Graduations Part 2/2
Amari: Age 18
Everyone in the worn down agency could feel the air practically thicken as soon as Katsuki and Kenji walked in, no one really yet to understand why the cold chill had appeared so suddenly.
As they stopped, Bakugo purposely looked away from his sister before the other brown haired boy spoke roughly. "Sato Kenji. Bakugo said I could complete my work study here."
At his words, Amari could practically see the wheels inside of Keigo's head moving at a rapid rate, trying to place where he had heard that name before. "Hmm Sato Kenji? Have we met before, something about you seems familiar…"
But just as he was trying to get out the information, he felt Amari's foot jam into his, stopping his foot immediately before turning to find her terrified expression. It seemed like she was signaling for him to shut up.
Luckily though, Kenji answered a moment later, an unsaid feeling of regret in his eyes for some reason. Even he knew that Hawks probably knew him from the news reports about his brother. "It doesn't matter. So, can I stay here or not?"
His rude demeanor was not lost on everyone, especially Shinso who still had bitter feelings towards the obnoxious boy. "Hey, how about you act a bit more grateful? Don't you want to be here?"
Yet the boy only eyed him for a moment before scoffing. "Not really, but it was either this or risk expulsion with U.A. Bakugo made a stupid deal with principal Nezu about it. He seems this will help me "find my passion" or whatever."
Kenji then recalled the conversation he had shared with Bakugo after the graduation ceremony. He really didn't want to complete his work study here but with his track record no one was going to accept him at this rate and he had to do something to not get expelled.
So long story short, the boy was stuck, whether he liked it or not.
He waited for an inevitable approval or rejection that was soon to follow although all he received was a small giggle from Amari before turning to Katsuki with a sweet smile. "Kat-su-ki.."
The area around her began to sparkle but everyone could sense something immediately sinister behind her eyes, the girl's smile just a little too abnormal to be real. "My dear brother, can I speak to you alone about something…?"
A sharp shiver ran through everyone's spine before Amari practically stomped up to Katsuki before reaching up and using her Nomu blood to grip onto his ear and take them away from the group. "Hey, the hell are you...!?"
But Amari only giggled in response before turning to the other members of the group with that same scary smile. "We'll be right back."
Then she pushed her brother into a separate room before Katsuki broke away, stumbling back while holding his ear from Amari's inhuman strength. "What the fuck Amari?!"
That's when her smile melted away before lifting her arms out with anxiety, her true emotions finally shining through. "What the fuck is right! Please tell me you're joking, you aren't actually letting him into our agency right?"
Katsuki couldn't help but avert his eyes at her anger though. "What's so wrong about it?"
Growing immediately livid, the girl then reached forward before pointing in the direction of the oblivious boy that was outside. "Oh, I don't know, how about the fact that I killed his brother and I can't stand the look of his face, never mind his shitty ass attitude half of the time! Did you forget any of that?!"
At the mention of Kazumi, Bakugo watched his sister's stance grow pained before replying back a moment later. "Look, I know, and I haven't forgotten about any of that but…"
Yet his sister was too far gone to be reasoned with, glaring back. She couldn't even imagine having to work with that boy, to be reminded of her mistakes every single day. "But nothing. Tell him no."
Katsuki didn't seem intimidated in the slightest though, his eyes ringing with a sense of authority to them. "Screw you, I'm not telling him no. It's my damn decision. Besides, you're the one that picked that past hero course reject."
Widening her eyes at the sense of rejection, Amari balled her fists before reaching up to grab her brother's shirt just as he did the same to her, the two staring at each other with intense fury, one that only a Bakugo knew of.
Her voice came out rushed and slightly coarse from the amount of anxiety that she was experiencing. "Excuse me?! At least my choice isn't the stupid one! I mean come on Katsuki, you can't be serious here. You literally picked the worst option you could find and for what?!"
Remaining quiet for a moment, Bakugo frowned at her words before pushing his hand even tighter around her shirt, trying to display his true feelings but finding anger the easier option. "Shut up, you can't tell me who I can and can't pick. Stop acting so damn self righteous about everything for once.."
Although unknown to Katsuki, the words he just used brought a new sense of anger and hurt into her eyes, recalling that Dabi called her the same exact thing many times before his death.
Self righteous, what was self righteous about wanting to get away from the one person that had plagued her life for the past three years, the one she tried to forget? "You shut your goddamn mouth before I do it for you. You don't understand, you can't even imagine how it feels every time I see his face, what I feel every time he even speaks …"
Yet to Amari's surprise, her brother only looked up at her before softening his expression just slightly, her words hitting a ring of reality to him. Why did she sound like him back when they two first reunited, why was she falling into the same trap that occupied him for years?
He hated it.
So much so that Bakugo suddenly grew serious. "You're running from it, you think that shoving it away will shove everything but you're damn wrong. Doing that shit only makes you a coward."
Although the girl could only hear the insult, choosing to ignore the words that Katsuki knew better than anyone, her eyes twisting in fury.
How could she be a coward for not wanting to deal with her mistakes? It was easier to shove them down, it was easier to forget about them. "I'm not a goddamn coward, you take that back..!"
They heard the door open a moment later before they heard Keigo's voice, obviously concerned that the two twins were about to kill each other from the atmosphere. "Whoa whoa whoa hold on there kids.."
Placing his wings in between the two, the hero sighed. "Look I don't know what's going on but why are you two trying to kill each other all of a sudden?"
