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“If you must blink, do it now.”He had heard that pantomime many times, but it could never help but fuel his curiosity.The light of the full moon illuminated the square of the small town, where the young man, with his pristine shamisen, managed to attract the attention of a large number of townspeople. He recognized him. He dedicated himself to playing intense melodies while telling great stories of warriors and villains fighting in infinite duels to defend their truth. And he paid attention, without much interest.How ridiculous, Izuku thought, watching from afar. Life was and always would be an eternal web of suffering, humiliation and despair that trapped humans until they became weak and naive beings. It made no sense that a man, simply because he was born, would fight for extending the date of his death when his destiny was the same. Therefore, the truth resided in stars, gods and the universe. Those virtues that were capable of defending, predicting and dominating. The warriors of the skies who had fought against eternal monsters and civilizations to maintain balance in the galaxy. His family, his home.He came from the stars. His father, the Moon King, ruled over the firmament, while his siblings and himself defended his name from filth and charlatans, incapable of being grateful for what heaven had done for them. Among these undesirables, were humans.However, Izuku was still intrigued. He had faced ferocious monsters, stopped crushing supernovae, and, without hesitation, had killed hundreds of beings like them. And yet, they continued to cling to life as if they were the strings of that shamisen, in tension, but still giving away a song. As if the storms did not pass through them and they swell with pride like reeds in the deepest and most arid deserts.They were interesting beings, to say the least.“Pay careful attention to everything you see and hear… No matter how unusual it may seem. And please be warned. If you fidget, if you look away... If you forget any part of what I tell you, even for an instant... Then our hero will surely perish.”The instrument began its song.Izuku's slip fell like a waterfall as he relocated on the tree branch. His curls, green, like its leaves, shone as if small specks of stars were blooming among so much color. He wasn't in the front row, but he could hear well.Although he had heard that story countless times.The great warrior who roamed the continent living adventures and facing the worst creatures. The samurai, Katsuki Bakugo. A man of unknown origin who traveled the world with no place to return to, other than the strength of his army; the Beetle Clan. He was as skilled with the sword as he was with the bow, and had made great fighters out of purposeless beings. He had fought against the worst hells imaginable by men and had come out alive.Izuku supposed that was enough to make a man a hero, by the poor human standard. However, he had to admit that the sweet little insect was not lacking in courage.His own father had fought against his will countless times, tearing his family from him, turning his kingdom to ashes, and destroying every poor soul who fought in his army. But he had never seen the man give up.The passers-by were captivated by the stories that the young man narrated with so much passion, and they stopped their pace only to continue listening, unable to resist the uncertainty of knowing if their protagonist would survive.How pathetic. Watching a community of ants come together for the only desire of remembering the successes of another, ignoring the fact that that will always be their sole purpose.He sighed, raising his gaze to the sky, observing the great figure that was the moon, like an eternal lamp of rigor and power on the horizon. Never they would understand, they had not been created to understand it.Sooner than he could have imagined, the storyteller had finished his tale and, to great praise and applause, thanked the attention of his audience and begged them to pray for their brave hero, so that he could continue telling his stories.He flickered. Damn, his source of entertainment was gone for the day.Izuku sat up on the branch, making his body a backlit nebula. He put on the hood of his white kimono, hiding his face, as his identity was proudly prostrated on the emblem on his back; the Crescent moon. His tunic, the color of his hair, stirred in the wind. He bent his knees, maintaining his balance and jumped, without stirring the breeze, pushing through the air like a shooting star of a turquoise color, like the auroras of the frozen north of Europe.He traveled and rose, away from the impurity of the Earth and back into his cold realm of perfection. When he opened his eyes, he was home. In the Lunar clan castle. His kimono shone, like the sunlight reflecting on its neatness, when the gold of the building received him calmly.