Gonna Fly Now.
My eyes fixed on the goal in front of me, my gauntlets flexing and my leg bands clacking. I knew that becoming a hero was a hard road. God knows I've been killing myself in my training. The normal exam went well I think.
But the practical exams most likely were gonna kill my arms and legs and leave me fucking dying on the ground. Seeing the biggest false cityscape the school had was odd, even weirder was the fact that a sign said to choose our teams.
Everyone chose their teams with me, Ibara, Tetsu, and Itsuka being one team. We didn't know what to expect until we heard three trucks rev their engines and leave their garages, our comms crackled with a bad Bane Impression.
"Your goal, oh so young heroes, is to find the bomb hidden in one of three trucks and disarm it! Also to get the poor sweet orphans out of the way of danger! Tick tock, heroes!"
"Shit… this asshole's got kids as hostages!" Tetsu snarled, "I'll handle that!"
I grabbed him, "No! We gotta work together… so… Ibara and I will handle the trucks, and you and Itsuka handle the orphans, if there's any issues, you get on the comms and get us to help you out,"
Ibara sighed and unsheathed her blades, "Those villains will never know the sins they have committed, how dreadfully sad…" she closed her eyes and crossed her blades together with her eyes opening, vines writhing, "Let us handle the orphans! You two handle the trucks!"
She grabbed me and suddenly her veins glew red, her eyes half lidded as she tore off towards where the SOS was. It was odd to say the least. Of course the whole thing was just weird and sudden.
Guess there's more to her than meets the eye. She looked around like a woman possessed and I just went along for the ride. She set me down as she unwound her vines from me. Hearing the truck engines as they drove out.
I adjusted my gauntlets, I knew my range sucked. I was just a melee fighter. Ibara could only extend her vines so far. I smirked, seeing the truck thundering below us, Ibara looked concernedly at me.
"Whatever you're thinking, Renaru, don't,"
I took off running, my legs going crazy as I launched into the air, seeing the truck and the school bus parked nearby. I held out my hands and blasted right for it, hearing crazy loud bangs sound out and bullets hit my gauntlet, the gunman was Mr. Snipe in a villain costume from one of those costume stores.
He smirked and pointed his gun at me, 'Damn it… they know my range issue…' I thought.
"Now hol on there, hero! Yer doggone insane if yer gonna rush right on in!" He taunted. I smiled and got into my stance.
"Not insane- Just lucky! Your Clint Eastwood crap won't work on me!" I snarled, ""Ya wanna get nuts… WELL LET'S GET NUTS!" I got right into his face, the space around us kinda big, but at the same time I wondered what Ibara and the others were up to.
"Well, are ya feeling lucky?" he moved the hammer back, "do ya, punk?" he whacked me with it as he got away, firing more from his hip as I tried to dodge them. 'He's dual wielding!' I thought.
Snipe was really good at range, but at the same time I had something he didn't, something I was working on for a while… I had Hatsume put in little turrets on my gauntlets. He was using the other cars as cover, but I had a little surprise for him.
Small balls of explosions rushed out of my turret nozzles, filling the air as I danced through the bullets, remembering Rumi and Miss Maryanna's lessons. Once I knew that he would keep on messing with me from a distance, I brought a few little buddies.
"What's wrong, kid?" he asked, "Run outta options?"
I smiled and faced him, "Mr. Snipe, ever hear of Chekhov's Gun?" I asked. He looked around. A bunch of small explosion balls floated through the air, all around us.
"Oh… well damn, kid…" he sighed, "Ya got me thinking I had ya backed into a corner…"
"Yeah… That's the way I roll! Just who the hell do you think I am!?" I declared, pressing my thumb into my fist and sending them diving to the ground, blasting into him and causing him to drop his guns, letting me rush in and tackle him.
Once I restrained him, I commed in, "Alright! I got the orphans secured! How's the truck hunt?" I asked.
"Renaru! The truck is a dud! The one near you! It's a tra- Krrrrhhghrrrr." It went out in a snarl of static. Ibara's voice was barely able to be heard through the static. I tried to reboot it but… suddenly I started smelling something.
'Oh. Fuck. NO!' I thought, tearing cheek as I knew exactly who it belonged to. Seriously, this was BAD! The smell got stronger and stronger.
"Oh Rengoku~! Dear sweet little boy~!" Midnight's voice called, 'Shit! I should've known Snie wouldn't be alone! Dammit!' I thought, 'Okay… so as long as I dont breathe in I should be fine.' Midnight was humming something as she strolled up the way.
'Oh no… NO NO NO! THAT'S REDBONE!' I thought, backing up against the back wall of an alley she chased me into. I faced her. She smiled, her eyes locked with mine. My eyes narrowed as I didn't try to breathe in.
"Aww… you must be so tired, Renaru…" she cooed, "Come on… give in! I know you're so tired… just one breath in and you're off to sweet dreams,"
I couldn't take it anymore, and the closer she got the more alluring it sounded. The more inviting she looked. Midnight made it sound so nice… I slowly felt drowsier and drowsier, trying to fight it by getting mad, but she just giggled.
