Himura (MHA)

- Boss, is it okay that they left him unchained? - one of the soldiers was referring to Nobu.

- It's okay, I think he learned his lesson and won't turn against us now. Did you hear? He's under my protection now! Don't you dare hurt him! - Bucephalus ordered that Aung and Min be left alive, for now.

- Get to work, everyone! - the soldiers shouted to the workers.

Nobu became their lackey. After the remaining rebels were taken away, Nobu was ordered to pile up all the corpses and burn them so that no infection would spread. Of course, he didn't understand the language, but the simple commands were clear. While he was working, there was no certainty that he would be freed from slave labor and life in the barracks, and in general, there were no particular thoughts.

Just a mountain of corpses, limbs, a sea of ​​blood and Nobu's trembling hands, whose palms were dragging disgusting human remains. This whole show was organized by Bucephalus in order to intimidate and teach a lesson not only to Nobu, but also to all the slaves watching this, and also to please the soldiers with a spectacle, because after the cleaning, you need to get a new set of workers.

A medic named Shin, who saved Nobu, approached him and said.

- Um... I don't know what to call him in English, let's call him the leader. Yes, the leader told you to come to him after you finish here. You managed to attract his attention, but be careful with him, he is quite hot-tempered.

- Good... - said Nobu, dragging a flatbread from a man. The stench from the entrails dug into the skin. The remaining slaves were led out of the barracks and continued to work, chopping wood for Anandaman.

- Here - Shin held out something resembling a magazine, the pages of which had already turned yellow with age. - This is an English-Burmese dictionary, I think it will come in handy. - Shin said goodbye, while Nobu looked at the dictionary, whose cover was covered in blood stains from his fingers. "Gods, I'm tired." In addition to the fact that he worked a shift, did not sleep all night and participated in a fight, on top of that he was also cleaning up a pile of corpses.

Having barely collected dozens of corpses from all over the training ground and the destroyed warehouse, Nobu went to look for Bucephalus, he hoped to quickly wash off all the shit and blood, he did not even find the strength to read the dictionary. His legs and arms were shaking, this time not from fear, but from fatigue. There were several playgrounds nearby, Nobu barely noticed how some soldiers were exercising on an improvised sports ground and actively discussing something about the rebels.

When he found Bucephalus, he was talking to several soldiers.

- Are you done, kid? You stink terribly, ha-ha. - He grimaced slightly and patted Nobu on the shoulder as if nothing had happened. - Show him where our shower is. Here are some clothes, the ones we found in your size. You're free until the end of the day, come see me tomorrow... ah, you don't understand. Shin! Come here. - Shin quickly translated everything, the busy medic needs to leave and continue working.

Having finally heard about the long-awaited rest, Nobu hurried to the constructed field shower, where, unfortunately, there was no warm water, and cesspools instead of toilets. Nobu was lost from the experiences and the bloodbath that he had created. It's one thing to kill because you were attacked like those fanatics, another to kill an innocent person. A disgusting feeling of guilt. Gradually, the feeling of guilt went away, replacing it with an unbearable, indelible bitterness, to which one could get used to over time.

Nobu's confused and tired gaze was fixed on one point. - Fuck. - he sent his self-flagellation. - Self-digging only makes things worse.

However, Nobu received better conditions than before. Now he is not a stinking slave, but a lackey.

Then they took him to a tent, closer to the barracks. Inside there are three bunk beds, everyone was working now, so there was no one inside. As soon as Nobu was left alone, he simply lay down on one of the hanging mattresses, quickly relaxed and fell asleep, exhaling painfully. This is better than sleeping on a hard floor with a flooring of dry grass. All morning he woke up from anxiety.

Two unknown soldiers were having a dialogue in broad daylight.

- I wonder why Bucephalus felt sorry for this kid?

- You saw for yourself that the kid is quite determined, maybe Bucephalus wanted to take him under his wing, saw a spark in him. I don't even know. - They lit up some shitty local cigarettes.

The Purge changed Bucephalus' attitude towards Nobu:

- "It was hard to call him naive. I know that look - it's the look of a predator, he knows how to take by force," - One of the soldiers also reported to him how he encountered someone very similar to Nobu's description, the soldier was not sure that it was a child, it was dark, but the height was quite suitable. The soldier also described white hair, then doubts were dispelled. Bucephalus was surprised how a child of his age, a nine-year-old brat, managed to not only survive in this chaos, but also defend himself, fight off one of the strongest people in the camp.

A frost type quirk was mentioned, quite strong. This influenced Bucephalus' decision to teach him to be part of the camp, but not to be an enemy. The boy is not angry at them because of the forced labor, which prompted him to go to meet and try to raise him not just as part of the camp, but as part of Anandaman.

"If it's as the soldier described, then Nobu has a great future with such a strong quirk. Maybe the kid has some tricks up his sleeve, so it's important to gain his trust to find out what he's hiding. He's an outsider, Shin said he's Japanese and it's not clear how he ended up so far from his homeland. Also, this brat named Aung has an interesting quirk. It's a shame she won't be with us anymore, because she went against us." - Bucephalus thought to himself.

Aung had already proven herself to be a person who shouldn't be trusted, and she had become an enemy of Anandaman. "Hmm, maybe I should send them to him? So that he can break them, and we won't have to look for a replacement any longer." - he asked himself, even though he didn't quite approve of the methods of one professional, he had to admit their effectiveness. However, this wouldn't interfere with the work of the camp, it's one thing to escape, another to fight.

During all this time, Nobu managed to survive not only because of his ingenuity, but also thanks to a lucky coincidence in his favor. Quirks and Aspects played a significant role in these adventures, but if we abstract, Nobu has the most ordinary abilities, within the framework of this world, this is more of a good bonus to the initial advantage than something capable of turning the tide of the entire battle. Tiger perception, snake regeneration - Aspects. Walking on surfaces while resisting the forces of gravity - Adhesion. Expansion - the ability to endow objects with a certain kinetic charge.

Shin and Bucephalus watched as the boy worked in new clothes, slightly baggy.

- He needs a little time, don't be so strict with him. - Shin said.

- I understand, but how can we do without it. He will not live a day in this country if he is not prepared, especially if we want to see him in the ranks of Anandaman. This is a necessity. - Bucephalus sighed. - But you're right, he needs a little time, at least to learn the language and get used to our people. You know, even then I understood from his look that people like him should be with us. - Shin nodded sadly. The break is over and we need to continue providing medical care not only to the soldiers, but also to the slaves, so that they work longer and don't die.

Shin saw one slave being kicked and shouted. - Be careful! I still have to treat them, damn it!