Because I'm absolute trash and this story has been sitting on my mind for the longest time and I couldn't resist finally writing it, so welcome readers new and old, I hope you enjoy!
I do not own Boku no Hero Academia.
Edited.
Of Heroes, Blood, and Boba
Chapter One:
Black Tea
Black Tea; considered a great starter tea. More oxidized (left to dry to turn into tea leaves) than oolong, green and white teas. Often retains its flavors for several years, has a solid caffeine count and not good for settling nerves or calming anxious minds.
"Don't you know?"
The familiar voice rang loud and clear from the expanded screen. Feet skidded to a halt for a moment, scuffed up and worn down orange sneakers hesitated over the curb of a sidewalk. Crimson eyes glanced from beneath uneven dark gray bangs—cut sloppily in an effort to save money—and followed the familiar voice. The light hustle and bustle of the usual morning traffic curve around the sudden obstruction, the rumble of cars and the idle chatter of people moving, living.
Several television screens were pressed in the window of the electronics shop in front of her. The largest one brandished at the top, a giant tag beside it signaling numbers that were—holy shit that's expensive who would even buy something like that? Her gaze quickly left the tag, refocusing on the wide smile that curled across a face that struck hope and fear into the hearts of thousands. She paused, heart lurch at the sight, eyes shining brightly and she didn't even spare the people around her a glance as she stepped forward, listening intently to the broadcast.
"As long as you believe in yourself and go beyond your limits—"
The slightly burnt toast in her hand crumpled weakly as her grip tightened. Crumbs trickled from the poor piece of bread and the corner of her lips tugged upwards. She waited eagerly as the hero on screen turned toward the broadcasters. It was a habit she'd picked up after seeing the first few videos a few years ago and horribly infectious. This must've been a recent interview from a few days ago since she hadn't seen this one yet. His brows set heavily over the top of his eyes and he raised a fist, as though to punch the sky.
"Anyone can be a hero!"
There was a faint ringing in the back of her head and she took an eager step closer, giddy smile touching her lips as she gripped the toast harder, waiting for the famous words.
"Go—"
"Hey, watch out—"
"Plus Ultra—ah!"
The market worker who'd been unsteadily juggling a box of apples tripped over the curb of the sidewalk. Fuyu's eyes went wide as a mountain of bright red suddenly began to topple toward her and she let out a gargled screech of surprise, falling the floor underneath the onslaught of fruit. Rounded red knocked into her head and bounced off onto the floor. Fuyu winced, rubbing the side of her head and feeling for any bumps as the man hurriedly began to apologize. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see where I was going, are you alright?"
"Fine, I'm alright," she glanced down to her uniform and balked. Slight dirt marks smeared the edge of the emerald skirt and the cuffs of her sleeves. She winced, the once pristine gray now muddled and dirtied. So much for new clothes.
Fuyu tugged at the sleeves, brushing off bits of dirt. She folded over the inside so the smeared part was hidden and nodded in satisfaction. Good as new.
"Is there anything I can do?" The worker offered, obviously worried she'd send a complaint of some sorts to his boss. "You're not hurt are you?"
"Just apples," Fuyu waved a hand, her mouth parted to reassure him she was fine when she blinked.
Her eyes focused on the apples scattered around the floor, bright and shiny and promising delectable and healthy breakfasts for several days to come. Her gaze sharpened and she did an internal calculation and grinned, quickly popping the latch to her school bag open. The worker watched in disbelief as Fuyu quickly gathered up several apples and shoved them in beside used notebooks with some spare pages still left. His mouth opened and closed like a fish, looking puzzled as Fuyu swiped another armful and struggled to shut her bag before letting out a hum of satisfaction.
"I'll take these and we can call it even!"
He opened his mouth to respond but she was already standing, shoving the remains of her crumpled toast into her mouth and sprinting off down the street. "Thanks!"
"Y-You're welcome?"
Her feet hit the street hurriedly, weaving around a few disgruntled citizens. Someone's phone was floating a little ways away from them due to their Quirk and she did a quick limbo under the levitating device. Her eyes snapped to the station only a few feet away and she quickly picked up the speed, realizing her few minute detour to see All Might had repercussions.
