Chapter 22
Final Exams (Part 2)
"Team Midoriya and Bakugou have passed!"
Rei breathed out a sigh of relief that she hadn't realized she had been holding. It had been almost fifteen minutes since the exam had begun, which in retrospect wasn't as long as the test could have been. But the apprehension had been building, the silence almost more telling than any sound could. In the end Rei was filled with relief.
They had won. Bakugou had won.
This time, it was her turn to win.
"Yo! Akatsuki-san!"
Flinching at the loudness that assaulted her eardrums, Rei startled at Present Mic's sudden, unannounced voice. Was he seriously projecting over the entire field right now to talk to her? This wasn't normal.
"If you can hear me, this is a courtesy call so to speak, you hear? Listen up! Currently, the only classmates you cannot call on for this test are Kirishima, Satou, Sero, Midoriya, and Bakugou. Anyone else in the class is fair game, alright?"
Golden eyes widened in shock and a bit of horror. Midoriya and Bakugou had passed, but what had been the price? How bad had the damage been to them, that they were unable to be called upon? Had All Might really gone in without any intention of pulling punches, even with limiters? Suddenly Rei began to feel rather uncertain about herself.
From what she could remember, Kirishima and Satou were out from complete exhaustion and from overdoing their quirks against Cementoss. Sero must have gone down in his fight against Midnight, since she wasn't there to see their team's win, therefore leaving it up to Mineta to score a victory since the latter's name hadn't been called. But to hear that both Midoriya and Bakugou had gone down, even with a victory, left her unsettled. She had talked with Bakugou about how limited All Might would be, which would determine how much Bakugou could push himself. Had it really been that bad? Had he truly been that strong, even with multiple restraints?
"Alright! Good luck to you!"
Fortunately, Rei had scratched out Bakugou's name at the last minute of decision brainstorming she had done while waiting. She had planned for the fact that he would be overworked from his match, allowing for little recovery time between the tenth and eleventh tests. Even if he had technically been fine, he wouldn't be able to operate at a high level, unlike some of their other classmates who would receive some sort of reprieve before Rei's exam. Her plan hadn't gone completely down the drain yet; she had also eliminated Midoriya from that list for similar reasons.
But they had actually gone down, and were out for the count. Two of the most determined, and in Rei's mind, a few of the strongest in their class, were physically out for the count. It was a psychological burden she bore, and one that threatened to psych her out. Would the same happen to her? Shuddering, she rolled her shoulders back, trying to recollect herself before the inevitable countdown.
"Team Akatsuki, practical examination. Ready, go!"
The voice burst over the intercom just as the doors opened. Rei wasted no time bursting forward, knowing that all eyes were on her now, at least all the eyes on the bodies of those that were still conscious. She was the final exam of the day, and arguably the most anticipated. Who would she call on, if anyone at all? How would she fare against the infamous pro hero Black Panther?
There were still small bits of rubble left around the area from Ashido and Kaminari's test against Principal Nezu, larger fragments blocking the short roadway from the entrance. Without flinching she jumped from piece to piece, scaling the mountain of scrap and emerging onto the top of a nearby roof. Her eyes were scanning as quickly and thoroughly as she could, trying to see everything at once as she watched for her opponent. He could be anywhere, lurking in the shadows. Chirasaki didn't seem to be anywhere on the top skyline, but Rei knew that that could change in an instant. Most likely, he was waiting in an alleyway, biding his time before popping out at her, listening for her footsteps, lying in wait.
She was at a disadvantage now that she realized he was hiding somewhere in the map. Should she make a beeline for the buzzer that she could see in the distance, an appealing red button that sat on the rooftop in the dead center of the chaotic metal landscape? Or should she take a longer route around? There was more variability with the longer route, but it was most likely that Chirasaki would expect her to take that route. But the most direct route was obvious. Where would he be? For a moment she paused on the rooftop, trying to reach a decision quickly as her eyes lingered on the prize at the center, mind racing.
He was so fast that Rei had to react instinctually, rolling to the side and popping up to her feet quickly, breathing picking up at having been discovered and the fact that she hadn't actually seen him coming. His fist smashed into the floor where she had just been standing, fracturing the ground and putting a massive dent into the cement. Sucking in a breath, she knew now exactly how hard this test would be.
Black Panther wasn't pulling any punches. She couldn't hold back either.
"Nice dodge. You trying to get to that buzzer?"
Rei glared, readying herself up again. His voice was slightly distorted as it came through his helmet, completely obscuring all of his face from sight as her eyes looked him up and down. "I don't have to tell you anything."
"Good choice. This is a test after all."
Before he could even finish Rei was off and running again, throwing herself over the rooftops and weaving up and over the various pipes, bouncing off of them quickly and agilely. But she could hear his footsteps behind her, gradually creeping up behind her as they barely pounded louder than her own. Stealth; it had been the one thing he had hammered into her head before she left Hosu City. That stray thought was the last thing that went through her head as a kick landed on her back, sending her forward with a cry as she lost control and fell onto a railing on the top of a building. Her entire torso hurt from the impact, groaning as she gripped the rail tightly, head swaying over a hundred foot drop down below.
Her opponent landed behind her, not quite approaching her and instead almost viewing her with curiosity and disdain. "Is that all you have?" Chirasaki sounded rather disappointed. "You haven't learned as much as I hoped."
Rei growled, but suddenly Chirasaki slammed his boot into the floor, the ground cracking beneath him. "Hate to do this, but my goal is to keep you from getting that buzzer and getting out of here. If you haven't improved, then you don't deserve to be here, Rei-chan." Slamming his foot into the ground one more time, he bounded away nimbly as the floor caved in, throwing Rei off guard and sending her plummeting to her doom. She cried as she fell, but her eyes narrowed in determination. No! Not this time. She couldn't give up yet.
In the short few moments she had before colliding with the ground far below, she braced herself for a landing, sliding around a bit as the rubble beneath her feet shifted, although she caught herself as her hand shot out. Unfortunately her hand was sliced by a sheet of metal, earning a sharp hiss as she pulled back and steadied herself, the wound leaking blood at a considerable rate. It would heal in time, but that was one injury already that she didn't need, and a foolish one at that. Looking around quickly, she hopped around as quietly as possible, making a quick escape into an adjacent room. She couldn't stop moving, no matter the pain or the terror. She had to keep moving. Battling with Black Panther for real was like a game of cat and mouse, and although she was rather feline with her quirk, she was undeniably the mouse when it came down to things here.
She couldn't help but get the feeling that he was indeed toying with her, noticing how he didn't immediately follow her down to act as the clean up crew. It was only after she was sneaking out a side door that she heard him land in the room, his voice booming.
"Where'd you go, little cat?"
Rei glowered. Like he'd get her with that one. Thankfully the doorway was partially open, the gap just big enough for Rei to slip through with her small and slender frame. Back outside, she began running away as silently as possible, remaining on the ground. Hopping back up to the skyline would create too much noise, alerting Chirasaki to her precise location. She would have to keep quiet and on the down low for now, if she wanted a chance at getting the buzzer.
