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IV. Halcyon Days
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I felt an itch under my skin.
It started out as a dull throbbing that made my fingers twitch and muscles ache, but nails clawing at flesh until it turned raw and wouldn't provide much relief if the pins and needles punctured my veins. I read somewhere once that we always wake up before dying in our dreams because our subconscious doesn't know what happens after death. Had I not known any better, I might have considered this some sort of heuristic approach to finding out.
Suppose I had a dream, and in this dream I fell off the moon. I didn't die because we can't die in dreams, and so my only options include somehow surviving in space or waking up. In order to endure the solitude, I had to accept my fate—alone in the nothingness, left to rot until I dwindled into nothing myself. Did embracing the darkness make me a monster? Or would I have been considered as such if I succumbed to the emptiness instead?
… wake up.
My eyes shot open just in time to deflect the fist charging at my face. Knuckles rapped against the flat edge of my sword, the force of the impact blowing my opponent back and hurtling me in the opposite direction. The dark blur lunged at me again, but I lodged the tip of my blade into the ground and used it to pivot, landing a solid kick to her abdomen. I hadn't even taken a breath when she disappeared and suddenly manifested in the shadows behind me.
"Too slow," she said, fingers curling around my neck.
The oxygen in my vicinity dispersed until I fell to my knees, trapped in an airtight cavity. It felt like the ceiling expanded then contracted and expanded once more as swirls of color pervaded my senses. Reds and yellows and wisps of blue surrounded me, but the blackness eventually took over, and I was the only thing that remained.
Scholars defined the concept of space-time as a mode of linear extensions, which the Minkowski principle divided into four dimensions: three dimensions of space and one dimension of time. Unbeknownst to most people, a fifth plane existed as a separate expanse in the depths of our own continuum. My mother created it with her Quirk, a magnificent force granting her the ability to manipulate space itself.
To those who knew of its existence, a number exclusive to those who have seen it for themselves, it remained nameless, but for as long as I could remember, I called it Shihoshi. I was four years old and months shy of developing my own when I caught my first glimpse of it, and to this day, I remember so clearly the way she looked at that moment. Hooded crimson eyes pierced through the darkness, seeing nothing and everything at the same time.
The itching always stopped before I succumbed to the shadows, but Shihoshi rotted brains to the point where people didn't feel like people anymore. My breaths came in spasmodic gasps as I coiled into fetal position, limbs aching and skin peeling in cold sweat. I felt the senses that had been stripped away from me return in small doses, starting with noises and followed by scents. Reality came crashing down soon after.
"That's enough for today," my mother said, sighing. "You're capable of so much more than this, Reiko."
As her footsteps faded, the rain began to fall. No longer isolated in my own head, I wondered how something that always gave me solace could feel so cold against my skin, each drop piercing like the pins and needles still tingling beneath the surface. I sat outside for a few minutes in spite of that, hours even. I didn't bother counting the seconds.
My only options included somehow surviving or waking up, and I've already established that I didn't consider myself much of a morning person. I thought about the darkness surrounding me and the darkness within myself. Did the choices I make turn me into a monster? Or did I make those decisions because I inherently am one? I didn't want to know the answer, and the next time I shut my eyes, I hoped for a better dream.
In place of stars and skies, a lake house lingered in the back of my mind. Sage green shingles inspired by a deeper sacramento fortified the roof, battered and worn yet resolutely sheltering the cottage from the elements. Nondescript ornaments hung out on the front porch, inviting visitors with a harmonious chime that sounded almost like a hello.
Bricks lined the fireplace caging a flame crackling defiantly against the chilly air seeping into the cracks of the walls. Slow and prickling, an equipoise manifested in the heat of the sunrise exultantly peeking through the clouds. The rain from the real world scattered into this one like a far-off memory, but this time, it felt warm.
"Hi, Kan-oji."
Kan Sekijirō, or Kan-oji as I grew up calling him, sat at his desk sorting through papers when I stepped inside his classroom. Class 1-B looked like a mirror image of ours with a few insignificant exceptions, but for some reason or another, I felt like a fish out of water. Luckily, I found a familiar semblance of comfort in the way his amber eyes gleamed at me.