Being late on the first day of school doesn't sound good at all. Fuyu stopped briefly in the middle of the street, brows furrowing in disgust as she swallowed the lump of bread in her throat. That sounded like the first line to every manga ever. She glanced to wrist, remembered she'd forgotten to put on her watch because the handle came loose and she needed to fix it, and shrugged.
An older woman shot her a disapproving look and she quickly booked it to the station, skirt fluttering and mouth puffed like a chipmunk. Fuyu felt a rare flicker of excitement, the little rush of the unexpected at something new. She allowed a bit of a giddy smile to curl up on her lips and she leapt over the street curb.
"Plus Ultra!"
"Ma'am, could you please cross the street safely? There are people behind you."
"O-Oh, of course, sorry, excuse me."
This school is ridiculously huge.
Fuyu's jaw dropped, staring in disbelief at the enormous size of the towering campus. A pass was required to get through the security system—it had its own security system—and students were already beginning to make their way to their own classes, calls to familiar face and smiles to new ones passed over each other.
She quickly fished for her phone, flipping the top open and ignoring the startled look of a boy passing beside her at the old device. Fuyu snapped a photo of the enormous campus, taking another of a bird perched by the gate and she grinned, pocketing her phone. Gramps is gonna love this!
Fuyu couldn't help but let the numbers fly around in her head for a moment, giving the architecture a once over and rubbing her chin in thought as she started to make her way to the towering doors that lead to the first year wing. I wonder where all the funding comes from—it has to be because of all the pros that work here, right?
U.A. High School—it was the school, perhaps. Something that had seemed like nothing more than a wistful little glance a few months ago and nothing but a curious thought until a familiar, dull-eyed hero and beaming principal in pleasant business clothes had proven otherwise. Gramps and Grandma had bawled the entire night as Fuyu stared in disbelief at the letter in her hands and the generous offer despite the low-income and messy situations. Fuyu would be allowed to enroll into the school she hadn't even once considered attending because she was supposed to enroll into the local high school a few blocks down.
She'd been studying to attend the local high school close to the apartment she lived in with her grandparents and now found herself decked in a fresh uniform—semi-fresh, she mused, with the new stains, but she could scrub those out later and it'd be good as new, an old school bag filled with apples she could use for breakfast for the next few days—saving money—and I was attending the school the All Might would be working at.
Given there were some strings attached to the deal and she'd technically be working while studying—but Fuyu wasn't complaining. The look of pride and hope in her grandfather's eyes despite all his grumbling had been enough to convince her to take the offer.
"Maybe you can find something worthwhile there, yeah?"
I could die right now. Fuyu thought resolutely, suddenly stone faced. I could die right now, and that would be completely okay.
But instead of dying, she could also enjoy the fact that she was at a school that only seemed close in poster boards and news headlines. If what she wanted was to be of use—this was a damn fine step toward it. A wild grin curled upwards on her lips and she quickly rushed toward the building scribbled onto a paper in her pocket, lazy scrawl and equally lazy voice ringing in her head to remind her not to be late. I won't let you down!
Fuyu's foot snagged on the little piece of metal that lifted up from the ground where the doorframe stood in place. Her eyes widened, bulging out of her head as her arms instantly flailed outwards and the ground was rushing up to meet her face. Oh, shit—
A searing shot of cold rushed up the curve of her leg and ankle. Fuyu lurched, the shot of cold forcing a rough shudder through her body as her hands suddenly found purchase on her steadied knee and foot leveled with the ground. Fuyu's eyes shot down to the ground and she froze at the crystal clear sheen of ice that coated her leg. A thousand thoughts raced through Fuyu's mind, the first and foremost the fact that frozen cells that died did not regenerate just like burnt cells, which was why she stayed away from getting such injuries because they were a pain the ass to fix and—
The look on her face must've been panicked or annoyed because suddenly clean, casual shoes that promised nice tailoring stepped into view along with emerald uniform pants. Fuyu's eyes shot up and she paused, breath catching in her throat.
"Sorry," his voice was low, a calm, cool rumble and he bent down slightly, reaching with his other hand. "I've heard it's bad luck to fall on first occasions."
Somewhere in the back of her head she registered that such a saying was a very grandpa thing to say. But maroon irises focused instead on the calm, rather thoughtful gaze that was fixed back at her.
