Chapter 20

Hotaru's P.o.V

I narrowed my eyes and cursed under my breath as I lost my balance, fatigue beginning to take over. Digging my feet into the dirt below me, I kept myself from falling. After spending the next few seconds collecting air in my lungs, I clenched my fists. With a guttural growl, a blue fire erupted from my throat and shot up into the sky.

"Keep going. You need to train your mind-" "My mind as well as my body, I know," I spat before sliding one foot against the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dirt. With a huff, I concentrated a stream of fire out of my mouth and onto the ground. My idea was to get it to a tree that was a good three metres away from me but I missed and caused the one next to it to go up in brilliant blue flames. I sighed as the tree turned a different shade of blue. Icy blue.

"Thanks, Todoroki," whipping the sweat from my face, I thanked my classmate. He sat in a tub of water which he had to heat up then cool down as part of his training. More often than I'd like to admit, he tested his abilities by straining them and fixing my mistakes. My guess was that Aizawa told him to. As expected, he paid me no mind. I shook my head before going over to the cooler sitting off to the side of my little training corner. Inside the cooler were various types of blood, neatly packaged and labelled. Part of my training was to find out if different types of blood made my quirk more powerful or not. Then, I was to train my quirk to not need as much blood as it would normally require to use Kiyo's power. In all reality, the blood part of my quirk seemed to just be a side effect of sorts.

While blood loss was an issue, I was lucky I didn't have to deal with heat like some of my classmates. How do I deal with that, you ask? Well, because my quirk gives me the abilities of the spirit inhabiting my body and mind, I became cold-blooded the day that Kiyo was sealed within me. The tail, horns and fire manipulation were added bonuses. Now, don't get me wrong, I still get hot. Unfortunately, this ability only seems to help out with Kiyo's fire. And yes, I still get fevers when sick. Sadly.

As I sucked out the blood from the packet like a juice box, I took off my tracksuit's jacket, leaving me with the black tank top. I sighed, reading over the label of the blood packet. The rarer blood types tasted better, but I didn't think they had any effect. Apparently, Mister Aizawa had gotten them from a blood donation office. Apparently, people give more than the place actually needs, so all the extras have gone to me. It's a nice gesture, I guess. After sitting down the now empty packet, I wiped any excess blood away from my mouth. With closed eyes, I sighed through my nostrils.

"It was a good theory. At least you have munitions and can carry on," Kiyo sounded even more like a drill sergeant than she did when this training started. I groaned, exaggerating my exhaustion so she would hopefully let me rest for a moment. For some odd reason, my eyes travelled up to the sky like they had a mind of their own. My ears joined the search, twitching when they heard a loud boom coming from not that far off. My eyes scanned their surroundings for the source, focusing on a nearby falling tree.

It was Katsuki.

I had been avoiding him all day. The good news is, I think he was, too. I'm better at avoiding my problems so this level of interaction should have been fine with me but...Well, I guess I miss having someone other than Kiyo to talk to.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts before shooting out a fiery breath attack twice as large as before. It was a good way to relieve my pent up emotions. Those, of course, were still a mystery to me but I didn't intend on figuring out my feelings on some spiritual journey any time soon.

While managing to build up a bit of a run, I put everything I had into propelling myself upwards. I focused my fire on my feet and leapt into the air. I was able to see a lot of the forest as time seemed to slow down. A transitory state of suspended animation.

Admittedly, I had gone up higher than I intended with my emotional blast of fire but it helped me see how hard everyone was working. I smiled. A few of my classmates look up at me. One specifically, Katsuki. He stared at me and I stared back for a moment. Although we were so far away, physically, emotionally and mentally, we still locked eyes. I'm trying to avoid him, dammit! A heat grew in my red-tinted cheeks and I groaned. Forcing myself to come back down to Earth, I lightly slapped myself in the face. Now wasn't the time for that.

"Hotaru..."

"What is it now, Kyo?!"

"You're still in the air..."