"I was starting to wonder if you dropped out," Kan-oji said, his wolfish grin revealing notoriously sharp canines. "What's up, kid?"
"Things have been a little hectic," I admitted, still feeling the soreness from combat training and the aches courtesy of my spars against my mother. "I would've stopped by earlier if I could."
"You're in Shōta's class, right?" Kan-oji asked, chuckling as I nodded glumly in response. "Hectic must be an understatement."
"It's been less than a week and I already feel like this Hero thing might be more trouble than it's worth."
"You're just being dramatic."
"Maybe you're just being mean."
"You forget I helped raise you," Kan-oji smirked, ruffling my hair. "And because of that, I know you didn't come here just throw a couple of jabs at me."
I swatted his hand away and tried not to get offended at his statement. I didn't do things for no reason, but that didn't mean I always had ulterior motives. It peeved me just a little bit that Kan-oji could tell now happened to be an exception. Taking a deep breath to collect myself, I bowed at a ninety degree angle, stray locks nearly touching the floor.
"Please train me."
The rest of the world knew the man I called Kan-oji as the Blood King. Like his name suggested, his Quirk allowed him to manipulate blood, changing its solubility much like how I can with liquid. Kan-oji offered to train me back during my first year in middle school at the behest of my mother, but I, of course, vehemently refused.
Despite the scarcity of drawbacks to my Quirk, I did the bare minimum instead of actually making the most out of it. I always knew my grudge against my mom held me back, not unlike Bakugou's anger towards Midoriya stunting his growth, but if I wanted to take my own advice about bettering ourselves, I needed to tone down the stubbornness and stop my complacency altogether.
I almost expected Kan-oji to ask why or why now, if I was ready or perhaps list all the reasons why I wasn't, and I would've understood because I knew as well as the next person that I might've been in over my head, but all I wanted at the moment was an answer—
"Sure."
"That's it?" I asked, brows furrowed.
"Don't look so surprised," Kan-oji snorted, shaking his head. "To think I'd see the day you willingly ask me for help. I guess Shōta is a good influence on you, huh?"
"Okay, yeah, let's go with that," I said, hiding my smile by rolling my eyes. "Thanks, Kan-oji, it means a lot."
"No problem, kid," Kan-oji said, ruffling my hair again. I let it slide just this once. "More importantly, though, how did you manage to rope Shōta into letting you skip class for this?"
I gestured to his empty classroom, unimpressed. "None of your students are even here yet."
"My students are in the locker rooms changing into their Hero costumes," Kan-oji mused, taking his phone out of his pocket to show me the time.
8:16.
"Shit—"
"As I was saying before the interruption," Aizawa-sensei paused, eyeing me purposely from across the room. I cringed at the attention and slid lower in my seat. "It's time to decide on a class representative."
Cheers erupted from just about every corner in the room. Kirishima shot to his feet in seconds, arms waving high above his head. Kaminari perked up from the seat in front of him. Bakugou demanded attention by striking his palms against his desk. Aoyama literally sparkled, but Ashido pounced on him before he could so much as get in a word. Even Deku shyly raised a hand.
I couldn't help but notice how bored the boy next to me looked in comparison. His cheek rested on a propped fist and his mismatched eyes stared at nothing in particular. Suddenly, they moved and met mine, startling me enough to send a flurry of shivers down my spine. Todoroki paused, but slowly averted his gaze elsewhere. I resisted the urge to groan, quietly admonishing myself for gaping at him again, or worse, getting caught.
"This is not a job for just anyone who wants to do it," Iida said, his hand raised the highest out of anyone else volunteering. "If we intend to apply a democratic process, then I propose we hold a proper election to decide on our class representative."
"Why would you suggest that?" Kaminari groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation.
Kirishima gestured to the people sitting around him and frowned. "Everyone is going to end up voting for themselves."
"Even if we vote for someone else, we just started getting to know each other," Asui said, tapping a finger to her chin. "How can we trust ourselves to vote for the right person?"
Iida frowned and turned to our teacher for guidance, but the man had crawled inside his sleeping bag and slumped into an undignified heap on the floor.
