All of your feedback motivated me to finish this chapter this month, thanks a million guys I love you.
Ugh, Kasha is starting to exhibit Uchiha Sasuke syndrome and that is not smoothies.
I don't own My Hero Academia.
Kasha woke up early at Ryuko's place, sneakily distangling herself from her cuddly sister's arms and out of the child's bed before leaving the room and doing a light workout routine to get her blood pumping.
Today was the day.
It was the start of U.A's annual sports festival, as well her first day back at school after her self imposed exile. She was feeling a little absent, like a plane on autopilot, going through the motions of getting ready after her workout and making breakfast for herself and her small family.
Ryuko had informed her on the way back to the city that she'd had seats reserved for the sports festival for herself and Kaji for ages. Kasha wasn't sure exactly how seats even worked but whatever. Her aunt had it covered.
The teen wasn't sure how she felt about her sister and aunt literally being a part of the live audience when she had plans to test out the fruits of her labor from training but Kasha supposed she'd just have to tone it down a smidge.
"Morning kiddo!"
Kasha startled a little, having paused at some point in washing the dishes she used to make breakfast, the sleeves of her school shirt and black leotard pushed high up her scarred arms while her hands chilled in dish water, tickled with suds. Starlight silver eyes found daytime blue, surprised to find Ryuko fully dressed and groomed in civilian attire including a light blue paint suit, cream blouse, and cream colored kitten heels. Kaji was sitting on the couch fiddling with a tablet that was making cartoony noises, wearing a pink blouse and matching skirt as well as some knee high white socks. Kasha blinked slowly at the images she was receiving. Had she really been thinking that much about nothing? Ryuko and Kaji were wide awake and already ready. Kasha must've been zoned out for quite some time.
"You good Kasha?" Ryuko asked, frowning slightly as she tilted her head at her niece.
"Mm." Kasha grunted, tearing her gaze away from the probing one on her to continue washing the dishes.
"Well, alright…" The pro drawled, sounding a bit skeptical as she turned to snag two of the three plates on the countertop. She called, "Squirt, put that dang tablet down and come eat your breakfast."
"Kay!" Kaji chirped back.
Kasha's emotions quietly lulled among her vacant thoughts, which didn't center around anything in particular. She thought she might feel nervous about going back to school after so long but she felt nothing. She was probably purposely blocking out her true feelings but she really preferred not feeling at all.
Well, depending on what was in question of course.
Ryuko drove the sisters over to U.A and remarkably found a parking space, but she must've noticed Kasha's raised eyebrow because she stuck out her tongue and said she'd had the space for the car reserved too.
Never let it be said that Ryuko Tsuchikawa did anything halfway.
Kasha shook her head at her aunt's smirk as she exited the car. The teen was decked out in her school uniform, hair done up in her signature odango buns and face covered by a fitting black mask attached to her leotard. Feeling the morning sun beaming down on her willowy form and a gentle breeze through her long hair brought her consciousness fully to the forefront.
Her stomach twisted with a sense of dread.
'I knew this morning was too good to be true.' She thought blandly.
If only she was as somber as she usually lead people to believe. The sound of Ryuko and Kaji closing their own car doors pulled the silver eyed teen from her musings and she blinked when she felt arms wrap around her waist, a round face snuggling into her taut abdomen.
"Good luck Nee-chan!" Kaji cheered. "Do your best!"
Kasha's sleepy gaze warmed as she looked down at her sister, reaching up and patting the top of her sibling's fluffy ombré hair.
"Thanks." She murmured. "I will."
Kaji released her to offer her a toothy grin, showing off the feline fangs she'd inherited from their mother, unknowingly knocking the breath out of her sister for a moment. Kasha swallowed thickly, beating down the swelling nostalgia, longing, and soul rending pain. She forced those emotions back into the private places within herself where they belonged.
"We're gonna be cheering you on." Kaji beamed, silver eyes arching closed.
"Mm." The older hummed, nodding once, allowing her own eyes to crinkle slightly at the corners. But it was fake. Kasha hadn't felt much like smiling for days. Smirking as she offered superficial snark was one thing. It was undoubtedly not the same.
Thankfully Kaji didn't have a clue, if her delighted flush and smile was anything to go by. A friendly hand slapping the teen on the shoulder made her shift slightly, pulled from her thoughts as she met the caring eyes of her aunt.
"Knock 'em dead brat." She smirked. "I want bragging rights."
Kasha rolled her eyes.
"Just don't embarrass me while in the stands, I don't want anyone to associate me with a bag of dust that overcompensates to seem youthful."
Kaji giggled behind her hands at their antics and Ryuko's face burned devil red as her face froze in hellish fury.
"WHY YOU LITTLE—"
Kasha was almost criminally early because the only person in class 1-A present when she arrived was Iida, studiously in his seat and appearing to be going over some notes for a different class.
At her entrance the bespectacled teen looked up, dark blue eyes widening a little as he offered a genuine smile.
