It took a good portion of strength to force the window open on the old bus. It was a half rusted contraption they were lucky to find. It was costing a good amount to rent and pay the elderly driver that came with it, but when the first gust of evening air finally came through crisp and clean, Kirishima felt the effort was well spent. His head stuck out just enough so that the wind whipped the stray strands of hair not in a ponytail around the edges of his face. He was in desperate need of a break from the atmosphere, but it didn't last. A hand roughly grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him back in.
"Do you want to lose your head, dipshit?" Bakugou pushed him back down into his aisle seat, and quickly shut the window.
"There aren't even trees around," Kirishima mumbled to himself. It felt good out, but he knew there was no point in arguing. Bakugou was sunk low in his seat, arms crossed in a dark mood.
He turned his head in time to catch Ashido staring at them from a few seats ahead. The sun was nearly gone now. He could barely make out her face as she squinted at him before turning to Hagakure. He couldn't tell if the other girl had also been staring though it wouldn't surprise him. Ojiro and Kaminari obviously had been. They were pretending to look at Kaminari's phone now. There wasn't a signal so they were going through pictures from that weekend. Only he and Bakugou were alone in the back. The space between them and the others somehow felt wide yet small. Although Bakugou had often been at the center of the group's tension, things had escalated to a new height. Kirishima was not sure how to fix this problem.
A few of their former classmates had gathered for reunion trip. They had been camping at one of the more remote camping grounds, a two hour drive from the nearest train station. Though still sidekicks, most of them were high profile enough to find media attention more of a nuisance than flattering anymore. The only neighbor they had was an old man several spots away who was more concerned with his fishing than asking for autographs. Everyone was happy to break away if only for that weekend. They couldn't stay away from hero work too long, but it didn't matter. It had been fun. They had bathed in the river. Cooked meals together. Reminisced about their student days around a campfire.
Things had gone well, until earlier that day.
They'd packed up most their belongings before having one last meal. Kirishima had been chatting with Ashido and Iida by the river. At an open area not too far from camp Kaminari had been throwing frisbees for Ojiro to hit mid air. Aoyama and Hagakure had been sitting under a tree teasing Uraraka about her rumored relationship with Midoriya. This had left Sato, Asui, and Bakugou to prepare their dinner before departure.
According to Sato, while he'd been wrapping some bananas in tinfoil for their desserts, Asui had said something to Bakugou which set him off. He'd slipped on his headphones to drown out the yelling not really caring to get involved. At some point Bakugou stormed off. Asui had waved reassuringly to Sato and followed Bakugou into the dense forest. The others had heard some muffled explosions at one point, but that wasn't unusual with Bakugou around. Kaminari had joked about coming back to a dinner of burnt mush. When everyone gathered around to eat, Sato had no idea where the other two had gone.
They found Asui first, dazed with singe marks on her clothes, laying near burnt vegetation. The panic set it immediately. Had a villain followed them? Was this a trap? Where was Bakugou? They searched nearby, finding bits of exploded plants and trees, but the forest was quiet. Most continued to search while Uraraka and Iida helped Asui limp back to camp. They found Bakugou first. With an odd and indiscernible expression, he only stared at the semi-conscious Asui.
It was when Kirishima and Ojiro returned that it quickly came out that Asui had been hit by Bakugou's quirk. Asui could not remember what had lead up to it. Whatever had happened, it had left her too exhausted to ask. She was out like light in minutes. Not that it mattered, Bakugou would not answer any questions. Ashido and Uraraka had demanded Bakugou explain himself, but while he yelled and angrily proclaimed innocence, he would not tell them. Iida had to eventually diffuse the situation and remind everyone Asui might be in need of medical attention.
So now they were on the way home, most of their friends piled back into Iida's rented van, and not willing to ride with Bakugou. Kirishima had stood by his friend and convinced the retiree to lend them this rickety ride. Maybe if he had offered some explanation their friends might have let it go, but there was no chance of that. Kirishima was also receiving less than sympathetic feelings his way, but Ashido and Kaminari had chosen to go with him. The other two, he suspected, were there to keep an eye on Bakugou and give Asui more space.