Amari couldn't help but scoff though, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff. "Yeah, go ahead Katsuki. Tell him who that boy is, tell him that he is Kazumi's brother."
Almost immediately, Keigo's eyes widened at the painful reality that he had tried to forget for all of these years. So that's why she was so bothered by the boy, it was because he was that kids' brother. "W-What? It can't be.."
Knowing that Keigo shared the same feelings as she did, the girl answered back. "It is, and Katsuki wants him to join our agency."
The hero couldn't help but be shocked at that as well. Bakugo knew about his sister's mistakes and scars, right? If that was the case, why had he let the very personification of them into their lives like this? It didn't really make any sense.
Unless there was some kind of reason for it that he couldn't see?
Immediately throwing her arms over herself in order to bring some comfort, a flash of Kazumi's blood appeared in her vision before she blinked it away from a shaky breath. "He wants me to look at him everyday and remember the blood on my hands, the screams in the back of my mind, the look of Kazumi's pleading expression for me to kill him on his brother's face every single day. I can't….I can't do it…I'm not strong enough..."
She then squeezed her eyes to rid herself of those terrible thoughts before feeling Keigo's strong arm on her shoulder. "Chickadee, it's okay. No one is asking you to do that…"
Even the bird knew what kind of scars she carried from that terrible night, the one where he just stood by and let it happen. That girl did everything in her power to save Kazumi and yet it still wasn't enough. He knew it still haunted her.
And hearing her explanation made Katsuki's eyes softened just slightly. He already knew about all of that but hearing it again still made his heart break. "Just listen to me for a goddamn second, would you? The reason I picked him, it isn't about any of that. It's because he's me.."
This caused both Keigo and Amari to turn to the boy before he continued roughly. "I know it's fucking stupid but he's doing a same thing I used to do with you. His guilt, it's consuming him, I can see it and I know what it's like."
Widening her eyes, his sister couldn't believe what she was hearing, from her brother no less. "You want to help him?"
Bakugo threw his head in the air in response, like even he didn't like his own words. "It's just, no one else seems to get it. I've been watching him all of these years against my will and it's pissing me off, how that idiot is handling everything.."
She could barely believe what she was hearing, Katsuki willingly wanting to help Kenji get through his grief? The boy never really bothered with anyone before her, so why now?
And although the gesture was sweet, Amari just frowned in response. "I don't know Katsuki, Kenji is.."
She didn't want to say un-savable but thinking about her reactions and past with the boy, she couldn't really find any hope there. The girl couldn't do anything about it when Kazumi's face reflected so often in his eyes.
Even Keigo seemed to understand, squeezing his Amari's shoulder for support as he saw the trauma reflected back at him. "Look kid, I know you mean well but what you're asking from chickadee, it's a lot. Maybe we could do this some other time while we find another sidekick?"
Although Bakugo only shook his head before pointing back towards the door where they came. "Didn't you say a couple weeks ago that nothing was beyond saving?"
The fact that he was using her own words against them made the girl frown before opening her mouth to respond. "Yeah but.."
Yet Katsuki beat her to it. "And three years ago you spent your entire life trying to reform everyone under the damn sun, right? You certainly had no problem doing that before, so why now? Why does that idiot have a different set of rules?"
Once again, he had a point but it was one that the girl didn't like very much. Katsuki was sadly right though, if this was anyone else she wouldn't have given up on them. But this time, this time everything was so personal, so hard to look at. "He just does..."
Lifting his arms up, the boy answered a moment later. "Why, because you want to run away from him, because it's too damn hard?! Is that the kind of person you are Amari? Cause that's not who you taught me to be, that's not what I've seen..."
And that was the moment the room went completely silent, Amari knowing that every single point her brother had made was absolutely right.
She always prided herself on looking out for the weak hearted, the ones that were hurt and broken like her, that's what she and her brother wanted their agency to do. A new start for the hero world, a new outlook on those that thought they couldn't be saved.
This wasn't who she was, running away from those that so desperately needed help, but in Kenji's case she chose to ignore it, to ignore his change in personality and rude tone only because it was her fault.
But that's not what Katsuki was trying to do, and as much as she hated it, Amari couldn't argue with his points, not when they were staring in front of her face like that. "I.."
Then, the girl placed her hand on the railing next to her before catching sight of Toya's ring on her right finger, almost like he was making fun of her for almost running away from the exact thing she swore she would always do. Come on, Don't do that to me Toya
Shutting her mouth, the girl then swirled around before running her hands through her hair in an anxious frenzy, trying to come up with some sort of good argument. "You can't just...you see I..."
Unfortunately, she found none, the girl choosing to let out a frustrated scream of agitation before closing her eyes in acceptance, acceptance for what she was going to have to face now. "AHHH Fine."
Turning back towards the group, the girl raised her head before meeting Katsuki's determined gaze, anxiety within her own. "Do what you want."
Then without another word, Amari stormed past Keigo as he put his hand out, knowing this wasn't an easy decision for her to make. "Amari.."
Yet the girl chose to ignore it, pushing open the door before locking eyes with Kenji for a single solitary moment as every single terrible thought and events played in her mind over and over again on repeat.
After talking about these kinds of events it seemed like her memories were far more vivid, staring past Kenji's stare and finding his pleading little brother there, just as broken as the night she killed him, the words slamming into her and making her feel nauseous.
P-Please….k-kill me…"
"I...I d-don't wanna be a monster."
