Some very good guesses in reviews for that man's identity. I'm telling you now. You guessed correctly. *smiles slowly* I definitely did change around a few details for this particular villain to suit my needs, and I did make up his background but you guessed who it is anyway. Good job.
Ugh this chapter was such a slog for me to write, that's why it took so long. My bad guys.
The original title for this chap was: Training Montage is Montage, Not Too Much Really
But fanfic is a bag of chodes so it wouldn't fit.
I don't own My Hero Academia.
She lay there nearly nude as he had left her, still feeling his disgusting hands all over her skin, staring with dead eyes up at the bedroom ceiling covered in glow in the dark star stickers that had once given her comfort. A repulsive mixture of blood and saliva had dried and crusted on her chin, the sensation constantly reminding her of what she couldn't stop that man from doing to her.
Kasha felt utterly humiliated, pitiful, and enraged.
The drugs had long ago stopped affecting her body, leaving her limbs feeling like deadened logs draped in lethargy. Though her mind was unbearably coherent, she just couldn't bring herself to move. That man made her feel so cheap and used. So feeble and helpless. As a result long after he had blessedly gone endlessly silent tears trickled out of the corners of Kasha's eyes, carving hot trails of liquid pain and hatred down to her temples to pool onto her pillow. She hadn't cried in a long while, but one visit from him and the teen was reduced to a blubbering and pathetic mess.
It wasn't fair. None of it was fair and Kasha couldn't stop thinking about how fucking useless she was. How once again all her training meant nothing in the face of that maniac.
In the end it would seem becoming a hero was a moot effort, because her elusive tormentor had found her. He found her no matter the change from Tsuchikawa to Yūrei, no matter the masks that hid her face. No matter the supposedly safe enclosed apartment complex she resided in. He'd found her and he had no intention of leaving her alone.
Unblinkingly, with tear filled eyes Kasha stared up at her ceiling and she promised herself. She promised she would make that man suffer.
The teen didn't know how many hours had gone by. It could have been an eternity and she wouldn't have noticed, too absorbed with stewing in her misery and the aftershocks of true terror. She thought he would rape her when he forced himself unbearably close to her. When he got on top of her and tore apart her clothes. When he touched and caressed her as if he wasn't absolutely revolting. She could still vividly remember the slimy sensation of his large tongue in her mouth, the foul taste of fresh blood and spit and the feeling of him moaning and pressing his repugnant erection against her crotch.
Her battered heart cried out for her to stop thinking about it. To stop forcing herself to remember every single detail of the encounter but no. Kasha would not stop. All of the memories she had of that man would only serve to remind her and drive home the importance of her goal.
She despised the memories and she despised that wretched man, and that would give her strength. The teen was determined to turn her overwhelming feelings into power. Kasha was out of time. She'd spent too much time on less important things, she realized this now. And she'd paid for it. The next time she wouldn't be so foolish.
Kasha knew if she didn't get rid of that man when he found his way back to her that it would only be a matter of time before he did force himself on her in that way. He had threatened to do so before. He'd even threatened to do it to Kaji. That was how he'd coerced Kasha into cutting her own arms apart.
But the joke was on him, because Kasha was not going to allow him to have his way again. She would not be blindsided again, and he would not hurt her ever again! With that thunderous thought her tears finally trickled away for the last time, though she still did not move from where he'd left her earlier in her bed.
Kasha simply continued to think for the time being, something within her growing and growing uncontrollably as time progressed.
The teen was so lost within her cesspool of negative emotions that when she heard a familiar voice call out to her sometime later she couldn't even bring herself to care. She didn't feel relieved or safe.
All Kasha could feel was rage.
Ryuko burst into Kasha's apartment.
The door was unlocked and that only served to send her parental anxiety skyrocketing. She'd of course called the police after receiving a call from Eraserhead about an hour ago, but she'd known already how that would go. They didn't know if the teen was missing but it certainly hadn't been twenty four hours since Ryuko had last spoken to her. That's why the pro hero had traced the teen's phone herself and rushed over to her niece's apartment when she realized what her location supposedly was.
There was no guarantee that something was wrong but Ryuko wasn't an idiot and her intuition proved correct when she immediately noted that there was a scorched area on Kasha's living room carpet and the couch was also burned. It smelled faintly of smoke in the house and there was a note on the floor of the foyer, crumpled as if whoever held it crushed it in their hands with temper. Kasha's phone and school bag also lay on the floor, as if tossed there carelessly. So the teen had made it home, but that didn't explain much of anything.
"Kasha!" Ryuko bellowed, running through the apartment. "Kasha baby are you here?"
No response came but Ryuko was already down the hall, heart thundering in her chest and breath short as she stood in the open doorway of her niece's bedroom. The pro hero's pupils dilated and horror slackened her face as she caught sight of Kasha lying in the middle of her bed, the pastel comforter ruffled as if a struggle had happened there.
"Oh my god Kasha!" The pro cried rushing to the teen's side.
She was naked, only in her underwear and there was dried blood on her chin, her bottom lip bitten and raw. My god her teenage niece was naked and crying in her bed. When was the last time Ryuko had seen Kasha crying? What had happened to her? How could this have happened? Who was responsible for this? Ryuko needed to know so she could kill them.
"Kasha can you hear me? What happened?" Ryuko demanded, wanting to touch her, cradle her teary face in her hands but thinking better of it.
The teen did not answer.
Whatever had happened she shouldn't touch Kasha. She could send her into a panic attack or a catatonic state. Ryuko bit her lip as she was ignored, worriedly watching Kasha blink lethargically up at her ceiling.