"Ah Yūrei-san, welcome back!" He exclaimed. "I'm glad to see you well."
"Mm." Kasha grunted, going to her seat.
"Let us both endeavor to do our best today in the festival." Iida offered, seeming pleased when she offered a slight nod in agreement.
Thankfully even though he could come off as utterly socially obtuse most days Iida picked up on the fact that she wasn't feeling up to conversing and went back to his notes. Kasha rested her elbows on her desk and cradled her covered chin in her palms, staring out the window next to her as the class gradually began to fill up. It was the same song and dance with Iida, people welcomed her back sincerely only for her to grunt back at them in acknowledgement. But her body language was entirely closed off so the peers that greeted her soon steered clear of the uninviting air she was giving off. Kasha was content to leave things simple and quiet like that, but she honestly should've known better.
"Do my eyes deceive me?" A delighted tenor exclaimed, causing her shoulders to stiffen slightly. "Kasha! Babycakes, you came back for me!"
Kaminari Denki flopped himself across Kasha's desk and looked up into her lidded silver eyes with his own deep gold ones. And the pale girl could admit that despite everything, seeing the very first friend she made at U.A did lighten her spirits a tiny bit. But Denki just had that sort of effect on people who really took the time to interact with him.
"Girly friend!" Ochako cheered, elbowing her way into the room, no doubt having heard Denki's obnoxious exclamations. The brunette rushed over, hands in front of her chest, fingertips touching as she gave the taller girl a rosy cheeked smile. "We missed you! Are you okay? I thought maybe you got hit by a truck or somethin' when sensei said you got hurt but not how."
"Wow Uraraka, tactful much?" A wry drawl piped up. Kasha blinked slowly as Jiro came into the room, wearing that small little smile she was known for before giving Kasha a once over. "But yeah. What's up with you Yūrei?"
Kasha blinked some more at her three friends. Ochako was pouting at being called out, Denki was whining because Kasha wasn't paying him any attention, and Jiro was rolling her eyes because Denki was an idiot and Ochako was 'so spazzy'.
They seemed genuinely happy to see her, but the initial spark of happiness that had flared when she saw them had died a quick death.
Because the dread she had felt before coming into the school was back. But it warped into something else, something sour and unbearably bitter. Because Kasha realized something, listening to the carefree chattering of her friends, who's messages she ignored for a whole week but still greeted her with smiles and relief.
She sat there and she realized that she couldn't do it. She couldn't sit down and go on like things weren't utterly ruined. When Kasha met Denki and Ochako she'd had two years to calm down from the raging inferno within from losing her parents. When she agreed to hang out with Jiro, she'd already gotten used to the idea of having friends again. And Camie, she'd already been comfortable with her from working together for so long. But now? It'd only been nearly a week since that man crashed his way through her fragile walls and made her remember that she wasn't a normal kid.
Kasha wasn't the type of teenager who could have these things. She could no longer ignore that fact that she was a blackened mass of pain and anger inside. That she had something that she needed to do. With her family she couldn't help loving them. Wanting to protect them and not to hurt them. But the people who had become her friends in recent times… Kasha was just so damn mixed up inside, she didn't want the hassle of pretending like everything was okay for their sakes, so she would just tell them to stay away. They were people she had chosen for herself, so it was easier to break away than if it were Ryuko and Kaji.
If her friends stuck around, Kasha would only end up hurting them anyway. They couldn't understand where she was coming from—and no, she didn't want them too but she knew she couldn't handle them looking at her differently if they discovered the truth. If they knew she was a poor sad little girl with dead parents and the maniac that killed them was obsessed with her.
She never wanted them to look at her the way her old friends from middle school did when they found out. Kasha couldn't handle any more pity.
If she had to see one more friend start acting strange because of her situation she was going to burn something down to the ground. And so, even knowing what she was about to do wasn't fair, that it was cruel and selfish, she slanted a blank look at the people who had become her friends.
"Leave me alone." Kasha intoned.
The shift in the room was instantaneous. Even Bakugo gave her a strange look at the corner of his eye.
"Y-Yūrei." Midoriya choked quitely, having just stepped through the doorway. Kasha ignored everyone as she stared down her friends with a lifeless look in her eyes.
Ochako's mouth fell agape and Denki paused, seeming to assess her for a long moment before a strange look overcame his face. He frowned faintly, and an almost knowing shine appeared in his eyes. He was obviously somewhat offended by the rude dismissal, but it wasn't necessarily making him angry. Jiro on the other hand outright scoffed and crossed her arms, having none of Kasha's attitude.
"The hell's your problem Yūrei?" She demanded, dark eyes narrowing at the taller girl. "The teachers tell us you got hurt but not how, you disappear for a week, ignore all of our texts— and yeah I know that's what you did, you still have all three of us on "unread", and now you're not even going to talk to us?"
