Chapter 21

Hotaru's P.o.V

Mandalay had sent a group of students to warn Aizawa and the remedial kids about the situation. I was supposed to be one of them. However, I couldn't stop worrying about my friends so went off to look for as many of my friends as I could find.

My mind was running at a hundred miles a minute. All of my brain power was spent worrying about my classmates. A lot of them were out in the forest...Including Katsuki. I used my enhanced hearing to listen for any of my fellow UA students or pro heroes.

"Kiyo, do you think that if we told someone, we might have been able to prevent this?" I asked, ridden with guilt. Kiyo was silent for a moment.

"It was against my better judgement to warn you, Hotaru. I figured you would be a worrying mess instead of enjoying your training camp. I was right...but no. I don't think anything could have prepared us for this," she muttered quietly. My eyes drifted off to the smoke that clouded the distant sky. I felt a little better but I still didn't stop running full speed through the forest. I had to run into someone eventually.

"Everyone in Class A and B! In the name of Pro Hero, EraserHead, you are granted permission to engage in combat!"

"If I'm not mistaken that was the brunette's power of telepathic communication," Kiyo quipped. I mentally thanked Mandalay for the message before using bursts of blue flame to propel myself forward. I didn't care if I fell or if a villain came and attacked me. I was going to save someone if it cost me my life. To make up for not warning anyone about my superstition. To make up for all of those who were about to be hurt...

That's what being a hero is all about, right? I thought grimly. I bit into my hand and drew out some blood before listening to Mandalay make another announcement.

"We have discovered one of the villains' targets. It's one of the students!" she started. My ears perked up and my attention was undividedly on her voice, hanging onto her words. I picked up my pace, sweat forming on my brow.

"Someone named 'Kacchan?'"

- Third P.o.V -

Hotaru's legs went numb. She stopped running while her eyes widened in horror. As she clenched her fists at her sides, she began to tremble. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that her heart and head were about to explode.

"Katsuki...?" she mumbled absentmindedly. Stopping wasn't an option. Bakugou was strong. He could fend for himself, right? The violet-haired girl took a shaky breath before starting to run again.

Now, with determination and fear coursing through her veins, she used bigger bursts of blue flame to leap across the treetops. She was heading towards Katsuki, his scent not too far from her. At this point, it was more of an urge than a feeling. She needed to get to him before God-knows-what happens.

"Calm down and think rationally. The loud blonde can handle himself. You must be cautious and remain diligent or else an enemy might be able to jump you from behind," Kiyo instructed sharply. Her demands fell upon deaf ears, however. Hotaru kept bounding in the same direction, Katsuki's scent getting closer. She thanked the fact that Kiyo was turned into a snake and not something with less valuable sensing abilities.

With one more propulsion blast, she got close enough to hear the blonde's voice. Slowing down, she crouched on the branch of a tree and narrowed her eyes. She watched Bakugou and Todoroki fight a villain with some sort of blade-related quirk. Kiyo knew her words wouldn't waiver Hotaru's decision to help her classmates but she knew she could try her best to keep her safe along the way.

"If you want to help so bad, you can do so from here. Wait until they need you," Kiyo suggested. Hotaru furrowed her eyebrows. She knew the spirit woman was right. They didn't need another thing to worry about.

"Just be quiet and stay put...got it," she sighed. Kiyo went silent, unsure of what else she could say in this situation. She was at a loss. Wanting to help her host and actually helping her were two different things. She wasn't strong enough to force a consciousness swap nor did she think Hotaru would always take her advice. Even now, the girl grows restless. Maybe it would be best if she just stayed out of it-

"K-Kiyo..."

She had no time to voice her opinion as a sharp object ran through her host's arm. Hotaru's hands shook as she stared down at the wound. The long blade, which seemed to be thrown askew by the blade-toothed villain in a straightjacket, twisted while inside her arm. It felt like a hot punch and even pinned Hotaru to the tree in which she was sitting. Despite this, the tailed girl just stared at the wound.

The adrenaline made her numb to the pain and she intended to keep it that way for as long as possible. She tried to use some of the blood from the wound to give her power but found it very hard to move.

"Son of a bitch..." she snapped as she tried to look for where the blade was coming from. She followed it with her eyes and found it was coming from the villain Todoroki and Bakugou were fighting, as expected.

He was bound in a black straight jacket and a device that pulled back his lips and allowed him to bare his teeth which then grew into blades. One of the blades had pinned the young girl and only made her more pissed off.

"This...sucks," she struggled to keep her voice down.

"Hotaru, maybe-" "Don't start with me," Hotaru spat, glaring at the wound with a look that was meant for Kiyo. The spirit went quiet at the outburst. "Maybe if I had been down there fighting, this wouldn't have happened!"