Someone was going to pay for this.
No one was allowed to hurt her brother's children. Ryuko was their sole protector now, but now she couldn't even say that, could she?
Kasha was obviously suffering immensely and there wasn't anything Ryuko could do to help her. What good was she as a guardian if she couldn't even look after her babies? A sickening cocktail of despair, righteous anger and protectiveness churned within the pro hero, but she knew she couldn't do anything for Kasha except get her to a hospital and contact the police for an investigation.
The blonde woman pulled out her phone and made a call. The entire time she was on the phone her blue eyes traveled to Kasha, who seemed emotionally dead to the world.
But when Ryuko looked into the teen's eyes she felt a sudden dread swirl inside of her. The hairs on her arms rose on end and Ryuko knew immediately.
She knew that there was nothing dead about Kasha.
Sometime later the teen sat in the hospital hooked up to an IV as her system was flushed. The effects of the drug had mostly worn off but there were still traces, apparently. The bite in her lip wasn't serious, so it was simply cleaned and bandaged.
She'd had to undergo a rape kit test, even though she had blandly told the doctors and Ryuko that she hadn't been touched like that. Her aunt had been incredibly relieved to hear that, but she was obviously still worried after the teen. Kasha could also tell the woman was angry on her behalf at the man that had murdered her older brother— who had come back to torment her niece some more.
But more presently the teen finished up giving her statement to the police and they left her hospital room calmly after wishing her well. Kasha didn't dignify that with a response because she wouldn't be well until her personal monster was a heap of ashes at her feet. Ryuko, who had refused to leave her side during the process threw herself down to the teen's bedside, taking one of Kasha's limp hands and cradling it in both of her own.
Kasha didn't particularly want to be touched at the moment but she didn't pull away. It wasn't Ryuko who she was disgusted with.
"I… I got a call." Ryuko warbled, fighting off tears. "Eraserhead told me you never showed up for homeroom."
'So it is a new day…' She thought blankly.
"I went to call you to see if you were sick or something and I noticed that I had a missed call." The hero explained repentantly. "But at the time you called, Kaji had been watching my phone for me. She didn't think anything of you hanging up before she could answer, she just assumed you were busy or didn't mean to dial me and cleared my notifications of a missed call."
Kasha didn't say anything. What was there to say to that? Kaji was a seven year old girl, she couldn't have known to be suspicious or concerned. And it was obvious as soon as Ryuko had noticed something was amiss she'd rushed to find Kasha.
"God Kasha... I'm so sorry baby." Her aunty sobbed, tears gushing out of her mournful blue eyes. "You were supposed to be safe there. I'm so so sorry he hurt you again."
"It's not your fault he's crazy." The teen deadpanned.
Ryuko flinched. That was the first thing Kasha said to her since she'd found the teen.
"Kasha…" The pro began, uncertain and obviously thrown off by the teen's demeanor. But the silver eyed girl didn't want to wait until Ryuko figured out what she wanted to say. Nothing the hero could or would say would change a goddamn thing, so Kasha knew that she needed to change things with her own hands. And it started here.
It started now.
"I need time." Kasha intoned.
"Kasha, honey… you… what's going on in your head? Please, tell me." Ryuko pried carefully. "I know you're not okay but you're not giving me anything to work with here."
There was nothing Ryuko could do. Nothing anyone could do. That man escaped authorities time and time again. But he'd find his way back to Kasha. She knew he would. And when he did...
"I need time." She repeated blankly.
"Kasha…" Ryuko croaked, looking at the teen with watery blue eyes, lips trembling as she tried to suppress the force of her worry for the teen.
Kasha turned her head fully, sky meeting silver. Ryuko recoiled at whatever she saw in Kasha's gaze, even though the rest of the teen's face remained solemn.
"I need time."
"O-okay." Ryuko stuttered, nodding. "Okay Kasha. Whatever you need. How… how much time? You know you're going to have to talk about this…"
"I want to go to the Mountain." Kasha declared.
"What?" Ryuko's head jerked back in surprise, gasping slightly.
"The Mountain." Kasha repeated flatly. "The one you co-own."
"Oh." Ryuko whispered, pulling her hands away from her niece, studying the girl with furrowed blonde brows. "But… what? Kasha, why?"
"There's a week until U.A's annual sports festival." Kasha blinked, turning her head away to stare blankly at the wall across from her. There was a small chip in the white paint. "Hero classes will be less intense as everyone prepares. Just tell my teachers what I told you."
"What?" Ryuko downright frowned at this.
"Tell them I need time. That something happened and I need a break." Kasha said. "I'll go back to school in one week."
That was all the time she needed to prepare something special for that man. When the festival came she'd test it out no holds barred, and when he showed his despicable face again she'd show him what happened to scum like him.
"Kasha, I understand why you'd want time to yourself but what would you even do up there?" Ryuko asked.
Kasha didn't answer.
The teen felt her aunt's stare at the side of her head intensely, but she still didn't look back or respond. She'd made up her mind, and she would find a way to train the way she pleased whether Ryuko liked it or not.
After several seconds the blonde pro sighed reluctantly and muttered a bit of nonsense to herself, running a hand through the long bangs in front of her face as she declared, "Well, alright then. I'll put in my request for time off. I'll head up there with you and my teammates after you're released from the hospital. We can all make a little thing of it. Blow off some steam…"
Kasha nodded once in acknowledgement. There was nothing else to say, she was already well on her way to her goal.
Several more hours later Kasha sat alone in the back row of a van owned by the Wild Wild Pussycats.