Then… just about when I was gonna get taken out and surrender to those pillows…
"BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS! BEFORREEEEEEEEEE! HOEEEEESSSSSSS!" Tetsu crashed right through the wall, stunning me out of my reverie and Midnight out of her groove. He grabbed me and let me ride on his back as he ran out, with him getting me out and Midnight recovering quickly from the distraction.
"Is this a bad time to mention I have a crush on her?!" I yelled.
"DUDE! You never told me that!" He yelled, "So it was gonna be okay either way!"
"My sleep schedule is fucked, man! Also, how the hell did you get over here so fast?" I asked.
"Itsuka and Ibara tossed me! Ibara is INSANE! She's so strong!"
We rejoined the girls, seeing them fighting Mr. Kan on top of a truck, he was wearing a Bane mask and I aimed for the ground, my arm getting lashed with a whip. Suddenly Tetsu tossed me, giving me the boost I needed.
"Tetsu!" I yelled.
"JUST TAKE HIM DOWN!" He roared, facing Midnight and dashing right for her. I hit the top of the truck, seeing Itsuka run back and get off, leaving me and Ibara on it. Mr. Kan seemed tired.
"Ah, your other ally, Maria…" he stated, "All the same, you will fall to our might…"
"Shut it, you bastard… and fall to ETERNAL HELLFIRE!" Ibara roared in German, her vines shooting right for him as I vaulted inside the back, landing on my feet. I rose and started forward, seeing something in the air.
"Guys! Skyward! There's Hawks!" I yelled. I knew there was only a limited time left on the bomb. His sudden interference left us scrambling, but I had to hold on. Feathers shot right at me, tearing through the back of the truck and getting me in the arms. More and more of them rained into my back and arms, legs too in an effort to take me out.
I gritted my teeth and powered through it, raising my hand and… "JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?! I'M THE ONE WHO'LL REACH THE HEAVENS!" I screamed, slamming my hand onto the bomb, causing the truck to stall out and everyone to stop.
Mr. Kan got off the top and Hawks landed, with Midnight stopping and joining the other two with Snipe coming out of where we came from. Itsuka and Tetsu looked worse for wear, so did Ibara. I dragged myself out.
"Did we… Did we pass? I asked, feeling sheer agony in my limbs, my gauntlets were pocked with gunshot dents, my arms leaked blood, but I still stood, until… I shuffled over to Midnight.
"Miss Midnight… I'll… take ya up on your offer…" I mumbled, breathing in and passing out.
I woke up in the infirmary, Mr. Kan was nearby, "Bakugou…" he sighed, "You scared Shiozaki half to death... listen, maybe it's best you take a break for now,"
"But sir, the training camp!" I objected.
"I know, but we've already weighed the options," he looked sad, almost like he had a bombshell, "You either transfer… or… or leave, kid,"
"But-" I tried to object.
"I don't like it either, Bakugou, but ya gotta think of yourself sometimes," he said.
"Did Ibara's aunt put you up to this?" I hissed, trying to not cry.
"No. But I am giving you time to think about your choice, with your quirk… the way that it is…" he mumbled, "I'm sorry, Renaru, you're on borrowed time," he got up. I waited until he was gone. Hot, burning tears rained from my eyes.
'So that's it… huh?' I thought, 'So close, yet so far…' I grabbed the sheets and gritted my teeth, 'Krrrr…' I growled, 'Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! It's not fair!' I howled. Sobbing into my pillows and trying not to blow something sky high.
I sobbed, everything seemed upside down. Everything wrecked and now I'm here. They waited until now to tell me they wanted me gone. Now. After how far I've come…
I just drifted in a haze during my grace period, joining in my classes except for hero training. They're kicking me out anyway. So why try. I sat alone, worked alone, and even ate alone. Avoiding everyone I could.
"Hey, bro. Wait!" Tetsutetsu grabbed my hand, "Dude! What's the matter?" he asked. I looked at him with my sad eyes.
"I can't be a hero…" I mumbled.
"Huh! Whaddya mean ya cant! I'm sure Mr. Kan was pulling your leg!" He assured me, "So come on, Ibara's worried about ya!"
I dragged my hand out of his, "She won't wanna see me, I'll just… h-hold… everyone back!"
"Dude! That's not true at all! You don't hold us back! After the exam everyone tried their best!" he exclaimed, "You shoulda seen the look on some kids faces watching the Festival! So many kids with quirks like yours watchin ya fighting so hard… I don't get why you're upset…"
"The school is expelling me for some reason… even when they have Miracle Boy in 1-A! God, now I see why my brother hates Izuku! Now Ibara won't get to date me… or… or just… be with me," I muttered, "Everything goes well in my life and then BOOM! Disaster!"
Tetsu sighed, "Renaru, look, not everything is bad! Look, look look. You can… uh… become a police officer! Or a… a singer! You're good at that! You don't need your quirk to live a good hay life, dude!"