His eyes are beautiful. One a quiet, soft gray and the other was a piercing shade of turquoise. His hair split practically perfectly down the middle in two tones, snowy white and crimson red. Fuyu glanced down to dark gray hair—as though someone had smeared their pencil lead—with an orange scrunchie and felt subtly self-conscious. God, I swear if everyone here looks this cool and I literally look like villager B...
Her gaze flickered back to him and Fuyu felt a tug in the back of her mind, the familiar whisper of something just out of reach.
His gaze dipped back to her frozen ankle and Fuyu's eyes widened in surprise as he rested one hand calmly against the ice. A soft hiss filled the air as heat began to emit from his hand, the ice softening and quickly beginning to pool around on the concrete below them. Fuyu tested her foot, feeling the blood rush through immediately and hum throughout her body—alive, alive, alive.
He stood, one hand grasping his bag and he inclined his head slightly, gaze refocusing ahead of him as though he hadn't even need to stop all along. Appreciation and awe welled up in her chest and she quickly fished for one of the fruits in her bag, shooting up and grabbing his arm. "Hold on a sec!"
His stiffened in surprise at the contact, gaze snapping back to Fuyu quickly as he turned slightly. Without a second thought she pressed an apple into her palm because her grandmother would have decimated her with what little strength her old bones had if she didn't thank someone for doing something kind. The dual haired stranger stared as his palm, as though he hadn't quite registered what an apple was now doing in his hand.
Fuyu patted the top of the fruit and beamed. "Thanks for helping me! Apples are really good, y'know, they fill you up and they're tasty—you can actually eat the whole thing, core and all!"
Fuyu scampered past him and waved over her shoulder. "Your eyes are beautiful by the way!"
Fuyu idly tugged at a strand of hair and wondered if maybe only a handful of kids would be standing out and the rest would look relatively normal.
I take it all back, of course they'd all look this cool.
After getting lost for a few more minutes until a kind upperclassman gestured with his tail which way the class 1-A for the Heroics Division was for first years. Fuyu threw him an apple as well and spent another minute gaping at the sheer size of the door and admiring the architecture before she'd slipped in, hoping she wasn't the last one inside—which would mean she would awkwardly have to stand there and find a seat.
The wide variety of students that gathered in the room before her was a stark contrast to the usual faces from her old middle school. There was boy with bright blonde hair and an electric zig through it like a lightning bolt. Another boy with sleek black feathers and his bird-like shadow curling over his shoulder. The entire class was filled with vibrant and different characters and the cacophony of sounds of people introducing themselves and laughing filled her ears. Fuyu adjusted the bag over her shoulder and sighed through her nose. Just gotta lay low. You can't screw this chance up after all.
Fuyu honed in on the empty seat beside another empty seat several rows down. Deeming it a safer spot due to the lack of conversation, she quickly wove between a few other desks, only some of the students glancing her way as she set her bag down atop the desk and moved to settle in. Her eyes snapped to a flash of white and red and Fuyu blinked in mild surprise as the stranger who'd helped her moments ago pressed toward the back of the room.
His gaze flickered upwards at the feel of eyes on him, an apple sitting on the corner of his desk and Fuyu beamed, throwing him a rapid wave to which he merely gazed back at before she sat down. Alright, just gotta lay low, easy peasy—
"You're in my seat."
Fuyu blanched, eyes snapping upwards to an explosive looking blonde—hair wild and crimson pupils narrowed down at her critically. Fuyu instinctively bristled at the look he fixed her with, one that promised he was thinking she was little more than rubble beneath his feet. She held back a biting retort, reminding herself not to fuck this up and instead arched a brow. "Excuse me?"
His eyes narrowed further and suddenly eyes were trained sharply on the two of them as the room fell silent. Fuyu winced at the attention, realizing her ideals had soared pitifully out the window like her attempt as a kid to see if she had a flying quirk by jumping off the roof. His entire build radiated heat and raw power, something that sent the blood running through her veins pulsing louder in her ears. Her fingers twitched and she clasped them together. New school, new start. Don't prove Hitoshi right. You are not some short-tempered—
"Are you an idiot?" His hand shot out and fisted itself into her uniform shirt. It twisted beneath his grip and Fuyu squeaked, feet suddenly stumbling as she braced myself on the desk and he jerked her forward, face to face with his searing glare.