Ryuko sat in the row in front of her with Kota Izumi on her left and Kaji on her right. Yawara Chatora sat in front of them with Tomoko Shiretoko at his left, blinking rapidly at the passing scenery. Shino Sasaki sat upfront alone driving the van.
"I still don't get it." Kota grumbled for the nth time. "Just because Kasha-nee felt like she needed a break from school how come the rest of us need to be dragged out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"Kota-kun, I thought you liked visits to the Mountain?" Kaji asked, peering around Ryuko's body to blink at him. Before Kouta could even open his mouth to retort he was cut off.
"That's right!" Ryuko chirped with blatantly false cheer, snatching up the opportunity to change the subject. "We're going to have so much fun during this little get away! You can go to your secret base Kota-kun, and none of those kids you're always complaining about from your class will bother you for a while yet. Doesn't that sound great?"
"Well, those guys are really annoying…" Kouta mumbled thoughtfully.
"Kouta-kun…" Kaji protested.
"See!" Ryuko laughed. "You get it kid."
"Ryuko, you really shouldn't be encouraging his antisocial behavior." Shino called from upfront in reprimand.
"Oh I know but first he needs to have some fun, ne?" Ryuko asked, sticking her tongue out teasingly. "Maybe after he finds a bunch of stuff he likes he can learn to like other people too."
"That's right everyone, we should all be happier! Smile like you just saw a cute little kitty, meow!" Tomoko cheered, flailing around in her seat like a hyper toddler.
"Tomoko be careful I'm driving!" Shino laughed, leaning forward towards the wheel to avoid her teammate's wild limbs.
Kasha stared solemnly into her lap.
She knew what the adults were doing. They were trying to be normal, happy. Act as if Kasha hadn't just been assaulted so she could save some face before they got tired of her retreated disposition and started to nag her about "talking to someone". But it wasn't going to work.
Kasha didn't want to save face. She wanted that murderer to suffer. And she wasn't going to bawl her eyes out to someone paid to listen to her problems either. She was going to take matters into her own hands so she could stop feeling the way that she did. No one was going to save her, that wasn't herself. That fact had already been proven to her many times. The lesson had only been refreshed while she spent time with that man.
She didn't need another reminder.
"Hmph!" Kouta turned his nose up. "Idiots. All of you."
"Kasha Onee-chan," Kaji called softly, turning to crane her neck to look at her sister.
Kasha pursed her lips beneath her black face mask. She didn't want to be unkind to Kaji. She wasn't angry with her, and the little girl didn't deserve the butt end of Kasha's foul mood.
Near identical silver eyes met.
"Are you okay?" Kaji whispered, a little furrow between her fair blonde brows. "You're really quiet…"
"I'm fine." Kasha lied quietly, tearing her eyes away from those large innocent silvers. Kaji didn't need to know that he was back. That he'd gotten to the teen again. That man wasn't after Kaji and it was better if he was snuffed out as soon as possible before the little girl ever had the misfortune of hearing about him being around or meeting him again.
"Nee-chan?" The seven year old called. She sounded concerned, and Kasha's heart squeezed but she didn't turn to look at the younger girl again.
Right now she just… couldn't.
"Kaji baby, let's leave Kasha alone right now okay?" Ryuko interrupted, placing a hand on the little girl's shoulder. "She's had a long day and we need to give her time."
"But—"
"I know you're worried kitten but she'll be okay." Ryuko promised, smiling with a sincerity that should've been criminal, because everyone in the car that wasn't a small child recognized the uncertainty lapping at the borders of her tone. "The three of us were supposed to celebrate you acing that spelling test today, right? Well you can celebrate it with me and the rest of the gang! How does that sound?"
"But—" Kaji stammered. "But Nee-chan—"
"Is juuuust fine, right everyone?" Ryuko blurted.
"Yeah!" Tomoko cheered, fists flying into the air. "Kasha-kitty is A-okay little Kaji! So no worries alright?"
"She's a tough kid." Yawara rumbled.
"So turn that frown upside down okay Kaji-chan?" Shino concluded. "We're all together and that's what matters right now."
"Well said." Ryuko nodded, looking back to Kaji.
The little girl frowned but slowly nodded, seemingly mollified for the time being, though still visibly troubled.
"Everyone's good?" Kota snapped. "Great. Now shut up already!"
Ryuko teased him for being a stick in the mud and Tomoko called him cute, whilst Yawara remained silent and side eyed them and Shino continued smoothly driving even while she reprimanded her more goofy partners.
Kasha went back to staring at her lap.
She disliked worrying Kaji, but she simply didn't want to be bothered, even if it was by someone that she absolutely adored. She'd get her act together for her family, but for the time being she would take some time to center herself and become stronger.
So thats what she was going to do.
The gang spent their time settling in after arriving and everyone had a bath before they made dinner and turned in for the night. Kasha would have liked to start her self appointed training regimen immediately but she knew she should rest herself so she would be fresh in the morning.
She had basically a week to prepare what she had in mind. That should be more than enough time if she remained focused.
So she calmly went to lay down beside her sister while Kota snoozed on Kaji's left side. The adults were still wide awake down the hall, probably discussing Kasha's situation since they hadn't had any privacy to do so previously.
The silver eyed teen lied awake in her blue sweatsuit pjs and stared up at the high shadowed ceiling of the room she currently resided in. Her mind was heavy, and her heart was sore.
The pain inside chafed at her temper and made her want to lash out but she was well aware of how useless that would be, so Kasha tried to reason with herself. Remind herself that it was only a matter of time. That she should be patient.
