Chapter 19
Hotaru's P.o.V
We had been on the bus for what seemed like forever. When we stopped on the side of a mountain, all the students got out and stretched our legs. It took me a bit longer to get off than everyone else but nevertheless, I escaped the confinement of the metal cage on wheels.
"Hotaru," Kiyo spoke up. I raised an eyebrow.
"What?" I grumbled. It wouldn't take a genius to notice that the spirit wanted to correct my curt response but apparently, she had more pressing matters to deal with.
"I don't have a good feeling. I'm unsure of what's causing it so I want you to be cautious around here," she warned sternly. I nodded, narrowing my eyes as I stared at the ground.
"Are you okay, Hotaru?" a familiar voice asked. I had not been paying attention up until this point so all conversations before were lost to me.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," I waved off Ejirou's concern. My redheaded friend raised an eyebrow. I was not, in fact, fine. I had not been able to stop thinking. I would imagine one thing to keep my mind off another, only to end up boring myself or unfortunately back at square one.
"You don't look fine," Ejirou pointed out. I forced a smile while an unseen vein popped in my forehead. To say he's hardheaded is an understatement and a terrible pun I refuse to make.
"I'm fine, Ejirou. See? I was just thinking. Nothing to worry about," I said as kindly as I could. I watched as two heroes stepped out of a car that must have arrived while I was zoned out. They were both females, though one looked a bit younger. They both had cat-themed costumes on; the brunette wearing red and the blonde clad in light blue. The brunette told us her name was Mandalay and the blonde smiled as she introduced herself as Pixie-bob. Together, they're the Wild, Wild Pussycats.
"That's a stupid name," Kiyo quipped. I agreed but I wasn't going to say anything. Next to the two heroes was a smaller boy who looked like he would rather be anywhere else.
'Me too, little buddy...Me too.'
"You will be staying at the foot of that mountain," Mandalay had told us as she pointed off into the far distance. I strained my eyes bust still saw nothing.
"Then why'd we stop here?" Ochaco spoke up and asked what most of us were thinking. I narrowed my eyes.
"They'll piece it together in a second..." Kiyo grumbled. I watched as my classmates figured out what we were supposed to do. They panicked and hurried back towards the bus. My eyes widened slightly as I finally understood our objective. A hefty sigh escaped my throat as I accepted the cruel fate bestowed upon me. I watched my classmates run back towards the bus. Their attempts at escape were futile.
"Sorry ladies and gentleman...Training camp has already begun."
Suddenly, Pixie-Bob jumped in the way of class 1-A, put her hands on the ground, and altered the earth beneath us. We were all thrown off the edge of the cliff to the bottom of the cliff. I managed to not hurt myself too badly by using my tail to balance myself on the sliding earth but I still suffered the wrath of some falling rocks. After landing on the ground with a hard thud, I dusted myself off and looked back up at the heroes.
"Since this land's privately owned, feel free to use your quirks as you wish! You have three hours! Come to the facility on your own two feet! After getting through...The Beasts Forest!" Mandalay instructed from on top of the cliff. I sighed, looking to the dense forest.
"Wonderful..." I deadpanned. Mineta, who had been needing the bathroom since we first left the bus, rushed into the thick forest, throwing caution to the wind. I rolled my eyes.
"He'll be eaten first," Kiyo grumbled
"Agreed," I narrowed my scarlet eyes as a monstrous roar reached my ears, causing me to cover them. I watched Midoriya swipe the purple pervert away from the giant beast. Within what seemed like a matter of seconds, the beast was destroyed by Todoroki and Iida.
"This ought to be a fun experience..." I mumbled to myself, watching the monster's beaten, clay-like, body reform into multiple duplicates of its former self. I grinned, watching one of the monsters-a mud dragon-fly into the sky. Panicked shouts of confusion erupted from my classmates. I tightened my fists as they sat at my sides
"Guys, I think we're supposed to fight," I felt a smirk creep up onto my face. Eijirou, who had fallen a few feet in front of me, turned and nodded in conformation. I felt something bloodthirsty awaken inside of me. A tingle that I knew all too well.
Kiyo was getting restless.
"Eijirou, give me a boost!" I called. The redhead widened his eyes before hardening the skin on his arms and crouching down. I ran up to him whilst I bit hard into my hand. As soon as both of my feet were planted on his forearms, Eijirou pushed outwards and I went soaring through the air. I was about ten feet up when azure flames burst to life on one of my horns and at the end of my tail. Breathing out a large blue flame, I attacked the monster. Since it was made of a clay-like substance, it hardened from the heat. When I landed back on the ground, my knuckles cracked and I grinned as I took in the sight of it's crumbling body.
"Let's get down to business," Kiyo quipped. I nodded.
"You said it."