Fuyu's pulse quickened and she felt blood surging in her veins. Fuyu tensed, one hand gripping his weakly, her smaller hand dwarfing in size compared to the muscles tensing under her grip. Please don't draw blood. Please don't draw blood. She stilled herself, meeting his gaze calmly and whatever look she had on her face seemed to piss him off more because his scowl deepened.
A fiercer voice in the back of her mind shifted, pulse ringing in her ears as Fuyu's entire body coiled, something that didn't seem to go unnoticed by him as his entire face contorted into deeper irritation. If it's a fight he wants on the first day then—
"Good luck! Don't cause any trouble for us now, you hear?"
Her grandfather's face flashed annoyingly bright in her mind and Fuyu dropped her hand from his.
I can't mess this up.
"I—" Fuyu swallowed. "I thought this seat was empty...?"
His lips twisted down into a scowl and the spot where his hand connected with her uniform seemed to smolder. "It's alphabetical."
Fuyu's gaze instantly snapped to the board at the front of the class. Her lips parted in a small 'O' when she noticed the paper taped neatly to the front. A boy toward the front with blonde tufts looked sheepish and he gestured to it with his tail. A sheepish smile curled on her lips but the teen in front of her snarled, looking royally pissed off—holy shit why is this guy so mad over a seat.
Fuyu patted his hand, resisting the urge to smash her forehead into his to get him to let go of her uniform because she was pretty certain it was smoking. "Sorry about that, my bad."
"No shit," he sneered.
"Hey, it was just an accident," a firm hand settled over his shoulder and their eyes snapped to a kind looking redhead, his hair a mountain of red spikes sitting atop his head. He flashed the two of them a good natured grin, eyes earnest and sharp teeth peeking from his grin. "She didn't mean any harm by it. It's just the first day after all!"
"We should not be causing such a ruckus before class starts!" A voice exclaimed loudly, and a tall, well-built teen with glasses suddenly shot forward, arms moving rigidly at his sides. "Everyone, please return to your seats—"
"Whatever," the blonde snapped. He carelessly shoved her sideways and Fuyu stumbled, barely catching herself over the chair and steadying myself on the desk next to me.
Fuyu flashed the girl whose desk she'd slammed into an apologetic glance and quickly snatched her bag, less the apples and her things suffer from his wrath as well. She resisted the urge to chuck it at the back of the blonde's head and adjusted her necktie. New school, new you. Find something worthwhile.
"What's your last name?" The redhead turned to Fuyu with a wide grin and she straightened.
"Kouki." His grin widened and he gestured to the seat only two off from the seat the blonde now angrily sat in, his feet propped up on the desk.
"You're right behind me then—I'm Kirishima, by the way. Kirishima Eijiro." He offered a hand and Fuyu quickly shook it, a wide smile splitting her lips despite the flustered appearance.
"Kouki," Fuyu offered. "Kouki, Fuyu. It's nice to meet you."
"You best not get into any fights on the first day," the electric blonde she'd noticed before teased, peeking around Kirishima with a grin. "Especially not with such a wild looking guy like that."
"Shut the fuck up," the blonde seethed, turning his attention toward the other blonde and Fuyu blinked in mild surprise.
She'd already started to think that the explosive blonde was one to watch out for, but if people were teasing him and talking about him as though it were nothing, maybe there were far scarier people to look out for on this campus. Kirishima settled into his seat and Fuyu slipped into hers, setting her bag atop the desk and reaching for the clasp. Maybe he'd want an apple.
"Don't put your legs on the desk! Don't you think that's disrespectful to your classmates?"
"No, as a matter of fact, I don't think so—what middle school did you go to anyways, Four-eyes?"
"What middle school did you go to?" Kirishima questioned, ignoring the squabble that had suddenly started between Glasses and the angry blonde.
Fuyu faintly noticed the door opening to class as chatter began to quickly fill the room. Kirishima kept his gaze focused on her, looking pleasant and nice. Fuyu idly thanked whatever deity for having an amiable seat-buddy compared to the struggle to get words out of her previous one throughout middle school. "I went to N—"
"If you're going to be hunting for friends, do it elsewhere." A voice drawled out, and the entire class paused, turning to face the doorway where a fluffy, green haired boy stood beside a friendly, round faced girl. They both turned their gaze to the floor, staring in shock as a mass of yellow suddenly rose from the ground. "This is the Department of Heroics."