I looked down, realizing I was, in fact, falling rather quickly. I panicked, shooting a large blast of fire at the ground and shutting my eyes tight. By the time I got down, the grass around my landing area was scorched and some trees were burned. I breathed heavily as I looked over and saw another class walk by just in time to witness me fall flat on my ass. I let out an angry growl before messing up my already frizzy hair and throwing myself onto my back

"Even the small ones are freaky..." one of the kids muttered. I laughed nervously as I waved to them.

"Get back on track. We're not going to waste time," Kiyo spat. I groaned but got back to work. I had to be better, after all. Better than her. Better than what she said I would be. With that thought in mind, I jumped up onto my feet and headed to get another blood pack.

A Couple Of Days Later...

The entirety of the class was prepping their own food, each playing a different role to ensure that we were able to eat whatever mess came out. When Mandalay and Ragdoll-one of the Wild, Wild Pussycats that we had met over the span of the past few days-explained this to our energy-deficient class, we really weren't all that excited. I'm pretty sure Mineta passed out and I almost felt like doing the same.

By some miracle, the food managed to come out edible. It was probably the most rewarding part of the day. Strangely, Kiyo didn't seem to be paying close enough attention to my cooking skills. Actually, what I mean is she didn't point out my lack thereof. I lit the make-shift stove fires. I was, in fact, a glorified matchstick and not even a peep came from Kiyo. It worried me but, for some reason, I still went on with my day.

"I am starving," I grumbled, burying my face in my hands and unconsciously getting the attention of the two kids next to me. Midoriya chuckled nervously to my left.

"I'm sure it'll be done any minute," he chimed. I sighed as a drop of sweat fell from my brow. Mina, who sat on the right side of me, nudged me gently.

"Are you okay?" her smile showed that she was concerned. I guess I wasn't exactly trying to hide the confusion happening in my brain but still...I thought no one would notice.

"I'm fine," I replied with a forced smile. Midoriya's eyes lingered on me for a minute, causing a nervous sweat to build on my forehead. I sighed, looking back to where the food was being prepared. Katsuki just so happened to be within my line of sight. Why the hell do I keep finding myself looking at him? If the universe could politely fuck off, it would be much obliged.

Unknowingly, I stared at the blonde as he continued cutting carrots. He could handle the knife surprisingly well. I sighed, propping my chin upon my palm. I had to talk to him sooner or later. Leaving things off on such an awkward note wasn't going to go well for my psyche. So, after mustering up the courage, I got up and walked towards Katsuki.

"Hey, Hotaru," Eijirou smiled as I approached. Half-heartedly, I waved.

"Hey, Eijirou," I replied. I took a deep breath when I noticed Katsuki had yet to look up at me. If anything, he looked more upset. My eyes lingered on him for a minute. Eijirou must have noticed that something was up because he excused himself from the situation fairly quickly. I narrowed my eyes gently.

"Katsuki...Can I talk to you for a minute?" I finally spoke up. The explosive blonde stopped chopping the food and looked up. He paused, eyebrows furrowing. After passing the minced carrots to Iida, he nodded. I wasn't looking forward to this but it had to be done. Katsuki put down his knife and we began to walk to a part of the forest where people could see but not hear.

"So why did you drag me out here?" he grumbled once we were far enough from the group.

"Because we need to talk," I let out an exasperated sigh. He crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. His silence scared me as I held my breath.

"I shouldn't have left things off as I did...and I wasn't really myself last night. There's a lot that's been on my mind and just being able to vent, it's helped..." I paused, noticing how bored he already looked with the conversation. My eyes suddenly found an interest in the ground. "So...I guess what I'm trying to say is..." I began to sweat.

"What I'm trying to say is...thank you."

"What?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you for helping me snap out of whatever rut I got myself into," a sheepish sweat fell down my forehead. Katsuki paused. The look he gave me was less of a scowl and more of an...analysis. He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" he grumbled.

I pouted, "And you're a jerk." For some reason, Katsuki put a hand on my head. I widened my eyes a bit and my jaw dropped ever so slightly. What the hell was happening?