Third P.o.V
All of Class 1-A sat around large tables covered with delicious bowls of Pussycats had made them their meal and everyone loved it. Hotaru sat at a table with the rest of her class while she gulped down bowl upon bowl of stew. She reached her third bowl quicker than anyone else.
"Wow, Hotaru! I didn't know you could eat so fast!" Ashido gasped in awe, noticing how fast Hotaru was eating. Hotaru politely used a napkin to wipe excess food from her mouth before shaking her head.
"I'm not Hotaru. My apologies," she bowed her head slightly. Those few who had picked up the words were drawn to the purple-haired teen. The closer they looked, the more they could see a change in her eyes. Something-or someone-more mature was hidden behind them. Even the way she sat was more dignified than before! Ashido gave her a confused stare for a moment before noticing all these things and grinning.
"You're the one who took over her body during the sports festival!" she exclaimed, practically jumping out of her seat with enthusiasm. More of the students gathered in the room, including Bakugou and Kirishima, turned their heads in their direction. Kiyo was shocked that at least one person even remembered her interference in the festival. A sheepish bead of sweat fell down her face but her stoic expression went unchanged.
"Yes...My name is Kiyo. Nice to meet you..." Kiyo briefly nodded in Ashido's direction. A somewhat familiar blonde approached with his eyebrow raised.
"So, wait...How does that whole switching thing work, exactly?" the boy, who, if she remembered correctly, was named Kaminari, had asked. Kiyo thought for a moment. She never had to actually explain it. Her ability to possess Hotaru was just always something she could do. Her host was aware of it so the question of how or why she could control her was never brought up.
"It is like...a second power source. When Hotaru gets too weak to continue, I take over. A perfect example would be right now," the spirit furrowed her eyebrows gently as she somehow managed to get out her best attempt at an explanation.
"She's sleeping?" Ashido's eye widened. Kiyo let out a short sigh through her nostrils while she nodded.
"Hotaru has never been one to possess much physical strength. She relies mostly on her quirk," she blankly stared at her empty bowl for a moment, silently thinking to herself. "In all honesty, I'm just trying to get used to all of this change."
"What do you mean by change?" Midoriya asked with a slight head tilt. Closed her eyes, she decided it was okay to speak freely amongst the students.
"It's always been just us. Hotaru and I. We. There was never really a reason to intentionally switch before she joined this school. With her desperately trying to make up for her weaknesses, our collective power has been reached levels of strength even I didn't know existed..." the whole room fell quiet as jaws hung open and eyes glued themselves to the horned girl. She cracked open her eyes ever so slightly, keeping them focused on her folded hands. "I guess what I am trying to say is...thank you. All of you."
"Why are you thanking us?" Asui asked, confusion clear on her face. Kiyo's breath hitched as she sat still for a few seconds. Her eyes flashed with uncertainty whilst she grew tense.
"Deep down...Hotaru never really liked having me around. Where she's coming from is understandable but neither of us could reject the sealing. It was her legacy as well as mine," knuckles turned white as her fists clenched. Unpleasant images and faces from her painful past flew through her mind like a swarm of angry bees. The onslaught halted when a young Hotaru popped into her mind's eye. Her lonely and sad face kept away from all of the other children...It hurt her.
"When she was younger, Hotaru was so quiet. She never had many friends and now that that's changed, I take it that things can only go up. For the simple fact that you have made her life more pleasant, I thank you all" she stood up from the wooden table just so she could bow to all of Hotaru's classmates. When she straightened herself up and whipped some loose tears from her eyes, many smiling faces beamed at her.
"What are friends for?" Uraraka quipped, bright smile accompanied by a thumbs up. Kiyo gave her a small smile of her own. In that short moment, the veil of seriousness the deceased woman had laid upon the room was lifted. Some of the students broke off into their own conversations while others stayed behind to ask Kiyo more questions.
"So no one ever really asks about you?" Hagakure asked, changing seats so she was closer to the spirit.
"No one knows I'm there," she answered with a nod. Her eyes scanned the room, looking across the prying eyes of the students. Ashido bit her lip, a bit of sadness flashing through her eyes before she grinned.
"What's your favourite food?" she asked. Kiyo paused. The other students looked at her as if patiently awaiting an answer. They really wanted to learn about her? It all felt so...strange. Strange yet good.
"Um...Sashimi?" she creased her eyebrows, showing her confusion.
"What's your favourite colour?" Yaoyorozu chimed in.
"I guess...purple?" Kiyo nervously chuckled as she glanced down at her host's violet hair. Unknowingly, she let a piece glide between her fingers before her hand fell back down into her lap. For the rest of dinner, questions were thrown at the woman and she answered each one with as much respect and honesty as she could. All the socializing made her feel weird and she didn't know what to think. They treated her like a normal person. Like someone outside Hotaru's body. She was, for the first time in a long time, seen.
