Title: 逃げる手 - The Hand That Bleeds
Rating: T
Summary: "I don't want to be a Hero. I want to be a Healer. My Quirk is made for healing, like my mom's, not fighting so I train to fight like a Hero to be a Healer. I want to help others to the best of my abilities." Hisoka Matsushita, raised by her mother and who never knew her father, never could quite understand where the path she would eventually take would lead her to.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Boku no Hero Academia. Boku no Hero Academia is written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi-sensei. No profit was made in the writing of this fanfic.
Beta: Ana-DaughterofHades
Now to Answer Some Reviews:
Prince- Hello! You forgot your usual username again, but I've seen enough of your reviews to know it's you! ^^ Yes! Tsuyu for the tackle! Aha! I switch up the mood in a snap! Don't worry, there won't be any jealousy~. -wink- And moods were meant to be ruined! That is the most fun part of creating them! Hehehehe! Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.
Mercenary 10- Looks like you aren't the only one who thought it was about damn time for the kiss. Ahahaha. Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.
Chapter 43
To New Ideas
Location: Hisoka's Room, Fifth Floor of Heights Alliance, South Side of U.A. High School Campus, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
Date: August 28, 20XX
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Brown eyes slowly fluttered open, though the sun was not even up, as a hand raced out from under the dull red blanket laid out on the bed, touching the off button on the cat-themed clock before it snuck back into the small opening it had come out of. A groan was heard as the blob shifted from under the sheets, rising up to form the shape of a human.
Hisoka felt the dull weight of her body as she slowly pulled herself from a groggy stupor. With a soft groan, she pushed up against the mattress and pulled herself upright. Arms stretching up towards the cream-colored ceiling, her mouth involuntarily opened, and she inhaled air deeply. Hisoka rubbed her eyes, hair a mess from the night's previous activity of sleeping, as she looked around with a dazed look.
Where?
Eyelids lowered and raised slowly, the reels in her mind slow on the uptake before it finally dawned on her where she was.
"Ah..." Rubbing at her heavily lidded eyes, she moved slowly from her bed, as she remembered she wasn't at her house or at the once shared apartment, but somewhere else she would call home from now on (or for three to four years at least). Hisoka let out another yawn, a hand scratching the oncoming itch on her lower back, as she made her way towards the attached bathroom.
They had officially moved in yesterday...
Opening the light wood door to the bathroom, inside was a sink and toilet and she wondered if they were able to install a shower in here... She would have to ask that later. Between the sink and toilet was a thin cabinet that held medicine, her iron pills, a few first aid kits, and a few other things that weren't stashed in the mirror medicine cabinet stationed above the sink. Along the wall to her right were built-in shelves where she had placed some towels, toilet paper, extra shampoo and conditioner, and a basket to carry everything to and from the shared baths. On the floor was a pair of slippers and her lovely red fluffy bath mat Aunty had gotten her a few years back.
Grabbing her toothbrush, she turned on the water and placed some mint flavored toothpaste on it and began to brush her teeth. Brown eyes watched her reflection as she moved about to begin her day (she made a note to herself to shower in the evenings from now on) as her thoughts began to wander to last night's events. So much had happened and she had gone through many emotions and... and...
Her head was angled slightly to the side as Tsuyu's lips came closer and closer to hers. And before they knew it, their lips closed on one another and the world fell away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be, but sloppy as the next thing they knew, both of them pulled away from one another, taking shaky, shallow breaths as reality hit them right in the face.
Wa-Was it hot in here or was it just her?!
Hisoka's cheeks felt like they were going to melt off from the heat and if she blushed anymore she could be classified as a tomato.
Shaking her head, she finished brushing her teeth and then her hair, finally taming her rat's nest (something she gained from her mother), before going back out to put on the short-sleeved version of the school uniform, forgoing the jacket that hung behind her door, and grabbed her tan messenger bag and phone. Taking a peek at the time, she noted it was still very early.
She was pretty hungry...
No one would be awake, so she assumed, and she headed to the elevator. Fumi would be up soon too... And it was not good to start the day on an empty stomach... To the kitchen!
Location: Kitchen Area, First Floor of Heights Alliance, South Side of U.A. High School Campus, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
Date: August 28, 20XX
As the other residents of Class 1-A's Heights Alliance slowly woke up and started getting ready for the day, mouthwatering smells pervaded the air, slowly moving up to the rest of the building, bringing people in accommodating outfits, from some still in their PJs to some in their uniforms. They moved down to the first level to see what was going on.
