First off, I would just like to thank everyone who has spent time reading my story. Someone did say that I should proofread my stories before I post them, and I definitely try. However, the last few chapters I have typed up on my phone. The app that I use doesn't have auto-correct or spell-check. I've been trying to catch everything, but you might still find errors from time to time. I am honestly trying to catch everything, but my time is limited.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's going to be longer than the rest, because I wanted to get things moving. Also, I figured we dived into young Sakura for three chapters, and it might be fun to jump forward a bit. Don't worry, you will find out about her past . Thanks again!
--13 Years Later--
"I can't believe both Hatsume girls are going to UA!"
Mr. and Mrs. Hatsume were so full of pride while staring at both Sakura and Mei. The attention made Sakura flinch back. To be honest, she preferred no one to pay attention to her. Attention was dangerous. Her acceptance letter sat on the table, not far from the one Mei had received a week prior. Mei had received her letter first since she didn't need to wait for the results of the practical portion of the exam.
No one in the Hatsume household was particularly surprised that the incredibly smart and ambitious daughter, Mei, would get into the prestigious school. No. That was a given. What did shock the family was when Sakura's acceptance letter came. Not because the they believed her unintelligent or weak, but because no one knew she had even applied. And to the Hero Course of all things!
Sakura had always been quiet, aloof, and a tad secretive. Every word that came out of her mouth seemed calculated, as if the wrong word would land her in a cell. She rarely spoke to her foster family, and had never even mentioned becoming a hero.
Yet, there it stood. A holographic video of All Might declaring that Sakura Hatsume was admitted into the Hero Course at UA. Her name was clear, written at the tenth spot along with a slew of other names. Mei and her mother had cheered, while Mr. Hatsume simply smiled down at his foster daughter.
"Great," Sakura had said unenthusiastically. It's hard to be enthusiastic about something she already knew was going to happen. That's the thing about time travel, a lot of the surprises get ruined. However, she tried to force a smile for the others sake.
"You should have told us! We would have waited to celebrate Mei's acceptance letter if you had even mentioned applying!" Mrs. Hatsume was a kind, middle aged woman with soft curves, long brown dreadlocked hair, and a large inviting smile. Her most prominent feature, however, was her eyes. They were yellow with a cross in the center, making them look like scope lenses. She was wrapping her arms around Sakura and jumping up and down, behaving much more like a school girl than a mother.
When she stopped Mr. Hatsume approached. He was a little older than his wife, but his short, spikey, pink hair gave him a youthful vibe. He approached Sakura, and gave her a warm hug. "Good job, sport," he whispered in her ear before letting go of her. Sakura's smile grew. Yes. She had known that she would be accepted into UA, but there was no way she would have known the Hatsume family would be so happy for her.
She had only been in their home for a little over 3 years, and she had barely spoken. That never seemed to stop them from trying to get close to the young girl. They would prattle on at the dining room table about their day. Sometimes they would ask Sakura about her day, and she would give them "it was fine", and they would practically give her a standing ovation. She felt guilty. Here was this perfect family, and she was thrown right in the middle of it. A disaster on two legs. They were so kind. So supportive of the young girl. They never pushed her to talk about her past, or ask where the scars that encircled her wrists came from. No. They let her be a normal teenage girl.
Too bad she never would really be one.
"OH!" Mei's exclamation startled everyone and drew their attention. "I just realized I get to you're your hero gear! I'm so excited! Your quirk is so unique, and you've never let me study it, but now you will, right?" Mei was able to get overly enthusiastic about almost anything that had to do with creating hero tech (her over enthusiasm stemming primarily from her parents), but this would be on another level. Mei was basically vibrating with excitement.
"We will see," Sakura said before grabbing the acceptance letter and walking to her room. She needed to be alone. Yes, it was nice of the Hatsume's to want to celebrate and be excited with her, but Sakura had worked very hard at keeping this family at arm's length. It had been difficult. She cared for all three of them deeply, and she became emotionally attached quickly against her better judgement.
Why did they have to be so damn lovable?
She flopped onto her mattress and tossed the acceptance letter on her night stand. Her room was sparsely decorated, and Sakura preferred it that way. This was just one stop in what she felt was going to be a long road. She curled up on the soft mattress and cradled a pillow. She could still hear the family talking through the thin walls of their loving home. They wouldn't push her, she knew that because they never did, but they would still be excited for her. She couldn't stop that.
She worried. She was good at that, but her worries weren't groundless. She worried about what would happen to the Hatsume's if Mei discovered Sakura's true power. She worried that they would be tortured, much like her previous foster parents. The Hatsume's ignorance of her was hopefully what would keep them safe. Over the years, Sakura had allowed herself to suffer on the outside in hopes that it would keep this kind, gentle, and naïve family from harm. Yes. Sakura longed for a family, and yes, she cared deeply for this adoptive family, but it would be almost cruel to put her burden on their shoulders.