The teen wasn't sure how long it took for these circling thoughts to finally lull her to sleep. She hadn't looked at her phone in ages. She'd turned it off because Denki, Ochako and Jiro kept texting her. Even Camie had called twice and texted her even more, knowing that Kasha was supposed to be on shift with her. Luckily Ryuko had already notified the teen's boss at Sugar Stop that Kasha would need even more time off to recover from yet another villain attack.
Eventually the silver eyed teen did doze off. Though Kasha couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour before a scream jolted her and Kouta awake in the middle of the night.
The teen bolted up, silver eyes wide and heart thundering in her chest as she whipped around, breath leaving her in a whoosh when she realized no one was there. It was Kaji. Her little sister was in the futon beside her, thrashing around in her sleep and whimpering.
"No…!" Kaji cried.
The teen met the wide startled eyes of Kouta and Kasha's racing heart calmed somewhat. She offered the little boy a half hearted smile that was visible for once because she didn't wear masks to sleep.
"Kasha-nee…" Kouta rasped, dark eyes darting between the two sisters.
"It's okay Kouta." The teen assured him, carefully scooting over to her sister.
Kaji whimpered, eyes scrunched shut in terror as Kasha reached out, gently cupping the child's cheeks. The teen's brows furrowed with worry when she found the little girl's face to be soaked with warm tears.
"No!" Kaji croaked.
Kasha felt terrible, because she perfectly understood that desperate tone. That was the voice of someone who was terrified. Someone who was desperate to escape something that cripppled them with fear. She never wanted her sister to feel like that. To understand what that type of fear felt like.
"Kaji!" Kasha called, tenderly thumbing away the tears. "Kaji, it's Nee-chan. Wake up for me baby, please."
"No…!" Kaji screamed, fighting against her hold, face contorting and voice shrill with terror. It tore the teen's heart to shreds. "Don't let him get me!"
Kasha's breath hitched.
"NEE-CHAN!"
The teen abandoned her gentle coaxing tactics, wrapping her arms around the seven year old and pulling her close, cradling her against her. Her heartbeat thundered within her chest and adrenaline roared through her being. She knew it was just a dream, that they were all safe but Kasha couldn't stand hearing Kaji sound that way.
"Kaji, shh. Shh, it's me." Kasha soothed, a tiny tremble in her voice as she squeezed her sister reassuringly. "It's me baby I'm here."
Her little sister awakened with a terrified gasp, sputtering, "Kasha-nee!"
Kouta sat still as a statue on his futon, eyes dilated and tears trickling silently down his pale chubby face as he watched the events unfold. Kasha would have to comfort him too. He was just a baby too. But for now...
"I'm here." Kasha swore, kissing the top of Kaji's head. "I'm here baby... I got you. It was just a dream."
"Don't let him get me Nee-chan." Kaji begged, latching onto her sister, clinging to her as she shook from the force of her fear.
"I won't." Kasha cooed, even as her heart split open and bled and bled, again kissing the top of her sister's soft hair. "I won't let him get you. I promise."
Kaji collapsed into gut wrenching sobs, and Kasha held her as her heart ached so bad she felt her own eyes welling up with liquid, rocking the little girl back and forth.
"I promise."
Even if Kasha was too weak to protect herself she would not fail Kaji. She would never let that man harm her little sister. She would never let her sister feel the way that Kasha did.
The teen looked up, meeting eyes with Kouta over the top of her sister's head.
"Come here Kouta." Kasha called softly.
The little boy startled out of his makeshift trance, standing up on shaky knees and stumbling closer to the two sisters. Kasha shifted and pulled one of her arms away so Kouta could duck beneath it and snuggle against her side. He was a tough little guy, but he was still a small child. He also knew that both Kaji and Kasha understood his pain on a different level, so he sometimes allowed himself to feel when they were around.
Kasha gently stroked his soft black hair, feeling warm wet splotches begin to bloom against her side where his little face was buried. He didn't say anything but that was okay. He was spooked and Kasha would take care of him and Kaji both.
The reason they were all there didn't even cross her mind while she held the two younger kids in her embrace. All she was thinking about was making sure they were okay.
When the trembling ceased and the sniffles faded a gentle voice called out.
"Kasha…" Came Ryuko's sad tenor.
Kouta pulled away from the teen, stubbornly sniffling and wiping at his runny nose. Kasha turned her head, seeing all of the Pussycats in the doorway wearing their varied pajama styles. But none of them looked happy. Kasha had known they were there of course. The hall light was spilling into the room after all. Shino stepped in, quietly padding into the room and easing herself onto the plush futons the kids occupied.
She reached out for Kaji, giving the teen a reassuring smile, though her red-brown eyes were unbearably sad. Kasha didn't protest, allowing the woman to coax her clinging sister out of her arms so that they could lay down again.
"Kouta, c'mere buddy." Shino whispered, reaching out for her charge.
The little boy didn't even offer a token protest, just scooted closer and snuggled into the woman's side. Both kids latched onto the woman and she held them close, laying on her back. Kasha nodded once to Shino before quietly pushing herself onto her knees, and then into a standing position.
"Kasha…" Kaji protested weakly, feeling her sister's warmth retreat.
The teen frowned, not wanting to leave but knowing that Shino would look after her sibling.
"I'll only be a little bit Kaji." She said, turning away.
Kaji didn't answer but Kasha knew her sister was letting her go for now, thankfully. Silver eyes met mournful blue, and Kasha made her way to the door with a heavy heart and temper lapping at her disposition. The teen walked out into the hallway, squeezing between Tomoko and Yawara.