...
Hotaru, finally back in her own body, sighed as she sunk into the refreshing water of the hot springs. The day's events had her exhausted, even after Kiyo let her rest. She began to space out, losing herself in her thoughts as she sat in the hot water. About an hour or two prior, she had been made aware of Kiyo's conversation with the other students. She was happy for her. Even though it was awkward for Kiyo, it was necessary. For the most part, everyone seemed to like her. That's all that really mattered.
"It was...pleasant..." Kiyo sounded unsure. Hotaru smiled, shaking her head as she closed her eyes.
"What are you smiling at?" Ashido nudged the violet-haired teen with her elbow. Hotaru giggled, lightly hitting her back with her shoulder.
"I'm glad all if you accepted Kiyo. She really appreciates it. We both do," she answered in all honesty. All of the girls nodded.
"She was so formal!" Uraraka chimed in. Hotaru laughed sheepishly.
"And very sarcastic," she muttered under her breath. A disapproving huff from Kiyo caused the teen to roll her eyes. "Have none of you heard the legend of Anchin and Kiyo Hime?" she raised an eyebrow. All the girls, except Yaoyorozu, shook their heads.
"I heard it once before when my family and I went to see a play...but it didn't end with Kiyo as a hero..." the raven-haired teen put a finger up to her chin thoughtfully then narrowed her eyes. Hotaru's smile turned bittersweet. All the girls turned to her with either intrigued or confused looks.
"While it's true that the commonly told stories don't paint Kiyo as a protagonist...there are two sides to everything," she explained, topping off her argument with a shrug.
"We can show them," Kiyo urged, almost pleading with her host to get out her story. She nodded, understanding what she was suggesting. With all attention on her, Hotaru began to retell the legend. This time, however, it was told from Kiyo's point of view. The spirit recalled the memory, using Hotaru as a messenger of sorts. As she tugged on heartstrings with her tales of betrayal, scandal and fits of passion, each girl around her listened intently. Forget Bella and Edward, it was Lady Kiyo and Anchin the Monk. Even a few of the boys listened to what they could hear from their side of the wall. Every now and then, Kiyo would dramatize the story, leaving Hotaru to either roll her eyes or correct her.
Once it came down to the finale of the spirit's legend, Hotaru herself found she could barely relay the message. For a minute or two, she sat in silence, expression dark as she listened to Kiyo. Her desolate tone was unwavering while it fed the girl the image of a man burned to death. Scarlet eyes narrowed, processing the information. She took a few seconds to recollect herself before finishing the story, expelling her bad feeling with a heavy sigh.
"Kiyo tried to cry out to her frightened lover but found that fire replaced her voice. Shocked and afraid, she sobbed. She watched the curse placed upon her take action. Tearfully, the scorned woman witnessed her truly beloved burn inside a cage of karma. Anchin's fidelity was his own undoing," her voice came out softer than she intended but it did the job. It became quiet. At one point, there were a few conversations that could be heard coming from the boys' side of the hot springs, but they died down. It was absolutely silent. Hotaru sighed, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders when someone finally spoke.
"That's so sad!" Ashido cried, clutching Uraraka's arm as an aftermath of the suspenseful and saddening story. The tailed girl nodded.
"It really does sound different from that point of view..." Yaoyorozu mumbled from next to her.
"It always does..." Kiyo sounded more morbid than normal. Hotaru furrowed her eyebrows, causing lines to form on her forehead. She opened her mouth to speak but yawned instead. Sitting still in confusion for a moment, only then did she realize how tired she was. Her mind might not have been sleepy but her body was still very fatigued. The spirit taking over helped her mental state but not her physical one.
"Guess I'm still a little tired..." she laughed sheepishly.
"Get some sleep. The rest of us shouldn't be here for much longer," Uraraka smiled. Her friend nodded as she stood up. Water dripped off her body when she stepped out of the hot springs and made a beeline for her towel.
"Goodnight, Hotaru! Goodnight. Kiyo!" Ashido called, waving and giggling. Hotaru returned her smile but as soon as she turned away, her smile faded. With a sombre look, she put on her nightclothes. Once dressed, she wandered away from the others. She figured a nice walk might help her clear her mind. However, nothing helped the feeling of dread that welled up in her stomach.
Hotaru's P.o.V
I sighed as I sat on the roof, the sound of various nocturnal creatures filling my ears. This was one of the few times I was glad I had enhanced hearing. The quiet. Since it was nice out and it was the perfect time to talk, I began to converse with Kiyo.
"Hey, Kiyo? You know that impending doom you felt?" I looked off into the distant, dark sky. The stars twinkled as silence fell over the night.