“Oh, my sweet son. Izuku.” His father's voice enveloped the room, when he removed the hood “We were waiting for you.”There he was, Moon King, his progenitor, sitting on his throne of long centuries of history, like captor of destiny.His siblings were waiting at the end of the hallway, next to him.“What I owe the pleasure, father?” Izuku asked, approaching his family calmly, always being an example of serenity.“I'm afraid it's not good news.” His father's voice sounded distressed. “A new threat rises to our legacy, endangering the work of our ancestors and our kingdom.”His brother and sister, Shoto and Ochako, seemed to be indignant. “What is the nauseating curse that stalks us, father? We will face it in this instant.” the woman defended, bringing her hand directly to her weapon, which was hanging from her hips.“No one can face the magnitude of the power that the firmament possesses,” Shoto assured with a firmness that hovered in his brow and in his gaze, ready to fight and win.Izuku remained silent, watching the pride grow in his father's eyes, hand in hand with a harshness that he understood to be inevitable, since the cruelest truth was reality. Furthermore, the intensity of his loyalty had been reflected in his siblings’ insolence, so he saw no use in intervening.“Very well, my children. Your dedication honors me every day,” he said with a wrinkled smile due to his age.“Tell us, father. What is it, then?”The old man spoke slowly.“You do know the legend of the Sun’s magical armor, right, my children? The Sword Unbreakable, the Breastplate Impenetrable and the Helmet Invulnerable. That which can attack the foundations of what we know as our home, making the warrior who finds it possessed of unlimited power.”The three nodded at the same time."Good. Well…” The memory of that threat worsened a visible groove in his father's temper. Anger began to overcome him. “A wretched being has threatened my kingdom, my legacy! Declaring war on our family and announcing that he is beginning his aberrant path to collect the different pieces of the wicked armor. With the sole purpose of using his magic against me.” The man's gaze clouded. “Against us.”Izuku heard gasps next to him.“Who has brought such disgrace upon the heavens, father?”Izuku's eyebrows rose at the name, showing a gesture of recognition for the first time since he set foot in the castle.“The samurai, Katsuki Bakugo”His face was peaceful with a hint of surprise, but Izuku felt his spirit restless.Even so, calm could not fill the room.“But it’s not possible!”“We can't let him get away with it!”“I agree with your indignation, my children. Therefore, I want one of you to be in charge of taking the life through the intestines of that putrid and vapid conspirator.”The arguments and screams echoed, bouncing off the pristine walls of the lunar castle. He could only wait, because patience would give them the answer, and not impulsiveness.“Izuku.” His father suddenly brought silence “The brightest star in my firmament. The most powerful of my children” he observed as he rose from his throne and approached him. The man's icy hand ran over his cheek with a caress. “Would you be able to fulfill my request?”The young man observed eternity in his father's eyes. Then, he bowed on one knee, “It will be an honor, Father. I will march carrying my emblem and I will return to your arms with that traitor’s head, thus returning honor and peace to our kingdom.” He looked up, in his empty green eyes the reflection of the purest, but resistant ice. "I promise."The satisfaction on the older man's face gave him the affirmative response he needed to get up.The man returned to his throne, certain that his word would be the only one for another night.His brothers hugged him. “Cheers” they promoted and “Good luck, 'Zuku” they promised.That night, however, Izuku marched in solitude. He vigilantly scoured every nook and cranny on Earth, mimicking the graceful night owls or the flakes of a late snow that plagued the youngest spring.He did not expect a legendary confrontation. But he knew that the only worth of warriors was their perseverance, so he supposed he would be a tough nut to crack. If that samurai sought to avenge the lives of his men, then he would meet the moonlight in his path. Humans had no business understanding the word and judgment of the heavens, but to defy them was certainly the wrong attitude. If Katsuki was not going to sit and listen to Izuku's story, then he himself would be his hangman. But, even if he would not admit it, he would have liked to see what would get him so motivated that he would confront beings like his family.He traveled and flew, until he found his lair.It was an ancient temple, with The Beetle banner rising easily to the highest point of the building. It seemed desolate, abandoned, but there was still a light that emerged from inside.Izuku descended, floating gently as he