Fuyu stopped, the familiar, lazy drawl echoing in her ears and instantly perked up. An unruly mess of black hair and an equally black costume came into view, a yellow sleeping bag parting at his feet as he shuffled lazily into the room. The entire class looked surprised but Fuyu waited as his eyes scanned over the class. "It took you lot eight seconds to quiet down. Life is short, kids. If you're lacking in common sense."
He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. Pleasure meeting you."
He didn't even spare her a second glance—figures. Fuyu reminded herself to visit the teacher's office later and haggle him for keeping the fact that he'd be her teacher from her.
Aizawa shuffled through his sleeping bag and pulled out what looked to be a gym uniform. "Wear these immediately and then shove off to the P.E grounds."
His eyes settled then on Fuyu finally and he paused, regarding her over eager face and the still half open bag that was in her clutches, forgotten in her distraction by his arrival. "Ah, but before we do that..."
He refocused his gaze on the entire class, "As you're already aware, all of you are in this class because you applied for the Division of Heroics and passed the entrance exam. However, for the first time this year, a new program has been started up here at U.A."
The students began to talk amongst themselves, waiting patiently as Aizawa swept on, looking bored with the whole ordeal. "Since there is no set course for this program, we deemed it best to have our first participant enroll alongside you lot since it'll be where most of the action is happening anyway."
A wicked grin curled on his lips at that and mostly everyone visibly stiffened. A refined look girl toward the back raised her hand. "What program is this, Aizawa-sensei?"
"The Medical Division," Aizawa answered easily. "She will be training directly under Recovery Girl to learn the ropes of what it means to be a hero specializing in emergency first response and first aid."
Aizawa's eyes drifted back to Fuyu, as though to say "Now introduce yourself, idiot." Fuyu quickly stood, the clasp that had been in her hands, already wearing down and not much of a clasp anymore unlocking with a distinct click. Eyes quickly turned her way and she offered a small smile.
"I'm Kouki Fuyu," Fuyu bowed her head, keeping her eyes on the desk in front of her. "Due to the nature of my Quirk, I will be studying alongside you guys to receive an education and training with Recovery Girl to help heal any injuries that may happen throughout the school year. I'm not the best yet, but please come to me if you ever need any help and I'll do my best to—"
The clasp that had finally come undone shifted open with the weight of the objects within her bag. Fuyu halted, gaze kept focused forward as suddenly several apples tumbled forth from the bag, spreading across the desk and rolling off before hitting the floor with repeated thuds. The entire class fell silent.
Fuyu swallowed, a light blush beginning to color her cheeks and she bowed her head deeper. "—keep you healthy..."
Laughter immediately erupted across the classroom, tears welling in a few of their eyes and Fuyu's face flushed red.
"Oh my god—was that a gag? She had apples and everything!"
"Didn't they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away?"
"How precious!"
Aizawa regarded her blandly and Fuyu hastily sat down, bending to pick the apples up when a shadowy figure scooped along the floor. She glanced up in surprise, the bird shadow blinking back at her with apples gathered in its arms. Fuyu's gaze turned to the teen sitting a desk ahead and his head was turned to the side, not meeting her gaze and a smile curled over her lips in appreciation. The shadow handed them to her, swiped one for himself and grinned, retreating back. Another hand appeared in her view and Kirishima grinned down at Fuyu, another boy holding out several apples as well.
"Guess you must really like apples," Kirishima grinned.
"I got them for free," Fuyu muttered, rubbing the back of her head as she idly shoved them back into the bag. "I just didn't have a place to put them all yet."
"What were you even going to do with all of these?"
"Fruits are expensive, you know!" Fuyu huffed. "Free fruits are no joke."
Kaminari burst out into laughter ahead of them at the conversation and Kirishima continued to grin widely. Kouki rubbed the back of her head and sighed, praying on her namesake. Gramps, please send some luck my way.
"Hmm... I sense you've got a spine on you, but you're going to need to learn how to use it if you want to get anywhere!"
She's adorable. Fuyu gazed down at the older woman standing proudly before her, gloved hands settling on her hips as she regarded Fuyu. Recovery Girl and Fuyu were currently waiting in the nurse's office, since Aizawa had informed her there would be a Quirk evaluation test to see where everyone was at skill wise. This old lady is adorable—she's just like my Grandma.