There were screams, rumbles, and even a gunshot, but none of it compared to the loud silence the two shared. Hotaru knew she shouldn't have snapped but wasn't going to apologize. Her and Kiyo both knew she was right but the truth hurt.

The pain of her stab wound was starting to settle in as the adrenaline wore off. At the moment, a stupid decision was not what she needed to make. As she tried to think of a way out, a series of crashes and thumps were heard. It sounded like a stampede. She raised an eyebrow, quickly finding the source.

"Bakugou, Todoroki, one of you, please, make some light!"

"Shoji...?" Hotaru mumbled as she watched Shoji, her octo-armed classmate, run into view. Trailing behind him was a giant version of Tokoyami's quirk, Dark Shadow. She had overheard a conversation where Tokoyami said the dark was a source of power for Dark Shadow but made it hard to control.

"Shit."

Suddenly, Dark Shadow grabbed the bladed-tooth villain. In the process, the blade holding Hotaru detached itself from him. The sudden movement caused her to scream, but she muffled it by bringing her free hand over her mouth. She was still pinned to the tree, but the blade could no longer be retracted by the villain. It would have to be removed manually. Through her teary eyes, Hotaru witnessed the defeat of the villain and, thanks to Bakugou and Todoroki's light, the containment of Dark Shadow.

"I'm a bad match for you," Bakugou hissed. Hotaru sighed, relieved the immediate danger was gone. Now, about the sharp piece of metal sticking out of her shoulder...

The best action to take would be to leave it in to stop the bleeding but it didn't seem like an option considering the state she was in. She could switch with Kiyo but it would be useless. Maybe it would be easier to just wait for someone to find her. They'd have to do a sweep of the forest eventually, right...?

"Wait. Look over there."

...Or she could just wait for Todoroki to point it out.

"Is that...metal?" Shoji muttered. Hotaru suddenly froze as realization sat in. She didn't want her friends to see her in this weak and vulnerable state.

"The villain threw one of his blades into the forest during our fight. He never removed it," Todoroki noted. Hotaru mentally reprimanded herself for not freeing her arm sooner. The purple-haired teen sighed. She put her free hand on the blade, took a deep breath and counted down.

"Okay...Go, on one...two...now!" she mumbled before pulling the blade out. A howl of pain escaped her lips and she was unable to hold herself upright, thus causing her to fall out of the tree and hit the ground.

"That sounds like..." Midoriya's voice trailed off.

"Lizard Girl!" Bakugou was the first to move. He ran towards the direction of the scream, throwing caution to the wind. When he got to the source, he found Hotaru curled up into a ball, clenching her bleeding arm.

"Oh, shit! That hurts like hell!" she cried. He furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his fists, wanting to hurt whoever did this to the small girl. However, the blade lying next to her told him Dark Shadow had taken care of that.

"Anzai!" Midoriya called when he and the others approached her.

"I'm fine..." she mumbled, face turning ghostly pale as blood practically poured from her shoulder. She was bleeding out. Fast.

"Like hell you are! That's a lot of fucking blood!" Bakugou shouted.

"Shut up...Y-You're not making it...any better" Hotaru spat through her clenched teeth as she used the blonde for support.

"So the villain stabbed you while we were fighting?" Todoroki got straight to the point. Hotaru nodded, sweat rolling down her forehead.

"Y-Yeah..." her legs began to wobble with uncertainty. If she kept standing here talking, she'd surely bleed out. Even a consciousness swap wouldn't get her back to a fighting state.

"Why don't you just let Kiyo take over?" Midoriya asked, receiving an uncertain look in response. Hotaru opened her mouth to speak but found that a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over her. She closed her eyes as she felt herself slip away. Her knees hit the ground first, the rest of her body following with a thud.

"Lizard Girl, don't you dare," Bakugou spat. Knowing that the others were here made her accept the fact that if she was knocked out, she'd be in good hands.

"I-I'm not dying, idiot...Just t-tired..." she forced a curt chuckle. Bakugou furrowed his eyebrows. How was she laughing at a time like this? Her eyelids grew heavy, drawing her closer to unconsciousness. This time, she gave in.

"We should get going," Todoroki suggested, interrupting the moment. The group nodded.

"But what about-" Midoriya's question was cut off by Bakugou scooping up Hotaru into his arms. The only reaction from the girl was the pained groan she made when she was moved.

"Let's go. We have ass to kick," Bakugou huffed. He looked normal, like the angry blonde he always was. The only difference was the cause of his anger. Why the hell hadn't he seen her sooner? He narrowed his eyes as he held her limp body tighter. She had been caught up in his fight and got hurt. God as his witness, he'd keep her from any more harm.

Reminder; you are all lovely people and deserve the best. You truly are amazing!

Special Thanks To...

131

InfinityRabbit

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