surveyed the territory carefully. The surprise factor was the best asset to play. Tragically, he had to discard that idea as soon as he looked into the inner courtyard from the sky, as he could see the man he was looking for, wandering through his entrance.He had never seen him in person. He didn't have the features expected of an Asian, with a sharp jaw and blonde hair like the ash of the hottest fire Izuku had ever seen. He wore samurai armor filled with a body sculpted in marble, but without the helmet. He frowned as he analyzed the scene, alerting his instincts. Humans used to let their guard down at dusk, something totally incomprehensible, since they were most vulnerable when sleeping. But not Katsuki. In the wee hours of the morning, he was still alert.Izuku moved a little closer, letting himself be carried away by his interest for a few seconds.The man maintained an undaunted frown, with the same concentrated grimace that he could wear at the front of a battle. He was sitting in front of a damp spinning wheel, sharpening what appeared to be his weapons. The tips of some arrows and a pair of katanas.He was prepared. Izuku sighed boredly. It seemed like it was going to be something that required more effort than expected.Finally, he came out of hiding and flew over the roof of the temple. The removal of the wind with his tunic alerted the young man but, by the time he wanted to look at the sky, his shadow loomed over him.The blonde stood up, instantly on guard.“Who are you?”Izuku descended gently, approaching the man. When he was close enough, he pulled back his hood and looked him straight in the eyes.“My name is Izuku. I am an astro sent by the Moon King.”The warrior's face fell for an instant, before turning cold, carrying an anger that Izuku could understand.“Katsuki Bakugo,” he uttered, his strong, calm voice filling the room. The red eyes, like leaves of a cruel autumn, ran bitterly up and down through him. He ignored his arrogance and continued. "You have offended my father terribly."A pause filled the space between them. At the same time Katsuki asked with his gesture the possible meaning of his words, Izuku unsheathed his katana, pointing it towards him. “Now you must die.”Like a drop of rain, he lunged at the man, but the metal of his weapon groaned against the samurai's sword. They stood a few centimeters away, looking into each other's eyes, the decision in Izuku's gaze capturing Katsuki's confidence like vines that grow through the most rigid walls.“I have already begun my journey. Nobody is going to stop me.” he said, with a solemn smile. He frowned, at the man's confidence. As if the resentment was not against him, turning him into just a challenge, insignificant, and against which he could win.Naive bastard.Izuku separated, keeping his weapon on guard and his eyes fixed on his opponent. Irritated by the speed at which his thoughts were racing through his head, he let the magic slip through his fingers, turning his katana into a stinging flame.“I have not come to hinder your path. I have come to give you death.”At the same time as the emeralds in his eyes lit up with passion, the laugh the other man let out made his skin crawl. “I'd like to see you try.”The night sky lit up for a brief moment as a green and an orange flash collided again, pushing aside the darkness. Sparks seemed to emerge from their skins, as if their souls were compressed in an artificial explosion with no return. They clashed and attacked without rest, making the calm of the night a spectacle of perseverance, and wear and tear.A movement came close to the blonde's vital organs, but he moved agilely, with an experience that did not go unnoticed by him.Izuku challenged Katsuki's trust fiercely, deflecting every incoming attack with grace. In one of their encounters, the rejection was so strong that Katsuki fell backwards, balancing on his knees. He heard him gasp in frustration.He waited for him to recover. He knew the honor of the warrior, and what less could he do, if he was to be his final blow, than grant him a fair battle. However, Izuku did not remain silent, doubt gnawing at his system.“I don't understand your ambition” he walked around the samurai, exuding condescension wherever he went “You're only dedicated to fleeing from a certain destiny”Katsuki stood up, wiping the sweat from his forehead and the mud from his knees. The last gasp that allowed him to catch his breath was accompanied by a soft laugh. “If the gods have given me the chance to live, why not decide how to do it?”With a jump, Izuku attacked with two blows against his head, but was repelled by Katsuki.