She had a sinking suspicion if she told her that it wouldn't end well, though. Her version of the test was meant to take place with the old hero in front of her.
"Straighten up that posture!" Her cane swung out and smacked Fuyu in the back of the knees.
Fuyu jumped in surprise, wincing at the sharp jab of pain and instantly feeling it settle over as she hobbled over to her desk, head held high. "We don't know how these things will go sometimes since you kids these days are so reckless, so we need to be ready at a moment's notice!"
"R-Right..." Fuyu followed after her, standing at her side as she hopped into her chair. She'd changed into her gym clothes, rolling up the sleeves a little higher in case she needed to use her Quirk for the day.
A binder sat at her side—Recovery Girl's insistence that she acquaint herself with the Quirks and names of her classmates. "It's important to know what you're up against. The ones that have Quirks that can hurt their bodies need to be watched constantly. We really have our hands full this year, you know."
Fuyu nodded idly, running a finger over the scar on her left hand out of habit. Recovery Girl flipped through a file. "The nature of your Quirk is extremely suited to this kind of work, which I'm sure you already know. But the drawbacks are something you need to watch out for as well—you're useless to the injured if you can't even take care of yourself."
Fuyu nodded once more, eyes drifting around the office. Recovery Girl swung her syringe shaped cane out and smacked her arm, drawing her attention back. "Tell me, Kouki-chan, what do you think is the most important thing about being a hero?"
Fuyu froze, blinking slowly at her question. A thousand different answers raced through her head and she frowned. "Saving people?"
"Is that an answer or another question?" Her cane swung out, smacking her shoulder.
"Saving people!"
Recovery Girl nodded. "The essence of saving people is surrounded by flashy moves and heroic actions, but we must always remember—" she held up a finger. "—that heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and it's being able to help those that need help that matters the most."
"You only have one purpose in this life, after all."
"I'll do my best," Fuyu promised earnestly. "Recovery Girl-sensei—"
Her cane swung out, smacking her hand. "Chiyo Shuzenji—you needn't say my name every single time. It's quite the mouthful."
"Y-Yes," Fuyu paled, warily taking a step back. "While most of the training is going on, is this where I'll be?"
"We'll have to spread you a little thin," Shuzenji admitted. "I'm currently the only official nurse enrolled at this school—why our rascal of a principal doesn't enlist more help is beyond me. We have some assistants that come and go, but you will be shadowing me closely in any calls that happen to come during school hours. Of course, you'll still attend your normal class duties in the day, but when the students go off to their respective courses, you'll be with me most of the time."
She nodded to the binder that sat at her side. "That is a list of the classmates within your class, but we'll be helping the students in class 1-B along with those in General studies and Support as well. Given, the students in the Heroics Division usually sustain more injuries than the rest."
Shuzenji looked thoughtful, turning to Fuyu. "I was given a rather vivid description of your Quirk from what Shouta and the others knew, along with the registration you sent in, but how comfortable are you with the usage?"
"Fair," Fuyu admitted honestly. "I can sustain it for a lot longer than I could before and I'm used to healing a pretty wide variety of injuries." Tested by hurting myself, of course, which might have not been the best idea. "But the more serious ones I haven't really had much experience with yet."
She nodded in understanding. "That's not a bad start. I would love to be able to say you shouldn't have to worry about such things but that would be awful naïve now, wouldn't it?"
Fuyu opened her mouth to respond but Shuzenji tapped Fuyu's head with her cane. "Keep in mind since it's just the two of us, we'll have our work cut out for us."
She peered closely at Fuyu beneath her visor, setting her hands on her knees and letting her cane rest at her side. Thank God. "What you will see on the battlefield out there will not always be kind. Those who are granted quirks like ours—that is to say, quirks that can heal, and are willing to offer it up to others must face a great deal. Are you prepared for such things?"
Red flashed in her mind, red, red, red. Fuyu's lips curled upwards slightly. "Blood doesn't bother me, Shuzenji-sensei."
A smile touched her lips. "I would hope so. Before any of this begins, I'm tasking you with an ongoing assignment."
"On my first day?" Fuyu mused and she instinctively braced herself for another smack, looking surprised when it didn't come.
Shuzenji merely met her gaze with her own, peering up at Fuyu silently.
"Are you here to become a hero?"
