Author's note: Hey everyone, its Fire Slash welcoming you to the newest chapter of Healing Wounds. Before we begin, I have two announcements to make:

1. This story has reached a new milestone! Two hundred+ followers. When I first started this story, I never dreamed of it getting this big. As thanks, I've included possibly the most fluff I've ever written in any story (aka: here's some Hinamiki fluff for you all).

2. I'm planning a new story called Hajime Hinata: Ultimate Hero. Just like I have with my other story 'Soldier of Hope,' I'll be posting a preview at the end of this chapter. That story will be the last story I'll be writing until one of my current stories concludes.

Now, review and enjoy :-).

0000

Having arrived at school earlier than usual, Hinata swiftly made his way to Mr. Kirigiri's office. After learning of the exams Hopes Peak held each semester, the ultimate hope needed to ask the headmaster for more information about them. After all, Hinata had to keep his talent a secret from nearly everyone, but how was he supposed to do so during the exams? According to Souda, the exams were essentially a performance. With the vast amount of talents the boy has in his procession, having to perform all of them in front of an audience could reveal his true identity.

Nervously, Hinata knocked on the door to the headmaster's office. Hearing the voice of Mr. Kirigiri from the other side telling him to come in, Hinata entered the room.

"Good morning Mister Kirigiri," Hinata greeted the headmaster. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

"Don't worry, you're not," the headmaster said while giving the boy a professional smile. "What is it that you need?"

Closing the door behind him, Hinata took a seat on one of the two couches located in the room. "Well, I heard from a fellow student that exams were coming up and I was wondering what was going to happen with me. Will I have to perform with the rest of my classmates, or will I have a private exam?"

"Originally I was going to inform you about your exams at a later date, but since you're already here, I'll just tell you now," Mr. Kirigiri informed the boy. "Yes, your exams will be private. They'll take place in the biology room and as for the components of your exam, they'll include an academic portion and a performance section. The academic portion will include harder versions of the material you've learned in school, seeing as part of our agreement was that you'd attend classes nearly everyday while being given two days you can take off each month. As for the performance, it'll be split into two parts, the first testing your physical abilities while the second will involve you having to prepare something special."

"Something special?"

"Yes, something that wouldn't normally be put on an exam. Examples include baking something out of this world, sewing an article of clothing which would become the next fashion trend, or singing a song with both the voice and lyrics powerful enough to make a professional fighter cry in sorrow. Be creative and wow the judges. I'm excited to see what the ultimate hope will surprise us with."

"I'll try my best to impress you," Hinata said, the boy becoming more nervous each second. The last portion of the exam really had him worried. "I better head back to class. I'll see you later."

"Good bye Hinata," Mr. Kirigiri stated as the boy walked out of the office and went straight to his homeroom.

0000

As his classmates chattered with one another, Hinata sat in a deep silence. While he was glad he didn't have to perform in public, the performance section of the exam still worried him. With all the talents Mr. Kirigiri had been exposed to, how was he supposed to think of something to impress the man? Granted, he still had a month to decide, but he's probably seen everything already. After all, he was the freaking headmaster of a school filled the most talented people alive.

'Maybe I could build something?' Hinata mentally questioned himself. 'Oh right, Souda's going to be doing that. How about juggling? That'd work, if he was eight years old. Doing anything physical such as gymnastics or fighting won't work, seeing as I'll already be tested on that. I could give cooking a shot, but wasn't one of the upperclassmen doing good that as well? Damnit! This is going to be so frustrating, I can already tell.'

"U-um Hinata?" A shy voice spoke, causing Hinata to snap out of his mini-trance. Turning his head to his right, the boy saw Tsumiki giving him a concerned stare. "A-are you okay? You seem stressed. You've broken your pencil."

"I have?" The ultimate hope asked, glancing down at the hand he was holding his writing utensil with. It was as the nurse said, it was completely broken. Looking back at his best friend, he gave her a reassuring smile. "Oh, I have. I'm okay though, just having a hard time deciding what to do for my exam."

"I-I may not know your talent, but I'm sure you'll figure something out," Tsumiki exclaimed. "Y-you're easily the most amazing person I've met."

"D-don't say things like that," Hinata told her, blushing. That remark had caught him completely off guard. Having expected a storm of apologies to come from the girl, Hinata waited a few seconds before speaking, surprised that it never came. It seemed she was comfortable enough with him to not constantly apologize for stuff she never did. "That spot clearly goes to you."

"M-me?!" The girl shouted in surprise, her face red as a tomato. Another thing she seemed to do was blush a bit more around him, but the ultimate hope brushed it off as nervousness. Despite her comfort around him, the nurse still displayed cautious behavior.

"You're willing to help those in need, no matter who they are. If that doesn't make you a good person, then I don't know what does. You're the nicest person I've met."