Kasha offered her own quiet scoff and turned her head away from them, dismissing them even more. This obviously chafed at Jiro even more because the dark haired girl bristled visibly. Ochako blinked for the first time in several seconds, and Kasha could feel the curious and or uncomfortable stares of all of their peers, feeling a little annoyed at the scene that was being created despite how bluntly she'd communicated wanting to be left alone. Though perhaps she should have been a little more eloquent about it.
"H-hey now." The brunette squeaked, clearing her throat nervously as she held up her hands. "Let's calm down for a second okay guys?"
"I'm calm." Kasha deadpanned. "Just go away."
"Yikes," Ochako grimaced. "Okay um—"
"Yeah." Jiro interrupted her, downright scowling at Kasha. "I think Yūrei here has been pretty clear about how she's going to be right now. I'm not wasting my time on something like this. Yūrei, when you figure out how not to be a bitch to your friends, you know where to find me."
With that and a roll of her eyes Jiro stormed to her seat, thumping her elbow on her desk and planting her chin in her palm, back obviously facing the whitette.
A bitter flood of hot shame and relentless hurt welled up within Kasha's chest but she tried to smother it down, remaining somber in the face by sheer force of will. Denki, who she had been mostly avoiding looking at completely cocked a brow at her behavior and slipped his fingers into his pockets. The white haired teen couldn't help slightly turning to slide her eyes between the blonde boy and Ochako.
"Okay…" Denki finally said, offering Kasha that same dismissive sort of calm he did to Bakugo when the explosive boy lost his temper. "Obviously something's going on with you, and I'm sorry about that. But you're like, really out of line right now so I think I'm just gonna give you some space."
Kasha's eyes flickered away from his without her consent. He was very clearly not happy, and the flood of shame returned, because this was not the first time she had mistreated Denki because of her own personal hang ups. Though hopefully it would be the last.
Because they weren't going to be friends anymore.
Ignoring the near unbearable hot brand of pain that thought caused across her heart Kasha met those gold orbs again. Denki's displeased disposition hadn't changed, and he didn't say anything more before turning away to head to his own seat. Ochako fluttered her hands about worriedly, brown eyes darting between Kasha, Jiro, and Denki.
"Guys…" The brunette protested.
"Whatever." Kasha muttered, blinking away the sting in her eyes as she looked away for the final time.
"Kasha…" Ochako whispered, reaching for her, flinching when the silver eyed girl shifted to give her a view of her back. The brunette pursed her lips, hand faltering and falling uselessly at her side.
Kasha couldn't see the confused and pained look on the brunette's face, but if she did she probably wouldn't be able to stick to her resolve. With a resigned sigh so unlike her Ochako turned away at last and quietly made her way to her own seat.
The awkward silence in the room reigned supreme until Kirishima hesitantly belted out a fake chuckle.
"So!" He began, a little shrill. "Who's ready to smash this festival?"
'Bless your heart for trying Kirishima.' Kasha thought sympathetically.
"Oh me! Think of all the chicks I can impress by blowing the other classes out of the water!" Mineta cried, a rapturous expression curling his mouth and glazing his eyes.
"Come on man…" Sero winced, still a little uncomfortable from the previous drama. "Is that all you think about?"
"You really think you could?" Jiro scoffed, laughing somewhat mockingly.
"Mineta-san, the U.A annual sports festival is a time for us to prove our worth in our seats within this class!" Iida boomed, standing up and chopping his hand at the tiny menace. "You should not be focusing on such frivolous things when your performance today could alter the road to your future! It is also atrocious to display such lewd intentions within U.A's prestigious institution."
"Wow Iida, that's kind of dark don't you think?" Ojiro offered, a little sweat sliding down the side of his face as his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "We're still in our first year and we have plenty of time to prove ourselves."
"Yeah!" Satō yelled. "I think we should all stay positive today and give it everything we've got!"
"That's the spirit my man. You're firing me up!" Kirishima growled, slamming his fist into his open palm with a sharp grin.
"Like you blowhards could hold a candle to me." Bakugo snorted.
"It seems as if the only thing that's blowing is you on your own horn." Tsuyu deadpanned, invoking a chorus of light hearted snickers from some of the class as Bakugo's ears flushed.
"You got a problem with me Frogger!?"
Though Bakugo was ignored in favor of others chipping in to tease him some more, which only set him off, as expected. Kasha ignored everyone as they got into the flow of distracting themselves, soon forgetting about the awkward confrontation between the silver eyed girl and her friends as they allowed the energy of the festival to overtake them. That is, until Aizawa showed up with a resounding bang.
The bandaged man peeked his head into his homeroom class and paused, blandly demanding, "What's with the energy in here? You're all so irrational. Whatever it is, suck it up."
Ah, he must've picked up on some of the lingering awkwardness. He turned his head slightly in Kasha's direction and said, "Welcome back Yūrei. After the festivities today Principal Nezu and I would like to speak to you in his office."