No. She wouldn't do it. Shecouldn'tdo it. She would keep them safe by keeping them at arm's length. It was the only way.
She reminded herself of this as she laid on her bed and stared at the strange family portrait the Hatsume's had taken her first year with them. Mei had singed off eyebrows from some experiment, Mr. Hatsume had a bandage on his face from said experiment, and Mrs. Hatsume had some signs of sleep deprivation (no doubt from sleepless nights worrying about what her husband and daughter were going to come up with next). However, they all smiled ear to ear. They looked so happy and complete, but there off to the side was a pink haired, copper eyed girl, with no smile, who didn't seem to fit. Yet, Mei still held her hand, and Mrs. Hatsume had a hand placed on her shoulder.
She loved them. She couldn't help but love them, and she would protect them from herself.
She shook her head and jumped up from her bed. Grabbing a gym bag, she went and locked her bedroom door. It wouldn't be great if the Hatsume's learned about her little outings. She would return before supper, and the family would be none the wiser. They seemed to avoid bothering her when she was in her room, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully, if they wanted to talk before then, they would find the locked door and just assume she was resting.
Sakura tied her long pink hear up into a high ponytail, and grabbed her water bottle. She was going to be later than usual, but she should still be able to make it on time to her class. Talking with her foster family had taken longer than she had anticipated.
Pop*
With a flash of light, Sakura found herself in an empty back alley in the neighboring city of Musutafu. She tossed the gym bag on her back and sprinted down the alleyway and across the street. She entered a gym and smiled at the receptionist. She liked that this place was far enough away that she wouldn't accidentally run into her classmates, and she appreciated that it was small enough to not have too many patrons.
"I was wondering if you weren't coming today," said the smiling man sitting behind a computer. "It's rare for you to arrive with only five minutes to spare."
"It's been a busy day," Sakura replied. "Can't talk. I'll be late." The man waved her through and she sprinted to the girl's locker room. She changed quickly into a white tank top and black leggings, placed her belongings into a locker, and rushed to join the class congregating in a room in the back.
The room was a tad musty from its history of having sweaty bodies tossed around on its padded floors, but for Sakura it felt like her second home. She had been coming her for years ever since she had received a note from her "Secret Admirer" during one of her accidental jumps to the future. To date, she had four notes from this unknown person, and she always found them after every jump to the future. She figured they were from Uncle Deku, and it comforted her to know he was still looking out for her.
The note about this gym had given her the gym name, and even the name of the class she was supposed to sign up for. It had money in the envelope, enough for her to take the class until she started University. It told her that she might need to "kick some ass" and to "stay safe". She always kept those letters in a small shoe box under her bed. She would pull them out when she needed an encouraging word. Those letters, and this class helped her feel closer to Uncle Deku somehow.
Most people were mingling with their age group or demographic. Sakura stayed close to the back, and tried her best to keep to herself. Not long after she arrived, a young man around her age walked in. 'Ugh' Sakura thought to herself, seeing Bakugou enter. She had seen this guy at almost every class, and she just couldn't get a taste for him. The blonde, spikey headed man was the self-proclaimed "best at everything", and the "soon to be number one hero".
'What a pompous prick' she couldn't help but think to herself at the sight of him. Sure, he had a showy quirk, and sure, he was obnoxiously good at everything, but his personality left much to be desired. He did get a lot of attention from most people in the class, and it always seemed positive and supportive. For some reason, though, she couldn't help but see him as a bully. He always seemed to want to beat someone else down in order to make himself look better. It was sad.
"Eh?!" His red eyes caught hers, and a wicked grin spread across his face. "Looking for a fight, Cherry?"
Shit! She hadn't realized she was glaring at the punk. She wanted to say something, maybe she did want a fight just to knock him down a peg or two, but she averted her stare instead. It wouldn't look good if she came to dinner with a black eye. 'I got in a fight with my bed post' Sakura thought to herself, imagining the look on the Hatsume's eyes as she walked down stairs. She smiled. This sent the wrong message to blondie.
"Whatcha' smiling about?! Wanna Die!?" His loud voiced echoed in the small building, as he stomped his way over to where Sakura was standing. The way he moved and behaved reminded Sakura of the delinquents at her high school. She allowed herself to meet his boiling glare with one of disdain.
"Don't be so noisy, Bakugou" she said softly with contempt, much to the chagrin of the young man. He had made his way to Sakura and stood in front of her, crouching to match her height. His eyes and grin were venomous. A lesser person would shrink in front of such an intimidating person, but she just looked on, bored and a tad annoyed.