Fuyu went silent, staring down at the older woman in front of her. Her lips parted to answer but Shuzenji shook her head, waving her off. "I don't want an answer now. The next time I ask, I will. Think long and hard about it and let that be your starting point."
Her gloved hand suddenly settled on Fuyu's knee and she flinched, thinking she was going to swing again with her cane, but instead Shuzenji gave her knee a soft pat. "I know your road here as not been as smooth as most, but I will do my best to teach you all I can."
Fuyu's heart lurched at her words and she nodded eagerly, hair swinging wildly with the motion. "I'll be in your care, ma'am!"
Her cane swung out and smacked the side of Fuyu's arm. "You need better puns."
"I-It wasn't intended..."
A soft knock rasped the door to the nurse's office and they both turned, Shuzenji straightening. "Come in!"
The fluffy green haired boy from earlier peeked his head in shyly. Fuyu watched him curiously as Shuzenji let out a bit of an exasperated sigh, as though she'd already had to deal with him before. "Ah, Midoriya-kun, what's brought you over here this time?"
"S-Sorry, Recovery Girl-sensei," Midoriya stepped inside, looking sheepish as he offered her a note. "I got a little hurt during our Quirk test today and Aizawa-sensei told me to come get it checked out. I hope I'm not a bother—"
His eyes flickered to me curiously and Fuyu offered him a small wave. A shy smile crossed over his lips and she winced when Shuzenji smacked her back with her cane. "Nonsense. It's our job after all to handle things like this, what's hurting you this time?" What did I do to deserve that one?
He looked surprised at the term 'this time' but held up his other hand. Fuyu grimaced, his index and middle finger discolored and swelling in a way that looked painful. Her eyes searched over the injury, trying to figure out the source of the cause and deeming it internal from the way his vessels seemed to be swelling. It almost looks like it's broken.
Shuzenji let out a small hum, patting to the empty chair beside them and Midoriya shuffled over, taking a seat and extending his hand outwards. She grasped it softly, turning it this way and that. "It doesn't look broken—what do you think, Kouki-chan?"
Fuyu straightened immediately. "Definitely not broken, but the swelling is bad—like a big bruise. If left untreated it could probably get worse and lead to permanent damage unless we set it properly."
She nodded in approval, sitting back in her chair and turning to Midoriya. "Now, my Quirk merely speeds up the regeneration process of one's own healing. It uses up your own energy and therefore the more injured you are, the more energy it would take and you'd end up dying anyway."
Midoriya looked shocked at this news. "D-Dying?"
Fuyu nodded, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "That makes sense since you're speeding up what would take days to heal—ouch!"
Her cane smacked Fuyu's knee and she jolted, looking to Shuzenji sharply as she hopped from her chair and began to stride out of the room. "I will leave this one to you. I expect only the best results, Kouki-chan, our students are counting on us, after all!"
"I already have to start?" Fuyu questioned, a little flutter of hope in her chest at the idea of being able to jump head first into the fray, but apprehension holding her heart steady. "Shouldn't you be here to—"
"If they're already working themselves to the bone enough to get injured on the first day," she nodded toward Midoriya. "Then I expect nothing less from you."
The door clicked shut softly behind her. Fuyu stood there for a moment, blinking at the empty space and then slowly turning to the flustered male beside her. "S-Sorry, um, Kouki-san, right? I hope it's not too much trouble—"
"It's not, don't worry!" Fuyu protested quickly, sitting down in her teacher's chair and scooting closer to him. "I promise I may not look it, but I can be pretty reliable. It's my job anyways."
Fuyu flashed him a bright grin and he blushed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with his free hand. Seems like a nice guy. Fuyu offered my hand to him, a scar curling across her palm and over her knuckles. "May I?"
"A-Ah, of course!" His hand shot out and Fuyu held it gently. She could feel several callouses along his fingers and gingerly ran a finger over his damaged ones, feeling the heat from the swelling and focusing on where his pulse seemed to throb. "I'm Midoriya, by the way. M-Midoriya Izuku. Sorry for already causing trouble—"
"Kouki Fuyu," Fuyu grinned. "I won't drop you like those apples, I promise."
Midoriya laughed softly at that, a shy, flustered kind of laugh. Fuyu hummed to herself, glad her first patient was a kind one and not the blonde from before. Curiosity colored his features as he watched her run slightly tanned fingers over his hand and his eyes strayed upwards. "Kouki-san—"
"Kouki's fine. You can even just call me Fuyu if ya want."
