Chapter 4: Hope has arrived!…or has it?
Introduction
V/O (Katsuki[sipping yogurt drink with an angry look]): …..
V/O (Kirishima): Hey, everyone! Since Bakugou is unable to talk right now, I'll be his interpreter for this introduction!
V/O (Katsuki[glare]): …
V/O (Kirishima): Don't be like that! I can totally do it!
V/O (Katsuki[squeezes yogurt drink]):...
V/O(Kirishima): Dude, it's just an introduction...you weren't even part of the last one.
V/O(Katsuki[Detonating explosions]): !
V/O(Kirishima): OKAY OKAY! I got it! You don't need an interpreter…
V/O(Katsuki[disgruntled look toward Kirishima]): …
V/O(Kirishima[looks at Katsuki]):...[sighs] All done? Okay, Plus ultra!
Beep, beep, beep.
The alarm clock rang. Instinctively and more than a little annoyed by its sounding, Katsuki thrust his hand out to where he thought it was and instead smacked the corner of the desk.
Katsuki exclaimed in pain, his throat hurting in response. The irritation he'd forgotten about over the course of the evening came bubbling up again. His throat was on fire giving him a friendly– aggressive– reminder just how royally fucked his voice was.
He had collected himself enough to locate the alarm clock on the shelf above his bed and sleepily, if a little vengefully, turned it off with a lazy pounding of his fist. Hikari sprung awake with a shriek, her head hitting Katsuki right in the chin. She lurched forward, holding her head. Katsuki took a few steps backwards from the sudden impact and fell over.
"Tch! Watch it!" Kasuki replied raspily. If it hadn't been for the sore throat, it would have come out much angrier and much more alarming.
Hikari looked down at Katsuki, realizing what she had done.
"S-sorry! I heard a slamming sound and it scared me…" Hikari replied, pulling the blanket up to her mouth–a futile attempt to hide herself behind it.
"...you don't get startled by the alarm but by me turning it off…what the hell kinda weirdo are you?" Katsuki replied, barely audible, but still grating. He glared at her.
"Sorry…are you okay? Your voice is almost gone…"
"I'm fine!" he said forcefully, if not a little annoyed. It was obvious and he didn't need the reminder. "I gotta get ready for class….you should be fine. The dorm will be empty...just don't leave," Katsuki grumbled.
"Okay…" she replied as she watched Katsuki gather his things, get ready for school, then leave.
It was going to be another hot day, he could feel it upon leaving the dorm. The air was dry, so dry that every breath he took felt like it was being scratched by it–each inhale a lungful of needling and nettling. For once in his life he regretted eating spicy leftovers for breakfast, blaming only food for his throat issue. Obviously, it had nothing to do with the fact that he had been yelling the whole day yesterday: a font of pure frustration and anger toward others.
/I should stop at the nurse before class.../
. . .
Hikari fell back onto the bed when Katsuki left out the door. She stared up at the ceiling, taking a moment to process everything.
"…I actually escaped from Despair…I'm not there anymore…I slept on a bed!"
She rolled around the bed, hugging the pillow she had laid on. It had a faint smell of burnt sugar. Something was soothing about it, comforting. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but decided this would be her new favorite smell.
Hikari never thought she would be free of Despair. This was the first time in seven years she had slept in an actual bed. Most of the time she had the cold concrete ground. Sometimes when she was lucky, she'd have a flimsy futon. She sat up again and glanced about the room in such excitement.
/This is all so surreal….I can't believe it!.../
Hikari cocked her head back toward the special poster above the bed.
/I wonder if Katsuki wants to be a hero because of you too, All Might…/
Hikari thought about when she first was inspired by All Might. She was five years old and her older brother, Hiroyuki Nozomi, who was 16 at the time, took her out on an errand.
The trip itself was brief: out and back in a matter of, say, ten minutes, but their voyage back home was interrupted. It started with the sound of sirens, the panicked looks on the faces of passersby, and, eventually, the smell of smoke and thick black clouds choking the air all around.
An apartment complex had caught fire. The firefighters were on the scene, dousing, spraying, and otherwise trying to extinguish the flames. The flames paid their efforts no mind, and burned relentlessly. Hikari held onto Hiroyuki's shoulders tightly. Although she wasn't in the building, she felt scared for the people inside. He looked up at her with a forceful smile.
"You're safe...it's okay."
"But the people!"
"I'm sure a hero will come…" His voice was shaky and forced. He always tried to be confident, but hearing the hesitation in his voice made her more fearful. Just then a voice sounded through the air.
"Don't worry citizens, hope has arrived...because I am here!"
Hikari's eyes widened as she watched a large, muscular man in a red, white, and blue costume come flying in. He went straight into the building, no hesitation or fear.
"Hi-chan, a hero! A hero really came!"