Now that she was in the thick of the fight, she knew exactly how it felt to feel weak and powerless against her opponent. Surely this was what some of her classmates had felt, once they realized exactly what was wrong. The things they had to overcome, did they feel as trapped as Rei did? Keeping her breathing steady as she hustled through the alleyways she began to reorient herself based on her last location. She had to keep moving. Otherwise she might as well resign and fail the exam. Turning left down an even more narrow road, she looked up to the sky. Eventually she would have to make a break for the open air to completely reorient herself.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She was being too predictable. Chirasaki knew that she was going to beeline for one of two places, and she needed to get up top to do it. If he was smart like Rei knew he was, he would be prowling up high, looking down from the crow's perspective to watch her squirm down below. No, she needed a new plan. Sliding into a fully covered building, she closed her eyes as she listened carefully, placing her hands down on the ground as she listened for his telltale signs. She could hear his footsteps, significantly louder than she remembered, now that she thought about it. Was he being purposefully loud? Unless…
Rei nearly gasped as a new realization hit her. Of course! It was so clear now that she thought about it; the weights were pulling him down. Chirasaki was strong and had the endurance of a beast, but the two of them had talked with one another in an oddly relevant conversation about stamina when she had been at his internship, as they had picked apart her fight with Todoroki during the sport's festival.
"The best answer is that your stamina ran out. You said it yourself that he was slowing down. Remember that all quirks have their limitations. If you can outlast them, it doesn't matter if they're close range or long range. Eventually, you can close in for the kill, if you know how to wear them down."
"But that was given that Todoroki didn't use his left side. If he did, he would almost be unstoppable."
"True, but the key is almost. Everyone has a downside, and as a hero you have to exploit their weaknesses if you can't immediately take them down."
Inside, Rei was burning from his last comment that he had just made on the roof. He had stated that she hadn't grown at all since the last they met, that she was the exact same girl he had taken under his wing. But he was wrong; he hadn't seen all the nights she had been up on her roof and out on the town, working up a sweat and pushing herself to go longer and harder. She had taken his words to heart, had pushed herself to extend her stamina, to make sure that she could outlast her opponents. Golden eyes glittering, she clenched a fist to her chest. This wasn't just a test for her final grade this term; this had turned into something personal. This was the true examination of her improvement, the true mark of how far she had come.
She would prove to him that she was stronger, how he had been too quick to assume and assess her.
He was wrong.
Everyone who was able to still move had gathered back in the observation room, every set of eyes trained on the screens ahead of them. There was a solemn tension hanging in the air, everyone's breath catching as Rei fell to near certain doom. The cameras lost sight of her completely, instead following Black Panther around as he casually leapt from rooftop to rooftop, clearly conserving his strength while patrolling in a near whimsical fashion. The difference in their brute strength had been clearly decided in an instant, mere seconds, leaving a sense of dread for their quiet and icy classmate.
Uraraka clenched her fists in front of her chest, leaning over to talk with the other girls of their class. "Do you think Akatsuki-san is okay?"
"Kero." Asui blinked, holding up a hand. "Tsuki-chan can fall from heights taller than that. But there was quite a bit of rubble and sharp metal that went with her."
Tsuyu's astute but completely blunt analysis barely made anyone feel better. Momo shifted, her arms wrapped around her, black eyes never leaving the screens. "Everyone was faced with their weakness. For Tsuki-chan…" she trailed off.
"Akatsuki-san is very well rounded, but compared to Black Panther, she's clearly outmatched." It was Iida who spoke, much to the girls' surprise. Iida and Akatsuki clearly did not get along, what with the way the black cat girl cringed away from his loudness and tended to steer clear from his commanding and abrasively loud personality. But his voice only showed concern and keen interest in his classmate's position, thinking out loud as he made his own connections. "Where many of us have one or two clear advantages, Akatsuki is overall balanced and relatively powerful. But to be put in a position where she's clearly outranked in almost every aspect…"
Momo shuddered at the thought. How was she holding up now? There was still no sight of their classmate, the cameras unable to detect or even find her. Surely she wasn't still inside the broken warehouse, or else Black Panther wouldn't be running around. But now Rei was at a distinct advantage, having been crushed in one round and forced to take to the narrow and tangle corridors of Field Gamma. She needed to get up to the top, but what with the way that her opponent was running circuits, Rei had little chance.
"Poor Tsuki-chan…"
"She'll think of something though." Momo spoke with confidence, finding that even she was placing more and more faith in her friend as she talked. It was as though simply by speaking she found her confidence building, convincing herself that things would turn out alright. "Tsuki-chan's outsmarted everyone in our class at one point or another. I'm sure she'll have a plan soon."
"Kero. I hope so." The time was running away, slowly but surely. Over five minutes had passed. It wasn't significant, but what with the way that things were panning out, and how Rei was still missing in the field…
"Look!" Kaminari pointed to the screen, drawing everyone's attention. "There she is!"
True enough, Rei had popped back up into view, almost completely resetting back to where she had fallen from view, now one building over. She had jumped high into the air, a determined look on her face once again as golden eyes locked onto her opponent. Her reappearance had been flashy, immediately drawing Black Panther's attention as he redirected himself, shifting directions and beelining for her. He was nearly halfway across the field, Rei only watching him with cautious eyes before beginning the chase, turning over her shoulder and running away. The class looked on in confusion at her redirection, not fully understanding whatever it was that her plan was.
"What's going on? Is she just gonna run away?"
Yaoyorozu's eyes narrowed as she watched the screens carefully. No, Rei had a plan, even if none of them realized it. That was just who she was. Even if she was physically outmatched, outplayed, and backed into a corner, she always had a plan.
Momo had to believe that Rei would come out on top.
She had successfully baited his attention. Golden eyes watched carefully as he immediately redirected his momentum, beginning to bee line for her position. Keeping her face carefully schooled into a neutral appearance, she waited until he began to draw closer before running away, making her way toward the east side of the field. If it was a game of cat and mouse, then she would play her due role. It wasn't as though this mouse didn't have a few tricks up her sleeve either. Breaking into a sprint she ran as fast as she could, vaulting over buildings and pipes and keeping careful tabs on how close her opponent was getting.
Rei almost made it to the east wall before Chirasaki made it within a hundred feet of her. Reaching into her pocket, her fingers felt the familiar shape of the smoke grenade, discreetly wrapping it in her hands before landing on a particularly large building and hazarding a glance over her shoulder. He was fast approaching, barreling toward her position. Suddenly she stopped, whipping around with a grin. Her sudden change in pace was enough to make him falter just a bit, but not enough to come to a complete stop as Rei hurled the grenade at him, the two of them vanishing into a cloud of smoke.
Walking away as silently as possible, Rei hopped onto another roof before vanishing into an alleyway, backtracking in her steps. Sticking to the perimeter of Field Gamma as best as she could she silently navigated the alleyways, pausing after about thirty seconds to hide herself and press herself to the ground, listening for the heavy, tell tale footsteps of her chaser. In the distance she could hear him shifting around in confusion as the smoke began to clear, before racing in the direction of the buzzer. Rei grinned. It was perfect. Skulking around the walls, she knew that her plan had worked.
By baiting him into the smoke grenade, it would theoretically have given her some time to rush over either to the buzzer or to the exit. She knew that was what Chirasaki expected of her, what most people would want to do. They would want to get the ordeal done and over with as soon as possible. But Rei was willing to play with time, if it gave her an advantage. She had the time limit, but that didn't mean that this was a race to see who finished first. As long as she was mindful of how much time she had spent, she would be fine.
Stamina. She would play the game, and force her mentor to unwittingly play his part as well.
