All eyes are on me; watching me, judging me. The audience claps as I scurry around like a headless chicken, avoiding an onslaught of electrical energy as it crashes around me. The bolts miss me on purpose, but the careful placement of the disc-shaped projectiles Denki fires all along the ground stun me, causing my limbs to feel heavier with each step.
I need to end this battle soon, before I can no longer move. The odds, however are not in my favor. As Denki converges his electricity into the pointer a meter from my feet, I am knocked to the ground. The cloak made of thick insulator around my shoulders protects me from the effects of his quirk, thanks to Momo, but I need a better plan. Once I am on my feet again, I take a brief look around.
Denki and I are at an urban crossroads, on an open street. There is not a soul around, besides the passing whirl of helicopters as the press reports our progress from a bird's eye view. It's habitual for the students of Yuuei to be in the public interest, considering we are on the verge of graduation. A last assessment is given to test our growth, and we stand as fair game to friends and rivals alike. I draw the short end of the stick when I am set against Denki in this. His duration has increased since the start of the term.
This means I have no option but to dodge and hope that he shorts himself out soon. I can run for the time being, but I won't last forever. This shouldn't have even gone on for this long. Time is ticking down. Another blast from his quirk hits me dead on. The insulator absorbs most of the electricity, but I can still feel it rattle my bones. Not good, not good at all. Denki put a lot into that shot.
I crash to my knees into a wet patch of cold water, and hear the flow of liquid as it falls from the sky. Sudden awareness hits me, and I turn my attention in the direction of his last pointer. Denki attached it onto a fire hydrant, and while the city is a fake, all its properties are completely functional. Without knowing it, he uprooted a water main, forcing 350 units of pressure to the surface. I have my opening.
Bounding to my feet once again, I move within range of the hydrant and push the water with my quirk while signaling with my hands which direction I want it to go. Luckily, my distance has improved as it's enough to reach Denki, dousing him and the device on his right forearm. If I am correct, the ion-filled water will damage the shooter's circuits, keeping Denki from using it. He won't risk hitting me with his full power, and therefor has no way of protecting himself. I win.
He realizes this too as he moves his hands out in front of himself, indicating that he has given up. I smile at his cooperation and remove the capture tape from my belt pouch, looping it into a ribbon around his wrist.
"Sorry about this," I say with a gentle laugh.
"No problem," he states, examining the tape with a widespread smile. Light-colored pink brushes his cheeks. "Glad it was you who took me out."
The feeling is mutual. Anyone else, and my luck may well have run out. I wish Denki good luck and sprint off into the bowls of the city. There is a temporary base somewhere in this concrete jungle where the dummy civilian is being held. A firework is set off and Present Mic announces Denki's removal from the game. The audience cheers for me, and for a moment, I feel sad. But looking back at the rules, I remember Denki is not technically out. His score in the other tests could well save him from losing his license. I must keep focused so that I don't risk the chance of losing mine.
I cup my fingers over the mobile headset I am given at the start of the assessment, and press the talk button. "Momo, Tokoyami-kun, are you able to respond? Have either of you located the target?"
There is white noise over the line, but a voice quietly answers. It is Momo. "I have located the target. The villain team has set up their base near the center of the city, in front of the fountain."
"Good work, Yaoyorozu." Fumikage is next to answer. His tone is less labored than hers, meaning that he is at a standstill. "Also to you, Usui. With Kaminari out of the game, we have numbers on our side."
A blush warms my face. "No problem. What is the status of his remaining teammates?"
"That's the setback," Momo answers with uncertainty. "I see Kirishima. He's guarding the civilian, but Bakugou is not with him."
Most likely looking for us. I huff an annoyed sigh. Not good. The chances are, he's not far from the base. We need a better approach. We need a distraction.
"That might work. One of us could redirect Katsuki from the target. Momo, it should be you," I mutter. "I would do it, but my quirk isn't suited for close-range combat."
"Are you sure about this?"
"She is right," Fumikage answers. "I hate to admit it, but the light generated from Bakugou's quirk puts Dark Shadow on the defensive. But with one like yours, Yaoyorozu; creation, you'd be able to make a material strong enough to withstand his explosions."
I must agree. It's a good plan. Katsuki shouldn't see it coming, and hopefully before he figures it out, Fumikage and I will have beaten Eijirou and secured the target. It will work, it must.
"I will do it," Momo decides. She is on board. That's good.
But without warning, there is an explosion. It shakes the inner-city area 115 yards away, coming from the direction of the enemy base. I quickly panic. It had to have been Katsuki.