Kirishima went lower in his seat, matching Bakugou. He threw a glance at him, but maintained the silence. They were friends yet he had zero to no idea how to approach this situation. His own hesitation and indecision was starting to annoy him. So he nudged Bakugou with his elbow.
"Are you going to tell me about it now?"
Bakugou ignored him and began fidgeting with a mini flashlight on a keychain.
He asked again.
That got his hood yanked up, over his head, and the drawstrings pulled.
Kirishima sat there a solid minute, a little surprised, before yanking his hood away from his face. He leaned his head close to Bakugou who scowled.
"It's not like I'm asking you to tell them what happened. Just tell me ."
Bakugou looked out the window, his expression almost more anxious than angry. Kirishima was about to push further, when Bakugou spoke, almost too quietly to be heard.
"There's something watching us."
Kirishima didn't have to ask what he meant. In that split second, he felt like someone dumped ice water over him. It was as if this something had heard it's name called and was now its stare was focused right on them. He felt that prickling sensation running down his neck. He looked out the windows towards the front, into the pitch darkness expecting two bright eyes, but there was nothing.
Everyone was quiet now. And yet the bus kept bouncing right along on the road. It was a terrible understanding between them. That whatever was outside must be riding with them.
Kirishima got up, but Bakugou stopped him.
"Look at the driver."
The elderly man was still steering, but something was strange. His expression had gone lax, and drool began to come out from the corners of his mouth. His eyes drooping, unfocused. When his body slumped to the side, Ojiro was first to jump at the wheel. Kaminari and Ashido scrambled out of their seats and attempted to move the driver away.
Kirishima tried then again to move to the front, but Bakugou gripped his wrist and stood. He handed Kirishima the mini flashlight and pushed past him. At the front he ignored the others and flipped something on the dashboard. The overhead lights inside of the bus buzzed and covered them in a soft light. He looked at Ojiro, "Make sure they stay. Keep driving for now."
Hagakure slid out of her seat and walked over to Kirishima while gripping the seats for support. "What's happening? Is a villain after us?"
He shook his head. "I don't know."
Hagakure made an impatient noise and called after Bakugou. "Hey! What's going on?"
Kaminari and Ashido began shouting.
"Tell us what's going on!"
"If you know who's doing this you have to tell us!"
Bakugou turned to shout back. "I don't know! I don't know what's out there!" He looked at Kirishima. "But whatever it is, it tried to attack frog girl first."
Ojiro spoke next. Everyone turned their gaze towards him. "We need to figure something out." He kept his attention to the road. "Bakugou, you have to tell us what happened with Asui."
Kirishima squeezed past Hagakure and moved behind Bakugou. "You saw it attack Tsuyu?"
Calmer now, though his scowl was severe, Bakugou told them. "She was being annoying so I left. She got herself followed by something when she came after me. Whatever it is, it touched her and made her weird . She moved like rubber and her face was dopier than usual. Something peeked out from the shade so I tried to blast it." He turned his head a little towards Kirishima. "I tried to chase it, but it got away."
Kaminari let out an exasperated breath. "Well? Aren't you leaving something out? What did it look like?"
Bakugou bared his teeth and wouldn't look at anyone. Kirishima nudged his shoulder from behind.
"...a wind up chicken."
Hagakure let out a high pitched yelp. "A wind up chicken? Like, a little plastic toy ?"
Bakugou got in her face (at least where he assumed it was).
"You fucking heard what I said! A fucking wind up chicken."
No one knew what to say.
Kirishima looked at the keychain flashlight Bakugou had given him. "So it doesn't like the light? Am I right?"
Bakugou grunted. "It only moved in the shadows and wouldn't follow me into the camp. It also didn't start staring at us until sundown."
Kaminari spoke next. "Okay, so drive to the city. Plenty of light there."
Ashido immediately shot that idea down. "We can't lead this thing into a populated area. We don't even know what it does."
"Aside from turning people stupid and zapping their energy," Hagakure pointed out.
