A Dragon's Fairy Tale

A long long time ago, in a Kingdom far far away.

There lived a Little Prince and a Little Princess who were madly in-love.

(Yuck, is this another kissing book?)
(You'll see. You know one day, you won't think it's so yucky.)
(Ew, Moooom! Girls are gross!)
(Hush now, lay back down or I won't read this.)
(Okay!)

They spent their days together in enchanting meadows and emerald hills, where they played with joyful elves and mischievous fairies near the shimmering rainbow fountains.

When the sun set, they savored sweet bread while watching the stars twinkle and dance in the velvety sky.

Everyone who saw them could tell they were the happiest creatures in the entire Kingdom.

But one day, a strange thing happened—the Little Princess vanished, leaving the Little Prince all alone in the majestic Castle.

"Where did she go?" The Little Prince asked the Oyster Man, who was busy making sweet honeyed bread for his bakery.

The Oyster Man, who knew the lore of the Kingdom, told him that she was taken by the evil dragons who lived in the Dreadful Mountains.

Fear gripped the Little Prince, as he had never journeyed beyond the Kingdom before.

The Oyster Man offered to give the Little Prince enough sweet bread that he'd forget all about the Little Princess.

The Little Prince refused and said, "I'd rather spend one day with her than have all the sweet bread in the world."

And so, after taking a sword and a map with him, he set forth outside the Kingdom. He traveled through terrifying haunted forests and crossed angry frothing rivers.

And although he was scared and cried many times at night, he kept on going.

Soon, the Little Prince found himself in a land that wasn't on his map.

There were scary strange people there who lived outside the Kingdom, but the Little Prince decided to make them his friends.

(How did he do that?)
(With a wink and a smile. Like this!)
(Oooooh. )

The people there lived difficult lives, but they were strong and kind, and gave shelter to the poor Little Prince.

They told him that the land was dying, and it was all because of the evil dragons of the Dreadful Mountains.

After learning all he could from them, the Little Prince started the long climb to the tallest peak of the Dreadful Mountains.

As he delved deeper into the mountains, he stumbled upon a hidden sanctuary—a secret haven cradling a nest filled with peacefully resting baby dragons.

The dragons looked at the Prince and they shared the same lost expression.

They weren't evil at all, thought the Prince, they were scared and sad like he was.

He shared his quest to rescue the Little Princess, and to his surprise, the dragons listened attentively. They had long yearned for a companion, someone who could understand their kind hearts beneath their fearsome appearances.

Days turned into weeks, and the Little Prince immersed himself in dragon lore, training with them and forming bonds with his newfound friends. He became a dragon knight.

The little dragons who were his most trusted friends, grew up big and strong. So that all who knew them, knew they were ferocious.

One fateful day, the dragons revealed that their mother had fallen into an enchanted sleep, poisoned by a loaf of honeyed bread, and her flowing tears was poisoning the land.

The Little Prince immediately knew the culprit—the Oyster Man.

Together, the Little Prince and the dragons devised a plan to confront the evil baker who had taken the Little Princess. The Oyster Man had grown jealous of the love shared between the prince and princess, and he sought to take over the kingdom and rule with cruelty and greed.

With the dragons' fiery breath and the Little Prince's bravery, they engaged in a fierce battle against the baker's forces. The clash of steel and magic echoed through the night.

Using his foul evil magic, the Oyster Man had turned himself into a ferocious green dragon and challenged the Little Prince.

Although he was far smaller than the huge dragon, The Little Prince remembered all the things he had learned on his journey, and all the friends he had made, and with one mighty slash he slew the foul dragon.

As the Oyster Man's true form lay defeated and the Kingdom was saved, the Little Princess reappeared before the Little Prince.

He asked her where she's been, and the Little Princess replied "I was with you the whole time."

The princess revealed that she had been with him all along, guiding and encouraging him to be the hero that he had become. Without her absence, he would never have found the need to leave the Kingdom, and he would never have gained the strength and bravery within himself to save them all.

The Little Princess and the Little Princess stood together, their love stronger than ever as they shared true love's kiss.

They extended warm invitations to the dragons, who's mother has been cured, and all the people of the land, urging them to join in their new Kingdom—a place where kindness, courage, and love thrived.

And they Lived Happily Ever After.