Her gut churned as she inclined her head in acknowledgement. She had a pretty good feeling she knew what they wanted to discuss with her. And she would not be looking forward to it.
The dark haired hero turned back to address the class in full.
"Head to your respective locker rooms and suit up for announcements, the festival is starting." Aizawa deadpanned, leaving as soon as he'd come.
Before Kasha's peers could get off track again as they vacated their seats and headed for the door, a blank voice from the corner of the room piped up.
"Midoriya."
Everyone turned to watch as Todoroki made his way through the crowd of students, his face just as indifferent as Kasha's masked one. Midoriya turned to look at the taller boy, his doe eyes wider than usual at being called out.
"What is it Todoroki-kun?"
"Objectively speaking, I'm stronger than you." Todoroki stated, dropping mouths all around. Kasha blinked, thrown off guard. "You're powerful, and I can tell you will be the one to beat, so I feel the need to let you know that I will beat you."
Kasha tilted her head ever so slightly, waiting patiently to see what would happen since everyone was blocking the door. But even so, she couldn't say she wasn't somewhat intrigued by the turn of events, even if they were unimportant in the long run. Anyway, Todoroki kept mostly to himself, so seeing him flat out call someone out was the farthest thing from what she expected to see from him. But then again she shouldn't expect anything. People only knew what someone was willing to show. Kasha was a prime example of that.
Midoriya's eyes had widened at the bold statements and his head dropped a little after he nodded once in acknowledgement, wild hair shadowing his eyes. Though Kasha didn't think for a second that he'd been cowed. He'd proved time and again that he wasn't someone to be underestimated.
"H-hey now guys." Kirishima protested, holding up his hands disarmingly even as he slanted Todoroki a stern look. "Now really isn't the time to go picking a fight with each other."
"Yeah man come on." Sero shook his head, scratching at the back of his head.
"You really do need to chill." Ashido said, cheeks puffing indignantly.
"I didn't come here to make friends." Todoroki intoned, a cold resolve shining in his heterochromatic eyes. A shiver went down Kasha's spine and Kirishima downright recoiled.
'That look...' She thought. 'Todoroki is somebody who knows something about real pain.'
But she wasn't touching that with a ten foot pole. Kasha after all, wasn't there to be friends either. Or a therapist, or even a generally good person. She'd kinda forgotten that, despite what she'd told herself whenever it was convenient. But she needn't think about it any longer, because apparently the ice wielding boy had said all he needed to and began to leave, allowing Kasha to push such thoughts aside. Though of course Midoriya wasn't going to leave it at that.
"Todoroki-kun." He called, lifting his head, training a powerful glare on the taller boy that seemed to stun him for a moment. "You're right. Compared to most of you I'm really not that strong."
"C'mon Midori-bro don't put yourself down. You're plenty strong." Kirishima frowned.
'True enough, but strength isn't the same thing as skill. And Todoroki has both in spades.'
The green eyed boy offered the redhead a thankful smile before turning his determined scowl back onto Todoroki, and Kasha found herself shivering again.
"Everyone is excited for the festival. Everyone's worked so hard to give it everything they've got." Midoriya began, a fierce shine in his near glowing green eyes. "I'm not going to just sit back and let you have your way, not when I have people counting on me. I'm going to give it everything I've got too."
'Damn. He didn't come here to play.'
Midoriya's eyes and the stubborn set of his mouth communicated clear as day, bring. it. on.
Todoroki seemed to perceive this and nodded once, continuing on his way silently. Bakugo was fuming silently at the display and everyone else seemed somewhat inspired by the curly haired boy's words.
"Well said Midoriya!" Iida commended. "Now on that note, let us all head out!"
A few token cheers were offered up for the bespectacled class president courtesy of Kirishima, Sero, Ashido, and Sato, and then everyone began leaving. Kasha stood aside to allow everyone to leave before her. When she finally made her way out to close the door behind her peers, she turned to find Midoriya standing in the vacant hall, waiting for her.
'Now what in the world could he want?' She wondered. She wasn't in any type of mood to humor someone, and she was sure he had seen that. Though for whatever reason he was still attempting to interact with her. So, for now Kasha would listen. If things became too much she could always walk away.
"Yūrei-chan..." Midoriya began quietly, looking at her. Like, really looking.
Kasha was admittedly unnerved by the shrewd gleam in his normally docile green gaze. So much so she couldn't even focus on the friendly honorific added to her name. But even so, she tilted her head ever so slightly, listening.
He offered carefully, "I don't want to seem full of myself by just saying what I'm thinking, especially after what just happened with Todoroki-kun but… I need to say this."
The girl studied him blankly, and when he saw that she didn't intend to completely blow him off yet the freckled boy swallowed thickly, continuing.
"When I first met you I couldn't help thinking, 'wow, she has really kind eyes'."
Kasha's heart stuttered in her chest and she was unable to stop herself from turning fully to face him. She had not expected that, but he undoubtedly had her full attention now.
