loyalty -- hungry dogs are never loyal

His loyalty was a mysterious thing.

He was loyal to Snowbound and all it's members. He respected the laws of the group, followed orders when they were given (for the most part), and showed respect to his clan-mates when they deserved it. However, his loyalty had limits. Even if he was a hero at one point, his sense of justice was just the same, best described as chaotic good. He had never followed the usual protocol of heroes. He worked underground, preferred to avoid the spotlight. He had never been loyal to anyone before Snowbound.

As any beginning hero was, Aizawa was a side-kick for a while, just after he graduated from U.A. Even so, he tended to do his own thing, apprehend villains his own way. Luckily the hero he was working for admired that about him, rather than getting annoyed or angry with him over it. He supposed it was the same way now. He would do what he thought needed to be done--whether the people of the clan and their leader agreed or not. He did things his way.

But sometimes, he thought about the day when his loyalty would run out, or be wasted all together. Maybe some tyrant would come along and get control over the clan, turn it upside down and ruin it all, including his feelings and all he had done for them. Then what part of this was he loyal to? The people, the clan itself? What if the people he came to trust all just left? Those were the thoughts that mocked him, when things were quiet and paranoia clawed at the back of his mind. He didn't have much left, and he wanted to keep whatever he did.

He was tired of losing things.

When it came down to it, Aizawa enjoyed the little group they had, including the people. There weren't many of them left, but he would be damned if he didn't protect those who were still around. He wanted to protect the smiles on their faces, the peace that often hung over the village. He would hunt down anyone who dared to interrupt that peace.

That included ones in the clan itself. When he came across Shion after being attacked by their own members, or Izuku when he fought with Stryker, there was a blossom of rage that burned bright in his chest. He wasn't an angry man, just irritated and tired--but this time, he had tasted the bitterness of betrayal, which clung to him as he made his way through the territory. He had long since left the area of Snowbound, inching closer to what seemed to be a desert of some sort, which surprised him somewhat. He hadn't expected to find such terrain so close by. But he didn't bother to question it, as this world was odd in many ways.

The lion had made the whole trek simply out of his loyalty--or maybe it was more-so out of a sense of justice he still had. These people had wronged them, and in his subconscious, he knew they had to pay for their crime. They had never done anything to them.

He had long since abandoned his role as a hero, but in moments like these, he felt like one again, a bringer of justice. It wasn't the best way, but now, it was the only way he knew how. An eye for an eye, so to say.

[words; 573]

when has y/c lied before -- the most dangerous lies are the ones you tell yourself

Aizawa had a habit of being blunt, even if it would end up hurting the other person's feelings. He laid his opinions and thoughts all out on the table. But that didn't mean he was always honest. Hell, back in U.A, he was known for lying to the students, though he always claimed it was simply a 'logical ruse' to get them to reveal their true potential. After he died, that hadn't changed. He wasn't opposed to bending the truth, but it was never truly out of malicious intent. It was only when he needed to.

Lately, the only lies he told were to himself. He had done the best he could to protect his students and other innocents, but he had still convinced himself he hadn't, that he could have done more. 'You failed all of them, you had promised to protect them and look at what happened,' It was a bitter lie he believed.

It was why he couldn't sleep well at night.
It was why he was so afraid to be responsible for anyone again.
It was why he could barely look his students in the eye.

During his absence, he had met a passerby, someone who was travelling about beyond the clans. She was friendly enough, her face appearing youthful, but her eyes were clouded with the weight of her adventures. She had seen many things, sights that sat heavy on her body, resting in the scars that adorned her fur.

"Aizawa, huh?" she said, repeating his name as if it would make it easier to remember alongside the other millions of names she had heard before. "Nice to meet you, then! Mind if I rest here for a minute?" he responds with a shrug.

A grin on her face, she flops down onto the ground, sighing in contentment. For a moment it's silent. The only noise that occupies the air is the chirping of birds at the edge of the clearing, the long grass around them rustling with the breeze that flows past. Then her eyes settle on him again and her smile opens into a grin again, her cheeriness both an annoyance and a comfort.

"Where are you from, Aizawa? Maybe you're a traveler like me, or you're on the move for a new home? he doesn't reply right away.

For some reason, his answer didn't come to him immediately. At the time, he wasn't sure where his home was anymore. Everything was unfamiliar and, while he didn't show it, he was just as frightened as his pupils were, scared by this new world that could wipe them out again in the blink of an eye. Death was an easy thing--especially here. Besides, he didn't have anything to lose. This person was someone who was fleeting, who would leave soon and would never cross his path again.

The large male turns away from staring out at the distance, fixing her with an impassive look. "I'm like you, just a traveler," it feels like a weight was released from his chest then. He didn't have to be himself. She didn't have to remember who he was.

Her brows lift, a light igniting in her gaze. She opens her mouth, but he had quickly anticipated what she would say, cutting her off before she had the time to. "Sorry, but I work alone. I have places I need to go, she frowns for a moment, but it's quickly replaced with a smile, one that's softer this time.

"I see. There's nothing wrong with that, though!" she turns around onto her stomach. Her face is towards the sky, the passing clouds reflected in her eyes. "I didn't know you could read minds," she chuckles a bit after that.

It felt nice, having someone who didn't know who he was. They only got to know what he wanted them to know. He didn't have to be what he was--a sad man who had failed at the only thing he had wanted. To her, he had just been a loner, a nomad like she was. She didn't have to know about what he had done, what he hadn't done.

All he had ever wanted now was to forget things. He wanted to put the past in the past, accept what had happened and move on. That day, meeting her and staying discreet about who he was, that was the first step.

[words; 742]