T-t-thank you," the Tsumiki stuttered, her face somehow becoming even more red than before. Unable to look at Hinata's smiling face any longer without her heart bracing itself to jump out of her chest, the nurse quickly turned her face away from the boy. The girl had no idea why she felt this way when she was around Hinata. Perhaps it was because he was her friend? It could also be that he was the first person to ever treat her with kindness for a long period of time. Or perhaps it was something else, an emotion stronger than any other?

Checking her heartbeat, the girl was surprised to see that it was beating at a faster pace than usual. Unfortunately, she couldn't think much about it due to the entrance of Yukizome.

"Good morning everyone!" The teacher greeted ecstatically, causing everyone to turn to face her, questioning whether was making their teacher behave in such a fashion. Though usually cheery, the ex-ultimate housekeeper was clearly more excited today. "I've got great news for you all!"

"Is Hanamura finally leaving the school?" Saionji asked the teacher, her face on her desk.

"Perhaps we're getting a new kid," Mitarai said, putting his two cents in. Judging by the head shake the teacher was giving them, it seemed the two ultimates were wrong.

"Nope and nope! Seeing as exams are coming up soon, I've decided to schedule a class trip the week before. That way, you could relax and have fun before eventually preparing."

"YAHOO!" Mioda shouted, perfectly displaying the excitement felt by most of the class. "A class trip?! Ibuki's like, super stoked! Class trips usually have parties in them! I can't wait to set one up! It'll be the most wild party EVER!"

"What class trips have you gone to?" Souda asked the hyperactive singer. "Most of the ones I've went on were lame. Hell, most of them involved total silence to be had between the students."

"Don't you worry about having another boring trip," Yukizomi informed the mechanic. "Where we're going, there'll be plenty of time to host several parties."

"Uh, where are we going?" Koizumi asked the woman.

"Perhaps it's the very pits of hell itself!" Tanaka exclaimed before letting out one of his 'maniacal' laughs, causing Sonia's eyes to widen and sparkle.

"You've went to hell before?" The princess asked him. "I'm impressed. I didn't know you're truly that powerful, powerful enough to come back from such a dangerous place unharmed."

"Indeed I have. Perhaps you could accompany me to my next voyage…"

"I'd love to!"

"Sonia, please don't encourage him…" Souda begged the princess, only for her to ignore him as usual.

"Yeah, no. We're not going there," Yukizome said, shooting down the bizarre theory. "We'll be spending three days and two nights at Yuigahama beach!"

"The beach?" Nidai asked himself out loud, letting out a boisterous laugh afterwards. "Now I can test my new beach training regimen!"

"The beach huh," Hanamura said before blood began pouring out of his nose. "You know what that means? Beach babes! Lots and lots of beach babes!"

"Hell yeah!" Souda shouted in excitement. "I'm so ready for this!"

"Do I have to keep you both on a leash?" Koizumi sternly asked the two boys. "If so, I'll certainly do it, but just know that once we get back I'll be pissed at you two for ruining my vacation."

"Getting tied up by Miss Koizumi…sounds thrilling," the perverted chef chuckled to himself, only to earn another glare from both Koizumi and Saionji.

"The beach sounds fun..." Nanami exclaimed before letting out a loud yawn. If she was as excited as everyone else was, the ultimate gamer was surly hiding it well.

"I've talked it over with the board and they gave me full permission to take you all over there," Yukizome informed her students. "I think some class bonding time will be good for you all. This is also a reward for the fact all of you have attended your classes nearly every day."

For the rest of homeroom, the beach was all anyone could talk about before the bell rang, signaling the start of classes.

0000

"So, the beach," Hinata stated as he and Tsumiki took their daily walk home together. "Are you excited?"

"Absolutely," the nurse responded with a smile. "I love the feeling of the seawater. B-but…"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Hinata asked his friend.

"A-as much as I love the beach, I really hate wearing a swimsuit. People tend to stare…" the nurse informed him, blushing in embarrassment. "It gets uncomfortable after awhile."

"I could only imagine," Hinata said, understanding the origins of her discomfort. "I'd feel the same way if I were you. If you decide not to go swimming, I'll keep you company."

"I-I appreciate it, but I wouldn't want you to sacrifice a chance of having fun to keep me company."

"It's fine. I don't really like staying in the ocean for long periods of time anyways."

"T-thank you," Tsumiki said. It seemed Hinata was always willing to make time for her. She truly appreciated this about him.

"No problem. Well, this is my stop," Hinata informed her, pointing towards his house. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Expecting a normal departure, Hinata began to turn himself towards his house, only for Tsumiki to give him a surprise hug, stunning the boy.

"Goodbye Hinata," the girl said as she held the boy tighter. After a few seconds of doing nothing, Hinata decided to return the hug. Eventually, the girl released him before walking away with a small smile, allowing Hinata to return home himself.