“Life isn’t enough. Revenge guides you”“No” he was pointed out by the other katana, judged by copper eyes that seemed to burn like liquid steel “My will is to face that which hinders my history and that of my comrades. Your father passed a sentence that did not belong to him, and he rules like a tyrant over everything he pleases.” Izuku shook his head, the ambiguity of his words irritating him more and more, attacking again, but being stopped at that moment by his opponent. At that moment, it was him who felt trapped by the depth of the other's gaze, which made him lower his guard. “That's why he is my enemy.”Swords clashed again with the rage of an Izuku who did not understand the vulnerability that the samurai was showing him. The singing of the owls and the sound of the breeze moving the branches of the trees were the perfect accompaniment to liven up their dance. A duet in which Perfection and Humanity greeted each other in a single swing, facing one another again, and recognizing mutually as old friends in the movements of two young men who met for the first time. The yard lamps went out and the swamp crickets fled, but the only thing that mattered was the battle in which the katanas grated against each other under the defense of the most powerful feeling that exists: faith.Izuku was able to foresee one of Katsuki's attacks with his wits, but the brute force of his opponent was such that they were faced until the rejection pushed them both back.But they attacked again. They always came back.Izuku was flexible and soft like bamboo and his power lay in his knowledge. How much he had seen and lived, since the eternity of heaven. That coldness made him perfect, without weaknesses. But what he saw in Katsuki... It was intense, a blind faith in what he believed to be right, and an unwavering perseverance to live that kept him firm, vigorous and with an agile and sharp cut, despite the mistakes that his own nature had forced him to commit.He gasped, combing her curls back, noticing how his movements became increasingly imprecise. He had opted for a battle of attrition, because using his magic against him wouldn't be necessary, but Katsuki was proving to be a worthy rival. Maybe... What he kept as his hope to continue was not as useless as he had thought.No, it couldn't be good. Hope made people naive, unable to face the injustice of reality. That had been taught to him from his origin. So what was it that drove this warrior to continue standing in front of him, covered in bruises and wounds, even knowing that death was near? Why didn't he let himself be killed?Izuku was lost in his thoughts, away from the combat for a moment, which made it easier for the samurai to make an offensive move.Katsuki's katana danced before his eyes, but to him, the scene passed in slow motion. The edge of the sword acted as a helix, separating their bodies, but the man's gaze made, for the first time, something in Izuku's eternal, perfect and grandiose puzzle not quite fit together.He felt a thrust into his abdomen, Katsuki's hilt nailing against his diaphragm. He gasped and felt the air escape from his lungs, sliding backwards. For the first time, his kimono was stained with mud from the garden, as was his mind.He swallowed, looking at the ground, becoming more and more unstable.“Faith and love make you weak,” he bawled anguished. “There is no point in living to tell a story that no one will hear!”He heard footsteps approaching him. “You don't get it,” his voice sounded stable, sure, like a calm sea. “Our purpose in life is to understand that if the pain persists, there will always be relief. And if the rope tightens, nothing prevents us from cutting it.” The walk stopped in front of him “The balance is maintained if, tonight, I fight against my enemies but I remain grateful for what has made me happy for so long. That is my ambition. And that is our mission.”He looked up, still anxious, but what he observed froze any thoughts in his head and heart, clouding his reasoning and loosening the chains on his wrists.Katsuki, who had removed the breastplate of his armor, was waiting in front of him. He looked at him, searching inside him and judging everything he carried behind him. He was a star, but for that moment he felt tiny. A hand extended in front of him, a friendly hand, a hand loaded with a feeling that he did not recognize because he had not seen it in his long life. And those eyes, so similar but so different from his, like the apples he sometimes used to pick in summer; his own were completely empty and sculpted in the image and likeness of another, while those waiting had the depth of a hundred volcanoes.He looked at the hand waiting to be taken, hesitating. Katsuki smiled, stirring his insides. “Come on. Let’s fight.”Then he saw it. It was solidarity.In that moment, when Izuku accepted the hand that was given to him, the two men stopped being enemies. The magic in the green-haired man's hilt had disappeared, letting himself be soaked by that feeling of charity that Katsuki had brought to his heart.They fought, mutually dodging the blades that had stopped seeking each other's death. Izuku jumped and evaded like a leaf moved by the wind, and landed under the blonde's attentive eyes, while Katsuki slid on his knees, taking advantage of the impacts to rise against Izuku's lightness. It had started to be... Fun.Watching Katsuki's interest grow, Izuku found himself caught in situations that seemed volatile. His eyes also searched for the rubies more than necessary as they pushed themselves to opposite corners and waited for the other to attack first.He saw a human smile blossom on Katsuki. A smile that took his breath away, but only managed to widen the emptiness in his soul.