Repositioning herself, she waited another minute before clambering to the top of the water tank, looking out at Field Gamma from the far corner she now found herself in. She was nearly adjacent to the entrance she had come through, on the far end of the field and about as far from the exit as she could possibly be. But she kept her features schooled, watching as Chirasaki took another minute to bound around before seeing her figure on the water tank. Even from the distance, she could see that all the running around was beginning to wear on him. His leaps were more horizontal to the ground than vertical as he was trying to cover ground as quickly as possible, his crouches taking more time to recover from. Internally, she grinned. And who was the one who said he was disappointed in her for not changing?
He was barreling in her direction again, although now noticeably slower than the beginning of the test. This time, his knives were protruding from his gloves, a telltale sign that he wanted this to be over as soon as possible. That was fine. Rei still had a few tricks up her sleeve.
This was the one. She knew that the bait trick wouldn't work again, not on someone like Black Panther. She had one shot, one opportunity to make this work, her hands clenching next to her as she prepared herself. Up high on the water tower she watched his steady approach as he drew closer, finally coming upon her as he prepared for the final leap.
In the split second where he began to lift from his crouch, Rei took a running leap. It was too late for him to change his momentum, and Rei knew it. She wouldn't have much time, since he would most likely grab onto the water tank as soon as possible and redirect his momentum toward her. Aiming her arm at the next tallest building, she rejoiced as the small harpoon found its mark, pulling her far away from her opponent as she sailed through the sky. It yanked her harder than she remembered, almost flying too fast for comfort as she strained to see what was in front of her, eyes lidded from the wind. Did the support company make some improvements that she had disregarded? It reminded her to always read the new instructions.
But there was no time to think upon such improvements. Landing hard on the roof she quickly retracted the device and took off running. Grabbing another smoke grenade, she threw it at her feet to conceal her location, an attempt to throw him off one last time. There was a fifty-fifty chance it would work; he would either believe that she was trying the same trick again, or he would call her bluff and come running after her. It was a better chance than before, and she was willing to risk one more smoke grenade if it helped her in the long run. But this time, she ran like the wind, not even daring to look back.
Her destination was ahead. Running as fast as she could, she kept her ears peeled for the telltale sounds of heavy boots clambering after her. They were still in the distance, as it seemed as though her distraction had bought her a few more moments of time. In combination with the meaningless loops she had sent him running, she would have just enough time. After nearly another minute of running she finally arrived at the buzzer in all its red glory. Slamming her hands on the button, she looked up to the skies. She had thought she knew who she wanted, but now that her plans had changed there was no one else she would want, no other quirk that would work as perfectly in coordination with her plan as any other could.
"I choose Jirou!"
She knew her pick would be unexpected. In fact, she hadn't actually said anything to the girl she had just called. But she knew that Jirou was cooperative, and she would get the picture fast. There was no time to waste, as Chirasaki began closing in, slowly but surely. Rei took off again into the rooftops, leading her teacher on a new chase through the terrain.
This was her game now, and she would make him play by her rules.
"Aren't you tired of running, Rei-san?"
Biting her lip, Rei refused to answer. She didn't want anything to slip, not now that her plans were succeeding. She wanted to win, badly. She couldn't let anything up now. Instead she took off over a slick area of pipes that wove through the air, the building suddenly dropping way below their feet and leaving them on a playground of cylindrical branches. It would be another test of her concentration, but at this point, so would it be for her pursuer. Seconds after they had entered the area, she heard the telltale sound of metal crashing to the ground. With her back to her opponent, she grinned.
Chirasaki was losing his touch.
"Do you think that one of your classmates will help you outrun me?" He continued to antagonize her, apparently trying to make her doubt herself. "If you can't outrun me, then no one can. Those two boys from the sports festival that knocked themselves out in the match before you, they can't help you now!"
Rei grit her teeth, jaw locking in anger. She didn't need to be reminded. He was trying to distract her, make her lose concentration. Pushing all her other thoughts away, she began to loop through a complicated portion of the battle field, forcing Chirasaki to squeeze through some rather tricky loops. More pieces began falling to the ground, a certain sign that he was no longer trying to keep quiet and keep their surroundings intact, along with the fact that his footsteps were incredibly loud, no longer muted and muffled. They were almost as loud as Rei had been when she first started training with him, if not louder, due to his sheer size and weight. It was impressive enough that he was keeping up with her, what with how massive his frame was, almost as big as Endeavor. Still he managed to keep up, although he was struggling much more now, even if he tried not to show it.
Rei knew. She saw everything. She had trained with him.
"I've got you now! Even your friend can't save you now!"
No you don't. I've got you right where I want you.
"Team Akatsuki, adding Jirou to the team. Member now entering the field."
Rei could grin with relief, starting a beeline for the entrance. She knew that Jirou would start running through the center, keeping to main roads. She would meet her there. But first…
Sifting through her jacket one more time, she pulled out another grenade. Tossing a look over her shoulder, she noticed that Chirasaki seemed to get the idea. "You can't hide from me now, Rei!"
This time she did grin, a wicked look on her face. "Who said I was hiding?" Pulling the pin and tossing it over her shoulder, she closed her eyes briefly for a moment as the flash went off, Chirasaki grunting as his vision stopped. It had been successful. Rei pushed onward, making her way to the main road and smiling when she saw Jirou's pink and purple outfit hurtling toward her as fast as possible. The earphone jack girl waved her hand. "Akatsuki!"
Jumping down from the buildings, Rei fell into step next to the comrade she had just called. "I have an idea. Get ready to blast him with your speakers on my mark. Until then, keep running toward the exit."
Jirou grinned, despite the serious circumstances. "I'd be more worried if you didn't have a plan."
Jirou's confidence was enough to evoke a smile from Rei as well, and although her grin was much more devious there was a mellow quality to this one in contrast to the one she had just tossed at her mentor. Pushing through the debris and making their way through the labyrinth, the duo felt more and more on their toes. Surely Black Panther had recovered from that flash grenade. Where was he now? Rei kept her ears and senses open, although it was a bit more difficult to sense where her opponent was when she had a companion running next to her, completely unaware of how loud she actually was.
They had made it over halfway through the map, and still no sign of Black Panther. Even Jirou was frowning, eyes darting everywhere through alleys and above their heads as she kept a lookout. "Where is he?"
Rei had a small scowl on her face, but she continued to strain her hearing. Suddenly she felt something behind them descending from above, and she pushed Jirou out of the way. "Look out!"
Jirou fell to the ground off to the side, but Rei had taken the brunt of the blow, sending her flying forward from the punch and leaving her breathless. Skidding and rolling to an eventual stop, she picked herself up as quickly as possible, watching as Chirasaki descended upon her like a vulture ready to pick at a piece of roadkill. His claws were out, menacing as though ready to tear his mentee into shreds. Rei refused to back down from the fight, readying her fists and watching him closely.
"Game's over, Rei. Not even an assist could save you."
"It's not over until I say it's over." The sudden confidence threw him off guard, making him falter in his steps. It was enough hesitation for Rei to break eye contact and look to her classmate, who had already recovered and was standing behind their opponent and to the side. "Jirou! Now!"