The first to arrive was Iida and Momo, both of them greeting each other when they reached the ground floor to see someone moving at ease and with grace about the kitchen and Fumikage sitting at one of the tables eating merrily.
"What's going on?" Momo inquired, glancing at the softly humming Hisoka.
"Breakfast," Fumikage simply answered.
"Ah..."
"It smells amazing, Matsushita," Iida-san complimented as he moved towards the cooking girl. He froze when he saw her staring at him with a kitchen knife in hand; he wisely stopped from setting another foot inside the space. Even when she looked at him, she was moving automatically to make sure everything was done.
"Thank you, Iida-san," Hisoka said, moving some grilled fish onto a few plates and handing it to him. "Here, take this to the table for you and Momo and go eat. There are some rice and miso soup already set up for you. Go." She commanded, and did he as he was told without thinking, setting a plate in front of the already sitting Momo and then for himself, taking the seat beside Fumikage.
"Does she do this every morning?" Iida asked after clapping his hands, muttering an 'Itadakimasu' and taking a few bites.
Momo said, smiling as she dug in, "It's delicious..." Iida couldn't agree with her more. Even if it was a simple breakfast it showed how much care the younger girl put into her food.
"She does," Fumi answered. "Hisoka's been cooking since she was a toddler and took charge of the kitchen when we moved in together. She will usually bake something on the weekend too." He took another bite.
Momo hummed. "That does explain all those cookies she usually brings in..." Glancing at Hisoka once more, the girl, wearing a light gray apron with a cupcake that had a cat head for its frosting with 'Cupcat' spelled out under it, was simply adorable.
"It's nice of her to cook for us as well," Iida added. The black-eyed girl nodded in agreement. The three glanced at the moving girl, eating in peaceful silence, before they heard more footsteps, turning to see more of their classmates, Tsuyu, Midoriya, Shoto, and Ojiro, coming down to investigate what was going on.
"What's going on?" Shoto asked, tilting his head. Tsuyu moved to the kitchen to talk softly to Hisoka, each of them blushing when they connected eyes for the first time that morning, muttering to one another.
"Breakfast," Momo answered simply.
"Do you want any?" Hisoka's voice asked them as Tsuyu had her own food, taking the last seat on the first table and gleefully began to eat her grilled fish and rice.
Ojiro perked up, tail swaying with excitement. He had yet to actually try her food and hearing how good it was for the past few months made him interested. "Can we?"
The grumbling from Midoriya's stomach was their answer as they chuckled and sat together. Three out of the four newcomers couldn't help but watch in awe at the ease Hisoka had around the kitchen. They were very much looking forward to breakfast now.
Location: Class 1-A, U.A. High School, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
Date: August 28, 20XX
Hisoka found herself at her desk as everyone took their seats as Aizawa-sensei entered the room and looked at them all with a sigh and his usual semi-bored and aloof expression.
He then commenced class, standing behind his desk. "As I mentioned yesterday, our first objective will be earning your 'Provisional Hero Licenses'." Hands clasping either side of his podium, he leaned forward. "A Hero license grants you permission to intervene when people's lives are at stake. This goes without saying, but the examination required to earn a license is extremely tough. Even the Provisional License Exam has a passing rate of less than five percent each year."
"Whoa, it's that hard just for a Provisional License?!" Kaminari-san exclaimed in disbelief.
The whole class looked to each other nervously, before Aizawa cleared his throat. "And that is why, from today onwards we'll be having each of you come up with at least two of your very own special moves!"
That was when the door opened and the teachers, Ectoplasm, Midnight, and Cementoss, entered the classroom in style. Excitement surged through the entirety of the classroom as the students cheered. "FINALLY! Some cool Hero curriculum!"
Hisoka began to worry, furrowing her brows... Special moves...
"In other words," Ectoplasm stated, "the techniques will help assure your victory!"
"To battle means to leverage one's own unique Quirk. These techniques will be deeply ingrained into who you are," Cementoss interjected, holding up a finger. "Techniques that do not satisfy that requirement will not be allowed."
"Nowadays Pro Heroes without their own special moves are considered an endangered species," Midnight added. "These moves will define who you are and act as your trump cards."
