The next day of classes was when the exam results were released. Five students had failed the practical exam, those being Mina, Sero, Kirishima, Sato, and Kaminari. But despite failing the practical exam, they were still allowed to attend the summer training camp since everyone had passed the written exam.
Days rocked on smoothly after that.
…If you can call a visit to the mall with most of her class ending with the mall being shut down after Midoriya encountered that handsy villain from the USJ incident.
The final day of class was the closing ceremony, where Niwa spent the entire time slumped in boredom across the lecture desk and trying to convince Bakugou to play Chinese Chopsticks to pass the time. Trying being the keyword.
After that day, summer vacation kicked in full force.
They did manage to have a bit of time off before the summer training began and Niwa spent that time doing what she always enjoyed best.
"This… Really is the best." Niwa stretched her arms out, the shade of a large tree blocked the harsh rays of the sun and the sound of the river trickled on by.
"You said it." Fukushia groaned lazily from the patch of grass beside her.
"It's been a while since we actually got to relax properly, right?" Niwa sighed.
"Between our brother and his woman, the bossy pair never let me have a real break. There's always something to do or work bothers me…" Her eldest brother replied.
"Speaking of, how's work?" Niwa rolled onto her stomach and stretched out like superman before sinking limply against the grassy ground.
"Surprisingly well, it's easy work."
Her brothers were both laborers for a landscaping company. They spent most of their days carrying around things like bags of concrete, stones, and even trees for the small but successful company. Doing tasks that would usually require some sort of machinery for heavy lifting were simple enough for her brother's ridiculous strength which made them desirable for companies.
There was some law-bending involved regarding the Quirk regulations, but their Quirk was literally impossible to turn off and it wasn't like the government was going to establish an entirely new law just because one or two people naturally had monstrous weightlifting abilities. In the beginning, there were discussions about setting a limit of 500kg but eventually, between the broken communication at that time and the lack of reasons, the officials in charge of settling the matter decided there was no real point in giving the men a weightlifting limit.
Their ability to freely use their strength in manual labor made the siblings incredibly desirable as workers. Thanks to that, Masuru and Fukushia were never out of a job and were always looked after by their companies.
"Do you ever miss our homeland?" Niwa asked randomly, well it wasn't completely random, the thought had lingered in her head for a while.
"Sometimes…" Fukushia sighed wistfully, "I had a lot more freedom back there. I could do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted without a single thought. Life was a lot more exciting, and I got to beat up assholes every other day."
Niwa laughed, she could totally imagine her brother causing havoc in some sandy streets. Truthfully, she had no idea what her homeland looked like, so the image was created entirely from her imagination.
"But…" Niwa turned to look at her eldest brother, he had a small smile as he stared up at the leaves of the tree, "When I saw our brother in that dark alley, with this tiny little bundle in his arms and the most terrifying expression I've ever seen… I don't know what it really was, but suddenly, I was tired. Like there was this weight holding me down and this sinking feeling in my gut."
Niwa watched her brother wide-eyed, she had never heard this story before. Most of her time as a child went unspoken in the house. Some, for good reason, and others… well, Niwa wanted to learn more.
"What happened?" She asked cautiously.
"Our brother said something that shifted my entire perspective." Fukushia glanced over to her with mirroring magenta eyes, "Come be the family she needs."
Pure gratitude, warmth, and love filled her heart for her brothers. There was a moment where Niwa felt like she couldn't breathe anymore as the emotions consumed her.
"I was twenty at the time, tired and lost, blindly following a path someone else had laid out for me and I was just… tired… of the darkness, of the aimlessness of it all. And, to top it all off, I wanted my little brother back."
Niwa didn't pry into the older man's words nor push for him to say more when the silence stretched out longer, filled by the ambient sounds of nature.
"When…" The words lodged in her throat. They were painful to say but Niwa knew they were long overdue. "When I was taken for that year, the only thing that kept me going was… That I knew my big brothers were coming for me. Even if they chained me, beat and starved me, or threatened me with the lives of others… I knew you two would find me if I survived."
And find her they did.