---

(You remember now. If you're ever scared, that I'm always with you. Even when I'm not around.)
(I'm never scared! I'll slay all the bad guys for you!)
(Okay hero, but you should rest. You can fight bad guys in the morning.)
(Will you read the book again tomorrow?)
(Alright, only if you're a good little boy.)
(And the next day too right? and after that, and the day after that.....Yawn...)
(Sweet dreams, Inigo.)

---

---

---

Tuesday, 7:54 PM

It was 10 years ago, exactly, from this night that Inigo's mother had disappeared. Nobody knew where she went, nor does anyone know if she's even still alive. He had mourned her loss all those years, but now she was just a distant, bitter memory. One that he felt guilty for not being too sad over. If she cared, I would've gotten at least a postcard by now. Inigo sighed. He had hoped to lose himself in drinking and partying tonight, but the poor weather had interrupted their plans. Now half the streets were flooded, and all the best clubs were shut down. He sat in the backseat of the van, surrounded by four of the mercenary group called "the Horrific Five." Rain pounded against the windows, creating a rhythmic patter against the heavy silence that enveloped them. They'd been told to lay low while their leader, Desolator, picked up their order from WcDonald. The atmosphere inside the van was tense, a mix of anticipation and unease. Inigo fidgeted with his red tie, stealing glances at his companions. Tether, always the polite one, sat with his hands folded neatly on his lap. Nox stared out the window, her shadowy outline seeming even darker against the gray sky. Mercury tapped his fingers impatiently on the dashboard. He was full of restless energy. And Maddox, with her broad shoulders and stern expression, kept a vigilant eye on the street ahead.

Inigo felt off; he wasn't sure if he felt bad because he had taken 2nd place to Junichi in their mech gaming tournament or because he was having Hoge withdrawals. The knot in his stomach made sitting still difficult. "Think I'm going in. I'll be right back." He opened the van door and slid out into the rain. Calm breaths and the sound of falling raindrops permeated his senses. He felt the tension ease. "Our orders are to stay right here, kid," Maddox called out from the driver's seat.

"Yeah? Well, I'm not on the payroll, so... kiss my ass!" Inigo rolled his eyes and placed his hands behind his head. He walked towards the Wcdonalds with its obnoxious, bright yellow W sign. A passing car drove by and rode over a large puddle next to Inigo. He activated his quirk creating a curved wall to his right, causing the car to splash itself with muddy water. Assholes. Gigan transformed into an umbrella over him. The mild ringing in his head told him Gigan wasn't pleased with him. Not tonight, buddy...

"Aw, if he's leaving, I'm going too!" Mercury moved to join the blonde teen before Maddie's large, muscular arm grabbed him by the collar. "You're staying put!" Nox and Tether exchanged an uneasy look with each other. 

Inigo made his way across the semi-flooded street corner. He got there just in time to see Desolator moving towards an alleyway; there was a smaller figure walking after him. Christopher? Inigo blinked twice and narrowed his eyes to confirm his vision. He turned to look towards the Wcdonalds they came from and saw four of the Spheresgirls speaking to the restaurant's manager. They were all talking at the same time, and the poor man had a dumbfounded look on his face. It seemed like an appropriate reaction when confronting four of the richest girls in Shiketsu in a fast food joint. 

The knot in his stomach had returned. Something didn't feel right about the way Christopher was moving. Why didn't Desolator go to the van? Had Christopher identified the man as an international villain? The boy was smart, but it'd be really dumb to go after villains on your own. Remind you of someone? Inigo shook his head and ran forward towards the alleyway.

"Gigan, go get the others." He ordered as his construct flew away. Inigo kicked off a wall and grabbed a fire escape handrail. At least this'll get my mind off this terrible night. He lifted himself up, and with a few precise jumps, he found himself up on the roof. He kept running. Inigo made good pace as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop and spotted Desolator in the distance. Rain-soaked buildings blurred past him, and the city's lights shimmered in the wet darkness.

Inigo slid down a pipe with a clamor and landed on the ground. There, in the distance, he saw Christopher struggling in Desolator's grip, his face turning red as he gasped for air. Chris was grasping blindly at the cold asphalt as he lost consciousness. Desolator crouched over the boy with his fingers digging tightly into Christopher's neck. 