These two had hit heads a few times in the past. Mostly due to Sakura's frustration with him, but sometimes simply because she had picked something up in class before he did. He hated that, and those happened to be her favorite days in this musty old gym. She had been taking this class on close combat for two years, and this punk had started a few weeks before her. Sakura hadn't realized he had gotten under her skin to such an extent until it was too late.
The rivalry between the two had been a good motivator for Sakura to push herself in the class, and although Sakura hated standing out, she had made it her mission to put this asshole in his place. Unfortunately, his cocky attitude was persistent, but it certainly did help her to come out of her shell, even if it was negatively.
"Bakugou, are you trying to start fights before class, again?" The teacher, a retired hero name Yoshimoto, entered and placed a hand on both Sakura's and Bakugou's shoulder. "You both are going to destroy a building someday, but please don't make it my gym. I'm particularly fond of it." At this, the older man laughed, and the mood in the room lightened.
Sakura hadn't noticed the other students circling around her and Bakugou, probably excited to see a fight. However, with Yoshimoto's arrival, the crowd began to disperse. She inwardly slapped herself upside the head. She couldn't afford to let that dumb brat coax her into a fight. Fight's cause attention, and attention is the last thing she needed.
Bakugou sent one last nasty look in Sakura's direction before stomping off to the opposite side of the room.
"Well that was relatively painless," laughed Yoshimoto. "You must be in a good mood today, Bakugou!"
Bakugou scoffed. "Hell yeah I am! I just got my acceptance to UA. I'm leaving all you extra's behind! You might want my autograph before I leave, Cherry. Next time you see me, I'll be the number one hero!"
'Seriously? How did I not notice…' Sakura moaned to herself. She had only checked the list to see where she placed, but had paid no mind to the others. She regretted that now, and would take the time to go through the list when she got home. She could only beg to any god listening that he wasn't in her class.
After a handful of congratulations from the class, omitting Sakura of course, the class began. They practiced a few holds and releases, but otherwise the rest of class on uneventful. She helped a few classmates after she had figured it out, and she tried her best to ignore Bakugou who was testing out the new hold on anyone stupid enough to work with him.
Class finished and she quickly made her way to the locker room to change. On her way there, one of her classmates raced to catch up. She had seen this particular man a few times these last few months, and she noticed he seemed to prefer the company of the few women in the class. He was more focused on wrestling with said ladies, and less focused on the actual lessons being taught. She had figured he was just some kind of perv, and she tried to steer clear of him the few times he approached her. Unfortunately, her rejection only seemed to encourage him more somehow.
"Hey there, Cherry," he said with sleezy smile. He blocked her path by leaning against the wall in the path that she was heading. 'I'm sure he thinks this is charming,' she thought with a small mental gag.
"Don't call me that." Her voice was low, but she attempted stay civil even if this guy was obnoxious. "What can I do for you?"
"Oh, sorry! I heard Bakugou call you that, and I thought it was your nickname or something. Anyway, I just wanted to invite you to a party I'm having at Dagobah Beach. Seems someone cleaned it up, and what perfect timing! Right at the end of the school year. The party is tomorrow before sunset, BYOB, and there will be tons of people from the area." He leaned closer to Sakura. "I'd really like to see you there."
Another mental gag.
"Jeez! What an idiot!" Sakura recognized that arrogant voice and immediately prickled. "For one, Cherry hear is as anti-social as they come, and two, a blind man could see she has no interest in you!" Bakugou's voice came from directly behind Sakura. She didn't bother turning to look at him as she could see his obnoxious face in her mind. He probably had that stupid shit-eating grin. She knew if she even looked at that smile it would rile her up, again. It was best to just ignore his presence.
"Sorry," she said, trying to keep a respectful tone, but it came out sounding forced and insincere. Damn it. She hated the effect Bakugou had on her. She found it harder to keep cool with him around. "I'm pretty sure I'm busy that day. Have fun." The perv's face dropped, but she rushed around him before he, or the ass behind her, could say anything else.
She changed in the locker room and rushed out of the gym. She thanked her lucky stars when she noticed neither boy in sight on her way out. Sakura walked into the back alley, and looked around to make sure no one was watching.
Pop!*
She had gotten really good at that. After so many years of practice, she mostly didn't have to tell her quirk what to do. As soon as she saw the coast was clear, she just thought, and it happened. It sometimes would go haywire, but mostly it followed her commands. In fact, it had been almost a year since the last "accident" where she freaked out and jumped through time.
Sakura found herself inside her room facing her bedroom door. She turned to check that she was home at the correct time, although she was fairly confident, and jumped when her eyes landed on the unexpected figure sitting on her bed.
Mei stood up from the mattress, her pink dreadlocks bouncing with her movement, and her yellow scope lensed eyes gleaming. "Welcome back, Sakura," she whispered.
"Shit," Sakura cursed to herself. This really was shaping up to be a long day.