"What just happened?" My voice booms over the static of the radio as I rush up the empty street toward the clamor.
"He found me," Fumikage calls out.
I was afraid of this. The blonde recognizes that Fumikage is the stronger of the three. He deliberately must have sought him out, just to have a second shot. It's been nearly two years since their last fight; the sports festival. Katsuki won, but he found out how to exploit the weaknesses of the jet-black hero. It will be an easy win if he is to do it again.
Another explosion wrecks the area, and I feel it closer than before. "Okay, what do we do now?"
"Leave Bakugou to me," Fumikage answers. His tone of voice bounces across the wavebands like a rubber ball. He sounds winded, and for a moment I'm worried that this plan of his won't happen as expected. But I don't have time to think it over, because Fumikage shouts out an order. "Take out Kirishima and secure the civilian. Do it quickly."
The mock lighting of the cityscape gives me no sense of time, but I know the hour given for the exam must be nearly up. But does Fumikage know this? Or does he not trust his own quirk to keep himself in the game? I fear the ladder, but as the fountain comes into view, I have no option but to forget my worries and believe in myself.
My eyes locate the civilian. It is a straw figure bound in fat, three string rope on a metal support. The long, cylindrical object is placed in the ground in front of the bronze platform of the five-meter-high fountain with Eijirou watching over it like a guard. He notices my approach, because the skin around his arms harden into a sharp point as he takes a fortified stance against me. I have little time to formulate a plan to break through his defense and rely upon my instinct to pull me through.
I draw out a seamless hand guard from the band around my waist. It's longer than the width of my hand with a trigger mechanism built into the grip that frees the liquid from the hydration pack across my back. The gear took me awhile to grow accustomed to, but I have learned to use it like a third appendage. It takes focus to shape the water into something I can use as a weapon; a sword in this case. My fingers curl around the guard and with both hands I sweep the mock blade the few inches between Eijirou and myself, connecting it with his arm. It makes a loud screech like metal rubbing together, and some of the water goes in my eye.
The sword doesn't cut; it does nothing to the hardened skin, in fact. I step back. What do I do now? This type of close-range fighting is risky for me. Shit! Eijirou counters with a straight punch. My mind screams for me to move away, to block, or something, but I can't. Fear cripples me from lucid thought. Is this how I'm going to lose? Never lose focus. Never give up. I can hear Backdraft – my trainer – tell me. He's out there watching, I imagine. Since I began employment with his agency; a name that often escapes me, I was sent to work at the Musufatu Fire Department. My quirk is best suited for disaster scenarios; which is only half of the final grade. During that internship, I was brought on call to a house fire near Shizuoka Prefecture, caused by faulty electrical outlets. There was no one home when it started, but by the time we put it out, the fire had destroyed most of the home. I remember feeling sad, useless even. I lost focus and nearly brought the entire team down. Backdraft chewed me out good, but he also told me those words; Never lose focus. Never give up. I think there may have been more, but I was too motivated to hear them. He is right, I should push passed my fear and continue.
I will not lose this. I will win. A water barrier forms between us and before Eijirou can connect with it, I shove my arms forward, engulfing him in it. The sheer power knocks him back, but he recovers too quickly and strikes at me again. The hit doesn't reach me, and instead lands on a concrete shield made by Momo.
"Get the target. I'll take out Kirishima," she orders.
I say nothing. The win is ours. The target is within reach of me, but I don't get the chance to secure it, before an explosion is set off in my course. Katsuki misses me by a meager few meters, thanks to his directional training, but the shockwave is enough to send me sliding back. I grow anxious by this. He has me in his sites.
A firework is sent into the sky and the audience cheers over the blonde teen's win on Fumikage. I feel as if this will be a long shot, but I have to try. With the target in mind, I quickly stand and run toward it. All I need to do is release the civilian. However, Katsuki is in front of me sooner than I can shape my quirk, pitching a right hook; his usual first move. But I anticipate this and parry, circling around to his side to avoid the fight. I have no other option.
With him to my back I make a dash for the civilian. I certainly don't hear it, but I feel the force of his quirk shove me forward, knocking me into the shallow, cold water at the base of the fountain. My body stings from the sudden barrage of debris that comes hand-in-hand with Katsuki's quirk. As I pull myself from the pool, I feel beyond angry. That seriously hurt. How could he be so harsh?
I set myself upright, raising my hands in front of my body as I pull water from the fountain and shape it into a massive, ambiguous form. Throwing all my weight into the strike, I clutch at the air and send the water crashing into Katsuki's side. He plummets to the ground with a wet, smack. The landing looks rough, but I don't care at the moment. I use this fortunate time to lunge at the straw figure, knocking my shoulder against the metal support as I wrap my arm and legs around it. My fingers work fast at unraveling the loose knots, and just as quickly, the civilian is set free.
