Disclaimer: I own a pen. That's pretty much it.
Chapter Three: 吹き矢
Fukiya (吹き矢) is a Japanese blowgun. 1.2 meters (45-inches) long, with 20-centimeters (7.9-inch) long darts (fukibari). There's no separate mouthpiece, so one can't open their mouth and take a deep breath while their lips are on the tube… so the blower had to turn the head, inhale and then blow, or learn to inhale with their mouth closed.
The second day starts off as in any other normal school: mandatory subjects, such as English. Doing what he did best, Minato dozed off during those – it's not like he didn't know all of those already.
After the lunch, the class gathered for the last lesson, one everyone was eager to have, the one that Minato himself couldn't wait to go through. This year is, after all, the year that Pro Hero №1 joined them at Yuuei to teach the aspiring generation of Pros.
"I bet he's gonna be the best here!"
"Oh, I can't wait for it! It's like a dream come true, man!"
"Wow… is he really going to bother with us? What if we aren't deemed worthy? What if…"
Each and every student was anxious about the upcoming lesson (even Todoroki sold himself out with the slight fidgeting). Energy bubbling in their veins, the rant went on, students voicing their opinions. The ones in front of him – Midoriya, Bakugou and Hagakure – were extra ambitious, the latter two literally burning with confidence, while the former was mumbling to himself, words incomprehensible.
'That muttering… I've yet to talk to Midoriya,' Minato reminded himself.
With that thought still fresh in his mind, Minato almost missed the pounding steps from behind the door, the heated discussion almost tuning them out. He turned his attention to the entrance, supporting his head with his palms, exterior nonchalant.
Inwardly, though… inwardly, he was suffocating on his own laughter, tears streaming down his face.
'Should I or should I not… Well, that's an obvious question!'
True to his words, Minato stayed silent as a lamb. That is, until a looming figure of Number One hero busted through the door, the signature Golden Age costume oh man-
"I AM… ENTERING THE ROOM LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" That booming voice, that blinding smile, that friendly demeanor!
That, and the fact that All Might was, well, really here, going to teach them the true ways, was supposed to make Minato excited, right? If so, then why…
ANGUISH
Why did he suddenly feel so shallow, an image of a towering man with a blinding smile, booming voice and a wild mane of startling-white hair flashing throw his mind, the sudden wave of nostalgia so overwhelming, boring its way into his soul, his breath hitching and a lone tear slipping before he could control it?
PAIN
No… nononononono…
- iSN'T hE sO mUCh LiKE hIm, nEeEeEe -
The unbearable pain… he clenched his teeth, tuning out that voice, forcing those traitorous memories back moments before it would happen again. He must fight it, fight it like he always it, blocking it away because those memories…
REGRET
Those memories belong to a long gone man.
His vision slowly cleared, only to be met with a slowly emptying classroom, students coming to the shelves- wait, when did those appear?!
"Oi, lil' brother," came from Denki, "common, get your gear and suit up!"
Watching his older brother's departing form, Minato walked to the shelves, only case №19 remaining there.
…Regret…?
Before his hand reached it, he heard a distant voice, a giggle, felt a peck on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, only to met with red splotches dancing in front of him, a maelstrom of beauty and furry and love.
The emotion hit him hard. It wasn't the same as his love for his mother, or his love for his friends. This love… it was unconditional, immortal, fulfilling and engulfing. His breath hitched, a sob made its way out of his mouth. He felt tears flowing down his face as the magnificent red moved smoothly. Each time he heard her, warmth spread through his frame, pulling him closer.
Even though he couldn't see her – how did he know that was a person, a she? – face, he knew that she was the most precious, the most gorgeous, the most important person in his life, the one he loved and cherished above all. Her gentle, but fierce voice, words incomprehensible, her marvelous laughter, her perfection…
He peeked his eyes open, only for the gracious image to disappear. Picking the case with trembling hands and moving to exit the classroom, heart beating erratically in his chest, gaze unfocused.
Maybe, just maybe… maybe those memories didn't circle around pain and despair…
- dReaM oN, hOkAGe-SamA –
He didn't stop crying for another half an hour.
Each step helped him clear his head, true, but when he was faced with his classmates, the lot of them dressed in incredible, exclusive hero gear, he felt most of the troubling thoughts leave his head, even if for a mere moment. From darks and plains to sparks and neons, from fitted to loose, from fully covered to almost nude, each and every one of them held their own style, looking proud.