"I wouldn't exactly call it that...but...yes. Yes, I do," she calmly spoke. I bit my lip, fangs digging into my skin.
"Did it...like get stronger?" I anticipated her response but only got silence. It was quiet for at least for a minute. A thin layer of sweat built on my skin.
"What's this about?" the spirit asked with a weary tone. I tucked my knees under my arms, narrowing my eyes as I focused on the ground.
I began to ramble, "I wonder what's going on with mom. She seems happy and even went to go visit her sick father back at the temple. She never talks about her family since she abandoned her Shrine Maiden duties, so I take it she doesn't exactly feel comfortable being there. It looked like she was in a good mood before she left. I hope it lasts."
"That woman has caused you nothing but pain!" Kiyo snapped, causing me to close my eyes and sigh. She was right but I wouldn't admit it. Panic built in me as my mind wandered to a dark place. I needed to vent and Kiyo was the only one who truly understood me. Knowing that, she let me continue.
"It's not just her I'm worried about. The villains-what if they attack again? What if someone gets hurt? What if it's one of my friends?!" I felt tears well up in my eyes at the thought. My hands ran through my violet tresses, stopping near my scalp to tightly grip my head. I had to stop. The thoughts of people being hurt would only make me more nervous. If I told anyone else, they'd probably freak out or think I was crazy...
"Everyone's so excited and happy to be here and I'm just this disorganized mess that needs to get her shit together. I can't even enjoy this training camp because my mind won't quit. If something happens and I do nothing, I-" "For fuck's sake, could you be any more annoying?!"
My teary and wide eyes looked up. I was snapped out of my depressing trance by Katsuki, who stood on the ground below me. I silently stared at him as he clamoured up onto the roof and stood next to me.
"Quit saying all that sad shit because none of it's gonna happen. Nobody's gonna get us. Even if they do, I'll kick their asses and send them straight to hell," the explosive blonde spat. I sniffled, whipping away my fallen tears.
"If the villains attack like last time, it could all be over. W-We're nowhere near UA and the teachers that are here have their limits, too! If the villains really wanted to, they could just tire us out like before," I quipped, hugging my legs closer to my chest. Katsuki clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth and frowned.
"Quit being stupid. We've got all the power," he finally sat down as I shook my head. I was starting to get annoyed.
"We survived because of All Might, but even he was reaching his limits towards the end. If they bring just a few more of those Nomu things...we might not stand a chance," clenching my fists around my arms, I watched my knuckles turn white. It once again became silent for a moment.
"Heroes put up with that shit every day. Get used to it," Katsuki spoke with a tone that I couldn't quite understand. I turned towards him and stared. He was looking off at the dark emptiness before us. I smiled sadly as an airy chuckle escape my lips.
"When did you start letting people confide in you?" I watched Katsuki's eye twitch before he turned to me. I'm not sure why but the sombre look on my face seemed to startle him. "Maybe...everyone was right. I'm not cut out to be a hero. I can't even think like one," I looked forward again. "I'll only get in the way..."
"Just stop," I heard Katsuki say before something pushed onto my back. I tumbled forward, eyes widening as I neared the edge of the roof. I bit my lip and prepared myself for impact. Just before my feet fell out from under me, a hand grabbed my arm. I was still on the ledge, Katsuki's grasp being the only thing holding me up. My wide eyes stared at the ground in shock.
"W-What the hell?!" I hissed, looking back to meet Katsuki's red glare.
"I'm trying to knock some goddamn sense into you!" he snarled. Frowning, I tightened my free fist.
"Well congratulations, you have my attention," I snapped grimly. Katsuki pulled me back with such force that I fell into him. He still had a hand around my wrist as I stood there, so close to him I could practically feel his body heat. He was surprisingly warm...
"You need to quit doubting yourself. You've put up with more crap than I could even imagine to get here, so don't start backing down now," the blonde said. I was at a loss for words when I looked up at him. He looked directly into my eyes. Scarlet orbs met scarlet orbs. "You're strong, Lizard Girl," Katsuki narrowed his eyes. The closeness of our bodies, the fact that we were alone, the atmosphere...A normal person would take advantage of this scenario. But I'm not normal.
"I...I have to go..." I forced myself away from Katsuki, jumped off the roof, and ran off. I breathed heavily as I ran through the forest, looking for a quiet spot to do whatever I needed to do so that I could just forget and calm down. I needed a diversion. that wasn't cowering behind a tree and hyperventilating.
'I can't do it...At least not right now...'
AGH! I loved writing this chapter! I almost posted it earlier this week but I wanted to keep my schedule. I know it's been kind of a slow burn between Bakugou and Hotaru, but this chapter, as well as the others, will be worth it, I promise!
Thanks for reading, Loves!
Special thanks to...
Mystery derpy