Chirasaki fell to his knees, completely overcome by Jirou's soundwaves in an instant. Even his helmet couldn't keep out the most harmful and powerful of Jirou's amplifications, Rei knowing that his enhanced hearing only adding another layer of pain as he fell powerlessly to the ground. The moment that Jirou let up Rei pounced, securing the handcuff to one of his hands as he panted on the ground, completely overcome. Rei watched tentatively, hovering over him as he gathered his senses and his wits about him, slowly coming back to his senses and recovering.
"Damn, I didn't see that coming."
"Team Akatsuki and Jirou, pass! This concludes the practical exams for Class 1-A."
Rei heaved a sigh of relief, falling to her knees as she sat next to her mentor, who was pulling himself up from the ground. He took the limiters off his wrists first, shaking his hands out at the sudden sensation of feeling almost weightless. Freeing himself up he removed his helmet, shaking out his hair and looking over to Rei. Both of them were covered in sweat from exertion, although Chirasaki surprisingly had a smile on his face. "Congratulations. Now that it's over, I see your end game."
Jirou sheepishly moved to Rei's side, offering her a hand to stand up. Gratefully accepting, Rei offered a small smile. "Thanks. For coming in on short notice."
The other girl scratched her cheek, looking to the side. "Nah, it's fine. I was just… surprised. So was everyone else."
"As was I." Chirasaki made his way to his feet, towering over the two girls. Even Jirou still looked a little intimidated, but Rei held her ground, looking up in curiosity. "To be honest, I predicted that you would call that Todoroki boy, after I found out that the two boys in the test prior were out of commission."
Rei only smiled mysteriously. "Originally, I was. But I remembered something that you taught me on the first day of my internship, something that you told me about my fight with Todoroki at the sports festival."
"Oh?" He looked at her, clearly unsure of where this was going. "Do tell."
"You told me that my stamina ran out in that fight. And," she grinned a bit cheekily, "that in a fight, my goal is to outlast and outsmart my opponent."
Her response earned a laugh from her mentor, the three of them beginning to move out of Field Gamma to regroup with the rest of the class. "I did, didn't I? Good to know that something stuck with you."
Rei glowered. "Of course. I've been working on my stamina too, you know?"
"Clearly you have. You really had me running that gauntlet."
"What can I say? Learned from the best."
"Hah! Wonder what Reina would say to that."
"Tell her yourself. Otherwise I'll tell her that you came to school to beat me up."
Jirou blinked at the friendly banter going on between the two. It was the most animated she had ever seen her classmate, no longer a cold and reserved girl but willingly engaging with her mentor in a friendly fashion. She had noticed that Rei was becoming more open around the class, very slowly, but there were moments peppered here and there. Seeing her like this was almost a completely different story. Did it have something to do with her trust?
Chirasaki patted Rei on the back, taking the lead. "Go ahead and head back for your debrief. I'm sure your classmates will be happy to see you. I'll be at Reina's."
Eyes blinked in surprise, but Rei only nodded before turning away with Jirou, the two girls taking off in step. For a while they walked in comfortable silence, but eventually Jirou began shifting around nervously, twirling her earphone jacks.
"Akatsuki, why did you choose me?"
Golden eyes turned to her classmate, looking slightly lost. "Why?"
Jirou nodded. "To be honest, I thought you were going to pick Todoroki. We all sort of thought it. He's the strongest, and probably the most capable to deal with Black Panther. If you chose him…"
Rei started to catch on. Heaving a sigh, she crossed her arms over her chest as they began the walk back to the observation center. "I know. In my initial plan, I was going to run away. Black Panther outmatches me in every sense. If I could get to the buzzer, then I could have Todoroki create an ice wall or a distraction for us to escape." She fell silent, eyes lost in thought. Yes, that had been her original plan. It was the safest route, the one that assured her victory the most, if only she could get to the buzzer. "But," she continued, "Black Panther told me something right before he broke that roof at the beginning of the test. He said I hadn't improved since he last saw me, something that made me mad."
"Akatsuki…"
Shaking her head, Rei looked back at Jirou with a small smile. "But that got me thinking. The first thing that he told me was that my stamina was lacking. Ever since then, that's been the one thing I've been working on. Every night I go for runs, pushing myself further and further. He didn't know that. When I thought about it more closely," she added darkly, "this test came down to stamina. Black Panther may outmatch me in every sense, but the teachers were all weighed down with those limiters. He's a stealth specialist, but with all that weight, even he wouldn't be exempt from exhaustion after a while."
"Sorry, but I don't think I quite get it yet…"
Rei only smiled with understanding. "Black Panther was the one who taught me to muffle my footsteps when landing. It takes a lot of control, but it's effective for stealth operations. Even with my sensitive hearing, I'm hard pressed to find him when he's fully in control. But if he started to tire…"
The factors began to add up. Jirou's eyes widened. "Oh, I get it! You'd be able to hear his footsteps!"
"Right."
"That was how you were able to mislead him and direct him with those smoke grenades. You knew where he was after he began to tire, and you continued to wear him out." But Jirou frowned again, lifting a hand to her chin. "But, that still doesn't explain why you asked me."
"Call it a streak of competitiveness." Shrugging her shoulders, Rei at least looked a little sheepish at her admission. "After he called me out, I wanted to beat him. I didn't want to just run away. I wanted to prove that I've gotten stronger, that he should keep his faith in me as his student." She looked at Jirou, pointing a hand to her ears in emphasis. "We both have sensitive hearing, and we're close combat specialists. I knew if I wore him down, his reaction times would be a bit slower. Adding in the fact that he had no idea what your quirk was, I knew that I would be able to pin him down with your quirk."
Rei had done it again. Jirou was blown away by her strategy. It was effective and simple, and most of it devised in a moment's notice. She had entered with one plan and emerged victorious with another. Shaking her head, Jirou smiled. "You're really something, Akatsuki."
The small girl gave another shrug of her shoulders, tilting her head in a gesture that dismissed the praise a bit. "It came down to the fact that I know almost everyone's quirks. I knew that I couldn't just pick whoever's considered the strongest. Everyone had a specialty, and if I can play to that strength, then that'll be the deciding factor every time. Plus," she added with a sheepish grin, "I knew you would listen to my plan. You're a great team member to work with."
The praise was unexpected, and Jirou flushed at the sudden comment. Akatsuki really wasn't so cold once someone got to know her and push beyond that icy exterior. She was thoughtful and more than willing to use her resources to the fullest extent. Perhaps that made her a bit terrifying and a little cold, but there was no doubt in Jirou's mind that Akatsuki would be incredibly successful going into the future. In her final practical exam she had proven once again that her ultimate ace was her mind, her sharpness and willingness to adapt and run circles around her opponents.
"Thanks."
The smile lingered on Rei's face. "Yeah. No problem. Thanks for helping me pass."
With the test over, she could refocus on other things. Namely, to find out what damage had been done to her other classmates. The image of Bakugou and Midoriya surfaced in her mind, and Rei's exterior hardened at the thought. Just what had happened while she was preparing for her own exam?
"Akatsuki-san!"
"Congratulations!"
"As expected of our ice princess!"
Rei's face scowled at that last comment from Kaminari, but Yaoyorozu had moved to meet her halfway as the rest of the class came pouring out of the building. Jirou and Akatsuki rejoined with the group as they all returned to the classroom to change out of their costumes and retire for the day, most every chattering away and throwing in congratulations to their final classmate who had passed. Momo clasped her hands in front of her chest, eyes glimmering. "Congratulations, Tsuki-chan! You did well on your exam."