Minato's own costume, though…
The moon was shining through the small window, casting light over the desk. The curtain was drawn between his and Denki's halves of the room. His brother was already deep asleep, soft snores barely made it through to him.
A pencil was being tapped against the desk, crumbled papers littering its surface and the floor. Light came from a small, neon lamp on his shelf. An emptied coffee cup was in his hand. Eyes trimmed with red due to the lack of sleep. Yet another sketch, thrown away. Another failure.
He glared at the blank paper, mind searching, seeking for that one piece…
No longer able to hold his gaze, he closed his eyes and let the pencil saunter over the paper as he rested.
When he opened his eyes, the sun was already peeking throw the gap between the curtains, the pastels of the dawn drawing his attention before the papers, that…
Were littering the tabletop, clear and concise uniform from different angles all over them. It felt ideal, the gear, the materials, the coloring, the aesthetics…
It felt almost perfect, but yet… that one something was missing, the one piece left to complete it and, hours later, he was still gazing at the papers in front of him, uncomprehending that last piece.
"Hey," called his brother eagerly, "the costumes are due today. You finished with yours? Wanna see mine?"
That's why Minato made do with the unfinished uniform, one that was ideal, but not complete.
In reality, it was rather dull, a simple navy tracksuit, the pants wrapped around the calves in order to prevent flopping, black sandals and a green flak jacket. He also had a knife holster tied around his right leg.
The fact that made his appearance distinctive was the short-sleeved long white haori draped over the whole outfit, red flame pattern decorating the lower part of it.
Minato felt like he belonged in it, even considering the missing parts. It felt much more comfortable than anything else he's ever worn.
It felt like home…
He held his chin up, ready for the obstacles of his carrier to come, for he was a future hero, aspiring to save and protect his people no matter the cost.
- dOn'T crOsS tHe lInE, hEHe -
The first match was gruesome, with Bakugou – who, apparently, had some type of vendetta over the greenette – and Midoriya beating each other into bloody pulp and destroying the whole construction.
Other than their match, many were fascinating to watch. Todoroki managed to win without so much as lifting his finger. Momo managed to show off her analytical mind and physical superiority, as well as her outstanding quirk. Denki… lost.
His own match was one of the last ones, his pair being Aoyama – a French teen in a sparkling costume, one that has shown great creativity with his quirk. He seemed as a rather amicable boy, even though weird.
They went in first, moving to protect the bomb from the heroes.
As for the ones they were against, the pair consisted of Ashido and Satou, both being amazing matchup for them, for they were good in close quarters, while Aoyama proved to be a formidable fighter in long range and Minato's speed allowed him to be almost impossible to catch.
"BEGIN!" The announcement meant the entrance of the heroes into the building.
Minato flashed Aoyama a grin. "Ready?"
The latter answered in retaliation, his own smirk in place, "As I'll ever be, monsieur." He offered Minato his manicured hand and, with that, they teleported away.
Ashido and Satou never saw them coming.
"LOOK OUT!" Satou barely managed to snatch Ashido's frame from the wave of shuriken coming her way. They bounced off the wall – dulled – and clinked against the floor, over the inconspicuous wire trap Ashido set off.
"Shit… they sure went all out." She rose to her feet and faced Satou, a small smile on her lips, "thanks for saving my ass there, hehe!"
He smiled in return, even though reluctantly, because, for Satou wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, he could see the bigger picture here.
A picture that said "YOU ARE SCREWED" in bold.
He got a vibe that Ashido felt the same.
They continued advancing, this time more cautiously, which helped them sidestep at least three more traps. By that time, they were already on the third floor, eyeing the walls and floor.
"I'm all clear," he whispered to Ashido, "you?"
From the corner of his vision, he saw her nod. "Yeah, me too."
"Me as well."
The duo nodded before advancing forward, eyes roaming the walls for traps-
Wait. WAIT.
They did not have a third member to their team…
Fuck.
Simultaneously, they turned around, preparing for the upcoming fight, only to be met with an empty corridor. To say it was disturbing would be an understatement.
The dimly lit corridor was quiet, too quiet. The silence was suffocating them, the eerie presence of something strangling them, rending them motionless-
A punch to his jaw woke him up, eyes flying open, only to catch Minato's cold stare – one that made his breath hitch, fear overflowing his whole being – as he, without stopping, aimed a kick to Satou's shin. For somebody this small and scrawny, the blond packed quite a punch!
Before Minato's second kick could connect with Satou's abdomen, he caught Minato's leg midair and, with a forceful move, swung him across the room, catching a glimpse of Ashido running from Aoyama's laser beams.