Aizawa-sensei grunted and crossed his arms. "We'll get into specifics with you all shortly in live exercises. Go change into your costumes and meet us at Gamma Gym."
Following the others' stead, Hisoka stood up from her desk, heading over towards the female changing rooms. No one saw the storm of worry developing inside her.
Location: Gym Gamma, Northeast Side of U.A. High School Campus, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
Date: August 28, 20XX
Gamma Gym, also known as the Training Dream Land (or TDL for short), was like a giant empty warehouse.
"Whoa..." Uraraka-san looked up at the vast empty building, putting her helmet on her head. "This is nuts..." Hisoka nodded, pulling up her hood. Many of the other teachers had also gathered, overlooking herself and her fellow classmates.
Cementoss stepped forward in front of his co-workers, crouching down to plant both hands onto the ground. "In this facility of my own devising... I am able to prepare terrains and training objects personalized for each and every one of you." He hurriedly constructed miniature formations, stacked up on top of each other, in order to demonstrate the use of his Quirk. "So, as you can see... It's an ideal area to train." He smiled at them.
"Nice," Kaminari-san commented, hands stuffed in his pockets.
Iida-san wasted no time in shooting his hand up. "If I could ask a question, please!" At Aizawa-sensei's nod, he asked, "Why are special moves necessary in order to obtain a Provisional License? Please illuminate us in that context!"
Aizawa-sensei let out a weary sigh. "I'll explain it to you step-by-step, so chill out. Just watching you is enough to raise my blood pressure..." Aizawa-sensei huffed before he affixed his gaze to the rest of the class before continuing, "Incidents, accidents, disasters, human calamities... it is the job of a Hero to rescue people from all kinds of trouble. Naturally, the exam is one that is designed to measure that aptitude. Information gathering, judgment, mobility, fighting ability, communication, charisma, and leadership are critical to being effective as a Hero. Every year the exam content changes to test these different aptitudes"
Midnight gave them a stern gaze, hands on her hips. "And this may be a given, but fighting ability is heavily weighted as a determining factor. In this sense, being well-prepared will only add to your repertoire, and having such techniques in your arsenal is sure to increase your chances of success."
"If instead of being controlled by the situation, you are able to bring some stability to the situation..." Cementoss nodded and called to the students as he prepared to change the terrain, kneeling on the floor a short distance away from them. "That is a mark of a Hero's true fighting ability."
"Not all moves are necessarily for offensive purposes, either," Ectoplasm added. "Iida, your Recipro Burst is a good example. To be able to move at blistering speeds for short bursts of time is no small feat. That kind of ability is certainly worthy of being called a special move."
Iida-san clenched his fist and looked up, apparently trembling with honor. "You would deem that a special move?!"
"I see... So, it's about drawing from your natural strengths and giving yourself an advantage, right?" Sato-san queried.
"Precisely," Midnight exclaimed, grinning. "Kamui Woods's 'Lacquered Chains Prison' for example, lets him both attack and immobilize his opponents in an instant. It's not complicated and it suppresses Villains quickly, an ideal and effective technique."
"Before the training camp was abruptly brought to an end, we were supposed to spend the last few days working on special moves, but obviously that didn't happen," Aizawa-sensei grunted, shoving his hands into his pockets. "In other words, for the next ten days of summer break, we're going to kill two birds with one stone and strengthen your Quirks whilst developing your special moves. A boot camp!"
The ground rolled and rose into a series of small mountains as Cementoss molded the concrete as he wished, developing a rugged terrain like the mountains the class had trained at during the camp with the Pussycats. Ectoplasm opened his mouth and unleashed a swarm of clones, which bounded over the terrain to await work with each student.
"In addition, with the development of your Quirks and the nature of your abilities in mind..." Aizawa-sensei announced. "Consider ways in which your costumes can also be improved." His gaze turned hard, determination lighting up in his tiny black eyes. "Let the spirit of Plus Ultra take you to new heights. Does everyone understand?"
"Yes, sir!" Students let out excited cries, all of them clamoring among one another before they took off with a leap, each one of them teaming up with a clone of Ectoplasm. But Hisoka was unable to share in their enthusiasm. She merely looked down at her palms, feeling a slight tightness in her chest. She ignored it, however, and followed her classmates' moves and engaged with one of Ectoplasm's clones. Needless to say, the training gym was soon abuzz with noise and the sound of enthused, yet semi-exhausted, cries. Some of them were going at full throttle, eagerly pushing themselves further and further to surpass their limits. Others worked on different ways to use their Quirks, inventing and experimenting on what they could try to do to create their special moves.