"Thanks, Momo." Rei smiled. "We all did great today."
Jirou playfully nudged Rei in her side, much to the latter's surprise at the familiarity. "Seriously, Akatsuki barely even needed my help out there. She's the smartest planner in our class."
"Midoriya's up there too." Rei paused, trailing off. "Speaking of which…"
Yaoyorozu's face grew solemn. "Bakugou-san and Midoriya-san are still with Recovery Girl. They'll probably miss the debrief, based on their injuries in their fight against All Might."
Rei couldn't help the knot in her stomach that grew again. Her eyes narrowed. "Tell me what happened."
The two girls surrounding Rei began to delve into the blow by blow from Midoriya and Bakugou's practical, about how the two had bickered away endlessly at the beginning but somehow managed to create a near cohesive plan by the end. They had almost gotten away, but All Might had been stronger than they expected. In the end, Bakugou's gauntlets were shattered, and the explosive boy had fought with his full strength even without them. Neither Yaoyorozu nor Jirou mentioned anything about Bakugou's injuries, aside from the times he was slammed into the ground and surely had hurt his back and extremities from such force, but a frown began to grown on Rei's face as her mind lingered on his costume components. She knew that those gauntlets acted as a support for Bakugou's sweat secretion; he had almost completely thrown himself out during the sports festival since he had been forced to leave his gauntlets behind, pushing his quirk to the extremes and severely damaging his forearms and hands during the battle royale and the one on one matchups. If this was anything similar, Rei knew that he was going to be in a world of pain for the next few days. She ran her hands over her own forearms, her touch ghosting over where she imagined he felt the most pain.
Midoriya had gotten off slightly lighter than Bakugou, who had absolutely thrown everything in his fight directly with All Might. From what Yaoyorozu described, the green haired boy had wanted to run away, but had mostly been dragged into fighting by his partner. He had badly injured his back, but in the end was able to deliver a crippling blow to All Might and drag both himself and Bakugou across the finish line in the end. From what it sounded like, those two had come off with the most severe injuries, Bakugou suffering from both stamina exhaustion and being tossed around like a rag doll by All Might's fists. She wanted to check in on the two. Perhaps a visit to Recovery Girl's office was in order.
Changing out of her costume in the locker room, Rei scoured her case and her surroundings for any sort of letter. Sure enough, a piece of paper had made its way to the bottom of her locker, a small piece of cardstock with neat type scrawled across the front. Picking it up she read through it quickly, her mind pulling the pieces together.
We have updated your uniform to integrate the latest tech regarding your harpoon weapons inside your gauntlets. Please note that the power has been increased by about forty percent, which will result in harder reeling and overall additional force. If unprepared, further injuries may occur. Please adjust your preparations accordingly to make up for these changes.
Rei scowled. A lot of help that did, now that she had already used them. Forty percent difference?! No wonder she had felt like her arms was about to tear off from the unexpected torque. If she was any other person, her arm most likely would have dislocated from the sudden pull that she had experienced. She would have to be more careful in reading these cards next time; she wasn't going to lie and say that she definitely didn't toss the paper aside in order to change into her costume faster for the test. Going into the future, she would need to be more meticulous.
But what was done was done. Neatly folding the shimmering material back into the case and tucking away all the various pieces, she packed up her case and waited for the other girls to finish changing. They walked as a group back to the classroom, Rei simply watching and occasionally adding her own comments as they talked about their practical exams, consoling Ashido and celebrating with the others. It was after Rei made it back to her seat in the classroom and began packing up that she saw Bakugou's bag still in his chair, along with Midoriya's belongings right behind him. Her heart stilled, and she slowed her motions down. She wanted to talk with Bakugou, no matter how long it would take for him to get back.
Yaoyorozu had finished packing up, standing and turning to Rei inquisitively as she took in her friend who sat motionless in her chair. After a moment Rei looked up, shaking her head. "Go on without me. I'm going to wait for Midoriya and Bakugou." Her friend sent her a concerned look, but she accepted Rei's decision and parted ways with her. One by one the rest of the class trickled out, some throwing concerned or curious looks at Rei as she remained determinedly in her seat, ignoring everyone else and messing with her phone as a distraction and an excuse. It was once everyone had left that Rei finally let down her guard with a sigh. She had texted Reina to update her on the reason why she wouldn't be coming home on time, defending herself by stating that she was going to help collect her neighbor's belongings before heading home. Her guardian seemed to buy her excuse, replying with an affirmation before falling silent once more.
It was finally time to debrief herself and relax. She had passed her practical exam despite the odds she had found herself pushing up against at the beginning. It was another wall that she had overcome, another test that had pushed her even further than she thought she could go. Slumping in her desk she massaged her palms out in a distracted manner, her mind drifting off beyond her physical being. Mentally Rei had returned to the battlefield, reviewing the play by play as she checked her mistakes and her strengths. It was clear that in the first part of her test, she had been overthinking things. Her mind had been racing, trying to think of all the possibilities that could happen during the exam and trying to calculate the probabilities of where Chirasaki would strike first.
Perhaps it would have been more effective to trust her instincts. After all, she had yet to be proven wrong when going with her gut. If she had been more decisive in the beginning, she wouldn't have frozen while debating her options, wouldn't have gotten caught and sent plummeting through the warehouse. Her fingers traced over her hand where the cut had already mostly healed, pink skin slightly raised as her body continued to work hard to heal itself. Still, she couldn't find it in herself to be disappointed in how things had turned out. She had been loath to call on Todoroki for defense, even if it was a fair option. To call on such an overpowered ability almost felt like cheating, and she was glad that she had changed her plan to use Jirou instead. To understand her peers and their quirks, and thus maximize their effectiveness: surely that was an applicable skill in the real world. She wouldn't be afforded the absolute strongest or most well rounded all the time, and would have to work with what she had.
It was even better, since Chirasaki hadn't seen it coming either. If Rei had called on Todoroki, there was a chance that her mentor could have come up with a quick plan to overcome any obstacles they threw at him. They would have been at a disadvantage, since Chirasaki knew the half hot, half cold boy's quirk and style from the sports festival. Bringing in Jirou kept things mysterious, therefore giving Rei a slight advantage that she had seized.
Jirou had been right; her plans had succeeded once again. First Midoriya, then her mentor. She wondered briefly if Chirasaki had been going easy on her, but dismissed that thought almost immediately. If anything he had pressed her harder, since he knew exactly what she could do. Unlike most of the matches, Rei had a distinct disadvantage, given that she had trained one on one with her opponent. While most of the teachers were familiar with the students and what they could do, it was nothing quite like Chirasaki and Rei's relationship, although arguably Aizawa and All Might also had first hand knowledge that they had taken into their battles today. But would there come a time when Rei couldn't scheme her way out? The idea unnerved her slightly, and she shifted forward in her seat.
The classroom door slid open, a set of green eyes clashing with gold, the former in surprise while the latter simply staring back in a cool and collected fashion. Midoriya paused in the doorway, unsure of exactly what to make of his classmate's presence. "A-Akatsuki-san?"
Rei nodded in greeting. "Midoriya-kun." She tilted her head to the side. "Are you alright?"
He chuckled sheepishly, closing the door behind him and hobbling slowly across the front of the classroom, scratching his head. "Yeah, Recovery Girl healed me up. I'll just be a little sore."