Widening her eyes, Amari quickly closed them a moment later to erase the thought before quickly moving past the boy and out the door, causing Kenji to raise his brown in slight confusion. "What the hell is her problem?"
And for Keigo and Katsuki, they just watched her go, wondering if the decision her brother chose was in actuality the right one after all.
Lifting her hands up to the ceiling, Amari groaned before letting her wandering thoughts be heard out loud, the girl sitting on the floor with her back facing the tatami mats roughly. "I just don't get it, why would Katsuki do something like that?"
The voice next to her seemed less than pleased though as she turned to face Endeavor who was getting some paperwork done. "Why are you talking to me? I'm busy."
Although the girl frowned in response before pouting her lips. "Cause you're the only one that's available, that's why. Shoto is training at your agency and Natsuo and Fuyumi are visiting their mom."
Endeavor put his pen down at her words before shaking his head, obviously over her crazy antics. The girl did just walk into his office and sit down on the floor after all. It was kinda weird but the man had gotten used to it by now.
Sighing dejectedly, the man huffed. "But why are you in my house?"
Bakugo looked at him for a quick second before turning her face back towards the ceiling, her brows furrowed together in order to ignore his question.. "Like I was saying, I just don't get it. Katsuki's never been one to help people before and not that I'm not happy for him, but why does it have to be Kenji of all people?"
Knowing she wasn't going to move, Endeavor closed his eyes in exasperation before placing the pen down on his desk. Looks like he was done with his work for now. "Seems like it runs in the family after all."
And he meant that, realizing that the things she was accusing her brother of were the very same ones he had to deal with all of these years. It was kinda comical for her to be given a taste of her own medicine for once.
Yet the girl didn't seem to understand. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Crossing his arms over his chest, Endeavor replied. "Digging your nose into everyone's business, it seems like it's a family trait. Did you ever stop to think that the boy sees something in Kenji that no one else can?"
Amari twisted her brow together in thought at his words. "There's nothing to see, the guy is just a jerk. That's all. Besides, if it was just that I wouldn't mind as much but the fact that he looks so much like Kazumi is…"
She couldn't even finish the sentence, the girl pushing her arms around herself before a slight shiver and flash of blood entered her mind. "It's just really uncomfortable for me. I wish he wouldn't have made me do this…"
Lifting her arms, out, to spread across the floor, Amari sighed. "I mean, what if he finds out about his brother? He could report me and get me thrown in prison and I can't do that...I have so much I still want to do...so much I have to prove…"
Her gaze flashed to Toya's rings as it always does, causing Endeavor to soften his expression before standing from his desk. "I won't let that happen. As much as you don't want to believe it, you didn't kill that boy. All for One did. He was dead before you used your quirk on him right? Then that means you shouldn't feel responsible."
Yet Amari only groaned out in anxiety before covering her hands with her face, the memories flashing back as quickly as his words. "No, it is my fault. Maybe not directly but if I had tried harder, if I had been there for him maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this, maybe Kenji wouldn't have been so changed, maybe the two of them could have…"
She was stopped out of her own spiraling thoughts when Endeavors voice cut through her own, now a bit closer than it was before. "Bakugo, get off the floor. You're letting yourself spiral again."
Uncovering her hands, the girl frowned before doing as she was told, sitting up only to find her trainer's standing a couple feet away from her now, his arms crossed. "You can sit around and mope about what could or could not have been done but that's not going to change anything. Do you not want to help that boy or not?"
Thinking about his words, Amari let her eyes fall before speaking the truth. Even she had noticed the change in Kenji, although the girl was always too afraid to let herself recognize it. "I want to, it's just complicated."
Endeavor then nodded his head before huffing. "When is it not complicated? It's always complicated Bakugo. That's never stopped you before."
Rubbing the back of her neck, she felt a tick of shame in her throat at his words before sighing. "This is just different…"
Noticing she wasn't getting it just yet, Todoroki's father continued roughly. "It's not different, you still have two choices Bakugo. You can either ignore that boy and his problems for the rest of your life or do what you always do and face them head on."
Then the man turned towards the door before calling behind him. "I have to go meet Shoto. I expect you'll be off my floor by the time I get back."
This caused the girl to smirk lightly to herself, feeling the sense of a challenge from them. "Don't tempt me Endeavor."
Endeavor only shook his head before muttering to herself on the way out, just enough for the girl to hear, knowing the one thing to never try with Amari was to tempt her into a challenge. "Even I know that would end in disaster."
Although what Endeavor suggested was easier said than done, the girl finding the next few weeks with Kenji absolutely torturous. Sure Keigo and Katsuki made sure that she was never alone with him but that didn't make anything less awkward, for both parties involved.
Today was much different though, Keigo looking nervously over to Amari and Kenji as they moved a bunch of boxes into the agency in order to start the cleaning process. "Hey, this isn't looking so bad, right kids?!"
Sadly for them, both Katsuki and Shinso weren't available today as the blonde haired boy was busy getting some paperwork for their agency while Toshi was out with his family on a beach trip.
So until Bakugo got here, it looked like it was only the three of them.
And the air in the space was in fact rather far more suffocating than before, both of the grumpy kids ignoring each other before stacking the boxes into the room. Wow, talk about awkward. Those two didn't even want to talk to each other? This was going to be a long night.
Taping the girl on the shoulder, Amari flinched at his touch, obviously thinking about Kazumi before snapping back to reality. "Huh? What did you say Keigo? Sorry, I kinda zoned out."