Inigo dashed forward and tackled the senior mercenary from behind. They rolled on the ground together. Fists flew as they swung at each other. Desolator instinctively grabbed Inigo's shoulder and slammed his knee up. Inigo staggered back in pain, twisting away as he rolled to his feet. He stood in front of the unconscious Christopher.

"What do you think you're doing? I almost shot you." Desolator growled as he rubbed the fingers on his right hand, his left hand holding a gun.

"You're leaving this one alone. Christopher's not a threat." Inigo's mind was racing; he focused on recalling Gigan to his side.

"Hmm, so that's the spawn's name." Desolator shifted his attention from the unconscious boy to Inigo with a flash of interest in his eyes. "Tell me, young man, what's he to you?" He pointed the gun at Christopher.

Shivering in the rain, Inigo moved to block the gun. "He's one of my classmates. Just a whiny brat I like to mess with." He glared. "He's not worth your time."

Desolator waved his gun left and right. "Oh, I know what he's capable of. The way I see it, this boy endangers our job here. We're not going to hurt him, but we should get him out of the way."

"That's not happening." Gigan appeared next to Inigo, and his armor materialized around him.

"So he's more than just a classmate, is he? We're at an impasse. You see, if you don't get him help soon, things will turn ugly. We can get him help, but he has to come with us."

"Your fingers are broken. I don't think you can fight me with what Chris did to you." Inigo glared at Desolator as emerald dragon claws grew from his fingertips.

"You're going to fight all of us?"

Inigo heard footsteps behind him as the rest of the Five appeared.

"Ey, what the hell's going on?" Inigo? Boss?" Mercury was the first to talk as they entered the rain-drenched alleyway.

"Sam. This isn't in the contract." Maddox said, looking at the unconscious Christopher with pity.

"Tick tock, Myoga. So what's it going to be? Are you fighting us all?"

Inigo glanced behind him to see Tether and Nox readying their quirks. Yellow lights and swirling darkness gathered next to them.

Could he fight the Five? Two villains in the park were pushing it, and even then he had needed his friends help. Inigo looked down at Christopher. He had rushed in to help with the villains that night without concern. Inigo owed it to him to do all he could to help him now. He glanced around at the narrow alley. He just needed to escape. Inigo crouched down and grabbed Christopher. He flapped his wings to fly away, but suddenly he felt his quirk weaken; his wings were slowed by Maddox's gaze.

All at once, the others activated their quirks. Inigo was flipped sideways and crashed into a nearby fence. Yellow lights stuck to his side as Tether's quirk pinned him. Shadows flew from Nox and stabbed into Inigo's chestplate; he reeled in pain. "Nothing personal, eh kid?" Mercury said that as he appeared behind Inigo, his arms came out from behind the fence and pulled Inigo's arms, twisting them behind him.

"Have you had enough?" Desolator said.

"I haven't even started." Inigo focused on Gigan and modified his wings. Large spinning blades of emerald energy grew from his shoulders and began rotating around Inigo. The fence that kept him pinned broke. Tether used his quirk to pull Nox away as one of the blades swung at her. Another blade caught Mercury before he could properly phase away, nearly slicing him in half. Maddox stood her ground, but the blades kept her from moving forward. Inigo knew he couldn't fight them all; it was a losing battle, but Gigan was buying him time. He thought back to what he knew about Desolator. "I'd like... a contract negotiation. Clause 69." It was the only clause he remembered, for some reason.

"What'd you say?" Desolator raised a brow.

"My brother showed me your contract; clause 69 says we can give you a 3-day warning for re-negotiation in the case of a conflict of interest. I'm giving it to you now. Three days from now, we'll talk about Christopher; until then, you can't touch him."

"You don't have that authority, son."

"I do."

"Does he?" Mercury said from the ground as he looked around, uncertain.

Inigo turned to him. "Like you said before, I'll be taking over one day. Of course, I have authority. Or are you willing to break a contract for a high school boy?"

Silence filled the alleyway as the rain turned into a light drizzle. They all stood still, eyeing each other.

Finally, Desolator lowered his gun and chuckled; he seemed amused but a little agitated. "Three days, young man. We'll see you then. Your uncle's not going to be happy, I'll tell you that." He turned to the rest of the Five. "Come with me; we have to talk."

The Horrific Five left the alleyway. Inigo sank to his knees next to Christopher and pulled out his burner phone. He dialed 119.