"We're gonna go snuggle too." Tomoko said, latching onto Yawara's beefy bicep. "Right Tiger?"
"Mm." Yawara rumbled.
The green haired woman and the stern man took no more time to slip into the room with Shino, Kaji and Kouta, sliding into the futons already laid out onto the wooden flooring. Ryuko and Kasha stood in the hallway, eyeing one another.
Having had enough, Kasha pulled the door closed with a resounding click to give them somesemblance of privacy. The younger of the two failed to keep herself from outright scowling because she could see the guilt in her aunt's gaze.
Ryuko knew. She knew dammit— and why was the teen just now finding out about something of this magnitude because it'd happened right in front of her?
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kasha growled.
"You had enough on your plate Kasha." Her aunt sighed, not even trying to match the teen's mood. "I was just trying to lessen your burdens... if just by a little."
"That's stupid and you know it!" The teen accused. "You can't protect someone by lying to them and keeping things from them. It just makes things worse in the long run. This isn't one of those "need to know" types of things! You should have told me. She's my little sister."
"I know Kasha. I just didn't want to worry you." Ryuko explained, looking more tired than Kasha had seen her in a long time. Honestly the teen couldn't even bring herself to care at the moment. "We don't see you that much, I didn't think it would make that much of a difference if you didn't know."
"That was stupid." Kasha huffed, angry because how could Ryuko convince herself of something so idiotic? "She screamed for me. How often does she do that? How often does she wake up screaming at night for me, needing me and I'm not there?"
This utter loss of composure seemed to be the last straw for the blonde woman because her wrung out disposition snapped to and she flung her shoulders back.
"You're a kid too Kasha, it's not just your responsibility to protect her!" Ryuko yelled. "I'm your guardian. I was doing what I thought was right for you. I'm sorry that you're upset by that. But I'm not sorry that I was doing my best for you."
The teen recoiled, jerking back as a deep crease appeared between her white brows. She crossed her arms and declared, "If you had told me that she still has nightmares like that… I'd have never stayed away like I did. Me doing that probably made them worse. The times we spent nights together she slept like a baby. She should've been with me, Aunt Ryuko. I should've been with her."
"Maybe, and I'm seeing that now. But you're a kid too. What part of that don't you understand?" The blonde demanded. "If you want to go off to school so that you can have a future you should be able to do that because you have an able bodied adult to look after Kaji. You don't have to do everything alone. Don't you get it? I'm here!"
"And what good did that do me!" Kasha bellowed, silver eyes wild. She watched Ryuko's complexion drain of color as she snarled, "He still found me again. He ripped my fucking clothes off and he touched me and you weren't there! No one was there! And it sucked, okay? So if I can be there for my sister I want to be. So don't you ever keep something like this from me ever again because Kaji doesn't deserve to feel like she's alone and that no one is coming to save her—"
The teen was choked off as her shoulders were seized and she was crushed into a fierce embrace. Kasha squeezed her eyes shut, the bandage on her bottom lip rubbing against the side of her aunt's throat as the older woman forced the teen's bare face against her skin as she held her.
"Oh Kasha." Ryuko said, quietly mournful. "Is that how you felt? Like no one was coming to save you?"
The teen stiffened in the blonde's arms, trying to pull away but the pro hero wasn't having any of that. Slowly Kasha opened her eyes, staring hopelessly over her aunt's shoulder as her fresh wounds were ripped even more asunder.
"That must've been hard for you, Kasha." Ryuko whispered, stroking the teen's hair while her other arm was a steel band around her back, keeping the teen close. "That must've been terribly hard for you."
Kasha's eyes shuttered, because she felt a telling sting behind them, and she was damn tired of that sting.
And yeah.
Yeah, it was hard. But there wasn't anything to be done about it. Even so, there was something to be done for her little sister. It wasn't too late for Kaji. They could protect her. She deserved all the happiness in the world and god damn Kasha to the sorriest pit of hell if she didn't get it for her.
"Don't do this again." The teen whispered, though she knew her aunt heard her. "Don't you dare."
"I won't." Ryuko murmured, holding the teen closer. "I'm sorry, I'll do better Kasha. I'll do better."
"We both will."
There was nothing left to be said about it. Kasha allowed herself to be held, arms hanging at her sides as her aunt fought off her own tears and the teen reflected on the path she'd chosen.
She'd do anything so that Kaji could rest easy and not have to be so afraid anymore. Anything to ensure her parents got justice.
Anything so that he couldn't ever make Kasha feel so filthy again.
And she was already taking steps toward that.
The next day first thing in the morning Kasha had a healthy breakfast and she set off into the woods. She'd asked Ryuko to keep Kaji occupied because Kasha hadn't bothered to cover up any of her scars for her training. She wore a long white t-shirt and black spanks, hair done up in a high ponytail to keep it mostly at bay. The teen was determined to make the most of the time Ryuko and the Pussycats had given her to "clear her head".
Once Kasha was satisfied with the distance she'd created between herself and the lodgings, she stopped.
The sun was high in the morning blue sky, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. She'd found her way to a small clearing within the trees, where the soil was rich and moist, and she kicked off her sneakers to keep them intact. Her bare toes sank into the soft earth and she was soothed by the fresh air holding hints of moss and sap within it.
Kasha took a deep breath and began to stretch herself out, musing on what she needed to work on. The teen was well aware of her own weaknesses.
One, she had a lot of destructive power but not enough fine control.
Two, she couldn't focus her quirk into individual parts of her body for long periods of time without beginning to harm herself.