"I don't care," Aizawa-sensei said, dismissing us with a limp wave of his hand. "Just make sure you choose before homeroom ends."
The primary duties of a class representative usually included working with students to resolve problems and acting as a bridge between their peers and those in higher authority. I felt a small part of me justify that I could be a good candidate, but this job needed better than good, and more importantly, someone who actually wanted to do it.
Those parameters already narrowed down prospects to about three or four students, but not counting the people who didn't look at all interested (beside me, Todoroki yawned), I figured that only one person could fulfill the role without burning the school to the ground.
"I vote for Iida."
Multiple heads whipped in my direction as various expressions of incredulity stared me down. Iida gasped, his bottom lip quivering as the glasses perched on his nose emphasized the his watery eyes. To add to my mortification, he flattened his arms to his sides and bent down until his forehead met his knees, repeatedly bowing in my direction.
"You're saying he's your type?" Mineta screeched.
"That's not what I said at all," I said, tone acerbic. "He managed to take command of the room and offered an astute proposal that allowed us to make the most of an unforeseen situation. I can't speak on your behalf, nor would I ever want to, but that sounds like a reliable class representative to me."
Mineta cowered, and the rest of the class stood still to the point where I could've sworn I heard a pencil drop on the other side of the room. Iida broke the silence by practically bursting into tears, but Ochako spoke up first, hands clasped together as she gazed at me with starry eyes and a vibrant smile.
"You're so cool, Rei!"
"That totally sounded like something a class president would say!" Ashido cooed, skipping towards us with Aoyama trailing closely behind her.
Bakugou scowled, whipping around in his seat to glare at me. "You tryin' to trick us into voting for you?"
"You really do have impaired hearing," I said, frowning in partly feigned, mostly genuine sympathy.
"Fucking Guppy—"
"Don't you want to be the representative, Rei?" Deku asked, blissfully unaware of the blond seething even further at his intervention.
"Fucking Deku—"
"I've been late to class two out of three days," I pointed out, chuckling awkwardly as Aizawa-sensei glowered at me over his quilt. Bakugou, on the other hand, looked ready to pop a vein. "I don't think I can handle the responsibility of nineteen other people."
"I think Midoriya-chan can do a good job," Asui said, hopping over to the circle spreading around my desk.
"Definitely," Ochako beamed, her eyes widening as she swiftly turned to me. "Not that I think he's better than you or anything! I think you'd both be great, Rei!"
"No offense either, Higuchi," Sero said, grinning. "But I feel like Yaoyorozu is more of the class president type."
Yaoyorozu looked flustered, her cheeks tinged pink. "Me?"
"Don't worry about it," I told them, my lips quirking into a smile. "I agree with all of you."
Truth be told, Yaoyorozu would've been my first choice. Not only a recommended student, but she had the highest scores for both physical and written exams in our class, which proved her more than capable of the responsibilities that came with the position. I just wasn't sure if she believed it as much as I did.
"I'm no more qualified than you, Higuchi-san," Yaoyorozu said, turning to the boy sitting in between us. "In fact, I'm sure you and Todoroki-san are much more capable than myself."
"Give yourself more credit, Yaoyorozu," Todoroki droned, barely stifling another yawn.
Jirō smirked, slipping in to sit beside her friend. "Yaoyorozu placed first in the apprehension tests, didn't she?"
"Todoroki-san placed second," Ojiro said, fixing his gaze on his opponent from combat training. "However, I agree that Yaoyorozu-san seems better suited for the task."
"Higuchi-san made a convincing argument for Iida," Shōji said, his many elbows propped onto the back of his chair.
Tokoyami also turned his seat, thoughtfully glancing at Iida a few feet away. "He's also the reason we started having this discussion in the first place."
In the midst of the discussion, I exchanged a startled look with Yaoyorozu at the realization that the entire class save for Bakugou and Kirishima, who sat with the blond, migrated to our corner of the room.
"I guess that means everyone decided," I said, looking at each of the faces around us. "Like I said, I vote for Iida."
Hands shot up around the room in agreement: Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Shōji, and Aoyama. Much to my pleasant surprise, Ashido and Kirishima's joined theirs not a second later.