Looking to the clock, Rei blinked in shock. Nearly thirty minutes had passed since class had been dismissed. Had she really been sitting alone for that long? Standing up swiftly, she crossed the remaining distance, one costume rack still open and waiting for two more uniforms. Taking his costume bag from his hands, the black haired girl moved to put it away, even as Midoriya protested. "Ah, you don't really have to do that for me…"
"Better than having you strain your back further. Let me do this." She followed after him, monitoring his gait and making sure he wouldn't fall over as he collected his items. Hesitating for a moment, she tentatively spoke again. "Is… Bakugou alright?"
"Yeah." Midoriya missed the way her shoulders loosened and relaxed in relief at his admission, so focused on getting his bag up carefully and trying to shoulder it in a way that was as least painful as possible. He turned to look at Rei carefully. "He was worse off than I was. Recovery Girl said that he would need a little more time before he woke up."
"I see." Rei frowned for a moment before smoothing her face over. "May I ask a favor?"
"Huh?" So caught off guard, he didn't respond to Rei's question. Instead she took over, pressing forward and trying to explain herself.
"Could you get his uniform and costume case from the boy's locker room? I wanted to take his things over to Recovery Girl's temporary station so that he wouldn't have to go as far."
It was clear that Midoriya was completely surprised, lips parted as he fumbled for his words. Eventually he pulled himself together, though he still looked confused. "Sure. Yeah…" Dazedly, he watched as Rei pulled her bag over her shoulder before grabbing Bakugou's bag as well, gesturing for him to lead the way. The two of them walked down the hallway, Rei matching his pace and making sure she wasn't rushing him in any way. When they arrived in the locker room he muttered his excuse before disappearing into the room, taking a few minutes before finally emerging with a familiar case in hand.
Rei gave a small smile, taking the case gratefully. "Thank you. Take care of yourself today."
"Y-yeah…" Rei turned over her shoulder and began walking away, only making it a few steps before Midoriya called out her name again. "Akatsuki-san!" Stopping in the middle of the hallway, Rei turned around in curiosity, eyes blinking as she stared in confusion and waiting for him to continue. He seemed to struggle to find the proper words, but with a furrowed brow he finally spit it out. "Earlier today, when you were with Bakugou at the gate. Why were you there?"
She could hear the deeper question that lay underneath, and for a moment her brows furrowed as she considered his question carefully. What had she been doing there? And not just that; why did she appear so close to Bakugou, the one person who pushed almost everyone away? Shrugging her shoulders, she slung the case over her shoulder in a casual manner. "Mostly by chance. I went into the tree grove to think and ran into him." She fell silent for a moment, considering just how much to share. "He's… not a bad person. He just goes about things differently than others. You of all people should know."
He jumped, caught off guard by her response and her callout. Golden eyes were settled on him in a serious manner, making him swallow hard. He had forgotten just how intimidating Rei could be sometimes, how serious and deadly she could appear with just a look, a bit of cold detachment making her aloof although making her seem a notch above everyone else mentally. She almost seemed to be accusing him of something, and Midoriya looked down in shame. They had fought. Rei knew it. From how she had delivered her answer, she seemed to know almost everything. But her eyes softened just a bit on him, as she continued. "Give him time. He'll learn how to open up. Do you believe in him?"
At this Midoriya looked up again, green eyes wide. "Of course."
He received a small, warm smile. "Then that's all you need."
He believed her. Standing in the hallway, the afternoon light filtering down gently between them, he felt reassured for the first time in a while. How did she know? But before he could gather himself together and muster a response she had turned away from him, tossing a small wave over her shoulder before striding down the hallway in a confident manner.
It was time to move on. From what she had gathered, Recovery Girl and Bakugou were still back at the observation center, in the temporary clinic that she had set up in order to be more centrally located. She made sure to grab his shoes from his shoe locker before starting off toward her final destination. It was a short walk, even shorter now that Rei could move briskly at her own pace, marching quickly and purposefully through the campus. After a few minutes she finally crossed the expansive parking lot, still completely empty as it had been not a few hours prior. Padding quietly through the hallways, she finally came to the nurse's office, knocking on the door gently before cautiously sliding the door open.
Shuzenji stood over Bakugou's head, hovering over her patient with a thoughtful look on her face. She turned at Rei's entrance, watching the young girl sheepishly skulk through the room and slowly make her way to her classmate's cot. Setting his gear down, she whispered quietly to Recovery Girl. "I came to drop off his belongings, so he didn't have to walk far."
"How thoughtful." The school nurse looked back down to her patient, a strained look on her face. "He probably won't be up for a while longer. You should go home and rest from your exam."
Disappointment flooded her chest. Rei wanted to do something more, to wait for him to wake up, to be there for him. But was that really her place? What even were they? And above all else, Recovery Girl had the final say of who got to stay in her office. Rei was certain that the disappointment was clear on her face, but she didn't try hard to hide it. "Right."
"Before you go," Recovery Girl stared, turning toward the young girl, "how is your hand?"
"My hand?" Realization struck Rei as she lifted her right hand up to look at it briefly before turning her palm so that the nurse could take a closer look. Shuzenji turned her hand around, poking and prodding it before nodding solemnly.
"I hope you're up to date on your vaccinations. Even with your accelerated healing, disease isn't pretty to be fighting off at the same time as physically healing wounds."
"R-right." Rei stuttered at the strange twist of events, but it was the truth. At least she was smart enough to continue her vaccinations; she wasn't that stupid to think that she could wing it on her own. Some things were better left to science than her own good luck. Taking the elder woman's nod of her head as a sign that she was able to leave, Rei bowed at the waist, although slightly haltingly. "Thank you. I'll take my leave."
"Good work today. Rest up tonight." Shuzenji turned toward her desk, plopping down in the chair and shuffling through a stack of papers. Rei took the moment to briefly take a step closer to Bakugou to take a closer look. He looked completely at peace, brows unfurrowed for what seemed like the first time Rei could recall. Fast asleep, he looked innocent, a trait she never would have ascribed to him. He was in good hands, and with that thought she finally turned around to leave. Her work there was done. It was time to go home.
It was the first time she had gone back home to Reina's house alone. Standing on the train and holding onto a rail guard, seeing as how she was too short to grab onto the fixtures from the ceiling, Rei felt as though something was missing, or rather someone. It was lonely, even if they never filled their time with conversation. Simply missing his presence was enough to fill Rei's chest with a sense of longing, a sort of anxiety at traveling alone taking its place. She scowled openly at the thought. She was an independent woman; she didn't need Bakugou to babysit her. But it was the routine, the normalcy of traveling together both to and from home that made her comfortable, made her happy.
Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick message to Reina, alerting her to her impending arrival, however later than expected. After hesitating for a moment she sent another to Bakugou, knowing that he would see it later. It was all that she could do for now; wait for an answer.
Akatsuki (5:30 PM)
Text me when you're awake
So much had happened that afternoon that Rei had forgotten that Chirasaki mentioned something about being at Reina's house after the test. He ended up staying for dinner, a vocal affair now that Reina had someone's ear to chatter off with. It wasn't as though Hotaru and Rei didn't provide any conversation, but although Chirasaki was much more laid back than his family friend he was quite talkative when he wanted to be. They had talked about everything, from Reina's work integrating more with her parents, Chirasaki's agency, Hotaru's mentoring job, and Rei's final exam. Even as Rei picked apart her own flaws during the practical, she couldn't help but feel satisfied at her victory, especially with her opponent giving her tips to improve and complimenting her on outsmarting him on the field.