The hero couldn't help but sadden his eyes at that only for Kenji to interrupt her completely as the girl clutched onto the box for dear life. "How about you stop spacing out and don't drag the rest of us down shrimp?"
And usually Amari would have had some kind of quick comeback or comment in response but his words still hit with a ring of familiarity to them, the girl immediately shutting down. "Ah, yeah sorry.."
Keigo was still surprised by the actions, knowing the girl to never take anything in her entire life. Perhaps she was right, perhaps she couldn't do this. "Hey, why don't you cut her some slack? Chickadee has had a lot to think about with the agency and everything."
Dropping another box onto the ground, the brown haired boy couldn't help but scoff at that. "That's what everyone else does. They baby her even though she can't even do the simplest things."
Nervously turning his head to Amari, the bird gulped her slight fear, wondering how long it was going to take for his explosive trainee to finally snap. Kenji was walking on a very thin line and Keigo didn't like how he was treating her in the slightest.
Was this really how Katsuki used to treat her? Looking at them now it seems almost impossible to imagine the twins like this, always tearing each other down. It was good he never had to see that. "Now hold on there…"
Although he paused when Amari closed her eyes for a moment before shoving the bitter taste in her mouth down with familiarity. "Just drop it Keigo. Come on, we have work to do."
And oh boy did Hawks hate it, how she acted, how she just let him say these kinds of things to her. "Chickadee.."
Bakugo only continued to look down at the floor though, sighing roughly before picking up a new box and ignoring the horrible thoughts in her own mind from the mini Katsuki's words. "I'm fine.."
Yet Keigo didn't believe that for one second, opening his mouth before his phone starting going off in his pocket, the bird turning his brow before gazing at the caller ID. It was Endeavor, how odd.
Quickly picking it up, Amari heard his words on the other end of the line, half of the conversation filtering into her ears. "Oh, yeah...well you see I can't really...yeah I know but…alright alright fine..I'll see what I can do.."
Then he hung up the phone, causing the girl to take a step closer to her friend. "Who was that, is everything okay?"
Nodding back, Keigo ran a couple fingers through his hair before sighing. "Yeah, it was just Endeavor. He uhh..wants me to come down to his agency to get some more paperwork but I already told him no.."
Although it didn't seem like that's what the conversation was, given the side that Amari heard. "Keigo, if you have to go then.."
Almost immediately, the hero recalled the past conversations with Kenji and Amari before shutting her down a second later. "No, I'm not leaving you. It will be alright, I can just go some other time."
Yet the girl couldn't help but notice the tapping of his foot, signally how anxious he was about the whole thing. What she heard sounded pretty urgent, and the fact that he was holding back because of her made the girl feel shameful.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Amari glanced to Kenji before replying. "Don't give me that. I know you have to go. It's okay, I'll be alright.."
Even though she didn't really believe her own words, the heroes' feathers twitched immediately at what she was suggesting. He couldn't just leave these two alone, who knows what could happen?
Yet it was only for a few minutes, he could fly over and grab those papers as fast as possible before coming back.
Perhaps it couldn't be so bad, the two didn't even really talk to each other that much. They probably would just be silent the whole time. "But.."
Smiling softly in response to her friend, Amari tried to be as convincing as possible in order to not let Keigo be burdened by her weakness of that boy. "Keigo, it's okay. I'll manage somehow. Tell Endeavor I said hi."
And that seemed to work for the bird, already knowing her smile was completely fake but at least she was making an effort to get to know the boy. Maybe this could be good for them somehow? "I will, and I'll be back before you even miss me. They don't call me the winged hero Hawks for nothing!"
Nodding in response, she watched Keigo lift out his wings before taking one looking back at Amari before lifting off into the sky, just as fast as he had originally promised.
And now, it was just the two of them.
Amari and Kenji looked between each other for a couple before the girl brushed past him, taking one of the boxes in her hands before muttering. "Let's just get this done."
Moving to the other side of her room, the browned haired boy scoffed before turning towards the short girl with disgust. "Why was he so adamant about not leaving you alone? What, you can't do anything without the pros next to you?"
That wasn't the case in the slightest but Amari couldn't tell him the real reason, the one that made her so undeniably uncomfortable. "That's not it.."
In fact, she knew Keigo was probably just scared about her losing her temper rather than whatever careless things this boy would say. But it was fine, she could handle it, she had to.
She gasped when Kenji forcibly snatched the box out of her hands as the girl blinked back to life. "There you go again zoning out. Can't you do anything right?"
Flinching at the contact, the girl took a step back before saying the words before she could even process them. "Sorry."
Kenji ignored her strange actions though, wondering how such a weak and scared girl could have been the cause of all the crazy rumors around school. They were just rumors, they had to be. There was no way this small kid could ever be scary.
And that proved it to the boy, she was just like Kazumi, trying to fit into a society that would only kill her in the end. "Unbelievable, first I get stuck with doing my work study here and now I have to look at you everyday. It makes me sick, thinking that you can be a hero like that.."
He was referring to her scared nature, causing Amari's shoulders to fall. Yeah, she supposed she looked kinda pathetic right now, but that was only because of him. "Like what?"
Scoffing loudly, Kenji then took a step closer to the girl, forcing them to lock eyes as his brother's screams echoed through Amari's ear a moment later. It was obvious to tell she was scared, but the boy read them as the wrong reasons. "Like this, you can't even look at me without running scared. How pathetic."
"K-Kill me…"
"P-Please….k-kill me…"
She tried to hold her eye contact on him, to show that she wasn't terrified but Kazumi's last words kept slamming into her, causing the girl to let out a small whimper before turning back towards her boxes.