"I vote for Yaoyorozu," Jirō said, pointing one of her ear jacks at the blushing girl.
Sero threw up a lazy peace sign. "Me, too."
"Me three!" Mineta shouted.
Todoroki slothfully raised a hand. Based on the floating sleeve, Hagakure mimicked the gesture, followed by Kaminari and Ojiro behind her.
"I vote for Deku-kun!" Ochako cheered with a smile, causing said boy to stutter his thanks.
"It would be shameful to vote for myself after Higuchi-san said such kind words on my behalf," Iida said, clearing his throat. "I must second this nomination."
Asui nodded, looking up at a smiling Kōda. "We vote for Midoriya-chan, too!"
"That's four votes for Deku, seven for Yaoyorozu, and seven for Iida. Are you voting or not, Bakugou?"
The blond stuck up his middle finger and I rolled my eyes, disappointed but not surprised. "Well, Deku, I guess that means you're the tie breaker."
"I don't know," Deku stammered, twisting his fingers together. "I mean, I think Yaoyorozu-san and Iida-kun are both amazing, but… I have to… ah, sorry, Yaoyorozu-san…"
"Fucking spit it out!"
"Sorry, Kacchan!" Deku cried, flushing an even darker shade of red. "I vote for Iida-kun!"
At that, Aizawa-sensei emerged from his cocoon, unzipping it from the inside with an ease that could only come from practice. He pulled out a fruit pouch and sipped on the straw, his beady eyes narrowing as an unspoken warning for the people out of their seats. They clambered back to their desks without another word, and I couldn't help but think that should be considered another Quirk entirely.
"It's official," Aizawa-sensei said. "Class Representative Iida Tenya and Deputy Class Representative Yaoyorozu Momo, your duties start effective immediately."
Lunch at Yūei turned out to be the busiest time of day. The Departments of Support, Management, and the Hero Course had break in the same hour with at least thirty tables stretching across the mess hall, each seating about a dozen people. Even for an elite academy like Yūei, hundreds of starving teenagers congregating in one area seemed impossible to organize, much less control.
In terms of high school experiences, I suppose cliques remained one of the more inevitable aspects of teenhood. As I looked around the cafeteria, I caught a giggling Yaoyorozu in the middle of a conversation with Jirō, Ashido, and Hagakure. Kirishima sat with Sero, Kaminari, and a reluctant, possibly kidnapped Bakugou. Iida and Ochako flanked Deku at a table on the opposite side of the cafeteria.
"Why are you sitting here?" Todoroki asked, looking up from a half-eaten bowl of cold soba.
I took a bite of my spicy ramen before pointing out, brows raised, "You sat down after I did."
"The other tables are occupied," Todoroki said, his expression nonchalant. "I didn't have many options."
It clicked all too suddenly why he asked his initial question. I could have sat with Deku and Ochako or maybe Yaoyorozu and the rest of the girls, and yet I decided to sit alone. Truth be told, I didn't feel like exhausting my capacity for conversation during the only break I had in the day. Not that I would admit that to him, of course, but I thought it fitting of him to ask.
His question probably had less to do with my personal motivations than it did his attempt at understanding other people in general. That said, I couldn't help contemplate my own. I counted a few empty seats scattered across the hall, most of them not that far from where some of our classmates sat. Todoroki didn't have many options, sure, but he still had a choice.
"Why did you think to sit here?" I asked, stabbing at the remains of my food. "I don't mind, but I had the impression you're more of a lone wolf."
Todoroki tilted his head to the side, more confused than curious. "I have three older siblings."
"Not exactly what I meant, but that's cool," I said, fighting back a surprisingly stubborn grin. "I couldn't be bothered to walk to the opposite side of the cafeteria while carrying a bowl of soup."
"That's it?"
"Can you prove otherwise?"
"No, but even if I could," Todoroki said, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "I'm not inclined to comment on your idleness."
"You just did—"
"Attention!"
The sudden alarm that pierced through the cafeteria halted our conversation. Todoroki and I shot to our feet in an instant, and from my peripheral, I saw Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Bakugou do the same. It took everyone else a couple of extra breaths to process the robotic warning reverberating across campus, but the dam broke as soon as they did.