“I appreciate that you treated me as an equal, young samurai,” he defended, walking toward the center of the field, making it seem like he was opening his kindness out of respect. “But I'm not. And it is my quest to kill you”Once again, the man's look said it all, entangling Izuku in the most terrible confusion. His humanity was seen when, taking in the boy's words, he raised his katana in front of his face and waited.He understood. He jumped. And they collided. The wind swirled around them. Katsuki was strong, but he stopped.Then, Izuku's effort was in vain, since his will was already in Katsuki's hands, when his compassion flooded every nook and cranny of his organism, and he experienced firsthand what humans fought to preserve. He saw it in Katsuki's eyes, in his humanity, in his mercy, in his tenderness.The swords slid carefully, falling like the barriers that held the emblem on his back. Izuku had seen the wonders that heavens had given him, and had traveled through places so beautiful that they could leave any mortal breathless. But the warmth in Katsuki's gaze, as he looked into his eyes... He had never seen that before.Their swords cried one last time, touching the ground, totally rejected. The samurai's hand took Izuku by the cheekbone, fitting with the closeness of their bodies at last. And then he uttered four simple words. The words that changed everything.“You are my quest.”Izuku found the beauty of an entire firmament in the depth of Katsuki's voice and, in that same moment, he understood that they could come from completely opposite worlds, but the magic that united them grew inside them, when they looked at each other and let the time ran its course while they remained frozen on paper. He saw in his eyes everything that kept Katsuki clinging to life. He saw it and comprehended it.He understood when the caress he received from the samurai, light and lacking the roughness that had characterized him since they met, spread a warm chill through his body, like the first drop of a summer storm. He understood when his other hand took Izuku by the waist with astonishing softness, his skin made of cotton and him sliding like water that does not stain, that does not cloud.He could see the seasons pass in the scars on Katsuki's face, he could see the boy he once was and everything he went through to become a man. He saw the tears shed and the laughters with various owners stained in the grooves of his eyes and corners. He saw the leaves of an almond tree on his cheeks, the softness of the sand in his hair, the warmth of fire in his eyes and the freshness of the snow in his smile. Katsuki allowed him to see every ounce of humanity he carried in his body. And for the first time in his life, Izuku felt envious.Because he had seen it all. He had knowledge and reason on his side. Power, position and legacy. But if his path had not crossed Katsuki's, he would have never been lucky enough to see the truth of life.Recognizing his compassion, Izuku recognized his own. And he decided to spare the life of the man who had given it to him.He fell in love instantly, because how could he not. With living. With Katsuki too, even if it was a side effect.“You are my quest, Izuku.”Time ran again. The sigh that the other held filled his chest, free from the chains that were his prejudices, with pure air like that of the field moist with morning dew. And his first wish was for Katsuki to always make him feel that way.So when their lips met, he felt no fear. Neither disappointment nor anxiety. Just calm and a lot of humanity.The moon was still shining, the Earth was still spinning. And Izuku never imagined that understanding the small size of his soul with a single kiss would make him feel so immense, when everything had been inferior around him until that day.Their kiss lasted as long as a candle on a dark night. When they parted, there was no longer any doubt in Izuku's eyes. Only an infection of the blond's affection had spread through his system, blushing his cheeks and bringing a smile back to his faceIt was not difficult to assume that he had already given up his soul.