"I think I speak for most of our classmates when I say we were worried when you took time off of school." Midoriya went on, a faint blush blooming in his cheeks. "Sensei said that you had gotten hurt, but not how and now that you're back—"
"What are you trying to say, Midoriya?" Kasha asked deliberately, silver eyes narrowing at him.
He flinched at the severe shine in her gaze, but she noticed that he wasn't willing to back down. Once upon a time that determination and earnestness had humbled and even somewhat enamored her. She had cheered him on in her head and even wished him luck and defended him when she saw that he could benefit from someone believing in him. Now it was entirely unwanted. She did not admire the concern in his gaze, the compassion. It only reminded her of how pitiful she truly was. It seemed like everywhere she went she couldn't escape that wretched truth.
"I… it's just that I can't help but notice that— that the look in your eyes isn't the same anymore." Midoriya blurted.
Kasha froze, and they both stared at one another for a long few moments, equally surprised by those words. The seconds crawled by slowly, unbearably tense but she wouldn't allow herself to remain cowed. It didn't suit her. So unsurprisingly Kasha regained her bearings first.
"I see." She intoned, peering at him beneath heavy lids. "Well, it shouldn't matter to you either way."
"Yūrei-chan?" He wondered, brows furrowing in confusion.
"You're a good person Midoriya." Kasha offered blandly, in a way that communicated clearly that she wasn't complimenting him. "The world could use more people like you, but I think you've misunderstood me."
"What do you mean?" He murmured, his mouth a wobbly line as he looked at her uncertainly.
"Gentle and kind people can be somewhat naive." Kasha explained blankly, absolutely no life coming from her eyes as she stared down at him like a stone slab. "You imagined kindness when you looked at me. That was your mistake."
He recoiled, emerald eyes blowing wide. And then Kasha knew that they were done here. So she turned away, feeling a bitter sort of satisfaction uncurling in her chest as she calmly took her leave.
Several beats went by, her light footsteps the only sound in the vacant hall. She was fine going on her way, leaving things at that but even if they weren't close she should've known better. Midoriya really was too sincere.
"I don't believe that!" He called, firm about his perceptions. She subtly clenched her teeth when he drove his belief home with, "Yūrei-chan… I don't believe that for a second!"
Kasha scowled and continued silently walking. She didn't falter in her stride but...
Her shoulders were tense.
Kasha slammed the door to the girls locker room open with a bang that startled her half dressed peers from what they were doing.
She ignored them as she went off to her own locker and then found a vacant isle to quickly change into the school's gym uniform. A dark blue sweatsuit with short sleeves and white and red accents that created a stylized U.A emblem down the front. Though, Kasha's masked leotard kept her scarred arms and throat covered. She took her boots off and slipped on a pair of lightweight white shoes that she didn't care about losing.
Kasha vacated her little hiding place to head for the door, unsurprised to see her female classmates still lollygagging in the locker room. The girls always took a millennia to change for some reason.
She could feel stares against her back as she calmly made her way back to the door, making a point to keep her eyes away from Ochako and Jiro. When Kasha reached out to push open the door, someone's voice halted her progress.
"Yūrei-chan." Tsuyu piped up, speaking to the taller girl's back. "I think everybody knows by now that I'm pretty blunt, so I'm just going to say it."
"Tsu-chan…" Yaoyorozu protested weakly.
"What's with the chip in your shoulder?" Tsuyu asked, obviously brushing off the other girl's concern. "I've noticed that you like to keep to yourself, but you seem pretty down to earth when people take the time to get to know you, like with Ochako-chan and Kaminari-kun and Jiro-chan."
Kasha didn't say anything, and she could almost feel the apprehension her silence caused weighing down the air. Though apparently like with most things Tsuyu just didn't give a damn.
"But you know, the whole class was worried when you didn't show up and Sensei told us you got hurt." The frog-like girl said. "He didn't explain beyond that, but you were gone for a long time, then you come back and you're being really cold."
"C'mon Tsu maybe you should just leave it?" Ashido chuckled nervously. "Yūrei doesn't really seem like she wants to talk right now…"
"I'm only curious." Tsuyu dismissed. "We're her classmates, I think it's fair to want to know why she's acting worse than Bakugo."
"I think that's quite enough Tsu-chan." Yaoyorozu spoke quickly. "If Yūrei-san doesn't want to talk we can't make her. When and if she comes around we can be there for her."
Kasha's head fell forward, a shadow falling over her silver eyes. Slowly, the pale haired teen turned around, gaze slicing into Tsuyu with a severity that had everyone in the room flinching. Jiro looked like she swallowed a lemon, and Ochako's eyes were wide as saucers. Ashido was frowning slightly and Yaoyorozu looked distinctly uncomfortable. But Tsuyu met her gaze evenly, with a level-headedness most girls their age couldn't boast about possessing.
"I'm not going to give you a long speech." Kasha finally said, shadowed eyes chilling the blood of the other girls. "Just stay out of my way, and I'll do the same for you."
