Chapter Fourteen | In Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Focus on the stream. Here it flow gently down the riverbed; slow and soothing. I tell myself these words, hoping to find some peace in them. The water on the far end of the field seems so distant with the noise around me, hissing like static in my ears. I certainly can't meditate with it bothering me like this. Explosions shake the earth until I can no longer ignore them.

I squeeze one eye open and find the blond responsible for the high-pitched racket. He's near the tree line, shooting off his quirk in measured successions. This is only my second morning training with him, and already he's interrupting mine. He's been pushing himself to withstand more of his quirk's restrictions since we started, but even he needs the rest. Maybe then I can clear my mind in silence.

"Hey, rocket man. Take a break and come meditate with me," I shout at him.

The blond turns and flips me off, but I continue to call for him until he decides to listen, running over to me with a scowl on his face. I pat the spot behind me, and he sits with a grunt.

"Sit with me a minute, then you can go back to whatever it was you were doing. A small break won't hurt you," I say while leaning my head back onto his arm.

I can hear the rapid sound of his breathing, and use it to focus on. Katsuki remains silent, but I don't mind. The weather is absolutely perfect; the right amount of sun and a gentle breeze nearly put me to sleep. I moan in happiness, but my peaceful morning doesn't last.

Katsuki wraps his arms around my waist and buries his face in my hair. "Fight with me," he orders. I know better than to believe that he means it as a harmless spar.

I hum in annoyance, opening my eyes. The sun makes me groan in discomfort, so I sit up and move away from Katsuki. A frown pulls at the corner of my lips as I notice that he's serious.

"I can't beat you in a fight," I admit.

Katsuki agrees with me. "No, but I won't be satisfied until I get to train with at least one live opponent. Sucks that it has to be you, because I'm not going to take it easy on you."

I am still unsure about this. Katsuki is a tough adversary. He's not going to be easy to beat, and even if I do manage to punch him, the blond is going to hit me back just as hard. I shake my head in disagreement, but I doubt he'll listen.

"Why do you have to be so damn stubborn? I'll make a deal with you. If you can beat me, I'll give you that damn kiss you asked about yesterday; the tongue kiss. Will that satisfy you?"

I continue to disagree. "That's asking too much of me. I want to kiss you that way, but I can't beat you."

"I'll determine what qualifies as passing," he offers.

It's a generous offer; a one of a kind offer. But, I also feel like Katsuki might give me the kiss even if I don't fight him. I'm not dumb; I know he's trying to bribe me. This might not be so bad, but I'm going to propose an offer of my own to increase my chances.

"I'll agree to indulge you if you promise not to use your quirk on me," I say with a timid smile.

Katsuki doesn't agree with me like I had expected, but he does stand and motion for me to follow him. I do so, allowing him to lead me across the open expanse of the field. We stop about 5 meters from the stream and put some distance between one another. I stand and stare awkwardly as Katsuki begins to stretch, working his arms and shoulders around in small circles. I have no way of knowing how this fight will turn out, or how I will beat him; Katsuki is both stronger and bigger than me. He won't pull his punches, so I just need to avoid them, if at all possible.

I clutch my hands into a fist and raise them in front of my face. This should keep him from striking me in the head, and if I get the chance to throw a punch, I can do so without altering my stance much. I'm ready for this, but the blond only stares at me and waits. I wonder if he's looking for a weakness. I do my best to keep calm and not give him one.

"Last years sports festival – I know you watched it. Did you study the competitors? I followed each of their quirks; weaknesses and strengths. One thing stood out to me, something I know will break you. Do you know what it was?"

I drop my guard only a little. Something that will break me. I noticed nothing out of the ordinary; the competitors all looked the same, but their quirks were amazing. The top 5 blew away the competition, and each of them had began in a high rank class. Other than this, I have no idea. My eyes widen; it's a distraction.