Ojiro nodded along. "It touched Asui, but not the driver. Maybe it can drain energy from a short distance, but not your mind. Or maybe it takes time. We don't really know. If Todoroki was here, he'd be able to trap it safely from a distance."
Bakugou bristled at that last comment, but kept himslef quiet.
Hagakure poked at the driver's side. "Well, we can't go out for any help without this guy. Ojiro's only barely able to keep us going straight."
"I'm sorry, I don't really know how to drive…"
Hagakure quickly shushed him. "You're doing a great! It's just, we're kind of at a loss."
They all fell back into silence. There were too many unknowns to make a confident move.
Kirishima couldn't stand it. He clapped a hand on Bakugou's shoulder. "Well, then it's obvious. We just have to stop it."
-
Ojiro was to continue driving the bus straight. If this was a remote quirk, they wanted its user to stay as far as possible. Not that they knew whether or not that mattered. Kaminari and Hagakure stood near ready to protect Ojiro and the old man. Kaminari would also act as the back up power and light source. Ashido and Bakugou would be the offensive team, with Kirishima as their support. They all had their phones ready, minus Ashido who had dropped her phone in the river the day before and Kirishima who found the Bakugou's flashlight easier to hold.
The plan was attempt disabling it on board, so they could hopefully investigate the remains later and avoid exposing regular citizens. First, they needed to force it into to one place. Ashido shot her acid at the furthest window, making a baseball sized opening from a safe distance. She then melted the light directly above the last seat, creating small pocket of shadow. Hopefully that was enough to lure it inside. If it really did dislike light, it would be further drawn to the floor under the seat. Then they'd keep it cornered by shining a light above it.
There wasn't a long wait before they heard a dull click-click noise, barely audible above the sound of the rushing wind and creaking of the bus. The clicking was faint, indistinct, but they all clearly heard the clacking of plastic hitting the floor. It was followed by the shadowy appearance of a green wind up frog. Minty green with a white belly and a tiny red triangle tongue, its eyes were mismatched, one looking up and the other down. It wouldn't come any closer, but simply clicked and hopped in place.
Nobody moved until Ashido took an uncertain step forward. She turned to Kirishima who shrugged. Bakugou on the other hand, kept a firm gaze on the frog. It struck Ashido a little funny, in a nervous way. Feeling silly, Ashido just squirted a single stream of acid. It sent the toy back under the seat. It didn't click again.
"Uhm, so is that it? Did you just melt it?" Kaminari asked, sounding as confused as everyone felt.
"I guess so?" Ashido grabbed the mini flashlight from Kirishima. Bakugou moved to stop her, but she waved him away. "We've got to make sure."
She moved cautiously, leaning forward, trying to catch a glimpse of green. When she moved closer to the last seat, the clicking started up again. Startled, Ashido dropped the flashlight.
"You idiot!" Bakugou yelled while keeping Kirishima back, stopping him from getting closer. Ashido gripped at the seats, and began moving towards them, a goofy grin on her face. Her legs and arms wobbled like rubber, but she was still able to walk. In her shadow, a yellow plastic horse with a pink mane clattered along.
Bakugou lifted his hand, taking aim. Kirishima shouted at him to stop.
"You can't just blow it up! Where do you think we are?"
Bakugou didn't lower his arm. "Like I'd miss." Kirishima placed the palm of his hand on Bakugou's forehead and shoved him back. There was almost no resistance.
Thinking quickly, Kirishima pulled off his hoodie, and threw it at the toy. It and the hoodie slid into the back. He swiftly grabbed Ashido and pushed her into a seat. She gurgled for a second before seemingly going to sleep.
Bakugou furiously shook his head, as if trying to wake himself up. "This is stupid! That thing is going to make us brain dead." Bakugou shouted for Ojiro to break. "We're going to settle this before another dumbass gets taken out by a fucking toy."
Ojiro must have agreed because he tried to stop the bus. It skidded and bounced hard as he drove just off the road. He left the motor running, afraid to cut the lights inside the bus.