It was a satisfying day. There was just one last thing that weighed on Rei's mind.
Throughout the dinner she had been itching to check her phone, to see if Bakugou had replied. She had been checking it constantly up until their meal, stowing it away as usual so that all of them could have a distraction free conversation. But as the talk dragged on she found herself getting slightly more twitchy, although she tried to hide it as best as possible. Still, she was overcome with relief after they had cleaned up the dishes and Chirasaki said his goodbyes, mentioning that he had to make it back to the agency that evening to take care of some paperwork and planning. After bidding a quick goodnight to her guardians she skulked off through the house, plucking her phone off the living room table before picking up her bag where she had left it in the entryway. Darting up the stairs she flipped her phone screen open, disappointed when there were still no messages shown.
Was he ignoring her? No, she was overthinking things. He would respond on his own time, and she couldn't make him respond any faster than that. Back in her room, Rei found herself standing in the middle of the wide space, hands on her hips as she looked around aimlessly. There was no more studying to do, no catching up to be done. For the first time in months she was truly and honestly free. Even though they still had class the next day, there really wasn't anything she could do to prepare for; most likely they would be receiving instructions about the camping trip and going over grades.
Freedom. But she attended U.A.; if there was time to relax, then there was time to improve. There was no such thing as letting her guard down, although from what she garnered about Ashido and Kaminari's approach to school, there seemed to be different levels of interpretation of the school's motto of "Plus Ultra." Rei wanted to improve, to get better. She had been lucky that Chirasaki had been weighed down by those limiters. In the real world, villains didn't have those. Rei would be hard pressed to keep up. Training it was.
She was fortunate that she hadn't been severely injured in her fight. Her muscles certainly needed to be stretched out properly, since she had done a lot of running in intervals at intense rates, so perhaps a light workout session was called for this evening. Changing into a loose black tank top and black leggings, she made her way up onto the roof once again, crawling out of the window and pulling herself up over the ledge. Feet padding quietly over the lukewarm tiles, she noted that there was still light in the sky; the sun had set, but summer's twilight was upon them. At least it wasn't freezing, allowing her to spend a little less time on warming up before running a familiar race around the rooftops in the area.
Running through the cool night air, Rei pushed herself harder than she had ever gone. Today's exam provided the motivation; even if she was exhausted, she wanted to go harder than ever. By the time she was coming in for the final block she was breathing hard, letting everything go as she sprinted back to her house. She focused on jumping over the roofs, soaring through the sky almost effortlessly, the moon a sliver in the sky as her eyes took in the route ahead of her. As Bakugou's house appeared golden eyes narrowed into slits, this time fully prepared for what was ahead. Pushing herself to her absolute limit she landed on the roof, took two bounding leaps, and threw her body through the air in a high arc, clearing the wide gap and making it all the way back to her house. She landed on the tiles on all fours, finally coming to a halt as she breathed heavily, inhaling deeply in an effort to slow her breathing down. Eventually she stood up, pacing in circles on the roof as she cooled down, stretching out her arms and legs in a languid fashion. She probably hadn't been as fast as if she had been fresh or less exhausted from the practical, but her run had been satisfactory.
The sound of a sliding glass door opening made Rei's ears perk up, head turning in expectation. She had managed to forget everything during her workout, only now remembering her concern for Bakugou. Gold eyes turned toward a familiar balcony, with an even more familiar figure stepping out on the deck and looking at Rei with an upturned and expectant face. Heart fluttering and stammering in her chest, she immediately jumped back to her neighbor's house, this time landing precisely on the ledge of the balcony, startling Bakugou at her sudden appearance and precision. She blinked, then slowly relaxed from her crouch and dangled her legs over the edge, sitting on the railing and facing her companion. Surveying his face carefully, she found that he had mostly returned to normal, a small scowl sitting on his lips naturally.
"How… are you?"
Rei hadn't been sure what exactly to ask, nor what to expect. A part of her had predicted anger at the outcome of events, not necessarily because he had won, but because of how badly he had been thrashed around. Even with multiple limiters, All Might had still proved to be a formidable foe. But he only scoffed, tossing his head to the side and shoving his hands in his pockets. He had changed out of their school uniform, now dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a logo t-shirt for some brand Rei didn't recognize. Taking it as a sign that he was good enough, she offered her hands to him in tradition.
This time, he knew what was coming. Bakugou was slow to place his arm in her hands, instinctively tensing. They both knew that this was going to be rather painful compared to the other times, except perhaps when he had overexerted during the sports festival. Taking these factors into consideration, Rei was much more delicate with her prodding, brows furrowing as she felt for the damage in his forearms. It was bad. Bad enough that, instead of pressing down and jabbing her fingers into the muscles to massage them out, she instead lightly pressed on them in a gentle, soothing motion.
Rei sighed. "I don't want to press too hard tonight. It's too tender. After they calcify tonight, I'll tackle them more tomorrow." Still she delicately massaged them out, unwilling to let go quite yet. Neither did he remove his hands from her grasp, red eyes focusing on her hands as they moved around him.
It was familiar. Routine. Something that kept her grounded. That familiar feeling that she had when the two of them had stood in front of the empty orphanage came back, a stirring of emotions that made her want to tip over the edge both figuratively and literally. For all the desire that burbled in her chest she had to keep things the way that they were, even as there was a piece of her that wanted to go beyond, to fall completely. It was there, unspoken between them, the feelings that they had. Neither seemed to want to push completely. But it was something that Rei couldn't keep away any longer.
"This weekend," she began, a plan forming in her head, "are you free? I'm thinking of going back to Mamaru's cafe in Kumo City, along with a couple other errands."
He seemed surprised at the invite, but he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. I'm not doing anything."
That had been easy. Rei grinned widely, taking his words as as much of an affirmation as he could possibly give. "Then, I'll be ready around eleven. Is that fine?"
"Fine by me. Just don't stay out too long with whatever errands you're planning on."
"Right." Finishing with her massage, she moved her hands away, pulling back slowly as she released his hand. To her surprise he held fast onto her, making her stiffen. She blinked, slowly looking up into his face to see what he wanted. "Bakugou?"
The boy only frowned. "Today… I lost."
Ah, so he was thinking back to his exam. Rei was tempted to quip back that he had actually passed the exam, opening her mouth mindlessly before a new thought came to her mind. She shut her mouth instead, mulling over the ideas that tumbled through her head. He had been unable to beat All Might. He had passed out, forced to rely on Midoriya. Rei understood his feeling of defeat, and for a moment felt unable to help him. Instead she stood there silently, looking down at his hands as they held tightly onto her own.
Then it struck her. He was waiting for her to say something. She, who always seemed to have a plan or something to say, no matter if it was serious or a witty quip. At least she could read the situation; nothing witty would make him feel better, but neither would niceties and general pats on the shoulder to try and stimulate a general good feeling of hopefulness. That had never been her style anyway. Instead she closed her eyes, pulling her thoughts together before she felt prepared.
"Midoriya wanted to run, didn't he." It was less of a question and more of a statement. Bakugou's face turned dark at the mention of his current rival, but Rei twisted her hands inside of his, squeezing his fingertips reassuringly. "But even he wouldn't be able to outrun All Might, even with the restraints. I don't know how it happened, but you two were able to work together. I think that's a victory in itself."