Katsuki closes the gap between us, throwing his right fist at me. I yelp in surprise and manage to dodge it before he strikes me in the head. However, his right hand catches my arm and pulls me forward. I lose my balance for a second and fall against his chest. He uses this as a chance to slam his forehead into mine, inciting a cry of pain from me. It hurts to bad, like nothing I've ever felt before. I pull my arm from his hold, and push away from him.

Tears pour from my eyes and float in front of me. I'm so angry that my quirk is hard to control. "The hell did you do that for?"

He ignores me and throws another right-handed punch. I once again dodge it and put distance between us. He won't catch me again. I won't allow him to tear me apart, piece by piece.

"Answer the damn question," Katsuki hisses at me. He doesn't seem to be angry, but his eyebrows are drawn together in a permanent scowl.

I don't know what he wants me to say. My thoughts are jumbled, trying to answer his question and think of a way to beat him. If he's doing this to get the upper hand, it's not fair. I bite into my lip, and growl in annoyance. This game won't end with him defeating me.

Katsuki runs the distance between us once again. However, he doesn't throw a punch this time. His left knee makes contact with my side, knocking me to the ground. I didn't expect this. My breath leaves me as I sputter and cough.

"The answer is fairness. Each of the contestants have to leave their gear behind and compete as equals. For someone who relies on sources to activate their quirk you're at a major disadvantage," Katsuki explains.

My heart hammers in my chest. He's right; I can't win. How do I expect to prove myself to the talent scouts if I can't use my quirk? I feel so annoyed and defeated.

"Why help me then?" My voice sounds like a whisper, and I fear Katsuki may not hear me. He does, however.

"Get back on your feet," he orders me. "All you've been doing since we started is dodge my attacks. You're not trying to fight back, and that's why I'm going to beat your ass." The blonde moves to stand in front of me. He growls in annoyance before continuing. "Don't think of this as a compliment, but you're much faster and more agile than you appear. You have years of track and gymnastics under your belt, so instead of letting those skills go to waste, I suggest you pick your ass up and use them."

Katsuki grabs my arm when I don't listen, pulling me onto my feet despite my pleas for him to stop. He swings me around and locks his arm around my torso. His strong grip squeezes me. It's hard to breath like this, but the blond doesn't seem care.

"How are you going to get out of this?"

I struggle against him. "I-I don't know. You're too strong."

"Don't give me that bullshit," he hisses in my ear. "I may be stronger than you, but with enough momentum you could easily knock me off balance. A hero never bails out on a fight, and they never give up."

How am I suppose to do this? I don't have enough room to move, and even if I did there's no way I can do as exactly as he asks. It's not fair; I don't have a reason to believe in myself. How can I say this about myself? It's not entirely true.

I do have a reason. He's standing behind me, trying to guide me through this. I've had millions in my life supporting me; my parents, close friends, and coaches. My eyes widen as an idea comes to mind. I think this might be what Katsuki is trying to explain to me.

I lean my body forward just a bit, and use my arm to swing my elbow back. It connects with Katsuki's head, causing him to loosen his grip. I wrap one arm around his neck and the other around his upper arm. This reminds me of practicing on the rings in gymnastics; it all depends on my upper body strength. I use Katsuki as a support and lift my lower body into the air, bending me at the waist where my knees are nearly touching my face. My legs kick out with enough force to pull me out of Katsuki's grip, but with my arms wrapped around his neck and arm, the momentum sends him over my shoulder and onto the grassy earth in a heap. I fall onto my knees with a huff, and watch quietly as the blonde pulls himself into a sitting position.

He turns and looks at me with his eyes wide, holding his ear. My elbow must have struck it. "Are you fucking joking me? You went for the ear, and imbalanced me. Have you been jerking me around this entire time?"

I laugh at how stupid he sounds. It's a lucky shot. However, I will remember the move next time. It works like a charm, but I doubt Katsuki will be dumb enough to let me do it again.

Katsuki stands to his feet, licking at his lips. His eyes are wild, almost like a fire is lit inside him. "You're going to die for that."