He and Hagakure began moving the driver and Ashido while Kaminari tried to keep the dark at bay. They placed the two passed out passengers as far as they could away from the bus while still within the headlights' beams.
While they waited, the click-click sound began to unnerve Kirishima. He wasn't suited to fight something he couldn't touch. All he could do was stay close to Bakugou, and try to protect him if something went wrong. He pulled Bakugou out of the bus, afraid that he'd try blasting the thing with them still inside. Clearly the thing was already taking a toll on his judgment.
Bakugou, on the other hand, was happy to finally have his chance and blow the thing right up. He was aware of it now. A funny, fuzzy feeling worming it's way into his head. It angered and unnerved him, that it was affecting him more than the others. At least black-eyes was the first to go dumb, he thought. Serves her right for taking his keychain.
"I'm gonna fucking kill that stupid horse. Let me go ."
"Get yourself together," said Kirishima. "Let's move a bit further back."
Bakugou tugged himself away and aimed.
And so he sent a blast out, enough to shred the back into bits. It was sloppy, but thankfully it only sent him stumbling back into Kirishima as the bus swayed from the force.
Ojiro and Hagakure jumped in surprise. Kaminari yelled and cursed at Bakugou for not warning them.
-
Because that strange funny fog had lifted from his brain, and because no one was stumbling or mumbling around like a toddler, Bakugou was sure he killed it, or at least seriously injured it.
It was a while before the wind cleared some of the smoke. They beat the flames away and argued about safety. But the blast had actually been small and just flashy. The engine was on the front, untouched, hopefully not in danger of combusting.
Bakugou, Kirishima, and Hagakure looked over the strewn bits of shredded bus parts around the empty country road.
"I think I found it," called Hagakure, motioning them over by waving her phone. "It's near that rock."
The three of them surround it, and aimed their lights. A little blue plastic seal with little yellow eyes. It looked fully intact though a little burnt and scratched. Its small plastic tail flapped slowly and feebly.
"What the heck is this thing?" Hagakure wondered out loud.
"We should probably disable it now and ask questions later," Kirishima said.
"It has to be some kind of quirk. I mean, it doesn't seem like any new tech."
Kirishima only shrugged. "Let's just get rid of it. We probably shouldn't risk losing track of it by exploding it though."
Bakugou glared. "Is that a shot at me?"
"Eh? No. I just think we should try something different."
Hagakure stepped away.
"If you want to blame me for Asui getting hurt-"
"I don't blame you. It's not like you sent this thing-"
"But you think I messed up. With Asui and now-"
"Why are you-"
Suddenly the plastic seal began to vibrate. It clacked against the dirt even though its tail was not moving. It began to multiply, from one to two, to four. The clatter grew louder.
Then Hagakure came up behind them, and threw down giant rock, crushing the plastic bodies and making them quiet. Hagakure smacked both Kirishima and Bakugou on the back of their heads.
"You two need to calm down." She moved the rock away. The extra seals melted into the dirt, leaving one crushed piece of plastic. She placed the rock back on.
Neither said anything when Hagakure decided to go on her own to tell Ojiro and the rest. They stood there, awkwardly alone. The wind picked up a little and the leaves made a lazy rustling sound.
Kirishima finally felt how tired the night had made him. What he wanted was to go home and catch some sleep. Forget the bizarre little pieces of plastic until another day. It was 2 AM now, and they still needed to walk a distance before being able call for help. He glanced at Bakugou, who held his phone facing away from his face, so he couldn't see his expression.
"Let's go."
No one volunteered to go with them. Ashido and the old man were still soundly asleep. Kaminari and Ojiro had started a small fire and chose to stay and watch. Hagakure sent them off with a wave.
They followed the road. Neither knowing what to say now that there wasn't an immediate threat to focus on. With the small campfire far behind them, Kirishima spoke.
"So what was that fight with Tsuyu about?"
Bakugou stopped. Kirishima flashed his light his way. He could see his face, in a rare occurrence, looking not angry or annoyed, but completely dumbstruck.
He recovered and began briskly walking ahead.
"She told me to stop fucking around and make a move on you already."
Kirishima laughed.