"That's what I mean." Tsuyu pointed out, blinking slowly as a large finger poked at her lip. "That right there. Why are you being like that?"
Kasha didn't offer a response before turning away again and pushing her way out of the room.
She was halfway down the hall before she heard hastened footsteps pounding down the hall after her.
"Kasha wait!" Ochako yelled, catching up to her and catching her wrist. The dark look that met her own had the shorter girl immediately releasing Kasha with a hitch of breath. Though, she still matched the bun haired teen's stride as she blurted, "I don't like this!"
The silver eyed girl huffed under her breath and failed to respond further.
"Kasha, I'm serious." Ochako said, looking up at her pleadingly as she nearly jogged to keep up with the other girl's leggy stride. "We're friends right? Why are you acting like such a jerk? If you just tell me what's going on with you then maybe—"
"Maybe nothing." Kasha intoned. "I'm not talking about it. I'm never going to talk about it. It's none of your business or anyone's."
"You never want to talk." The brunette complained. "I just want to help. And even though Kaminari and Jiro seem like they just gave up I think you just really hurt their feelings. Doesn't that bother you?"
Of course it fucking bothered her.
But none of that even had to happen. If she'd had stuck to her guns from the beginning and focused on her goal instead of fraternizing, she wouldn't need to be an ass now and tell them to back off. When Kasha first encountered Denki, she'd thought she didn't really want to make connections to other people. That getting attached wasn't a luxury she had at the moment. She'd told herself things like "Perhaps after she completed her goal." and "Until then, maybe".
What a joke.
It hadn't taken long for Denki to get into her walls, paving the way for Ochako, and then Jiro, and even Camie—who Kasha had kept at arm's length for years. Now look at them. Kasha didn't even want to look them in the eye because she knew eventually the truth would come out and she just didn't want to deal with that.
"Kasha!" Ochako barked, grabbing her wrist yet again as they both stood in the mouth of the tunnel that led to U.A's sports field. "Listen to me! What happened to you?"
The taller of the two girls dragged in a deep breath to soothe the scathing temper that was gradually boiling to the surface. She slowly went to retrieve her wrist, but despite the dark look in Kasha's lidded eyes this time the rosy cheeked brunette was not letting go. Ochako was not one to be trifled with. Once she got serious, she was probably one of the fiercest people the taller girl knew.
And she was definitely serious about talking to Kasha at that point.
"Let go." Kasha ordered.
"I won't." Ochako said mulishly, shaking her head. "Not until you talk to me! What's the matter with you? How did you get hurt, and where were you for the past week? Why didn't you answer me and our friends when we tried to text you?"
Kasha tried.
She'd really tried to reign it in. She knew no one deserved the brunt end of what she hid within herself but at that point she just couldn't behave as if she wasn't in a constant state of suppressed fury.
"I said get your god damn hand off of me before I make you Uraraka." Kasha growled.
Ochako's brown eyes blew wide and her hand seemed to become weak, slackening before sliding off of Kasha's slim wrist to swing and fall limply at her side. The brunette's mouth was slightly agape, and the taller girl could see the beginning of a wet shine on the other girl's lash line.
'Oh god da—'
"Yūrei what the fuck!" Jiro snapped.
Both Ochako and Kasha looked down the hall to see all of the girls there along with some of the straggling boys from their own locker room, their eyes bulging and mouths slack. And the cherry on top? Of course Denki was there, and she could honestly say she had never seen him look so utterly disappointed before. She couldn't deal with that.
Kasha said nothing and stormed away.
She stood away from her classmates as other first year classes gradually began to fill up the field surrounded by stadium seatings. There was already a large audience accumulated for the events to come, and there was a stage set up for whatever reason as everyone got settled around it.
Kasha began the process of beating down her rampant emotions, frustrated by her lack of self control. There was no point asking herself what was wrong with her because she knew.
She knew and she needed to keep a freaking lid on it if she wanted to pursue her goal without interruption. It also didn't feel good to know she was unjustly treating the people around her.
'Suck it up Yūrei.' She thought angrily. 'Suck it up.'
With that sobering thought, she took a deep breath as announcements began, mind far off as Midnight stepped onto the stage with ogling stares following her. Kasha allowed autopilot to take over once more as Bakugo was called up and immediately got everyone to hate his guts with that unique ability of his to rub everyone the wrong way.
Before she knew it an obstacle race was commencing as Present Mic and Aizawa-sensei offered commentary over the loudspeakers.
"AND FOR SOME REASON YŪREI KASHA OF CLASS 1-A IS STILL STANDING ALONE AT THE START LINE!" Present Mic bellowed, knocking consciousness back into the bun haired girl.
Kasha blinked slowly as she descended into her body, finding that she was still standing in the tunnel that served as the race's starting point. Said tunnel was coated in melting ice and Kasha was all alone while everyone was well on their way to the finish line.
