I know it's been ridiculously long (like nearly three months, what the hell?) but hey, here's a chapter! Thanks for sticking around, and happy holidays.

Chapter 26: Say My Name

"Koharu?"

Whirling to meet the intruder, Koharu's wild eyes met the steady eyes of her seatmate. Tokoyami's hand remained poised on the door, the teen looking ready to step back out again. "Are you alright?"

Koharu licked across her teeth and readied a lie like ammo. "I'm fine," she shot. "I just... thought I saw a rat?"

Tokoyami's red eyes swept the room, taking in the upended charis that littered the floor. Koharu inwardly admitted that it was not her best fib yet. Finally, his gaze locked back onto Koharu. "I will pretend to believe that, if you need me to. Can I offer you any assistance?"

"No, I'm fine," she was quick to reply. Realizing that her hands still being maniacally buried in her hair presented a counter image to her being 'fine', Koharu carefully untangled her fingers from her curls. They dropped uneasily to her sides, twitchy with an absence of tasks. "I was just leaving."

Tokoyami side-stepped into the room to clear the doorway. His eyes remained locked on her own, daring her to follow through and pass him. Red met black relentlessly.

Black broke first.

"Alright," Koharu said, tossing her hands into the air. "I was throwing a hissy-fit. I kicked the stupid chairs. You can go tattle to Iida if you want— I'm sure he would have some choice words for me right about now. I wouldn't bother telling the homeroom teach', though. I heard he's got a soft spot for me."

Tokoyami slid the door closed. The sound of it thudding into place punctuated her rambling, inviting back the stillness that she had sought in fleeing to the locker room in the firts place. She felt in her chest as it loosened a knot, unnoticed until she could breathe easier. The intruder leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

The silence stretched between them. Her stance was stubborn, firm-footed and tense. Tokoyami was unyielding. His eyes stayed locked on her figure, unable to catch her flighty gaze but resolute nonetheless.

"I don't deserve to have made it to the second round," she blurted, the first to break again. "That shitfaced dumb-ass Shinshou from Class-1B used his Quirk on me or whatever. He was using me, or, or something— I just know that I wasn't in control of myself. I can't even remember the match."

She heard his hum of acknowledgement clearly across the quiet room. "The reason for your uncharacteristic humility during the match has become clearer," Tokoyami said. "You're typically much... bolder."

Koharu huffed. "That's on purpose. I'm kinda trying to get noticed here."

"We all are," Tokoyami agreed with a slow nod of his head. "However, you still have the next round to showcase your talents."

"Right," she said. The word felt hollow. Her fingers plucked at the seam of her gym pants. "There's still the next round. Yeah."

It was all wrong.

"Tokoyami," spoke Koharu. His eyes remained locked on hers, calm. His steadiness served to make her all the more aware of her own shaking hands. "Do you remember our Hero training? I mean— I know you do. You're not a forgetful guy." Still, he nodded. "I used my Quirk right away… so you weren't able to show off at all."

"And you're concerned that that will happen to you in the next round?"

"It's already happened." Bitter. Admitting defeat tasted wrong. Koharu swiped her tongue across her teeth. "It's not like I did anything useful in the cavalry battle, and there was nothing to do in the obstacle course except to run. I used Todoroki to get past the real challenges. It's pure luck that I've made it this far. Do I even deserve to be in the next round?"

As her voice rose, Todoroki stayed level. His arms remained locked across his chest. "I believe only you can answer such a question."

"Then I don't," she said. Feeling the urge to kick another chair, she moved instead to pick up one of the few she had previously knocked over. The legs of the chair screeched along the floor as she righted it. Her fingers dug into the smooth plastic back, desperate to be busied. "I don't deserve to be in the next round."

"But?"

"But, fuck!" Koharu burst with an empty laugh. "Fuck if I don't want it anyway. Fuck if I'm not dying to show Shinsou what a piss poor enemy he's made out of me, and to show everyone else what a kick-ass hero I can make. I'm pissed off that my chance was taken from me, and I fucking want it back. I want to prove that I can do it."

"There is only one person trying to stop you," he said with a heavy pause. "It is yourself."

"Goddamn," she replied. "That's fucking deep, man."

"I try," came the dry response.

xox

The final round would take place after lunch. After her conversation with Tokoyami, Koharu was feeling just vaguely forgiving enough to stomach a meal. Her classmates had long since dispersed, and Tokoyami was quick to leave her for less aggressive company.

Koharu stood alone in the hallway, her thumb held hesitantly over her phone's touchscreen. She didn't want to be alone, but neither did she want a crowd. Most of her friends would have already grouped together, and it would be awkward for her to rescind her own request if it turned out they were in groups. She wasn't interested in sharing what had transpired between her and Tokoyami with anyone else.

Five minutes of deliberation later, the choice was made for her. Her phone lit up, a pictureless contact lighting up her screen.

Aoi Nakanishi would like to video chat. Accept?

Koharu took a deep breath and let it ring twice before answering, not wanting to make it obvious she had been staring at her phone. She plastered on a smile as she answered. "Hey, Nakanishi."

Aoi's video feed was so dark that she could barely make out her outline, but Aoi's cheery voice cracked into life over the line. "Oh my gosh, you were so cool out there!"

"Oh," said Koharu, her pinks beginning to tinge a light pink. "You're watching the festival?"

"Duh."

"...oh," she repeated dumbly.

"I knew you would do well in the race! I remember when we first met, and you chased after Pesu— I've never seen anyone move so fast!"