It would be okay, she just had to ignore him.
Gathering the cardboard next to her, Amari focused on her work before Kenji noticed what she was trying to do, calling back to her with disdain. "What, you don't like hearing the truth, is that it? Maybe then you will finally give up on that stupid dream of yours."
Although the girl kept her eyes focused on the work in front of her, annoying the boy even more. Why wasn't she answering? "I mean, you have to realize it's foolish right? When you were laying in that hospital bed didn't you think that was a sign to just give it up, to realize that weak people like you weren't meant to be heroes?"
And though his words stung, Amari only continued with her boxes, picking up the one on the bottom before Kenji's cruel words filled her once more. "Don't you see? You are dragging everyone else into your delusions as well. I mean, what about that other Todoroki boy that died, maybe if you were stronger then he'd still be alive.."
Almost immediately, the girl widened her eyes before Kenji saw her drop her box onto the floor, the girl finally answering back for the first time.
But this time her tone wasn't in something scared or small. No it was rather sinister, like she was daring him to say that again. "What the hell did you just say?"
Taking an invisible step backwards, the boy felt a small shiver down his spine yet continued on, hoping this would be the push she needed to realize what Kazumi couldn't. "Yeah, I heard he was weak like you, right? That just shows it, people like you guys shouldn't have gotten involved, they shouldn't….
Kenji didn't even get to finish his sentence before he hit the floor.
Groaning to himself, the boy rubbed the surface where he was hit only to find Amari standing over him. The fear was completely gone from her and now he could only see the utter rage behind her eyes. "Listen here, I don't care what the fuck you say about me but you don't talk about Toya like that, ever."
Suddenly the girl that couldn't even look him in the face was staring him down with such disdain and disgust, almost like she was a completely different person. "Now, apologize."
Seeing her palms light up with sparks, the boy widened his eyes knowing her intentions were serious. Well, if she wanted a fight then so be it. "The fact that you're so angry must mean that it's true.."
As she heard the utter disrespect for the man that had given his life for her, Amari growled under her breath before letting off an explosion close to his feet in an attempt of intimation.
At the same time, Kenji's fingers sparked blue before throwing a large bolt of blue lightning in the direction of the girl, a small smirk on his face. "Alright, I guess I'll just have to show you then, since words aren't working."
Throwing up a shield at the same time, the girl leaped into attack, aiming a fist for his head. "I've been listening to your bullshit for years and let me tell you, I've heard it all before. I'm not strong enough, I'm not worth enough, I'm not good enough to be a hero. Well for your information I never asked for your opinion and I never asked for your advice.."
Kenji then blocked her hit before aiming a his quirk towards her only as the girl twisted it away a moment later before he replied. "Come on, we both know you're going to lose this fight. You can't even look me in the eyes, you seriously think you can beat me?"
Although the girl was beyond livid, the top that she had so carefully shoved on her problems now overflowing. "You think you know me? You think you understand every shitty thing I've had to go through?! Well think again.. You don't know shit..!"
Feeling the Nomu blood force its way into her arms, Amari gritted her teeth before shoving All for One's influence down as Kenji got a hit towards her face a moment later. "I know that you're killing yourself for nothing, that you're dragging everyone down with your quirk defect.."
The girl coughed out a spit of blood before glaring back and throwing a punch into his stomach before the boy could react, Kenji gasping out in pain. "You don't have any right to say that to me Kenji, you don't understand what I have to do, what I have to accomplish. I'll keep going until my damn heart stops, if that's what it takes for his sacrifice to be worth it.."
Throwing his lighting towards her again, Amari quickly put up a shield as Kenji huffed out in annoyance. "What the hell does that even mean? You cheated your way to get where you were.."
Amari then twisted her brow in absolute fury before running up to the boy with her palms outstretched, her voice loud and ear shattering. "I didn't cheat. I got in by my own strength!"
Widening his eyes, Kenji then recalled the same exact words coming from his brother's mouth before he growled to himself as his lightning went haywire with emotions. "No you didn't Kazumi..!"
At the sound of his brother's name, Amari immediately faltered, widening her eyes as vivid memories of blood and screaming filled her mind, Kenji's hand connecting with her arm before she could even process it.
And as soon the lightning touched her skin, Bakugo felt a wave of agony wash over her, the girl crumbling to the ground before holding her arm with gritted teeth. Shit, she knew his quirk was crazy, but this was something else.
Kenji just seemed frozen though, still in shock from his words as Amari stuttered out a moment later. "Y-You know, being an ass won't change anything, it won't bring Kazumi back."
Those were the words that caused the boy to immediately wake up with fury before his entire body sparked with lightning. "Shut up, don't say his name.."
He threw one of the bolts at Amari before she quickly rolled away and stumbled to her feet, the electric shock still ever present in her system. "You think I want to either? But if you keep comparing me to him it's only going to get you nowhere.."
Sensing a strange tone from the girl, Kenji dismissed it a second later as all of his lingering thoughts and guilt slammed into him immediately, the boy shaking his head before running towards Amari with his palms outstretched.
And to make it worse, the girl's next words caused the floodgates of his mind to come crashing down, being forced to relive every terrible mistake he made. "It didn't work when he was alive so what makes you think continuing to be an ass will change anything..?!"
Widening his eyes, Kenji recalled every horrible thing he said to his little brother, every time he pushed him around as bolts of lightning rained down towards Amari.
