Katsuki has no choice. He can't fight here with a strange power that burns his hands, not weak(the very word makes him tremble in rage)and useless as he is. He can't survive in this world, and the thought makes him sick to his stomach. He has to accept this stranger's offer.

"Fine, I'll go fuckass," he says begrudgingly. Yukiko cheers off to the side, her ghostly form circling Katsuki. She appears to have been taken with him, though Katsuki struggles to remember her name. He grunts and jerks his chin to indicate they lead the way and Yukiko thrusts herself forward in glee, hair flying behind her.

Eijirou grins at him but Katsuki turns his head pointedly.

"So how'd you end up here?" he asks after a good amount of time has passed. Yukiko idly waves her hand and freezes a plant that crawls with them, possibly intending to grab them and drag them further into the forest. Katsuki scowls reflexively, his hands twitching with a rush of power.

"Went hiking. Found a shrine and took a mirror," he says, clipped. Eijirou whistles, hand outstretched and palm up. Katsuki glares at it.

"Can I see the mirror? Maybe that brought you here," he says patiently, trying to pacify Katsuki like he's a rabid dog. Katsuki bristles even further. "Please?" Murmuring under his breath, Katsuki reaches into his bag, his sweaty fist clamping around the object in question. He thrusts it into Eijirou's hands roughly. Eijirou turns it over in his hands, a frown slipping onto his face. Yukiko leans forward, fingers tracing the cool surface almost reverently. Katsuki watches them as they walk.

"Isn't this a yorishiro?" Yukiko asks, taking the mirror from Eijirou and cradling it in her grasp. The surface of the mirror shimmers as she speaks, a はい appearing in its reflection. Katsuki gawks at the plain mirror while Eijirou looks vaguely impressed by it.

"Guess that answers your question. What was that mirror again? Yorishiro?" he says, watching Yukiko make faces at the mirror. She hums and glances up at him, displaying the mirror to the teens.

"A yorishiro attracts kami. They allow kami to occupy a physical space in the Human Realm. But mirrors are special by themselves without the added properties of being a yorishiro. Mirrors reveal the truth. You should hold onto it Katsuki-chan," she says, delicately handing the mirror back to him. Katsuki grumbles at the -chan but takes the mirror and stores it in his bag. Eijirou whistles at the information, turning to shoot a wink at Katsuki.

"Yukiko-chan is rarely serious. You should take her advice to heart, Katsuki," he says, slinging an arm around Katsuki's shoulders. Katsuki's mind blanks for half a second before he pushes Eijirou off of him with a snarl, explosions erupting over his numb palms.

"Shut up and lead, dumbass," he growls. Eijirou frowns but keeps his distance. Yukiko freezes another plant.

They keep walking through the forest.

Time is perceived differently in the Spirit World and Katsuki is unaware of that fact. After what feels like hours, but is probably only twenty minutes, they arrive at the edge of the forest. Yukiko perks up even further and races ahead of the duo, leaving them in the dust. Eijirou offers an awkward but bright smile and follows the excited girl with a hurried step.

They run from the forest with an excitement that Katsuki has not yet seen in them, rushing past the fields of rice paddies and into the rows of straw huts. A few people look up from their work in the fields at Yukiko's exhilarated shouts, smiles forming on their faces at the sight of the ghostly girl. They grin at Eijirou in greeting but stop short to stare at Katsuki, who ignores them.

"We're baaaack~!" Yukiko croons, laughing and spinning. She falls onto her back, dirt kicking in the air as wiggles about. Someone laughs and picks her up with large hands, tossing her into the air.

"Welcome home you two," they say, turning to Eijirou and Katsuki. Katsuki sneers at the hulking blue oni with disdain. It looks similar to the one in the forest that attacked him, with the exception of its skin. Eijirou's smile is wide as he closes the distance between him and Katsuki. The teen bristles at the subtle display, his hair standing even more on end.

"It's good to be back, George," Eijirou murmurs in greeting. George grins, showing off his dangerously sharp, uneven teeth.

"And who is this young man? Another human?" he says with a somber tone, pissing Katsuki off even more.

"Do I look like some fucking yokai to you?" he spits, palms crackling. Yukiko floats down from her perch and pats Katsuki's forearm, her fingers as cold as ice.

"Shhh Katsuki-chan," she murmurs, as if he's a petulant child. Who knows, he thinks distantly, he might just be one to her.

"Calm down Katsuki. I told you before. We're not enemies," Eijirou says, speaking seriously. It only incites Katsuki further and he releases a short scream.

"Fuck off Shit for Brains. I only listened to you fuckers because, as much as I hate it, you saved me for whatever fucking backwards reason," he says, voice full of anger. Eijirou tenses.