He scoffed, anger beginning to rise. "The fuck are you trying to say-"
"Don't get me wrong," she interrupted, "I'm not saying that you need to keep working with him. But you two have been at odds since day one. Don't you think that you and he were paired for a reason in this exam? You weren't in the room, but Recovery Girl confirmed to me that these tests were set up in order to target each student's weakness and set them up against a near impossible wall."
Stiffening, his eyes turned on her coldly. Rei shivered as he stared down impassively, but she refused to back down. She pressed on. "Out of everyone in our class, you're the top when it comes to sheer physicality and planning combined. They planned it so that you would be held back. Think about it; what if we had been paired together?"
"You crazy? Did you see All Might-"
"Bakugou." He shut his mouth, much to her surprise and gratitude. He knew that she was on a roll, making her way to her point. "I would have followed you in without hesitation. With minor adjustments," she amended with a tilt of her head, "but you wouldn't have had to waste time trying to fight with Midoriya, who was clearly against your plan. Do you get it yet?"
He snorted, a sure sign that he was still annoyed at the mentioning of Midoriya, but he otherwise quieted down and bit into what she had given him. It was a bitter pill, but Rei wasn't about to cut corners or try to appease his stormy attitude. Squeezing his hands together inside her own, she lifted them up closer to her chest as she hugged them. "You don't have to like it," she said quietly, voice almost a murmur, "But you won. So just keep winning."
Lowering their hands down she finally release them, watching as they slowly fell back to his sides while hers moved to stabilize her on the railing. She could see the gears turning in his head, digesting everything she had said bit by bit, red eyes clouded over as they stared blankly for a few moments more. Then, with sudden clarity, he looked back into her eyes, locking with gold.
"What happened with your fight?"
Rei inhaled deep, slowly exhaling as her mind turned over the day's events. "Tomorrow," she eventually decided. "I'll tell you on the way to school. I think we both need to rest up. Give you something to look forward to." She was tired, and she didn't want to get into all the tiny details just then. It was a story for another day.
Lifting herself up and swinging her legs underneath her, she smiled briefly before preparing to jump back to her roof. She had almost missed it, his voice so low she was certain later that he hadn't meant for her to hear anything. But she had almost felt his baritone voice, chest rumbling from the low mutter he said under his breath. "I always look forward to it."
Taking off with her heart fluttering in her chest, she refused to look at him until she was back inside her room, finally looking over across the way and giving a small wave in parting. This time instead of simply nodding he mirrored her gesture, raising a hand before turning away and locking himself in his room once more. As he vanished from her sight Rei closed her window, sealing herself inside.
Her heart beat wildly, and it wasn't from her workout. There was no denying it. She had fallen hard for the boy next door. Somehow she had spiraled to this point; he had started out as the other attitude problem in the class, then somehow had revealed his softer side to only her. She had seen what he could truly be like underneath, and had appreciated how vulnerable he sometimes was around her in private. She had grown fond of that spiky mess of ash blonde hair, those cherry red eyes that brightly shone and glared indiscriminately. It was now that she realized just how bad she had fallen. With a groan she wiped her hand over her face, rolling her eyes at herself in disgust at all her squishy, gushy emotions. Gross. But at the same time, it was wonderful, knowing that her heart would race and her day would brighten when she got to spend time with him, no matter where or when.
The first term was essentially at a close. She had learned much, both academically and about herself. But the journey had just begun.
AN: Sorry I was unable to chunk out that bonus chapter. The ending just... isn't quite working for me. It's slightly... sexy at the end? Which I have mixed feelings about (there's nothing wrong with being sexy, and also in this au i'm writing they're like... 23 years old?). I might post it in the next week if I finally bring myself to finishing it lol.
Updating a day early today! I know I've been doing Sunday updates, but today I'm trying a Saturday update. I'd like to do Saturdays since it's closer to the beginning of the weekend (and hopefully y'all that live in different timezones will have more time to enjoy the weekend and read), but my schedules are kind of terrible right now for Friday/ Saturday since I have class (yes... class through the entire summer). We'll see how it goes! I actually uploaded this Friday night so I could just hit the "post" button this morning. Please enjoy!
Story/ Author Update. Still on chapter 31. Mostly because it's a very significant and emotionally charged chapter. After that, I'm actually very excited to write the following chapters, but getting to that point is definitely difficult. I'm also stuck on one of the camp chapters (just filling with more minor details), but hopefully that'll get worked out in the next couple weeks before it launches. Nothing like some good pressure to make me write faster... Everything through Chapter 25 has had at least one proofreading session, and Chapters 26 through 30 are for the most part completed or at least have the barebones completed and are missing some minor details. We're getting there folks! Still can't believe that we're over 200k+ words on this story now... that's ridiculous to me.
Review Thanks Time!
RandomThingz123: Aaaahhhh thank you! I'm glad you love their relationship, and I hope that I'm doing a good job with keeping it sort of realistic and slow paced for now!
dragontamer64: Oh shoot seriously? Now that I think about it, I might know what story you're referencing. That's my bad. I thought I was being creative, but I guess I wasn't that creative. Dang it! Oh well. Imitation is the best form of flattery, so when I figure out what story it is I'll probably send them a message to let them know. But also good to know about the jealousy! It won't be happening for a while (can you believe that I'm already thinking about chapters in the 40s range?), but I'm considering another... interest. Lol. But not in a serious way. More for Bakugou to be a drama queen. Hope this chapter lived up to the hype!
CocoaFirefly: Ahh thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and still keeping up with it! Thank you so much!
ILikeFoxes828: Hahaha I'm glad I can brighten your day with a chapter! Hopefully this brightens your day again! I've decided that I'm going to try and update on Sunday mornings, although it's bound to change. Have a great week!
yaoi4adollar: Here it is! I hope you've liked what I've done for the exam, and I hope that it was unexpected. I do love writing unexpected things, although writing predictable events can have its place as well.
NotRob: Good point... though it might not be intentional from Rei... :D But if there is a jealous bit, it won't be for a while. I still have a lot of set up and relationship building to do before we get there (I know, most people would have already hucked the relationship into the story by this point, but it's like that John Mulaney bit, "No, no, hold back, save it..."). Thanks for the review!
Quatre24: Thank you for the two reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed that special episode chapter; it was honestly pretty easy but dense to write, since I literally sat down for two days straight and chunked it out with some editing as well. And I'm honored that you enjoy the portrayal of orphans. It was a topic I came across during my studies in undergraduate, and it was actually one of the springboards I used. I still have a lot of researching to do, but I'm glad you appreciated it!
Anseo: Oh, man, I hope it wasn't too disappointing to see that neither Midoriya nor Bakugou were really in the final exams for this! But having the class start teasing Bakugou at a later date is a good idea, and I'm going to note that down because you're absolutely right, that would be ridiculously funny. I'm glad you think their chemistry is good as well! That means a lot to me!
SamMayDay89: Wow wow wow that makes me so happy to hear that you've binged this story, because I know that feel all too well. Thanks so much for reading! I hope that I continue to deliver, and you enjoy the upcoming chapters as well.
Happy summer everyone!
Thank you for the reviews again!
Please review if you have a spare moment. I really appreciate them, and I try to respond to everyone.
Remember to be kind to others, and to stay hydrated in this heat.