Enough was enough, he just wanted everything to stop, he wanted all of those voices inside his head, the ones that were tormenting him, he wanted them to stop. "Are you saying it's my fault, it's my fault that he's dead?! I already know that!"
This caused Amari to groan under her breath before putting up a shield in order to block his quirk as one of the lightning shattered through the gold a moment later, a lick of blue electricity touching her wrist.
Gritting her teeth in agony, the girl managed to shout back. "What the hell, you've got it wrong! It's not your fault he's dead.."
Although Kenji could hardly believe her, throwing another round of lightning at her without a second thought as Amari started to dodge through them. "Bullshit, of course it is. That's what you keep trying to tell me, isn't it?!"
Squeezing her lips shut, the girl didn't even have a second to think, the words pouring from her mouth before even realizing them. "No you goddamn idiot, you don't get it! It's not your fault, it's mine..!"
The boy couldn't help but cease his lightning with disbelief, staring at the girl before shaking his head. What the hell was she even saying, there was no way. Amari was just trying to rile him up, to make him snap.
And snap he did as Kenji threw his head up before shouting back. "What?! You have no right to say that, you didn't even know him!"
Yet before Amari couldn't even think, the blinding emotions and guilt overtook her before her control that she had tried so hard to keep slipped away all together. "I WATCHED HIM DIE."
The entire agency stood still at that, Bakugo finally realizing what she had said before pushing her lips closed a second later. Fuck, what did she just do? He was going to know, he was going to know about her mistakes.
Immediately retracting her quirk, Amari put her hands up before immediately trying to backtrack, stumbling on her words as she did so. "W-Wait, that's not what I meant...I didn't..."
But she was quickly cut off by Kenji's dangerously calm voice, cutting into her without a second thought. "W-What did you just say?"
His tone caused the girl to immediately flitch, forcing herself to look at his pained expression and only seeing Kazumi dead eyes. "N-Nothing.."
Yet it was too late to backtrack as Kenji took another step closer as Amari took one back. It seemed like her visions of the past were getting stronger with each other, with every step he took. "Don't give me that. What do you mean you watched him die? That's impossible.."
Putting her hands out, the words crashed into her once again, suffocating her with each movement closer to her. She couldn't help it, after bottling everything up for so long, it started leaking through.
"I...I d-don't wanna be a monster."
"B-Baku.."
"H-Hurry…!"
Amari immediately felt her hands start to shake before placing them over her ears in order to stop the torment. "N-No, please no. I'm sorry I didn't...I didn't want to…"
Seeing that the girl was falling apart by the second, Kenji stood in silence as Amari fell to her knees, a panic attack working its way into her throat. No, not now.. He couldn't see her like this, he couldn't know about her mistakes.
More vivid flashes appeared in her mind as the girl stuttered back, now seeing blood on her hands and body. "Make it go away..make it stop...I have to clean it...I have to clean it off before they know.…"
She began rubbing her hands together as the browned haired boy stood in surprise, letting his hands fall to his side before muttering. "What the hell are you even saying, there's nothing there.."
Yet Amari only shook her head, feeling her own breathing suffocate herself. "It's always there, no matter how I try to run away from or ignore it doesn't happen, it's always there! I can still feel it, the blood on my hands, the look in his eyes when he begged me to kill him, his scared shaking body when he finally spoke to me, I can still feel it, it won't go away…"
Then she started rambling to herself, completely forgetting who was in the room as she cried back. "A-And everytime I look at your face I see him, I see what I had to do, what I didn't want to do...what I was forced to do...it's my fault...it's all my fault…"
And as each painful word hit Kenji, he immediately felt his hands ball into fist. What she was describing, what she was rambling on about, it sounded so real and personal, almost like it actually happened.
But that couldn't be true, it couldn't be..
When his voice did come out, it was laced with so much hate and contempt that it caused the girl to flitch. "Are you saying you killed my brother?"
Closing her eyes at the reality, Amari let out a shaky breath before looking down at the hands that ended Kazumi. "I-I didn't have a choice.."
Kenji felt his body move before he could even process it, racing towards the small broken girl before pinning her on the ground in order to pound a fist into her face.
No way no way, there was no way she was responsible for killing his brother, for ending his life like that…
Although Amari only took the hit, her head turned towards the side as Kenji screamed in her face. "N-No no how could you, how could you?! You bitch, you little bitch…"
Another fist came towards her before the boy wrapping his hands around her collar in order for her to lock eyes with him. "Tell me, tell me everything right now..!"
He wasn't hurting her by any means but Amari still felt the pain from his words, tears clouding her visions before brokenly giving him an explanation. "A-All for One used him to get to me, he manipulated him into death. Then I was given a choice, to either end Kazumi or let him become a slave for the rest of his life.."
Raising her voice just slightly, the girl continued. "I-I couldn't do it, I couldn't let him suffer like I do, I couldn't let that villain take him so I...I…"
She couldn't even finish the sentence as Kenji slammed her collar into the ground with so much grief and anger that it caused a loud thud. "D-Don't even fucking say it…"
Groaning at the hit, Amari shouted back brokenly. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't able to save him..it's my fault..it's my fault that he's gone..that you're like this…."
Finally hearing what actually had happened to his brother brought a new onslaught of emotions into the boy, Kenji staring down at the shaking and crying girl that had single handedly killed his brother
He didn't know what to do, he didn't even know what to say at this point. Kenji always thought his brother's murderer was a villain, a terrible cruel monster but hearing her now, her explanation was far different than he had made up in his head.