“Come with me,” Katsuki whispered, taking his hand and walking into the fortress, leaving the remains of the enemies they once were in the blood and grime of their weapons, still abandoned on the ground. He followed him effortlessly.Words flew, because they knew each other. Stories were lost at the discretion of the night.Hands went back and forth. Izuku didn't remember having lived with such intensity until then, but his body was busy continuingly reminding him with every caress. The clothes he tore from the other’s tanned skin, when his kimono and tunic felt heavy on his own flesh, felt as sacred as his story. He discovered every corner of the samurai's body, letting himself be intoxicated by his hands, his lips and his tongue. He fell, like a meteorite, like the autumn leaves, like their swords in the garden. He fell to his knees and begged never to return to the icy realm of the Moon, if only he could stay in Katsuki's lap, exploring the unspoken murmurs at the back of his throat. If he could bring them out with his own caresses, his own tenderness... His own love. And so, when he heard the sweet song of the shamisen, it would be only to remember the soundtrack that wrapped them like a blanket when they met on a single path and their stories intertwined on their own. All under a plea, a choral scream that got stuck in his throat... Izuku remembered it clearly.It was the first time he had felt happy.When the light in the lair was extinguished, and only the rays of the moon remained filtered through the cracks of the fabric panels, they hugged each other under the duvets.“Come with me,” Katsuki repeated in a whisper, although this time the meaning had changed.Izuku watched the man's eyes from the closeness of the pillow. He smiled thoughtfully.“I'm serious, Izuku,” the man's hand caressed his cheek, in contrast to the strength in his voice. “Run away with me.”He evaluated it for a few seconds. It was a terrible idea, but he had already risked everything, since he did not keep the man's heart in hand to deliver it on a silver platter, but had given away his own to the samurai who awaited his arrival. .“You will bear the weight of my betrayal” he tattooed on Katsuki's lips with his murmur. “And Moon King will unleash his wrath against you for stealing his most precious treasure.”The hand that navigated under the sheets through the dunes of his naked skin heated his cheeks.“Let him send a thousand troops to look for me. I don't care if I can keep you by my side."There was only sincerity in the samurai's eyes.Izuku had to laugh. “Humans are all suicidal, aren’t they?”“Then tell me what would be the point of living if I couldn't enjoy experiences like you”That time, it didn’t feel unknown to him. He knew what he saw and what he was feeling. So, when he saw the spark emerge in the blonde's eyes, he acknowledged him with a soft kiss."Yeah. I guess you're right."Silence reigned again, building around them the pillars of the new story that they were going to begin together.“Hey…” his lover's voice caught his attention. “When you told me you were an astro, I thought of a star…” with soft caresses, the man dug into his softness, fitting between his limbs. He stood over him, looking at his naked body. “But I never imagined that you would have the entire night sky tattooed on your skin,” he murmured before beginning a path of kisses along his shoulder, chest and abdomen.Izuku's eyes widened and he felt shame grow in the form of a crimson stain on his cheeks and all over his neck. It couldn't be true, but Katsuki had pointed it out perceptively. He was undoubtedly referring to his freckles.He ended up laughing once more, unable to help but gently hit the boy's head for his tasteless joke. They laughed together.At that moment, it didn't matter the past that haunted them, the future that, still uncertain, loomed before their eyes, or the antagonist that threatened to attack what they had created. At that moment, they were just two souls who had found each other and decided to love one another. Against what the difference in their worlds might dictate, moving away from the prejudices that could hold them back, they would remain united.They would fight together. They would feel together. And they would live together.Because Katsuki had taught Izuku the depth in the small gestures that life gave and, in return, Izuku had shown Katsuki the immensity of the legacy that covered them every night when they rested.They had opened each other's eyes.And of course life had prepared the worst storms with which to navigate the ocean of life. But they would continue together, and that was the crucial part. For the sacrifice of living and for the importance of making his legacy prevail.That's how they found their way. And, despite all the misfortunes that devastated them, they fought until the end to achieve their happily ever after.The shamisen ceased its melody. The storyteller raised his gaze and smiled at his audience.A moment of silence surrounded the square, for the kiss that Izuku and Katsuki had shared on a night like that so many years ago.The moon shone peacefully.“The end.”