The praise hit her in the stomach. Koharu tilted her hair over her face as she felt her cheeks darken. "It was really nothing special. I'm just a little fast, it was no big deal or anything…"

"Are you kidding me?" came Aoi's quick retort. Koharu could see her move closer to the camera. "I think you were the only person I didn't see get blasted by those crazy landmines. It was like you were floating!"

That brought pause. Why hadn't she detonated any of the mines? Koharu had taken it as a blessing at the time, another box packed away and a mystery to be answered after crossing the finish line. She was certain that she had stepped over plenty of the buried bombs with her reckless charge, but she had continued unhindered.

Aoi was still waiting for a response. Koharu spoke through a suddenly dry mouth.

"I just got lucky, I guess."

Aoi was scoffing. "Lucky? That wasn't luck. Don't lie— you were using someone else's Quirk, weren't you?"

"No," she replied as her stomach churned. She didn't know what truth to tell. "No— I wasn't. I can't use people's Quirks."

"I'm not so sure about that, Aizawa… how else can you explain our future?"

Right. Someone was going to drop a building on them. The mysterious we of we're here. All the panicked thoughts she had pushed aside pushed at the edges of their boxes, anxiety spilling through the cracks and flooding her veins with something terrible and nauseating. Into the phone, she mustered two words: "I can't."

"I can, you little thief," teased the faint voice across the line, the silhouette unknowing of the avalanche they had caused. "So who did you rob?"

xox

"Last chance to join us! You're really sure you want to sit this out? It'll be the last ride of the day..."

"Absolutely positive. It's a little high for my taste."

"Please, mommy?"

"That's not going to work on me again! I'll be waiting for you at the bottom."

xox

"...the hell's your problem?"

"Fuck!" Koharu swore, her body visibly jolting. She didn't uncurl her head from between her knees— she didn't need to see his face to recognize his voice. She had been caught with her metaphorical pants down twice in the past twenty minutes, and it was starting to wear on her pride. "God, can people stop sneaking up on me when I'm trying to have mental breakdowns? Do you people know nothing of privacy?"

Bakugou scoffed. She could practically see the sneer on his face as he replied, "It's not my fault you're crying in the middle of the hallway like some sort of attention-seeking brat."

That made her raise her head. Seeking attention was the last thing she wanted, but Koharu hadn't had the luxury of choosing where to break down in frustrated tears after quickly ending her call with Aoi. There were so many questions that she still needed answers to, and it seemed like the list only kept growing. She knew that she needed to focus— to focus on the sports festival, on her career, on her future…

The problem was that it was all so big, and Koharu was so small. She was overflowing with it. All she had wanted was to be a hero, and somehow she had ended up on some stupid journey of self-discovery instead. Why couldn't it just be easy? Why wasn't it fair?

Focusing on what little she could, she glared up at Bakugou through puffy eyes. "I don't need your attention. In fact, if you would so kindly fuck off, I'd be much obliged."

The blond twitched like he was tempted to kick her, his permanent scowl deepening. "You don't own the fucking hallway, shittyface!"

"Sh—?" An unwanted snort faltered her glare. "Did— did you just call me 'shittyface'? What the hell kind of insult is that?"

Bakugou's eye began to twitch uncontrollably. "You should know, shittyface," he doubled down as his foot planted itself firmly against her bicep. A quick shove, and Koharu's crouched form hit the ground with an undignified yelp.

"Oi!" was her angry yell. Her face was flushed in anger as she began scrambling upright. The fall certainly hadn't hurt, but it was the principle of the matter. She hadn't been shoved like that since elementary school, and for good reason. "What the fuck's the matter with you, Baku-brat?"

He stood like a bitter child, hands deep in his pockets and shoulders up by his ears. "The fuck's the matter," he repeated, "With you?"

Oh, you've got no idea, buddy.

Instead, she lied. "I'm fine." His eyes swept her face, and she was instantly cognizant of the drying tears still on her cheeks. She rubbed her wristband roughly across her face. "I've got allergies." It was suddenly harder to meet Bakugou's red sneer, his mouth shifting into a fine line and eyes peering a touch too deeply. She wondered briefly if he didn't have heat vision, as her face warmed to pink wherever his eyes trailed.

Finally, Bakugou harumphed and turned away. She wondered if he had found what he was looking for, or if he was disappointed. "You're a shitty liar—" he said, and her stomach sank, "But I don't really give a shit either way. See you on the field, shittyface."

And just like that, he was gone. Koharu stood cemented where he left her, listening as his footsteps disappeared down the hall.

"'Shittyface'," she eventually repeated. "Sounds like the sort of stupid-ass thing I'd come up with…" softly, she began to smile through still burning cheeks. "Idiot."

chapter end

Fahdza— wb! You didn't miss anything. Secretive author is being secretive.

Otakugirl1996—wb! Shouta lives in a constant state of stress over Koharu, which has clearly taught her grrreeeat coping mechanisms.

ZippyZappy— Your review made me soooo happy! I'm so glad that you like Koharu, and your compliments to my writing are making me swoon. I hope you'll continue to enjoy!

M— wb! Answers will absolutely come, but not yet :) and yes... the day is certainly young!

Mads-Chikistorm— ;)

Princess Aziza— Please someone hug the Aizawas. They desperately need it. I hadn't thought about Midnight in this story, but you're not the first to mention it, so I feel like she's going to need to get involved... she seems like the kind of woman Koharu would be obsessed with, to the complete dismay of her brother.