"Level Three security breach! All students and faculty, please evacuate immediately!"
In a matter of seconds, a stampede stretched from the far end of the mess hall to the exit that led to the quad outside. Dozens of students shoved and clawed their way past each other. My mind was a whirl of thoughts, but as I looked around at all the chaos, one stuck out the most.
"None of the teachers are here," I mumbled, abruptly spinning on my heel in an attempt to escape the mob.
Todoroki spared me a glance over his shoulder. "Where are you going, Higuchi?"
"This is a false alarm," I called out to him, struggling to push past the flow of bodies. "The teachers wouldn't leave their students unprotected during a real threat. If I'm right, then everyone freaking out like this is probably more dangerous than whatever triggered the security—"
I let out a grunt when someone nearly twice my size knocked me into a window, slamming my side against the glass. As soon as Todoroki caught up to me, I felt familiar chill in the air, and a wall of ice immediately appeared between us and the incoming traffic.
"You're more prone to accidents than I expected," Todoroki said, placing his right hand on my shoulder.
I stared blankly as a thin layer of frost blanketed the bruising area. "I resent that."
"What, the truth?"
"Ouch."
"Try not to touch it," Todoroki said, half-sighing and half-heartedly rolling his eyes.
In the near distance, I heard multiple people scream a familiar name. I shaved down part of the ice surrounding us and raised a brow at the sight of our new Class Representative whizzing past our heads, landing none too gracefully on the neon exit sign everyone else clamored towards.
"Everything is fine!" Iida declared, clutching onto the steel beams on the ceiling for balance. "It is just the media! Please, everyone, act in a manner that is fitting for our school! There is no need to worry!"
I craned my neck when he gestured at something over my head. A massive crowd of reporters hounded Aizawa-sensei and Yamada-sensei, also known as Present Mic, with a shameless barrage of unfiltered questions. The two teachers firmly held their ground, looking more exasperated than I had ever seen them.
As students calmed down and began to disperse, Todoroki stepped away from me and melted the wall of ice. My gaze shifted over to Iida, who had since climbed down from his makeshift podium and reunited with Ochako and Midoriya in addition to Kirishima and Kaminari, the latter wildly praising his passionate spiel.
"You're right," Todoroki said.
I almost didn't hear him over the gears turning in my mind, but I nodded, reluctantly. "Yeah, I am."
But why was I right? I doubted any of those reporters had a Quirk powerful enough to take down a custom built security system, but even if that was the case, they should've known that trespassing was a punishable offense. Unless, of course, someone else let them in, which then brought us back to the first question.
Why?
Two hours after the literal Lunch Rush incident, Aizawa-sensei informed us today's Hero training would take place at an off campus facility. As did most of our homeroom announcements, the news came out of nowhere, but it didn't bother us much considering all everyone cared about was the prospect of experiencing real Hero work.
"Class 1-A!" Iida exclaimed, aggressively blowing the whistle hanging around his neck. "To make boarding easier, I suggest lining up in order of our student numbers! Please hurry! Time is precious!"
As we piled into the bus, murmurs among friends slowly escalated to excited chatter shared among the whole class. I'd been planning to take a nap on the way there, but no less than two minutes after we started moving, Todoroki fell asleep beside me, and Tsuyu, as she recently asked us to call her, said something that piqued my interest.
"Midoriya-chan," she said, innocently tipping her head. "Your Quirk is a lot like All Might's."
Deku choked.
"All Might doesn't get hurt when he uses his Quirk, though," Kirishima pointed out from beside her, and I didn't fail to notice the relief that flooded Deku's features at his words. "But it's still a neat power to have! My hardening isn't exactly impressive in comparison, y'know?"
"No, I think it's really cool!" Deku said, shaking his head.
"Yeah?" Kirishima grinned, scratching at his cheek. "You're a pretty nice dude, Midoriya!"
My reflex reaction almost had me agree with Tsuyu, but the trepidation that settled across Deku's face at the mere mention of All Might told me that perhaps we shouldn't have that talk just yet. I didn't have a reason to redirect the conversation to Tsuyu herself, but a certain grinning redhead looked like fair game.