Three, most of her attacks while simultaneously using her quirk were explosive. She didn't know how to attack without lethal or near lethal force when using her quirk.
Kasha had been somewhat lucky so far. Her fight with Tokoyami only had her really fighting Dark Shadow. But during the attack on USJ Kasha was pretty damn sure she'd broken a villain's back simply by using the force generated by activating her quirk to kick him. She hadn't had any time to think because Ochako had been in danger, but that didn't take away from the fact that she didn't have the finesse to not seriously injure someone when fighting them with her quirk.
Taekwondo was one thing. She'd been doing it since she could walk. Her kicks were powerful, and she could knock someone out with only one blow in the right place. The problem was, that man was skilled enough in combat all on his own to not be overtaken by her abilities. Kasha's movements possessed predictability because of her time following the rules at the dojo, so she had never once overtaken him with Taekwondo. Not to mention she always seemed to forget that she even knew how to fight when he was around because something about him awakened a primal fear within her. But she just knew if she went out and tried to take him out with combat alone he'd slaughter her. He was bigger, physically stronger, and possibly more combat lethal. So she needed to find a way to fight him so that she could get her desired results.
She didn't want to outright kill him with one blow from her quirk. She'd never be satisfied with that. And she couldn't beat him in a normal fight. That brought to Kasha's attention what she should do to get what she was gunning for. The question was...
What do you get from having no fine control of your own powerful quirk, but fine control over your physical body?
That's the reason Kasha was training.
She was going to channel her quirk into her legs no matter how much it strained her so that she could learn to control her quirk better, as well as get rid of the predictability of her kicks. This would also make them more dangerous and less likely to be fended off by that man.
She'd admit she was a sucker for large movements when using Taekwondo, but she'd need to tone it down if she wanted to catch that man off guard.
Kasha could be fast when she needed to, but once she got going while her quirk was activated she wasn't very good at changing direction without it being completely obvious what direction she was going for. That wasn't going to fly if she was going to take him on. She needed to be fast enough to avoid any tricks he had up his sleeve and she needed to have enough control to overtake him in a few seconds.
Because that man only needed a few seconds to drug her and take away her quirk, as he had shown twice now.
So the goals of this training were…
One, obtain finer tuned control of Supernova.
Two, combine Supernova with Taekwondo.
Three, decrease her combat windup while also increasing her strength enough to go toe to toe with a fully grown man and serial killer.
"Not too much really." Kasha snorted, straightening up from her last toe touch.
Feeling a wry and bitter sort of amusement, Kasha ran through a few stances and basic kicks to get her blood flowing. She ended this little warm up with her favorite kick.
The white haired teen took a deep breath, remembering the specific commands she was taught for this particular kick.
Relax, focus, and release.
She relaxed with good posture at fighting stance, her right foot forward, the left back, and her arms held up but not tight. Focusing, she held her breath and tightened her muscles.
Suddenly Kasha pivoted her foot, rotating her hip and flinging herself around fluidly, releasing her foot she heard the air part from the swift movement. The teen brought her foot around so as not to lose her balance and bounced twice to stay upright.
The spinning whip kick.
She'd knocked out several people with that very kick in sparring practice and tournaments.
This is the kick she decided she wanted to practice merging her quirk with.
After resetting her stance, her bare feet in the soil, Kasha called on Supernova. A familiar warmth flared up and flooded into her legs. She tried to keep her heat output between 1,300° F and 2,200° F, which were temperatures common for fresh lava. While this was pretty hot, she was probably safer staying within this range at first while trying to regulate her quirk only within her legs.
Said appendages were glowing white, ghostly tongues dancing off of their curves as Kasha began to run through the spinning whip kick over and over again.
Despite how sweat began to bead along her hairline, Kasha continued to bounce twice in place before pivoting and performing the kick again. She could already feel the raging heat of Supernova threatening to overtake her, and she couldn't have been kicking for more than forty five seconds.
Kasha's heated leg cut through the air for the nth time before Supernova flared and she gasped, stumbling on one foot and falling to her side. A small explosion sounded off when she met the dirt ground and her quirk sputtered out, deactivating.
"Tch." Kasha tutted, sitting up and taking a moment to breathe. She checked her legs over, happy to see that they showed no sign of agitation yet, so she could continue to train.
The same couldn't be said for where she was training though. The place where she'd previously planted her feet was glowing a dull orange, like half heated magma in the shape of her feet, and there was now a long gouge rimmed with molten soil where she'd fallen.
With a sigh Kasha pushed herself to her feet.
"Okay, let's try that again." She muttered, moving a little way away from the fresh scars in the earth. "This time I'll aim to maintain my quirk in my legs for at least a minute."
She'd have to not kick one after another though. Maybe four kicks every fifteen seconds? Hopefully she wasn't making things too needlessly hard for herself.
She'd figure it out though.
With a deep breath Kasha began, setting her legs alight.
After reaching her limit Kasha made her way back to the lodgings. She was a little miffed because she hadn't been able to meet her one minute mark without continuously blowing herself up.
Maybe she just really wasn't built to use her quirk in a certain part of her body? She shook her head.
No. Her mother had been able to do it and their quirks were really similar. The only real difference being that Kasha's mother couldn't fly and her flame form was more feline shaped.
"I can do this." Kasha muttered, thumbing some grime off of her cheek as she let herself into the lodging's front door.
It was just a matter of practice. It had to be. Kasha would do better tomorrow. And even when she felt she was reaching her limit she would remain until she met her damn goal. She was going to regulate her quirk into her legs for a full minute. Frowning, the teen nodded once to herself, determined.