But that didn't stop the anger though, taking his fist before punching the girl in the face as he poured out all of his emotions. "Y-You don't get to say you're sorry...you don't get to ask for forgiveness after what you've done...Kazumi was my brother….he was my family and you just took him away from me...before I even got to say sorry…"
Tears leaked out of her eyes as Kenji gritted his teeth in anger. She looked dejected and broken, that's not what his brothers murder should be, that's not what he pictured her to do. "I didn't even get to be a brother to him...I didn't get to make up for all the times I called him a loser...I don't even get to graduate with him…!"
And the shame kept pouring into Amari as each word filled her like poison, only able to stutter out. "I-I'm sorry.."
What could she even say? Everything he shouted at her was the complete truth, everything she took away from him, she deserved to hear it all, to suffer forever because of it.
That only seemed to make Kenji even more furious though, saying something that he knew would get a reaction. He needed that villain, he needed that monster to come through so he wouldn't feel so shitty about what he was saying or doing.
Twisting his lips into disgust, the boy shouted back. "Is this what you did to that Todoroki boy as well? I get it, he must be dead because of you also.."
And almost immediately, Kenji got exactly what he wanted as the girl's eyes turned from lifeless orbs to irises filled with gold flecks and fury before using her hands to push him off of her without a second thought.
Due to her Nomu blood, the boy flew a couple feet away from her as he tried to blink away the nausea before her face appeared above his, their positions now switched as he was the one being held captive.
Noticing the black veins on her arms, Amari kept him pinned to the ground before her crazed filled eyes angrily hissing out. "Shut the fuck up, of course it's because of me! He died so I could live but I never asked for that, I never once wanted him to die in place of me! He said that I was worthy of being saved but how can I can be when I just keep fucking up…!"
She then tightened his hold before continuing to speak in blind fury. "You think I wanted Kazumi to die, you think I wanted to kill him?! I spoke to him so many damn times, I pleaded for him to wake up and go back to you but it didn't work, I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't able to save him like I alway said I would.."
Shaking her head, the girl cried. "I didn't turn around and talk to him when I had the chance, I was selfish, I was so selfish that I ignored what was in front of me and let him die! I know I failed so I don't need you to tell me that…!"
Feeling hot tears pooling her eyes only more, Kenji was stunned into silence as the girl's shaking hands clenched into him for dear life. "W-Why do the people I love keep dying, why can't I do anything to stop it? I-I didn't want this...I didn't want it to be this way…"
A heavy sob escaped her throat before Amari closed her eyes in utter devastation, the feelings she had tried to lock down now escaped. "T-Toya was wrong. I'm not worthy enough to be saved...he should have lived...they all should have lived…"
Widening his eyes at the self destruction of the girl, Kenji watched silently as Amari cried to herself before taking in her words.
Did she really not want to kill Kazumi, did she really believe all of those things she said? He wasn't sure, and conflicted the boy even more.
Although that's when Amari felt a hand on her shoulder before the strong force aggressively pulled the small girl off on him, allowing Kenji to breathe deeply once more and snap out of this delusion.
Brushing himself off, he turned to find Katsuki holding his sister in his arms, his embrace calming the shaking broken girl silently as Kenji sighed in relief.
Now that her brother knew about Kazumi's death, now that he had pulled his crazed sister away he would finally know about her crimes and throw her into prison. "Thanks."
Although what he hadn't expected was for Bakugo to move up to Kenji before punching him in the face, causing the boy to hit the hard floor a second later with disbelief. "What the hell?! I thought you were saving me…"
Yet Katsuki only scoffed before towering over the boy with absolute authority. "Is this really what you wanted, are these the answers you needed? You have them now, so what are you going to do?"
The answer seemed obvious, of course he would report her crimes to the commission in order to have that girl thrown in prison like the villain she was. That was the logical choice, that was what he had always planned to do.
Although it seemed like Katsuki already knew his answer. "Amari tried to help your brother, probably because she sympathized with the damn kid. That's always what she does, looking out for people like her. The press conference and everything else, she's always trying to change something.."
Lowering his eyes to the floor, the boy continued. "Running from your problems is a whole lot easier than facing them, I know that first hand. You fucked up, something you think you can't ever fix. But you're damn wrong if you think that…"
Then Bakugo recalled every cruel word he said to his sister over the years before sighing. "You can't change what happened in the past but it's not too late to do something about it now. Thinking you've lost your chance, thinking you're not good enough to try again, that's all bullshit."
Not really fully understanding, Kenji looked up at the explosive boy before scoffing. "What the hell are you even saying?"
Shoving his hands in his pockets, Katsuki continued. "I'm saying that you can go ahead and ignore everything, live in your guilt for the rest of your life or you can get off your ass and do something so that people like your brother don't suffer again…"
That's when the boy turned around before gathering his sister in his arms and turning towards the door, a knowing look on his face. "You do want to do something for him, don't you? That's what you've been waiting for, why you're so damn angry…"
Then the Bakugo twins exited the building, leaving Kenji alone to contemplate what he had just heard.
How in the hell did that kid know exactly what he was feeling, that he was waiting for a chance to prove himself to Kazumi, to ask for forgiveness for his cruel behavior.
Placing his hands over his face, the boy groaned to himself.
Katsuki was right, his utter uselessness and incompetence to do something in order to change the past, the fate that his brother had so tragically fallen into, it was suffocating him. How did he know it all?