"You're pretty awesome, too, Kirishima," I said, leaning forward to rest my arms atop the seat in front of me.
Kirishima blinked a few times, taken aback by the sudden attention, but he didn't hesitate to offer me a grateful smile. I gave him one of my own, a little pleased that he responded so kindly. Most people categorized me into the ice princess archetype, and though I knew I had a bit of that image to maintain, I didn't necessarily want to keep such a reputation among my peers, or at least, those who didn't deserve to see it.
"Thanks, Higuchi!" Kirishima beamed.
I waved a dismissive hand in his direction, shaking my head. "You can call me Rei."
"Wait, is this a thing now?" Kaminari asked, wiggling his brows in my direction. "I mean, like, do we all get to call you that?"
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from saying something worth regretting. In the short time I've known him, I learned right away that Kaminari loved flirting, but unlike Mineta, vile and flagrant with no sense of respect or boundaries, he drew a respectful line. If I rejected him, it could actually hurt his feelings, but if I took him seriously, he might never leave me alone.
"You can me whatever you want," I said, smiling at him in a way that hopefully came across more playful than purposeful. "I just can't promise I'll respond."
"Worth a shot," Kaminari smirked, mischief lighting his eyes. "What do you say about going out sometime, babe?"
"Careful, Kaminari," Ashido said, her gaze suggestively flickering between me and the boy dozing off beside me.
"What?" Kaminari said, arms crossed behind his head. "I'm engaging in friendly banter with my friend, Rei. Notice the nickname indicating our friendship?"
I snorted in spite of myself, but the slip in façade seemed to earn a more genuine grin from the blond. "Sounds kind of scandalous."
"Oh, that reminds me!" Hagakure squealed, the sleeves on her blazer flailing around. "I saw Rei and Todoroki-kun sitting together at lunch!"
"I should've known Todoroki is your real type!" Mineta gasped, crocodile tears welling up in his eyes.
No one will care if I throw him off the bus—
Sero snickered from somewhere behind me. "Did no one else see the gigantic ice wall Todoroki put up when some guy bumped into her?"
"That's no laughing matter," Yaoyorozu said, shaking her head. "I hope you're alright, Higuchi-san."
"Just a bruise, Yaoyorozu."
"Man, that sucks," Kirishima sighed, frowning. "I guess that's another perk of having a flashy Quirk, though."
"To get girls?" Kaminari and Mineta chorused.
Kirishima groaned, lifting a palm to his forehead. "To protect people! Hero Course, remember?"
"Todoroki is definitely at the top of that list, don't you think?" Ashido said, grinning mischievously at me.
"So is Bakugou-chan," Tsuyu added, her tongue sticking out as she gazed thoughtfully at said blond. "But Bakugou-chan is always mad so I doubt he'll be very popular."
"What the fuck?" Bakugou growled, his head whipping in her direction.
Tsuyu grinned. "See?"
"How on Earth did he develop such a foul mouth?" Yaoyorozu murmured, eyeing the blond and the handful of brave souls chuckling at his expense.
I turned to respond when I felt the warmth at my side coruscate and then dwindle down as if smothered. Curious, I glanced at the boy supposedly sleeping beside me, his eyes still closed and his arms idly crossed over his chest. A thrilling performance, but I could tell from his breathing that he had already woken up.
"How long have you been listening?" I asked.
"Long enough."
"Elaborate."
Todoroki opened a single eye to look at me, his expression nonchalant, and a strange sense of satisfaction prickled my skin when crimson met turquoise. "I heard I'm your 'type.'"
"Touché," I frowned, begrudgingly impressed. "How does literally nothing embarrass you?"
Before he could reply, the bus lurched to a sudden stop. I would've hit my forehead against the seat in front of me had Todoroki not thrust out an arm to keep me in place, but the same couldn't be said for Ochako rubbing at the pink mark on her temple. Yaoyorozu and I gave her identical sympathetic grins as Aizawa-sensei spoke up from the front, slowly rising to his feet.
"We're here," he said.
postscript
the battle at USJ will officially start in the next chapter! thank you again for reading (๑ᴗ๑)