"Ugh you stink."
Kasha looked up, startled as she caught the water bottle chucked at her from down the hall. Her aunt Ryuko stood with a hand on her hip wearing a light blue sundress and white sandals.
"You're really taking this as a vacation aren't you?" Kasha scoffed, unscrewing the top to chug some water down. It was cool and soothing against her parched throat.
"Yes." Ryuko answered without any shame, sticking her tongue out like the absolute child she was inside. "Got a problem with that stinky pants? Just go take a shower before the wallpaper starts peeling."
It was kind of nice to see her aunt acting like her normal self after so much crap had been unloaded onto Kasha, so she took the insults with grace.
"Yeah yeah, your age is showing, hag." Kasha grumbled, walking closer.
She smirked as Ryuko huffed indignantly and fluidly ducked beneath the vengeful swat aimed for the back of her head, power walking toward the onsen.
"Damn brat I don't even know why I put up with you!" Ryuko called, shaking her fist. "I'm eighteen at heart you got that!?"
"I know granny it's fine." She drawled back. "I don't mind that you fart dust clouds, you're the only one who's insecure about it."
"WHY YOU—"
Snorting softly Kasha opened and closed the door to the showers after herself. Yes, she wasn't 100% her normal self, and yes she was frustrated but it was only the first day of her training. She had five more to get her desired results.
And if Ryuko and everyone else continued on as they were, as if things really were normal… well, now that Kasha wasn't so freshly stuck in her head she probably could get back to being normal.
At least with her family.
She wasn't so sure how she'd behave around her friends. Well, again, she had time.
Kasha would cross that bridge when she got to it.
On day two around ten in the morning, Kasha cratered herself into the soil, her quirk blowing out with a violent emission of white flame, soil spraying up around her in all directions.
"DAMMIT!" She roared, flopping onto her back and slamming her fists into the glowing slop the dirt had become. She'd managed to regulate for a minute with stubbornness alone, but a second over that and Supernova just sort of… well, supernova-ed.
With an angry sigh Kasha sat up, hair caked with red-hot dirt that was already hardening in the pristine strands with the strength of igneous rock.
She stood up and climbed out of the hole she'd created, grimacing as the "lava" she made gushed between her toes harmlessly with a consistency of powder filled paste.
Kasha had put yet another scar in the earth of the area she decided to train in, but it was all in the name of progress. The foot shaped scars from yesterday and the Kasha shaped blob from falling over had hardened, pitch black and riddled with fissures.
The teen slicked her bangs back with her dirty hands, and the shorter strands stuck up every which way, but remained out of her eyes because of the superheated dirt clumping them together.
"For now I'll just try and get the hang of attacking while regulating for sixty seconds." Kasha murmured, taking a moment to indulge in a deep breath.
It was only the second day. She shouldn't expect to meet a goal and then just keep running with that into infinite control. That was preposterous.
She should get the hang of what she just accomplished first.
"Yeah." Kasha nodded once. "I'm being irrational. Calm down Kasha."
She got into starting stance again, calling upon Supernova and directing the warmth solely into her legs, wincing a little when they began to sting threateningly. She controlled her breathing and dulled her heat output slightly, relieving herself of the discomfort somewhat.
When her legs began to glow and give off swaying tongues of flame, Kasha pivoted— swinging herself around in a spinning whip kick. She bounced twice on her feet and repeated the motion, white flames trailing after the movement of her powerful kick.
She noticed after a while that she was shaky on her landing, so she should work on remaining upright and balanced when kicking with the aid of her quirk.
So that's what she focused on. This time she'd brought along with her two water bottles so she could continue to train longer.
And that's exactly what Kasha did.
She continued to regulate her quirk in her legs while performing the spinning whip kick four times every fifteen seconds for a duration of sixty.
Kasha would admit that she continued to stumble while doing this, and she even fell a few times, pissing herself off because she had already mastered this kick. It was her favorite one, and whether her legs were on fire or not, why the hell did she keep losing balance?
She took a break to have some water and cool off a little. She wasn't too tired, but her temper was almost as hot as her quirk at full power, so she wanted to give herself a chance to center.
After dumping the rest of her first water bottle over her filthy hair, Kasha shook her head and got back to work.
On day three Kasha relaxed her stance and released her control of her quirk.
A satisfied twinkle appeared in her silver eyes. She was absolutely exhausted after training for three hours, but during her last string of kicks she'd performed them perfectly while regulating Supernova for sixty seconds.
A minute of using her quirk in just her legs without blowing herself up or falling over probably sounded pathetic, but it was more than she had been able to do three days ago.
Kasha knew that her mere sixty seconds was a start line for more skill in the future.
She wanted to keep going, but when she shifted her legs ached slightly, so she knew she should give herself a rest so as not to blow out.
"This is good." She told herself. "Tomorrow I'll get on it again, and I'll do them all perfectly."
Clenching her fists, Kasha nodded once, and then she went back towards the camp.
On day four Kasha was feeling pretty good. Better than she had since she realized how pathetic she was because of the whims of that man.
She had stayed true to her own declarations and her flaming kicks had been flawless. Of course, it was only the spinning whip kick she could do perfectly but that was only details.
Kasha felt pleasantly worked out, and somewhat accomplished. She was freshly bathed and had donned a baggy black turtleneck and matching socks. Her hair was free from its usual odango buns, as it had been for the last several days, and she wasn't wearing a mask.
The teen was making her way back to the room everyone was using to sleep in so that she could maybe take a nap before dinner, but Tomoko called out to her from down the hall.