---

Inigo sat holding his friend in the cold alleyway as rain fell around them. Gigan's umbrella floated overhead. Christopher's complexion had faded to a pale shadow, and his labored wheezing emphasized the pain wracking his body. Inigo held his friend closer. Inigo remembered when he first met Chris on the rooftop. Back then, he didn't see a wimpy crybaby when Christopher copied his quirk; he saw someone who held his emotions in. Inigo had caught a glimpse of the burden he carried. Inigo had made it a priority to bother Chris—not to find him a girl but to help break him out of the shell he was in. If even just a little bit. You'd never know it, but he was the youngest of them all, and although he acted aloof sometimes, Inigo noticed the boy's efforts to help others, whether it was by teaching them chess or giving his classmates battle analysis after a loss. He played as a hero, but he was still a kid. They were all just kids.

"Mom.." Christopher whimpered, his face contorting in anguish. You idiot. Inigo gritted his teeth. Chris was calling for a mother who would never come. Who would never appear again. Inigo's eyes stung and blurred. His tears surprised him. He had rarely wept in the last ten years. At some point, the tears just stopped coming out of him, but now they were falling like the rain. "Your mom's not here, but your finest general is by your side." He heard sirens going off in the distance. It was gonna be a long night.

---

---

---

Friday, 6:33 AM

It was another bright, shiny day at Shiketsu Academy. Plans for some sort of tournament were just announced, and it had set Class 1-D in an oddly competitive mood. Along with that, the school's speakers had just declared that the morning period would be a free period, causing a small round of cheers from the students. Sally, Christopher, and Inigo had just walked to the school together, and now this happens. Guess my luck is turning around, Inigo thought to himself. He walked by the corner of the classroom and noticed the prettiest girl in the class who sat with her face buried in a large textbook. His heart skipped as he put on his patented grin and approached her.

He stepped in front of Hoge's desk. "Hey, it's a free period; you wanna hang out?"

"No, the free period doesn't change my priorities." Hoge looked up at him. "If anything, this unannounced free period is distressing. My preparations for the day are ruined. Timetable needs redistributing. Entire weeks of scheduling down the drain. Not to mention the fact that the school would make up this free time by accelerating one of the periods later. I don't do well in these situations, Ini." Her voice got quieter as she went on.

Inigo's heart stung. It would've sounded like a joke if it wasn't Hoge. She had also just called him Ini, and she actually looked like she was about to cry. He glanced around, his mind racing. It really wasn't all that bad; she was just in her head, right? A distraction could help. That would cheer her up. "No worries! You see that bear that Chris is holding?"

Hoge narrowed her eyes. "You have that stupid grin on your face, like you're about to do something dumb."

Inigo shook his head and smirked. He buried his hands in his pockets. "That's my secret, babe. I'm always doing something dumb."

He approached Chris' desk from behind; the rest of the class were busy chatting and enjoying their free period. Chris was using it to write in his notebook as he held the bear plush close to him. He kept glancing toward the classroom door. Was he expecting someone? Desolator maybe? Too soon.. Gigan smacked Inigo on the back of the head. Ouch! He wasn't even safe in his own head. Stupid quirk.

"Yo Chris, what do you have there?" Inigo's eyes sparkled mischievously as he went around his friend's desk.

Chris looked up, quickly closing his notebook. Was he drawing? "Oh, hey, Inigo. It's just another gift someone left me—nothing special." He blinked like he had just said something he didn't want to.

Inigo leaned in, amused. "Hmmm, no tag, name, or anything, huh? Are you sure it's not something more?"

Chris shook his head. "No, just a nice gesture."

Inigo's grin widened as he gently picked up the bear. "Well, if it's not special, you don't mind if I gift it to Hoge, right? You have like hundreds of these now. Thanks bud!" He started walking away before Chris could raise a complaint.

Inigo got about three steps in before he found himself tackled by the legs; Chris' grip was bear tight. "No, Inigo! The bear is mine!" Inigo struggled to crawl towards Hoge's desk. "Hey, c'mon, bro! Remember, your neck isn't fully healed yet. Hang on! Just hear me out." He inched forward.

In the midst of their wrestling match, Inigo's hand slipped, and the bear went flying through the air. Inigo's eyes flashed. He pointed at the bear. His voice booming: "That bear is for the best girl! It's meant for true Love and a True Hero!"