The memory of stone structures dripping with human blood vividly remained in her mind. She remembered watching her brothers mercilessly ripping people apart. She remembered protecting a frail woman and the baby tucked protectively in the women's hold. Niwa remembered being bound by chains harshly scarring her ankles, she remembered the absolute chaos and that piercingly overwhelming scent of blood. She remembered the feeling of shoving her hand through a grown man's heart. It had been… disgustingly warm and terrifyingly satisfying.
Over a hundred slave traders died that night, the chains were broken and the camp was set alight with fire after being thoroughly raided by the former slaves.
Not once did they speak of it again and Niwa buried that year of absolute hell and weakness deep inside of her.
"That was probably the worst year of my life," Fukushia spoke, "And I know Masuru still blames himself for it."
"I hate the things I went through and the things I saw… but I became stronger because of it." Niwa reflected, allowing her mind to wander to that time.
"You used to be such a quiet little thing. Your tantrums were hardly a tantrum, you'd just cry and refuse everything then cry some more." Fukushia chuckled, "It worried the hell out of use since we both had fuck all experience with kids. But when we finally got you back… You had grown. Physically, emotionally. In every way we could imagine, you had grown without us. I never wanna miss out like that again."
"I'm stronger than I've ever been in my life," Niwa said with a small amount of pride, "And even if something were to happen again, I'll get stronger because of it."
"You can be your ass Masuru and I would tear the world apart if something like that happens again." Fukushia frowned and Niwa chuckled at her brother's sour expression.
"Things are different now." Niwa smiled sadly, catching the attention of her big brother, "I'm training to be a Hero, but even beyond that… I have my own people I want to protect."
"I ain't ready for you to grow up so fast." Fukushia moped.
"Well, I'm already sixteen." Niwa smiled.
"Ugh, don't remind me. I feel so old."
"You are old. Go find a wife already."
"You can't say that, only Masuru can." Fukushia whipped his head over to her suddenly, "And you ain't allowed a boyfriend."
Niwa laughed loudly, "You think I have time for that shit? My teachers are all sadists that work us to the bone."
"Good." Her brother huffed and stood, brushing broken blades of grass from his long brown khaki pants.
"Besides, I dunno if I'll ever be able to confess to that guy anyway." Niwa shrugged, feigning a glance off to the side but still carefully watching for her brother's reaction.
Fukushia's head snapped over to her with rapid speed, "What!?"
Oh no… This, this was fun.
She suppressed the shit-eating grin and sighed dramatically, "Give me a villain to fight any day but somehow I can't work up the courage to tell that boy my feelings…"
"What sort of feelings?" Her eldest brother growled the words from behind clenched teeth.
"Admiration, respect, fascination. You know, those fluffy feelings that have me sighing all day long. He is the boy I like after all." Niwa had to turn away and slap her hand over her mouth to contain her giggles. She could pretty much imagine the flames of anger roaring from her brother's body.
" . . ?" Fukushia struggled.
Niwa paused in her teasing for a moment and thought, "He's strong, talented, and has the attitude of a delinquent. But at the same time, he's considerate and genuine."
"…Damn it." Fukushia sighed.
"You've already met him actually."
"Figured as much. That loud blonde brat, right?" Fukushia placed his hands on his hips and stared back at their home as Masuru and Hanami pulled into the driveway in the brother's jeep.
"You know me too well, big brother."
"Yeah, well…" He scratched at the back of his head before running his fingers through the long strands of magenta hair, pulling loose small twigs and grass, "If it's that one, I can't say I disapprove."
"Really?!" Niwa asked, suddenly filled with excitement and some strange type of joy.
Fukushia gave her a stare that almost looked like a glare, "I watched the sports festival. I like how the kid fights."
"It's wild, right!" Niwa jumped up and held out her hand like Bakugou usually would, making explosion sounds and wild gestures, "It's so fucken cool!"
"At the very least, he can deal with your bullshit. Listening to the two of you argue over a textbook was the highlight of my month. And that poor friend of yours seemed to enjoy it too."
"Kirishima did?"
"I've never seen a kid so relaxed when his friends are about to start beating the shit out of each other over a math problem."
"Bakugou and I do argue in front of him a lot…"
Fukushia shrugged as they began walking back to the house, "You're making some good friends."
"I know." Niwa smiled with pride.