"A-Ah, Kouki," Midoriya fixed. "What exactly is your Quirk?"
His face was shy but his eyes shone with a rather fierce curiosity. Fuyu idly wondered if this guy was another person to look out for and she grinned, a lazy little curl of her lips. She reached over with her free hand for one of the scalpels that sat in a neat tray on Shuzenji's desk. "Well, it's not really the prettiest thing but..."
Fuyu removed her other hand from Midoriya's and promptly raised it, splaying the fingers out for him to see. His brows furrowed and Fuyu brought the scalpel up with her other hand. Fuyu pressed the blade to her palm and swiftly cut down the skin, blood immediately trickling outwards and down, She didn't flinch at the pinch of pain, watching crimson roll down. "I—"
"K-Kouki!" Midoriya screeched in surprise, eyes bulging out of his head as he lurched forward as though to stop her. "Are you alright? Why would you—we should get Recovery Girl and—"
"No, no, no, it's all god." Fuyu waved him off, mindful of the blood dripping down her hand and grinned. "See?"
His eyes snapped back to Fuyu's palm and he froze. The blood that had begun to trickle down halted. Fuyu focused, feeling it pulse around her hand as though it were still within her body and tilted her head. The blood curled upwards, separating from the cut and curling in the air as though controlled by some unseen force. Fuyu held up her cut palm, the wound slowly healing as the blood clotted and healed itself over. Midoriya's jaw dropped as the blood hovered in a small, snake-like arch over her hands, curling and twisting. "My Quirk is my blood—I can control it and use it to heal myself and other people, it's got regeneration properties that help heal cells."
Midoriya still looked pale from the way Fuyu slit open her palm like cutting a fruit and she grinned wickedly. "Of course, I actually have to get it out of my body to use it, which is why I try to leave some skin available to make cuts—do you mind?"
"N-No!" Midoriya's hand shot out again and Fuyu cradled it with her free hand, focusing on his fingers.
The blood hovering over her palm curled outwards and wrapped softly around his fingers. Fuyu felt his pulse beat in unison with hers, feeling the throbbing of his veins and letting her blood curl around them. It glowed softly as the cells healed and Fuyu looked up, gauging his reaction. "It's not the most appealing Quirk since people get kinda grossed out, but it gets the job done—"
"That's amazing, Kouki," Midoriya breathed, and she blinked in surprise. "A Quirk like this, it's perfect for helping people!"
Fuyu paused, taking in the bright shine in his eyes and the eager look on his face. His hand twitched as though to grab something and he mumbled about wishing he had a notebook and Fuyu couldn't help staring, a quiet, lulling pulse in the back of her head.
She kind of got why Shuzenji asked her what she did.
Fuyu's eyes softened. "Thanks, Midoriya."
The door to the office swung open and Fuyu screeched in surprise, Midoriya jumping and the blood she had focused in her hold arched in response. Shuzenji regarded them dryly, "This is no time to be flirting, you know."
"I wasn't—"
"I-It's not like that—"
A splat echoed around the room and Midoriya and Fuyu turned their gazes downwards to where the blood that had been hovering had fallen, splattering over their uniforms and looking as though one of them had been stabbed.
"Oh my God I'm so sorry!"
"I-It's not your fault!" Midoriya cried out in alarm. "It's just—b-b-blood!"
"But blood is so hard to get out of clothes—I'm so sorry!"
"N-No, I was the one that scared you in the first place!"
Shuzenji sighed, regarding the two of them with a shake of her head, figuring she truly had her work cut out for her this year.
And there we have the first chapter of Heroes, Blood, and Boba! The whole boba part comes into play later on, don't worry ;) I'm from Southern California so down here we usually just call it "boba" but I'm aware other places call it bubble tea or pearls. I hope you guys enjoyed the story so far!
I've got several other stories in the works, and I promise updates to those will be coming soon. I've been following Boku no Hero for the longest time now and have been trying to resist writing a story for it, but the ideas for this one won over, and I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter!
Thank you all so much for giving it a shot, and if you have any comments or feedback, I'd love to hear it. Thanks for taking the time out to give it a read and I hope it was worth it ;)
Marshmellow-
-OUT!