"Then why do I feel like I got stabbed in the back?" I mumbled.
"That's because you saw no other way, buddy! Look, Renaru, I love ya like a brother but sometimes ya just… tunnel vision, there's other ways to change society, dude! Or at least live a good life!" he exclaimed.
"Besides, ya dont know whats out there until you try…" that's when all hell broke loose.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Katsuki came screaming over and blasting himself to my table, grabbing my shirt, shaking me, "YOU BASTARD! DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE TAKE THIS LYING DOWN! I'M THE STRONGER GODDAMN BROTHER! NOT YOU! FUCK THEIR DECISION!"
"Whoa! Katsuki! Take it easy!" I yelled back.
"NO! COME ON, WE'RE GONNA RAISE SOME HELL! IT'S BOTH OF US OR NONE AT ALL!" he roared, dragging me by the hand.
"Katsuki, why are ya helping me?" I asked weakly.
"Because… it's your dream too, ya know? Also I wanna kick yer ass, so let's go." he said.
"Like right now?" I asked.
"Yeah, right now!" he snarled, suddenly vines came out of nowhere and grabbed onto me, reeling me in and holding me close to a… sad looking Ibara. She hugged me tightly, running her hand through my hair.
She just held me, not letting me go despite Katsuki trying to tug me away.
"It's my fault…" she was muttering, "All my fault… if I had just said no…"
"Whaddya mean no?" I asked, "Ibara, hey, it's not your fault…"
"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here!" She exclaimed, "It's all my fault! They should expel me too!"
Katsuki growled, "Come on, we're gonna go fix this shit,"
"I'm ticked already and then they have the fucking balls to grind your hard work into paste! You didn't fight a goddamn monster like All Might did just to get this!" he said, "We gotta make a statement, chain ya to yer desk or something,"
"I have an idea! I need a bullhorn and somewhere to stand! Somewhere high up! If I prove that the Margin Claim is bull then they gotta let me back in!" I declared.
"Orrr… we can just have my mother come with her data, prove it without potentially proving them right, and if they're still skeptical, then we use your quirk without restraints," Ibara said.
"That's fucking stupid!" Katsuki yelled.
Mister Eugen slammed the table, "WHAT? I have half a mind tae go daen thar meself an sho em how wrong they are! Ye aren't a walkin nuke, lad!" He yelled, with Ibara trying to calm him down. Miss Tamayo sat there a little concerned.
"What if they don't believe me?" she asked.
"Thaen we take it tae court an sue their arses! Raise some Cain an watch as a whole cause cames up from the maelstrom," Mister Eugen said, Ibara sighed heavily.
"Mother, father, can we at least calm down first? Renaru's had a long day and he should decide," she said. I closed my eyes and opened them, drying my tears thinking about everyone else going on without me… until Eugen turned on the TV.
Major scandal tonight as Quirk Palsy activists get word of UA's controversial choice to expel their champion of the first year Sports Festival earlier this year because of his quirk.
"What the hell…" I muttered, "Who the fuck would have time to do this?" my hands sparked, "Oh no… no no no…" I got up and got outside, screaming. Ibara followed me outside and grabbed me.
"Darling! Dear… dear, It's okay!" she sighed.
"I don't wanna OWE YOUR DAMN AUNT!" I snarled, "Shit… now that just makes me wanna go through with the expulsion," I sat down and looked up at the sky, with Ibara curling up next to me, laying her head on my shoulder.
"No matter what happens, dear… I'll be right here." She said, "In UA or out of it,"
I smiled and kissed her on the cheek. Everything was gonna be okay.
A sleek black limo sped away from the news station. In it was a man with sharp features with a receding hairline and liver spots, his eyes fixed on the woman before him with a smile on his face. In the seat across from him was Yue, staring at him with a scowl.
"Now, now, dear… smile! It's not becoming of a beauty to be like this…" he cooed, making her scowl harder. Yue had few people she outright hated but this man was one of them.
"You're helping our cause, Miss Kraus! You're giving us a poster child! A face kids can look up to and cherish! We need to celebrate his differences!" The man laughed, "I, Rikiya Yotsubashi, swear never to harm him, of course, for… eh… how much of your conglomerate again?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.
Yue gritted her teeth. Looking defeated, they stopped her long awaited rise before it could begin. She'd be a figurehead, forced to smile and wave as people she loves hate her. She looked at Rikiya.
"All of it…" she mumbled.
Rikiya's black eyes glittered gleefully. "Ah! That's swell! I'm sure our partnership with the Kraus Conglomerate will be very beneficial!" He exclaimed, pouring a drink. Yue had never wanted to kill a man more than the time she tore her father's head from his shoulders for DARING to shove Eugen back into that horrid tube.
"Also, maybe I could meet our little future moneymaker… run that by him for me, would you sweetie?" he asked. Yue forced a smile on her face… lifting the glass that felt so heavy in her hand.
Rikiya smiled. "To the future of Japan and the world," he said.
Yue didn't repeat it. She just clinked her glass on his.
This wasn't kindness.
This was business.