"Don't start thinking about that stupid shit. It'll only make you feel worse," Katsuki furrowed his eyebrows. I hesitated before letting a small smile make its way onto my face.

"I don't want anyone else to feel like I did. I've always wanted to help others. I just needed to be reminded why I wanted to be a hero in the first place," I nodded. Katsuki smirked with what looked like, dare I say, a hint of pride. I sighed and shook my head.

"Now, let's quit saying all this mushy crap or else I'll start getting emotional," I chuckled, grabbing Katsuki's arm and taking it off my head. For a moment, I was able to forget about what was troubling me. It was nice, to say the least...

That Night...

It was later into the evening when the class-minus a few kids who were forced to take remedial courses-was told we would be partaking in a "test of courage".

Me, being the terrified crybaby that I am and knowing that I would be reduced to tears within seconds, decided to punish myself with participation. I braced myself for hell as the Wild, Wild Pussycats explained the concept.

"Okay, so Class B will be the first to be the scarers. Class A will leave in pairs every three minutes. There are tags with your names written on them in the middle of your route, so bring those back with you," Pixie-Bob said. She and her team were going to be monitoring us.

Tiger (another hero previously introduced us), Pixie-Bob, and Mandalay would stay in the forest clearing with us while Ragdoll had students check in with her at the half-way mark.

"You, my darling, are going to have a wonderful time," Kiyo was relentless as always. I rolled my eyes and scoffed.

"Your insatiable sarcasm rears its ugly head once again," I mumbled, sweat falling off my brow awkwardly.

As lots were pulled and teams were formed, I found myself to be partners with Midoriya. For a fraction of a second, I could see the slight hesitation in his eyes when he heard I would be his teammate for the test of courage. I don't blame him.

I sighed before sitting down and watching team after team walk into the forest to face their fate. About fifteen minutes in, most of the teams had already been sent off. I was half-listening to the chatter of those around me as I looked up at the sky. I couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Katsuki being scared by another student.

"I would pay to see that," Kiyo sounded very smug. I smiled as I heard more terrified shrieks. The sounds and smells of the forest filled my senses. It was a pleasant experience. I had never been camping but I always liked the outdoors. Lots of distractions...

"Other than the screams, it's a really peaceful and quiet night," I slid my hands behind my head and laid back onto the grass. Midoriya, who stood next to me, laughed sheepishly.

"Y-You think so?" he asked. I nodded, lips twisting into a small smile.

"This is one of those times I wish my range of hearing was greater. I bet Katsuki's gotten scared by now," I giggled. Midoriya almost turned a ghostly white.

"Really?" his voice cracked. I looked at him from the corner of my eyes.

"Chill out, Midori," I smirked. Midoriya's eyes widened a bit at the nickname. I stood up and dusted myself off, ready to venture deeper into the woods. I stretched, popping some of my joints.

"W-What?!"

I snapped my head towards the right and widened my eyes as Pixie-Bob levitated off the ground. She was surrounded by a pink aura which pulled her towards the darkness. A sickening crunch caused me to wince. Pixie-Bob's head had hit something hard, breaking her headset and putting a large gash on her head. My worry was soon replaced with grief and extreme panic as two unfamiliar people walked out of the forest. I clenched my shaking fist.

"Kiyo...are they...?" I knew I had no need to finish my sentence. I took the spirit's silence as a yes and grit my teeth. I knew what was to come...

And I was horrified that I couldn't stop it.

Ooooooh! Are you feeling it now Mr. Krabs?!

Hehe. You guys are truly amazing and I want to thank you for your support throughout this story. I'm so glad you all have decided to read it! I promise that something big is coming up. Just trust me.

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Special Thanks To...

Littlecosma001

Reclaimer4theB.O.B

Sabry Franco

Moonie Pup

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PrincessJV

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rsaenz18- I'm glad you like it and took the time to review! As always, I want to say thank you. I've been trying to keep on schedule but it's been a little hard, with school whatnot. I'm happy people are enjoying the story. :)