The class turned their attention towards the commotion, their curiosity piqued. Kaylee wasn't sure about what Inigo just said; she just knew that everyone was looking at the bear now. Her competitive spirit took over, and she flew up to grab it.

"Jugo! Bro!" Inigo shouted as Christopher let him go. Jugo looked up from reviewing his math test score and quickly chased after Kaylee. They met in the air, and their fighting instincts took over. He knocked the bear out of Kaylee's hand.

The bear fell from the air and landed in the hands of Ashleigh and Imai simultaneously as they both tried to catch it. They exchanged glances, unsure of what to do next.

Ashleigh spoke up, her voice uncertain. "You take it."

Imai shook his head, insisting, "No, you caught it. It should belong to you, Katsuragi."

"Really? Okay." Ashleigh smiled.

A sudden interruption came as Shinkan rushed between them, grabbing the stuffed bear. "Coming through! Choo choo!" The two were left with their hands touching.

Hifumi, appearing out of thin air next to Shinkan, swiftly snatched the bear from his grasp. "This belongs to Hailey."

Shinkan chased after Hifumi as he teleported back, closing in on him. "Hifumi! Give it back!"

Hifumi chuckled as he tossed the bear over Shinkan's head. "Inigo! Catch!"

Inigo caught the bear and found himself dodging Shinkan at full speed. He rolled backward and threw the bear. "Bobby! Catch!"

Bobby stood up from his desk and managed to catch the bear, but the chase continued with Shinkan hot on his heels. Bobby moved towards Minnie, but Shinkan tackled him, sending it flying towards the Spherethirsts girls, who were preoccupied with their phones. The bear landed on Minnie's desk.

Minnie glanced at the bear on her desk, perplexed. "It's on my desk."

Her four girl friends huddled closer, examining the bear with mixed opinions.

Hailey wrinkled her nose. "Ew?"

Max shrugged, uninterested. "Looks like those cheap toys from the arcade. Not that I'd go there."

Faith chimed in, her tone skeptical. "I heard they barely clean those..."

Edith gave a disgusted look. "The design lacks taste."

Hailey turned around, her eyes landing on Yui, then shifting to the bear. A hint of recollection crossed her face. "Um... actually, this bear looks pretty good. It could make a great present."

Faith's eyes lit up. "It looks super cute!"

Minnie smiled and patted the bear. "It's so soft!"

Edith read the words on the bear. "Get 'bearter' soon. That's a good one. I'm gonna post that."

Max shrugged. "Good thing the arcades here have standards."

Suddenly, Sora, using his gravity powers, flung the bear out of their grasp. The small boy ran upside down on the ceiling, shouting, "You snooze, you lose! It's mine now!"

Inigo called out, surprised. "Sora! Who are you even giving it to?"

Sora grinned mischievously and sent the bear flying at high speed, heading straight for Orochi.

Orochi looked up and gracefully stepped off her desk, executing a perfect backflip to evade the bear. She struck a cute pose, putting two fingers next to her eyes and winking playfully.

Inigo couldn't contain his excitement. "She dodged it! 10/10!"

Sora cursed in frustration, and he used his quirk to boomerang the bear back toward Orochi. She dodged again.

Shinkan grabbed the bear and threw it at Orochi. She ducked. With dance-like twirls, Orochi grinned and scooted her way out of the classroom. "Gotta do better than that! Sorry boys! No, no, no, no, no-" She was gone.

Sora sent the bear flying back to his hand, but he was suddenly struck by a rubber bullet, causing the bear to soar high into the air. Noah flapped his wings and gracefully caught the bear. He landed next to Sally, handing it to her.

Noah smiled politely. "Nice shot, Sally."

"A-are you giving this to me?"

Noah nodded, his eyes sincere. "Well, you made the shot. It seems fitting."

"I-is that the only reason? If not, then I don't really want the bear!" Sally's face filled with red.

Noah tilted his head to the side. "Should Noah take it back?"

"No, since you went through all the trouble to get it for me, I mean... t-thanks... I just-"

They were interrupted as Genma's chain wrapped around the bear, pulling it toward him. He held it out for Hiro to see. His teeth flashed white. "Got it!"