He watched Minato slide through the air, barely noticing the knife aimed at him-
Oh, shit.
Before he could so much as react, a powerful kick connected with his chin, forcing him to lift his arm, exposing his sides. A feeling of something warm sliding down his face, a metallic taste in his mouth-
An elbow connected with his abdomen, causing a bile to rise to his throat. He stumbled back from the force, missing a knife behind himself.
The last thing he knew was a shin connecting to the side of his head, knocking him out.
'Good luck, Ashido-chan…'
Minato watched as Satou's limp from crumbled onto the ground. He knew that he could knock Satou out faster, but he didn't want to risk doing any permanent damage, plus he wanted to try himself against a bigger opponent.
From the other side of the corridor, he could see Aoyama battling against Ashido and her acid. Deciding to finish up, he took the capture tape from the flak jacket and two dulled shuriken. With that, he attached the capture tape to the shuriken and sent them Ashido's way, her being absorbed into her fight with Aoyama too much to notice.
"Oh, fuck-" Ashido didn't get to finish that sentence as the capture tape wrapped around her and Minato teleported to her – when did that knife even get there – and held a knife to her jugular.
"Please give up, Ashido-san." The blade drew a lone streak of blood, breaking a shriek out of Ashido.
"Okay, okay! I forfeit!" The pronouncement came from her angered form, finishing the exercise.
"VILLAIN TEAM WINS," All Might's voice came from the speaker, provoking yet another curse from Ashido.
"Merci, monsieur Kaminari." Aoyama's dazzling (because no other wordcould describe it) smile could light up a star, thought Minato.
He turned to Aoyama, raising his hand above his head, and Aoyama's hand high-fived his not a moment later. "Please, call me Minato."
(If only he knew about All Might's horrified expression over seeing the boy move like a trained assassin.)
"What the…" The thought barely made its way into his mind as he and Denki entered the huge ass crowd of reporters, blocking the school entrance the next day.
"What is it like to learn under All Might?"
"How does it feel to have the Symbol of Peace as a teacher?"
"Is All Might's teaching system different from other teachers?"
The questions swarmed them. While Denki smiled and answered, Minato took his leave, eyeing the crowd for suspicious individuals-
There. Messy hair, pale skin, red eyes, chipped lips. A crazed look on the person's face, accompanied with mumbling, made him look like the epitome of "bad news".
Minato moved through the crowd, snatching Denki's hand on the way. While he would've liked to take care of the man himself, Minato knew better than to mess with a person of whom he had no knowledge, especially in a crowd full of civilians.
He could catch a few glimpses of his other classmates as the press attacked them.
He knew it wasn't going to end well. Thus, making his primary goal informing a teacher, he moved.
The class was frantic. Everyone raised their hand, expressing their wish to lead, except for Minato. This whole thing, leading, being in charge, it felt so familiar, so alike him, but…
- aFrAId oF anoTHeR fAilurE? –
He wouldn't dare raise his own hand, no, hence why he chose Iida, the one most suited for authority. Not that it meant much, for Midoriya (a nice person, but one yet not ready for such a burden) and Yaoyorozu (perfect candidate in Minato's opinion).
As soon as the first period ended, he moved to Aizawa's desk, the teacher himself gathering the files from the said desk.
For all he avoided his homeroom teacher, the news he gathered was more important. "Sensei," he started coolly, "today, prior to the start of the school day, we were all faced with a crowd of reporters. The one that caught my attention was a man, late teens or early twenties, unruly bluish grey hair, nervousness and mental image. He was dressed in blacks and, from what I could gather, kept mumbling about All Might and some breach. I wished to inform you of this as soon as possible, because it seemed too dubious." Ending the speech, Minato let out a sigh of relief.
It took a few moments for Aizawa to answer. "I… I see. Thank you for informing me, Kaminari. We'll take necessary methods, rest assured. Now move." With his last word, Aizawa left, seemingly hurrying.
In the end, after the breach (was that man behind it?) and the siren, the day finally ended with Midoriya presenting Iida the place the latter was better fitted for.
New class reps and a new day.
New emotions.
New Minato.
A/N: Hey guys! Thank you all so much for all the support - it means the world to me!
Good news: nobody got his quirk right, hehe.
Also, the matter with the pairing: this fic will include flashbacks of MinatoxKushina, but that's pretty much it. He'll also have a platonic relationship with Momo.
Hope you liked it!