But Hisoka...
She twirled on the tip of her foot to barely dodge the kick from Ectoplasm, his speed picking up as she tried to attack. It didn't work. Every time she did, she was either hit or had enough time to escape from the clone's attack. She had yet to draw her weapon, as per the Pro Hero's request, saying that they would fight hand to hand first to see where she was and to figure out what weaknesses she could work on. Such as her chest. It was uncovered and even with the protection her coat gave her still left her vulnerable to attacks.
Lowering her body flat to the ground, she was able to duck as Ectoplasm sailed over her, landing easily on a cliff behind her. Bending his knees, he came at her as she pulled her legs up to her chest and placed her hands flat against the ground, bending her arms backwards as she shifted all of her weight on her shoulders. She kicked upward, using the momentum to push back the elder man, landing on her feet in a squatting position. Ectoplasm landed a few meters away, flipping in the air before looking over his shoulder at her.
Hmmm...
The tractions in her boots could have been better, if a second too late she could have failed the attack. Maybe she could have them upgraded to help with her speed as well... That could help with attacks as-
She was staring up at the ceiling courtesy to a kick to the chest. "Ow..."
"Quit daydreaming! Focus!" Ectoplasm barked at her, stamping his foot near her head as he loomed over her.
"Yes, sir..." She rubbed her chest, standing up as she stood before him.
The Pro Hero backed away, standing a few feet from her "Your footing needs work. It's too wide at certain positions and your chest area is unprotected when you do certain attacks. Whether it's unintentional or on purpose, that can pose a big risk in battle. Understood?"
"I do, sir. I have been thinking to have that part upgraded."
He nodded curtly. "Good. Now your Quirk is to heal wounds when others receive your blood, correct?" She nodded. "Does the healing effect still occur when stored outside?"
Hisoka frowned. That was a good question. Due to the effects of her Quirk, she had to make the cut herself for her Quirk to activate. If someone else did it, it was just normal blood. Though she had experimented with seeing if her blood could still heal if outside her body for certain periods of time. From experience, it only lasted up to an hour but even then, the healing effects had diminished than from receiving it from the direct source. She explained that much to Ectoplasm and he let out a hum.
Her Quirk didn't help in fighting, that she knew. And she was lacking when it came to long range, preferring to fight up close as that was what she was trained in. If long-range Villains got in the way that would cause problems for her. What if she couldn't make it in time to heal the wounded? What if others got in the way? She might not make it in time. What if she couldn't inject her blood into them physically?
"Why not learn to use a weapon that can help with that effect? It might help."
She nodded. A way to have her blood injected into them from far away would be a good idea. But what...
"From the look on your face, you know what I'm talking about. Good. But for now, duck."
Hisoka only had the time to blink, brown eyes widening, flashing red for a millisecond, as she saw the foot racing towards her, and she lowered her body into a crouching position without thinking. Her right hand grabbed her weapon, and before either knew it, she slashed upward, going for the killing blow as she slashed across the clone's chest. She snapped her head up when she realized what happened as she heard him click his tongue and the clone vanished.
"Ah..." She scratched her cheek and muttered, "Whoops..." She stared down at her current Kaiken, her reflection staring back at her as light bounced off of the metal. (Red… "Take a deep breath. It will calm you down, my child." Breathe…) She took a long deep breath, lowering her blade back into its sheath. As she had thought of before - if long-range Villains got in the way that would cause problems for her. A way to have her blood injected into them from far away would be a good idea.
She remembered her fight during the End-of-Term Exam, against the Pro Hero with a gun... A gun...
Maybe she could do that...
Hisoka turned on the heel of her boot, the motion causing her hood to fall back as her hair whipped behind her, moving towards where the teachers stood, absently seeing All Might as she passed him and students fighting and training against their own clone before she stood in front of Aizawa-sensei and Ectoplasm.
"I killed the clone..." Hisoka answered, bowing her head to Ectoplasm. "I'm sorry..."