He hoped that when he found his brother's murderer that it would all make sense, that everything would fall into place and he wouldn't feel so empty anymore but here he was, just as hollow as before.
Kenji didn't feel fulfilled or satisfied by the truth. No, instead he only felt even more destroyed than before. He was looking for a monster, for an answer to all of his problems but all he found was Amari.
Scared, small and crying Amari, who had begged for forgiveness, who had been forced into the very same act that Kenji thought was unforgivable.
What was he going to do now? Did that girl actually try to help his brother, to call out to him? He wasn't there, he couldn't be sure. Maybe she was lying to him all along..
But then this was the same Amari that had stood up for his brother at that press conference, telling the world how people like Kazumi deserved to be heroes, deserved to be respected.
Those didn't sound like the words of a cold hearted murderer.
His mind was in chaos, circling at a million miles per second at every single one of his thoughts. Amari killed his brother, that was the answer he was looking for.
He found the truth, so why wasn't he relieved?
No, instead Kenji felt that same heart crushing guilt that appeared at Kazumi's gravesite, the one that was utterly unbearable for him.
Amari may have physically killed his brother but he had killed him mentally far before that, broken him down into believing the words and lies of villains, of the false hope of his brother's love.
But as foolish as that was, Kenji knew that he already had loved his brother, he loved him so much and yet he had never once said it, never once showed him his true feelings.
That's when the terrible reality crashed into him all at once.
Amari didn't kill Kazumi. He did.
Feeling heavy tears make its way into his eyes, Kenji held in a sob before thinking of anything to make this right, of anything to change the careless actions that he had let happen so suddenly. He was so blind, too blind to see what was in front of him.
Although that's when Katsuki's words crashed into his mind.
"You can't change what happened in the past but it's not too late to do something about it now. Thinking you've lost your chance, thinking you're not good enough to try again, that's all bullshit."
What was that idiot even saying, of course it was too late. What could he even do, what could he change in order to prove himself? Nothing was going to change, Kazumi was dead.
"I'm saying that you can go ahead and ignore everything, live in your guilt for the rest of your life or you can get off your ass and do something so that people like your brother don't suffer again…"
And for the first time, Kenji fully understood Bakugo's words, the boy twisting in brow in a newfound understanding before shakily standing from the ground.
Maybe he couldn't bring Kazumi back to life, maybe he couldn't ever forget his mistakes but Katsuki was right, he always was. That stupid idiot.
Now that he understood these feelings, he had a duty, a drive to make sure no one ever suffered like that again.
There would never be anymore Kazumi's.
Moving up to the gravesite, Kenji felt his heavy steps make their way towards his brother before seeing someone crouched down, fixing something at the foot of the grave.
Even from her back, he immediately knew who it was, sighing to himself as he watched the girl carefully place the small bouquet of purple hyacinth's onto the ground, the very same flowers his mom had pointed out.
At the time, he just barely listened when she told him that someone brought his brother flowers every week but now actually seeing it for himself, everything made sense. "I had a feeling it was you."
Jumping at his voice, Amari immediately turned around before her eyes hollow, obviously still remembering their fight from a couple days ago. "Ah, sorry. I was just leaving…"
But before she even had the chance to stand, Kenji cut her off. "You're the one that brings the flowers every week, aren't you?"
Turning away from slight shame, the girl couldn't help but nod. She did it mostly in order to ask forgiveness for Kazumi but it did seem pretty selfish now that she thought about it. "I can stop if you want…"
Kenji remained silent at that, shoving his hands into his pockets before speaking against the wind. "Did you really try to save him back then?"
Obviously not expecting that question, Amari's eyes widened before flashes of memories appeared in her mind as she nodded back. "I-I tried to call out to him, to make him wake up but it wasn't good enough.."
And that proved it to the boy, Kenji, staring at his brother's grave before realizing that Amari had tried to save his brother far more than he ever did, that Kazumi was dead before he even reached that warehouse.
Closing his eyes for a moment, a new wave of understanding appeared before Kenji said something that made her entire body tense up in shock. "I forgive you."
Amari widened her eyes at his words before feeling the tears already make their way up to the surface. She must have been imagining it, there was no way he had said those words. "W-What..?"
Kenji then sighed to himself before staring back towards his brother's grave, wondering if his words had made his little brother happy. "You heard me. I'm not saying it again.."
Turning away, the boy then began to walk away before throwing his hand up once. "Your brother wants you back at the agency. You better be willing to pull your weight today. I don't wanna do everything again."
Still not fully understanding, Amari blinked to surprise before quickly nodding her head as Kenji looked back at her.
What had gotten into him? She thought he was going to try to imprison her for her mistakes. Was that not what he wanted anymore?
Although from Kenji's vision, he saw his brother's grave from behind the girl, a ray of sunlight shining down on the surface.
How funny, it kinda felt like that idiot was proud of him.
He hoped that was the case.
This took so long but I really wanted to make it as believable and realistic as possible. Kenji is a difficult character and I hope I did his reformation justice. It's hard because he's like Bakugo but also not really like Katsuki in the same way. Oof.
I got emotional re-reading this though. everyone's growing so much. Even Katsuki is out here changing the game now.
Also, little extra note: The flowers that Amari gives Kazumi every week are purple hyacinth's which mean "Sorrow" and "I am sorry" That's why she puts them on his grave, she's silently asking for forgiveness
Next Chapter: The Bakugo's open up their agency, with a little surprise attached to it.