Without further ado, her body ignited. The gym clothes and her hair bands were reduced to ashes as she blasted off into the sky, a white blur as she followed after all of the participants.
"WHAT'S THIS?" Present Mic cackled. "YŪREI'S SNAPPED OUT OF IT AND IS MAKING A TRIUMPHANT RETURN FROM WHAT SEEMED TO BE A BAD CASE OF STAGE FRIGHT! WOW LOOK AT THAT KID GO! SHE'S GOT SOME JETS ON HER AND IS ALREADY OVERTAKING THE PEOPLE LEFT IN THE DUST BY HER CLASSMATES! I GUESS SHE REALLY DOES BELONG IN 1-A, HAHAHAHA!"
Kasha zoomed in a straight line over all of the obstacles, blowing straight through the head of a zero point robot left in the wake of the other racers, zipping beyond the deep drop and then eventually catching up to her own class.
An explosion went off and the crowd went wild for one Midoriya Izuku.
Todoroki and Bakugo were hot on his heels and Kasha wasn't far behind those two, landing explosively in a crouch as her quirk dissipated.
"AMAZING! SHE WAS THE LAST ONE TO TAKE OFF YET STILL MANAGED TO MAKE IT IN FOURTH PLACE!" Present Mic spazzed. "TALK ABOUT A MONSTER, THIS KID IS SOMETHING ELSE!"
"Yūrei's got a lot of power and good speed." Aizawa offered blandly. "She should focus more on control and keeping her head in the game though."
"Duly noted." Kasha muttered, rising to her feet within the smoking crater she'd created.
Meanwhile her other peers were coming in with admirable rankings in the race. Midoriya seemed to be fighting off tears, and the crowd was going wild at the end results. The top 45 students were allowed to move on to the next event as stated by Midnight.
Kasha stood barefoot in her leotard with her hair down as she waited to hear what was in store for her next. She'd have to pay more attention. She couldn't let her emotions get the better of her anymore. There was something she wanted to try out and she wasn't going to be able to do that if she kept zoning out.
Kasha blinked as she listened to what Midnight had to say about the next event. She sighed.
Wow.
And she'd just made an ass of herself to nearly everyone in her class. Though that probably still wasn't as bad as the price on Midoriya's head.
Five million was his worth after winning the first event and everyone smelled blood in the water if the dark, hungry ambiance that had befallen the field was anything to go by.
The green haired boy looked like he was just told he had 24 hours left to live.
"Hey you." Someone drawled, calling for her attention.
Surprised that anyone was willing to talk to her at that point, she turned and grunted, "Mm?"
Kasha only got a glimpse of purple and tired eyes before she felt a fog cloud her mind and glaze her eyes.
Sometime later cheering and chattering blared around her after everything became clear, but none of it was registering.
Kasha stood staring at her feet, her form trembling ever so slightly.
He had used her.
This being who she discovered to be called Shinso Hitoshi. Anyway, he could have easily just asked her to be a part of his team and she'd have said yes for no other reason than she needed a team and someone showed interest in her abilities.
But he hadn't even given her a chance to make her own choice. He'd used her for his own personal gratification, as if her thoughts, feelings and wants meant absolutely nothing. Kasha hadn't felt so helpless— so useless for a long time.
Well, she hadn't until last week. And she did not miss the feeling. It seemed like the universe was trying its damndest to see Kasha fly off the deep end, and at this rate…
The silver eyed teen blinked, taking stock of what she knew at that point.
Ojiro had dropped out of the competition, though Aoyama decided to continue. Team Shinso had passed the cavalry battle in 3rd place but they hadn't done their best on their own. So it made sense that Ojiro felt that he didn't deserve to continue. Kasha agreed with him. At this point she didn't deserve to remain in the competition. She hadn't given it her all to get this far because the chance had been ripped away from her.
"Even so…" She muttered.
She still had something she needed to do.
She wouldn't let a setback instigated by some overly ambitious troll doll render her training for the past week moot. Besides, constructs such as honor never did anyone any favors. Honor wouldn't serve that man justice. It wouldn't make her parents any less dead, or her sister any less traumatized, or Kasha any less angry.
And so the decision was made. Kasha needed to test it.
The technique she had created just for that man. So she would, honor and sportsmanship be damned.
'But first…' She thought, turning to make her way toward the tunnels. 'I've got a bone to pick with someone.'
The white haired teen followed after one Hitoshi Shinso, who she'd spotted making his way to probably go have something to eat, like everyone else.
"Hey." Kasha called, sliding up behind him and snagging his shirt, jerking him to a stop.
"What?" Shinso turned around, tired eyes going a little wide at the sight of her. "Oh? It's you. Gonna throw a fit like your monkey pal and drop out?"
'Oh? So he's cocky.' She thought, keeping a film of calm over herself. 'Maybe I should do something about that.'