0000

"Why did I hug him?" Tsumiki asked herself as she continued walking home by herself.

It was true that the girl had no intention of hugging Hinata as she walked with him, but once the two were prepared to separate for the day, her body instinctively threw itself at him. It was also true that she didn't want to let go, the nurse wanted to stay in the same position forever.

"W-what's happening to me?" Tsumiki asked herself another question. The nurse has noticed how new emotions developed inside her the longer she interacted with Hinata. Jealousy boiled up inside her whenever he spoke to other girls, believing that he would soon hang out with them and completely forgot about her. Embarrassment flooded her face whenever he gave her a compliment. While she's received some in the past, something about getting praised specifically by Hinata made her knees weak. And then there was his personality in general. The way he was willing to make sacrifices for her made Tsumiki want to grab onto him and never let go and smiles seemed to be contagious, causing her to smile as well.

"M-maybe I'm sick? T-that has to be it!" The girl exclaimed. "B-but with what? I've never felt this way before. I'll have to do some research."

Unknown to Tsumiki, what she was feeling was something that nearly everyone felt at one point or another. It was something which was believed to be the strongest force on Earth. What she was feeling wasn't sickness, but something which could either serve as medicine or can mimic the symptoms of an illness.

What she was feeling…

It was the beginning stages of love.


Author's note 2: as promised, here's a preview of Hajime Hinata: Ultimate Hero. The one here and the one on my other Danganronpa story 'Soldier of Hope' are different.

0000

"Well, that night could have gotten better, Hinata whispered to himself as he made his way to Hopes Peak academy. Looking up at the moon, Hinata couldn't believe that he attempted to take out eight armed gang members with nothing but his fists. Though most people would immediately avoid even staring at a gangster, Hinata couldn't let them walk around freely, especially when they were attempted to rob an innocent man of his belongings.

To most sane individuals, the thought of a boy like Hinata rushing into a fight against eight men was worthy of a face palm. You couldn't blame them though, for other than being taller than the average high school student, there was nothing visibly special about the boy. He looked to be completely average in terms of strength and intelligence. However, looks can be deceiving for you see, Hinata wasn't an ordinary boy. Having been contacted by some sort of deity who took the appearance of a stoic boy with red eyes and long hair, Hinata was given superpowers from the supernatural being. Why the being gave him powers? It was because 'he was bored and wished to see how an individual would act upon receiving even a small amount of power.' Donning a costume made of black sweatpants, a black hoodie, black sneakers, a black bandanna mask, and black socks, Hajime Hinata chose to become the superhero known as Izuru so he could achieve his dream of helping people.

The abilities the being gave him were increased strength, reflexes, agility, and endurance. Hinata also gained heightened analytical skills, having the ability to master hard concepts in less than a day and predict what someone was going to do before the action gets executed.

Unfortunately, even with these feats, Hinata had a hard time fighting off the gangsters. Armed with knives and having the advantage of numbers on their side, they managed to hit Hinata more than he liked. Thankfully, his super endurance protected him from any strikes from the gangsters' knives that would have been lethal. Even then, they still hurt like hell. Though he was able to drive them away, the fight made Hinata realize that it would take more than some feats to become a good superhero. Like most comic book and manga characters who shared his abilities, Hinata knew he would need the help of technology. Though he originally had trouble deciding how he was going to receive such items, the boy soon remembered that one his childhood friends was the ultimate mechanic.

It was because of this that Hinata made his way to Hopes Peak Academy, the school for the gifted. Knowing where his friend's dorm was, Hinata jumped two stories high, positioning himself on the mechanic's windowsill while maintaining supernatural balance. Knocking on the window, Hinata waited until his friend woke up.

"What the hell? Who's waking me up at this time?" The familiar pink haired boy mumbled in annoyance as he checked his window. Upon seeing who it was, the boy's eyes widened in shock. "I-Izuru! What are you doing here?"

"Souda Kazuichi, I am in need of your assistance," Hinata informed him.

"N-no way! The Izuru needs MY help?!" The boy shouted in surprise, causing Hinata to shush him. "Sorry. It's not everyday a superhero needs my help. What is it that you need?"

"As you already know, I've taken an oath to defend the concept of hope at all costs. However, after a recent encounter, I've realized that I'll need some extra help to do so. This is where you come in. I need you to make me some weapons I can use in combat. I'd especially appreciate it if they were non-lethal."

"I'm more than happy to help, but why me?"

"Because," Hinata said as he removed his mask, revealing to the mechanic Izuru's true identity. "I've known you since we were young. You're the only one who I can trust. So, will you do it?"

Unfortunately, the only response the vigilante received was a small 'yes' before Souda fainted from pure shock.