Hiro, seemed uninterested. He yawned and observed the bear. "The dye on this is different. It's rare. I could analyze it."

Genma raised his chin in the air. "Yeah, well, this is mine, bro."

Hiro shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just making conversation. I don't really care."

Inigo, seizing the opportunity, snatched the bear from Genma's hand, but his run was short-lived as Shinkan tackled him to the ground. Followed by Bobby tackling Shinkan.

"Now neither of us have it." Hiro smiled slightly with amusement.

Genma activated his quirk, creating a duplicate bear. He handed it to Hiro. "Here. Do that analysis thing you do and give it back."

Hiro nodded, accepting the duplicate bear. "Oh. Right. Thanks."

A chaotic struggle ensued, with Inigo, Shinkan, Bobby, and Sora fiercely fighting over the bear in the middle of the class. In the midst of the chaos and the ever-changing hands the bear passed through, Hifumi appeared next to Hailey, offering her his hand. "Let's go."

Hailey hesitated, her eyes fixed on the bear. "But... what about the bear?" Hifumi smiled. "We can find another one." They teleported away as the cloud of wrestling boys reached their spot. Amongst the clouds of dust and scattered desks, the bear suddenly popped out and landed perfectly between Chihiro and Sandatsu, who stayed sitting in their chairs.

Sandatsu slouched over and glanced at Chihiro. "Do you want it?"

Chihiro shook her head, her posture straight and perfect. "No."

"Same." Sandatsu sighed.

"It's nice, though."

"I've had a bad experience with a bear."

"I'm sorry."

"That's okay. I'm bearter now."

They both looked down, each one smiling a little bit, as several chairs flew above them through Sora's quirk. Jugo and Kaylee, still fighting in the air, crash-landed right next to the remaining Spheresgirls, sending books and bags flying.

Edie, Max, and Faith jumped out of the way in time, except Minnie, who found herself on the ground with Bobby on top of her, protecting her from the tossed objects.

Minnie smiled softly, "Thanks, you're my hero."

Bobby smirked, "Just doing my thing. You don't gotta worry with me around. Sorry, I couldn't get the bear."

Minnie hugged him. "That's okay."

Shinkan rose from a pile of thrown desks and roared before being tossed aside by Kaylee, who had finally grabbed the bear. She looked on victoriously and threateningly at the three remaining Spheresgirls. "You want this, right?" They looked at her in fear as she approached them slowly. Jugo and Sora clashed in the air above them.

Inigo laughed at the frantic action in front of him. It wasn't just chaos. Love was also in the air today. He looked up and shared a look with Hoge. He watched her start to move away from her desk. He got up from under the rubble and followed her, after taking one last glance at the mayhem in the room. Who could've expected that to happen?

He grinned and caught up with Hoge in the hallway. "Hey, feeling better?"

She narrowed her eyes. "The noise is making it difficult to study. I'm going to the library for some peace and quiet." She poked a finger at his chest.

"How bout' I come with you? We should've gone there earlier. The library's great."

"The new librarian has been taking my books while I'm still there, and she returns them to the shelves."

"I'll be your book-knight and protect them!" Inigo swung an imaginary sword.

"You're not staying here?"

"Nah, I already have what I want." Inigo took a step closer to her. "Besides..." He winked and produced the soft bear. "I switched the bear with Gigan at the start." Inigo held it out for her. "This belongs to my best girl." He saw her face turn red for a moment, before she blurred. Her fingers lightly touched the bear.

"You know who's been giving these to Christopher, right?" She glanced over to the classroom and saw Yui and Christopher. The two were busy watching the others, and talking about fighting games in their own little corner.

Inigo's eyes lit up. "Ooooh. So this is Kuraki-san’s story. I knew it!"

"You should put it back. He might miss it, and his condition would get worse, leading to complications, which leads to his death....And no one wants that."

Inigo smirked. "Yeah, you're right. Wait up for me?"

Hoge looked to the floor and nodded.

Inigo took a moment to stare at her contently, then made his way back to the classroom. On the way there, he shot an apologetic look at Christopher and subtly showed him the untarnished bear. He slipped the bear into Chris' bag. He smiled and looked around the room at class 1-D. His heart felt full.

(Mom, what happens after happily ever after?)
(Well, after that, when you get what you've always wanted, you just do your best to hold on to it. To protect it.)