He makes an attempt to strike at me before I have time to get off the ground, but I manage to avoid it and grab his arm, unlike last time. I pull him forward with the force of his swing, and bring my body into a flip. My legs wrap around his neck as my lower back lands on the ground. He is send into another roll and lands on his back with my legs still around his neck. I keep his arm in a hold until I feel something hot burn my upper thigh; a small explosion sends my leg into a world of hurt.

I release the blond, and roll onto my side. "The hell was that for?"

He smirks and sits up, curling his fingers. Tiny explosions pop and sizzle from his palm, sending wisps of smoke into the air. I should have known he wouldn't listen. This makes me so mad. My body tingles with an unknown feeling, but somehow I recognize it. I remember feeling this years ago; the fight in middle school.

My ears pick up the sound of water bubbling from the stream. It splashes wildly in the riverbed, calling me like the song of a siren. I jerk to my feet, despite the pain and chase after the tune. Katsuki pursues me; he's so close. However, I make it in time to activate my quirk. My hands motion the liquid into a wave that crashes into Katsuki and knocks him back. It swirls around me in thick sporadic ribbons.

The blond stands, and rushes me again. His quirk propels him closer to me, but I shoot at him, using the water in the form of small bullets. It does no good, however. He dodges them until he's close enough to swing at me. I do the only thing I can, and form a shield between us. Katsuki hits it full force, and the explosion knocks me back into the riverbed. I am too exhausted to fight back; I decide to give up.

"Please stop," I beg. "I've had enough."

My head leans against the muddy bank of the riverbed. The water is so cold. I follow the blond with my eyes as he splashes through the stream, making his way over to me. He grabs my arm and pulls me out, throwing me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I stare at the earth as he carries me back to our current location.

"You beat me," I admit in a whisper.

Katsuki eases me off his shoulder and sits me on the ground. He tosses me a bottle of water, and takes the spot beside me. "You gave up, like a coward. Those tosses and holds were pretty damn useful, but you have a long way to go before I pass you. Next time, I'm going to drag you back onto your feet and give you a reason to complain."

Next time, he says. He's going to continue training me. My heart swells at this. I lean my head back onto the ground and sigh. A gentle smile pulls at the corner of my lips, even though I should feel upset with my loss.

"The hell are you smiling about? I swear you're so fucking weird."

I laugh at this. "I'm just happy is all. I almost had you until you cheated."

"Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," the blond retorts with a glare. He pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Even without my quirk I could have beat your ass into submission."

"I'd certainly hope so," I taunt with a wink.

Katsuki seems to pick up on the lewd meaning and kicks me with his foot. "Stop being a pervert, or you're walking home on your own."

I beg him not to do such a thing; I want him to carry me. He can be so mean to me sometimes. I wrap my arms around his leg and pout, but all he does is try to swat me off. Teasing him is so much fun. An idea pops into my head, making me bust out into a coy smile. I pull myself up from the grassy field, and move onto his lap while slipping my arms around his neck. He's so warm; a satisfied moan leaves me.

"You got me wet, Katsuki."

The blond shoots me a glare and tries to pry my arms off him. "The hell did I say about being a pervert? You need to stop reading those shitty fan service magazines. How the hell do you even buy those being a minor?"

His cheeks and ears are dusted in a light pink. I can't help but to laugh even harder. What would I do without him? I'm very grateful for his help; back then and even now. We're going to soar through this festival with one another's help.

The remaining weeks before the chosen date we spend together, training ourselves. I forget all about my quirk for now and focus on strengthening my mind. By the time the sports festival comes around, I am ready to face it. I plan to make the most out of my life, and uphold the promises I had made to myself to stand beside Katsuki on his dream to becoming a hero.

I owe him this much anyway.

I always like feedback and requests for one-shots. If there's a scenario you want to see featuring Airi and Katsuki, just let me know. I love to play around with ideas.