Kasha released Shisno and let her hand fall to her side. He cocked his head to the side, seemingly resigning himself to listening to her. She couldn't stand how he behaved as if she was a hassle. As if he hadn't utterly humiliated three people for his own personal gain. Even still, she had a point she wanted to make, and she had a few things she wanted to say before she did.
"There are very few things in this world that make me truly angry," Kasha began dangerously, her silver eyes glowing in the dimly lit hallway. "Rapists, murderers, people that hurt others because they can, and people that force me to do things that I don't want to."
Shinso's eyes studied her shrewdly as she nearly snarled the last part of her explanation, and he did absolutely nothing to defend himself as she pinned him against the wall.
"So go somewhere and cry about it." He shrugged a little, sounding utterly disinterested in the situation. "It was all in the spirit of the competition. I did what I had to do to win, but I guess you hero class students wouldn't know anything about real struggling, huh?"
"That's just the thing, the "hero class" is exactly where you want to be. So here's a bit of advice," Kasha whispered venomously. "Heroes don't use others as a means to an end. Not a good one anyway, so you had better watch yourself."
Shinso appeared to get irritated by her unveiled threat, but Kasha didn't care. She didn't give one fuck. She was so riled up that the thought of Shinso using his quirk on her again didn't even register. All of her restraint went into holding her temper back by the single pitiful thread that remained after the last few days. Truthfully, the only thing keeping her from outright attacking the bastard was the fact that she knew she'd get in trouble. And she couldn't take any risks on her path to getting to that man. Though with the way things were going lately, that man might show up before Kasha ever needed to get her heroic credentials.
"Okay? So you're high and mighty enough to tell me how to be a hero just because you're in a hero class? I guess you learn something new everyday." Shinso spat sardonically. "So let me teach you something too, hero. I'm going to get into the Hero Course, and I'll do it with my power, my way. And at the end of the day, I'll usurp all of you up there on your high horses when I become a greater hero than all of you."
Kasha snapped.
She just completely lost it without warning in a split second. Her hand rocketed forward, the heel crushing against the pale boy's Adam's apple. He choked on his pained gasp, hands flying up only to have his feet swept swiftly from under him. Kasha was numb to his cry as he hit the floor. Shinso barked out in pain when she slammed her bare foot into his side, flipping him over onto his belly to immediately plant her knee in his back. Kasha grasped the back of Shinso's skull, forcing his face to grind against the floor as her free hand wrenched his wrists roughly behind his back. She leaned down so her mouth was near his ear, her bangs falling over her pointed ears and brushing the back of the struggling boy's head.
She refused to listen to him spout anymore tryhard self centered garbage.
"Get off me!" Shinso hissed.
"Screw you." Kasha scoffed. Despite her somewhat mild tone, it held abyss black undertones, barely scratching the surface of the rage that scrabbled at her innards as she mercilessly asked, "You think you're going to amount to anything as you are now? Huh? You're pathetic and weak. You can't even get me off of you."
'How do you like it huh?' She sneered scathingly. 'Being a prisoner in your own body. Held down against your will at the whims of someone else? It's disgusting, isn't it? Doesn't it just piss you off?'
Shinso went a little limp, seeming to realize that despite being a boy he had no muscle on her. He could not overpower her.
'You can't stand being so weak, can you?'
Kasha's eyes crinkled maliciously at the corners, and a smile creased the surface of her mask as she mockingly cooed, "So get stronger, use your power "however" you want and then come see me when you aren't all talk."
"You—"
"Shut up." Kasha ordered, smearing his face back and forth across the floor, void of sympathy at his resulting whimpers of pain. "The only reason I'm not hurting you beyond this is because I know if I do, I'll kill you."
Perhaps the truth in that should frighten her.
"Y-you call yourself a hero?" Shinso sneered, groaning when she crushed his face closer to the ground.
"At this point I couldn't care less what people call me." Kasha admitted, eyes and tone dead. "Just remember you crossed somebody that you shouldn't have, and the only thing saving you has nothing to do with my conscience."
She stood up, kicking him in the gut as hard as she could, taking vindictive pleasure in his cry of pain. Shinso turned his head as he clutched painfully at his gut, flinching as Kasha peered down at him, her face shadowed by the dimly lit hall, but her eyes glowing bright with hatred.
"You've made an enemy today." She informed him darkly. "Remember that when you dare to show your face to me again."
She turned on her heel in a whirl of shimmering white hair and strode away.
Kasha had no idea that she'd left more than Shinso horrified in that hallway.
-Yeah. So I just didn't want to recap the whole festival since I didn't really change anything. I'm sure if you read My Hero fanfics as much as I do these days you've read about the sports festival over and over again written in slightly different ways. Wasn't going to put myself or you guys through that. But, I can tell you that the one on one battles that I change up are going to be written out. Might take me a bit though, I'm garbage with action.
-Also, if Kasha is pissing you guys off half as bad as she is me that means I'm doing something right. This kid needs an attitude check.