The taller man waved her off. "It's fine. That's what they're here for. Let me make another one." He opened his mouth but stopped when Hisoka requested he'd wait a moment. With a nod, he moved onto another student.
Aizawa-sensei looked down at her with a bored expression. "What is it, brat?"
"Is there some sort of shooting range on campus, sensei?"
He cocked an eyebrow, eyes burrowing into her as boredness shifted into a serious look. "Yeah. Why?"
"Would Snipe be there?"
"Most likely. Again, why?"
"I want to learn to use a gun." With a look, she explained, "I need to expand my horizon and with that learn some sort of long-range attack. When I was thinking of something, I remembered my fight against Snipe during the End-of-Term Exam and well, I've been experimenting with my Quirk. I think I've got a new move, maybe even more, but in order to pull it off I need to learn to learn to use a gun."
He watched her for a moment, seeing her determination lighting up her eyes, before turning away. "Around this time, he should be at the shooting range training grounds. If you hurry, you still might catch him."
"So..."
"Go east. Then go to the Support Department. Be back in the dorms by eight."
A small smile blossomed on Hisoka's lips. "I will be sure too, sensei. Thank you!" She left out the doors, waving to Tsuyu and Fumi, as he grunted in return at her. First the shooting range and then the Support Department.
Location: Shooting Range Training Ground, East Side of U.A. High School Campus, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
Date: August 28, 20XX
The shooting range looked just like a normal shooting range but much larger and it seemed to have different areas for different environments; when she first entered the shooting range training grounds (finally arriving after getting lost for who knew how long) there was a waiting room area with a glass window that showed students training. In front of the glass was Snipe, arms crossed over his chest, as he spoke quietly into the mic across his ear.
"Takahashi, relax your grip and stiff up your back! Yamamoto, widen your stance. Watanabe, you need to readjust your hold again!" He told them sternly, watching everything. As he continued to tell each student on how to improve, she waited silently next to him watching from the window that gave a view to all the different environments. How he could see everyone was a wonder... As he let out a sigh, he finally addressed her, "Hello, Matsushita."
Ah, so he remembered her. That made things so much easier.
"Hello," she greeted back.
"Ito, that was better but try again! Suzuki, you need to blend in better! I can see you from here!" He spoke into the mic before asking her, "What can I do for you today?"
"I want to learn to use a gun."
"Why? You already have a weapon, one that you know how to use rather well." He let out a huff. "Matsumoto! Kobayashi! Stop yelling at each other and get back to work!"
She explained her reasons, telling him the truth and mentioning how it was better to know than not know as you could never know what could happen. "And that's why... Would you be willing to teach me?"
"Yamaguchi, try a farther target this time! Hasegawa, you too! Fujita, you need to even out your breathing, relax your shoulders, and shoot!" He hummed after a moment of silence. "Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you my answer then."
"Understood." She nodded and left when he dismissed her.
Location: Development Studio, U.A. High School, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
Date: August 28, 20XX
Why was the door blown off?
You know what, Hisoka didn't want to know...
The room was filled with various tools, materials, and machinery. There was also a huge pile of inventions in one of the office's corners. They were piled up on top of one another and Hisoka had to wonder how anything could be found in it. There were noises in the back that made her second guess coming here.
"You one of Eraser Head's kids?" Power Loader, a skinny orange-haired man with a signature yellow helmet, waved her in when she nodded. "He warned me that you'd be coming by..." She followed him inside where he sat at a computer desk. "So, what do ya want?"
Hisoka perked up. "Well..."
Author's Note: How are you all doing? I'm doing good but tired. I totally forgot that we fall back an hour this weekend and so I'm like still awake into the wee hours of the morning without even realizing it. Yaaaa... That might explain why the chapter seems kinda rushed or is it just me? Eh. I'm falling asleep as it is so I'm just going to end it here.
Drawing time! Here are the Halloween-themed drawings I mentioned last chapter and Hisoka's dorm room! I am sure you'll love them! (Just remove the spaces and the links should work.)
Tetsuya: www._deviantart._com/_nightmarezanez/_art/_Tetsuya-Kurosawa-Kitty-77056715
Hisoka: www._deviantart._com/_nightmarezanez/_art/_Hisoka-Matsushita-Ghost-770566564
Dorm Room: www._deviantart._com/_nightmarezanez/_art/_Hisoka-Matsushita-Dorm-Room-771126196
See you all next week!