"Wait, are you angry that we saved you? What the hell man! You were this close to being yokai food!" Eijirou argues back. Katsuki snorts.

"I could have taken care of it, asswipe," Katsuki argues for the sake of arguing. He's angry and ashamed, and yelling seems to soothe the itch beneath his skin.

"Man what the hell is with you? Show a little decency!" Eijirou rarely raises his voice but this boy is so goddamn infuriating that he can't help it.

"Maybe you should see the Leader and Fuu-san. Yelling like this will only get you nowhere," George interjects with a calm, innocent tone. Katsuki shakes with rage but Eijirou ignores him, his hands clamping down on Katsuki's forearm. He starts moving, pulling the fuming Katsuki with him.

(Katsuki doesn't think about how warm Eijirou's hands are, and he certainly doesn't forget his anger at the boy.)

The so-called Leader of the village lives in a significantly larger house on the edge of the village, far from the rest of the huts. Yukiko skips forward, humming under her breath. Katsuki doesn't care enough to listen to whatever she's singing but Eijirou seems to recognize it and groans.

"Fuu-san! Eijirou-chan and I found another human!" Yukiko chirps in greeting, walking through the entrance without knocking. Eijirou sighs but releases Katsuki and walks through as well. Katsuki stomps past the straw door, brows furrowed.

The inside is far bigger than the outside. The dirt entrance stretches sideways, and a raised platform made of wood extends into the foyer. Katsuki doesn't bother taking off his shoes and steps inside. Yukiko slides forward through house with a familiar ease, ghosting past shoji without a second thought. Eijirou whistles to disrupt the tension that fills the air, hands tucked behind his head as he walks.

Finally, they arrive at a shoji at the very back of the house. Yukiko bows before opening it and steps forward. There's a rustle of clothing and a startlingly familiar yelp. Eijirou chuckles under his breath and urges Katsuki forward.

There is an older woman sitting by a small desk. She turns towards Katsuki, and her face is round and beautiful. She's thin and pale, almost screaming fragile. Her eyes are big and full, a deep black that lesser men have fallen into. Her hair is black like Yukiko's, shining with an ethereal glow, and twists around her feet and on the floor. However, Katsuki is no fool and his eyes pick out the oddness of her hair. The ends are sharp, tipped with deadly barbs that glint eerily.

"Fuu-san," Eijirou greets, walking in behind Katsuki. He gently pushes the tense boy forward to make room for himself and Katsuki's chest heats up at the touch. Fuu smirks at him, as if knowing of his predicament, and rises to a stand.

"You must be the human Eijirou-kun found," she says, voice like silk and honey. Katsuki nods tersely, fists at his side.

"Ah yeah. So what do you think, Izuku?" Eijirou says, turning to another person. Katsuki stiffens and his gaze slides over to the boy sitting at the second desk in the room.

The boy is small and thin, hardly bigger than Yukiko. His hair is tinted green and seems like an untameable mess on his head. His skin is sun-kissed, possibly from doing labor in the sun, strange as it is. When he looks at Katsuki, his eyes are large and forest green. There's a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose that Katsuki doesn't need to see, because he already knows that they're there. The boy's dark kimono hangs loosely on his frame, exposing his shapely pectoral muscles, hinting at a muscular frame despite his height.

But, perhaps, the biggest thing that stands out about the boy is the dragon around his neck.

The dragon is thin and small, weaving itself around the boy's neck protectively. Its' right side is snow white like Yukiko's skin, while its' left side is as red as Eijirou's hair. The thin patch of fur follows the same pattern, twisting down the dragon's torso to its tail. A patch around its left eye is darker red, and the skin is aged as if burned. The dragon's eyes are two different colors, the left being a dazzling emerald green while the right is as black as night. The dragon doesn't possess wings of any kind but Katsuki is almost sure that it can fly. The back claws cling to the boy's neck while its' front claws hang over his shoulder leisurely.

Both Katsuki and the boy blink at each other, one slowly giving into his anger and the other incredulous.

"Kacchan," the boy murmurs.

"Deku," Katsuki snarls lowly at the same time. His body shakes as long forgotten memories rock his core, his vision turning red. The boy flinches at the nickname, the dragon lifting its' head to glare at Katsuki.

He doesn't think about much as he flies towards the boy that used to be his childhood friend, palms slick with sweat and crackling in an explosion.

...but they share the same sky — one sky, one destiny.
-Kairi, Kingdom Hearts 2

Ahhh, my first multi-chaptered fic! I'm so excited for this TBH, I hope everyone likes it!