"Kasha-kitty!" The green haired woman cheered. "We're all going to go on a hike, wanna come?"
Kouta and Kaji exited the room after the petite pro hero. Kouta wore his trademark horned hat, a black t-shirt, brown cargo shorts, and little hiking boots. Kaji was wearing a light pink t-shirt, dark pink short shorts, and hiking boots as well. Yawara, Shino, and Ryuko brang up the rear decked out in hiking gear as well.
"Yeah, wanna come Nee-chan?" Kaji chirped, eyes sparkling. "We don't see you unless it's time to eat and sleep."
"Kasha's been training, remember Kaji?" Shino placated. "She's probably tired, so maybe we should let her be?"
"Training for what?" Kouta scoffed. "To go get killed by another idiot wanting to spam their quirk at somebody?"
"Kouta!" Ryuko exclaimed, appalled.
"Don't say that you jerk!" Kaji barked, scowling at him.
"What?" Kouta asked, turning his nose up. "I'm not wrong. Kasha-nee is acting like an idiot. It doesn't matter if she trains, she's just gonna go get killed in the end."
"Shut up!" Kaji yelled, tears beginning to shine in her eyes.
Shino looked utterly disappointed in him for his callous outlook. Tomoko blinked, apparently not knowing what to say to that, and Yawara crossed his arms, the muscles straining with the movement across his broad chest as he trained an intense look on the back of the little boy's head. Kasha though, already knew how he was and that she couldn't be the one to change him. She didn't have the means to prove him wrong and he was much too stubborn to listen to mere words, no matter how sound they were. He was only five after all. Even still, that didn't give him a pass for being vindictive and insensitive.
"Kouta." Kasha intoned, silver eyes boring down on him sternly. The little boy stiffened. "You're going to make Kaji cry. Cut it out."
Kouta flinched, hesitantly looking at Kaji, who's cheeks were flushed with stress and eyes wide, brimming with tears. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Instead the little boy looked away from the girl and stared down at his feet, a surly frown making its way onto his chubby face.
"Don't listen to him Kaji-kitty." Tomoko cooed, dropping into a squat to pat the little girl on her head. "He's just being grumpy, he doesn't mean it."
Kouta most definitely had some choice words for that but one look from Kasha and his smart little mouth snapped shut again. He crossed his arms and looked away again, pouting.
With a sigh Kasha said, "I'll have to pass on the hike invite guys. I really do just want to rest. Maybe before I go training tomorrow morning we can play Kaji."
Her little sister seemed to hopefully light up at this, squealing, "Really Nee-chan? You really mean it?"
Knowing after a display like that, that there was no "maybe" about it, Kasha nodded once and grunted, "Mm."
"Yay!" Kaji cheered, unknowingly softening her sister's heart. "Then what are we waiting for guys? The sooner we go the sooner we can come back. And the sooner we come back the sooner it'll be tomorrow!"
Amused, Kasha watched as Kaji did a little dance in place and shot off down the hall.
"Yeah! Onward march kitty cats!" Tomoko cheered, fist pumping and scampering after the little girl.
Yawara's feline shaped mouth shifted, and Kasha got the distinct impression that he was smiling as he quietly followed after the two. Shino and Ryuko shared a wry look before the brunette took hold of Kouta's hand and followed after the others.
"See you later Kasha, get some rest okay kiddo?" Shino called.
"Mm." Kasha nodded. She cocked a brow when Kouta threw a pout at her over his shoulder as Shino dragged him along, but didn't say anything. With a huff he turned back around. Kasha knew that was as close to an apology as she was going to get from the little brat, so she just let it go.
Soon it was just the teen and her aunt, and Ryuko offered a small smile.
"You've been working hard Kasha." She said. "I hope you know what you're doing, and you're getting what you need."
"I am." Kasha muttered.
"Good." Ryuko's smile widened and she playfully punched the teen in her shoulder as she passed. "See you in a bit kid. Get some sleep."
"See you." Kasha bid quietly, making her way into the emptied out room.
On the sixth day Kasha sat alone at one of the picnic tables in the clearing outside of the mountainside lodging house. The sun was high in the afternoon sky, bathing her form in warm light. The teen's bag was at her side as she waited for the Pussycats, Kaji, and Kouta to finish up inside.
It was time to head back home to the city.
She'd spent her last day in the mountains training like hell, and she was feeling it. Kasha couldn't say she was super confident about what she'd been doing for the past few days, but she could at least say that she'd forced improvement.
Kasha had never had excellent control over her quirk, just the standard amount so that she didn't flame up at the slightest provocation. But ever since she entered the Hero Course and she needed to use her quirk, she found with each use it was marginally easier to control.
With six days focusing on doing one thing that she sucked at, Kasha could definitely look someone in the eye and say— and mean that she improved.
She wouldn't say she'd gotten stronger. But she now could do something that she couldn't before.
All she needed to do now was test it at the Sports Festival.
"Kasha-nee!" Kaji called.
Kasha turned, meeting eyes with her little sister across the clearing, Kouta at her side and the Pussycats carrying their bags.
"Ready to head out?" Ryuko grinned.
Kasha nodded.
She was ready.
I wanted to flesh out Kasha's training more but I just couldn't do it guys. My brain was melting out of my ears.
Does anybody miss Ochako and Denki? I do. *smirks*
Can you believe we're almost 20 chapters in? Shit, and nothing's even happened yet lol. I have so much planned. It's gonna be a shitshow.
Hold onto your panties guys 'cause next chapter we're taking off.