A series of fireworks is set into the sky above us. The hero team wins. Momo doesn't capture Eijirou, but it doesn't matter; we pass. As I slip onto the ground with a thankful sigh, I notice Katsuki has recovered. His eyes are wild, staring directly at me. I shiver; this can't end well.
At long last the practical exams are over. I am relieved. Of course, the next few days will be the start of the rewards ceremony, so resting is out of the question, but at least I know that I have passed. I stand in the locker room, changing into my street clothing after my quick shower and thinking about the events that transpired earlier. The look on Katsuki's face disturbs me still. He seems to be very upset with his loss, but I have no doubt that he will still pass. The blonde is smart – he tutored me. But will he be able to let this defeat go? I text him earlier, but he never replied back. I mention that I will meet with him after I shower, so maybe he will wait.
This is not a good day. I would rather not deal with the blonde's snappy attitude toward me, but I can't avoid it. Still, I wait until the girls are all gone and sit on a bench near my locker, trying to think of a way to respond to his anger when we meet up. He may not scream and rant at me, but I know for a fact Katsuki will be distant.
I huff a frustrated sigh and collect my things. No use in hiding from this. But as I stand and move toward the door, it pivots open and Katsuki wanders in. I nearly squeal in alarm. He can't be in here.
The blonde and I stare at one another in an uncomfortable silence until he snaps out his phone and points at the screen. I lean closer, noticing that his messages are pulled up and my name is at the top of the box. I'm confused. What is he trying to show me? The last text I sent to him was over twenty minutes ago. All of a sudden it hits me like a ton of bricks. I see.
"S-sorry. I had some trouble getting dressed," I lie. My back and shoulders did hurt, but I didn't want to upset him more. I just didn't want to see him yet.
His eyes inspect me, as if trying to see if I am really hurt. I slip my blazer down by the collar and show him the splotches of red on my shoulders and neck. "It happened when you blasted me into the fountain," I explain with a laugh.
"Idiot," he grunts. "Ask for help, if you need it."
I nod and avert my eyes to the floor. Honestly, this doesn't make me feel better. I hate to see him upset.
"Come here." I turn my attention to him. The tone of his voice sounds level, but I know better. He lost. His pride is hurt. Still, I do as he asks and slowly walk to him.
Once I am within reach, I close the gap between us and lean my forehead against his shoulder. Katsuki remains silent, but his arm slips around my waist and pulls me closer. I take this opportunity to slink my fingers into the fabric of his button-up shirt.
"Are you upset with me?" My voice is quiet, muffled by the proximity between us.
He answers honestly, I believe. "Very, but I'm trying to ignore it." His free hand aids in pulling my head up and in front of his face where I can look into his eyes. They are narrowed, but very pretty. "Don't lie to me. It pisses me off," he adds.
"I just hate to deal with you like this," I admit. "I thought you'd be mad after I beat you during the exam."
"Are you fucking with me?" Katsuki yanks at my hair, rousing a hiss from me.
"If not for that, then what?" I don't understand why he is upset. He's more hot and cold than Shouto.
Katsuki parts his mouth like he intends to explain to me the reason, but instead he eases his lips onto mine. Little by little I give in and overlook the whole thing, moving my mouth against his. Our tongues meet in the middle and rub together slowly as we try to bring ourselves closer to one another.
I'll admit, kissing Katsuki like this is a turn on. It sends warm shivers through me that nearly make me beg him to expose me to more. I press myself against him, and moan when the seat of his jeans rub against the thin fabric of my panties. He grinds his hips against mine, and easily I can tell he wants this just as much; the swell in the front of his pants is very much growing and I am eager to give him what he wants, if he needs it.
Katsuki removes his mouth from mine; a thin, lead of saliva connecting us, until he breaks it with the back of his hand. I huff in annoyance, honestly wanting this to continue. We are so close to something great, but he decides to stop. This isn't our first time, but it has been a while – two months since our internships started again. I'm not sure when we will get another chance like this.
"Katsuki," I beg.
"Not now," the blonde groans. "Meet up with me after the awards ceremony tomorrow. We need the rest."
I can't help but to laugh. He sounds so unlike himself right now. However, I agree and lean forward, kissing his cheek. We sit together on the bench and wait. It's silent between us, but I am content. Even so, I wonder what reason Katsuki is upset with me about? One way or another, he needs to tell me, or I will find out.
To be continued …