"T-that's right! I told you...It's not just any hero though. It's All Might!"
"All Might?"
"Yeah! He's the number one hero! The best! Everyone will be saved now, just watch."
Hikari watched the burning building, waiting in anticipation. Minutes went by, and All Might wasn't coming out. Hikari started feeling scared again, worried that All Might wasn't able to save them. Tears started coming down her face.
"Hi-chan, he isn't coming out…" Hikari cried. Tears falling in large drops on his head.
"Just wait...you'll see," Hiroyuki responded, his voice shaky. The two stared at the flame engulfed building, becoming more fearful by the minute. What if the greatest hero didn't make it out?
Just then, All Might burst through the top window of the building, carrying 10 people, 2 cats, a dog, and a bird cage with a few birds in it.
"The building is all clear!" he called out to the firefighters as he put the people and animals down by the ambulance. Families greeted their missing members in tears, all thanking All Might for his bravery.
It was that day Hikari decided she wanted to be a hero like that.
She smiled sadly at the memory.
/I've been with villains for so long...there's no way I can be a hero now...I did too many bad things.../
Upon thinking this, she remembered what Katsuki told her yesterday when she first met him.
"Look, you aren't gonna make anyone happy if you're stuck on how much of a screw up you are. Stupid...you can always use your quirk for good.. So grow a pair and stand up and fight, ya damn crybaby,"
Hikari rubbed her eyes to prevent the forming tears from falling. Maybe she could change.
. . .
"Your voice sounds awful, deary...Open your mouth so I can see your throat," Recovery Girl said, grabbing a small flashlight and a tongue depressor. Katsuki opened his mouth. Her face went from neutral to horrified.
"You poor boy, I'm surprised you haven't started spitting up blood. Your throat is all torn up and scarred...what happened? Don't talk, just write it down." She handed him a whiteboard and marker. Katsuki had written down that he threw up yesterday, food poisoning or something.
"It looks like some of the acid in your stomach traveled with the food then. I can recover you enough to make it feel a little better, but you should avoid talking today to give it a chance to heal. Also, take this drink with you," she said, handing him a small pink bottle with a picture of a dairy cow jumping over a crescent moon, "It has no medicine in it. It's a yogurt drink and I think they're quite soothing in general. You can drink it throughout the school day. Other than that, you should be back to normal by tomorrow." Recovery girl concluded healing Katsuki by extending her lips to the side of his head and administering a professional, though still quite endearing, smooch.
He wished she could heal another way.
/This is just freakin' embarrassing.../
When the treatment was complete, he was sent off to class with a whiteboard, marker and yogurt drink in hand. It took longer at the nurse than he thought it would, making him slightly late for class. The thought of it gave him a headache, not because he actually cared about being late but because he is never late and he would have to hear all about it the moment he steps through the threshold of the classroom, classmates staring and Mr. Aizawa pointing it out.
He arrived right when Mr. Aizawa, his homeroom teacher, was standing at the podium. All his classmates, just like he predicted, turned to him the moment he entered, staring at him like he was the star late for his own show. (Of course, as we know, he is the star, but the publicity was the thing he wanted no part of.) A part of him wanted to be wrong, but of course he wasn't. They were staring and he just had to pretend he didn't give a shit.
"What a surprise, you're normally here way before anyone else," Aizawa said. His tone was not one of surprise, per se, just a droning of disinterest, really. His tired eyes matched his voice perfectly.
Right on cue. Katsuki looked annoyed, again a thing he wanted to be wrong about but he was "always" right. He thrusted a written note from Recovery Girl at Mr. Aizawa then took his seat.
/Bakugou won't be able to use his voice today. -Recovery Girl/
"I see...okay class, Bakugou won't be using his voice today per orders of the nurse. Looks like he has another way of communicating." Katsuki angrily sucked on the little orange straw of the yogurt drink he was given, giving his throat some relief. He was surprised at its efficacy and, begrudgingly, refreshed.
The class was in awe. Most were tempted to make a remark but after learning about the mood he was in yesterday and how traumatized Kaminari was, they opted to remain silent.
. . .
"Okay! Let's explore!" Hikari decided to check out the dorm outside Katsuki's room. If she remembered correctly, he said that the dorm was empty because all the students would be in class.
Hikari left the room, letting the door close behind her, and wandered down the hallway. Arched windows lined the walls overlooking a spacious courtyard. She pressed her forehead against one of the windows, looking down at the garden, eyes sparkling with such awe. She could tell she was a couple of stories up, since everything down was so small. However, being so high up didn't diminish the amazing scenery below that caught her attention. The assortment of flowers brought a plethora of bright colors, so bright that the water from the small ponds reflected them, creating patterns of colorful waving dots. A path led from what looked to be the entrance and circled around the entire garden. Along it, a few concrete benches to sit and enjoy the view. The beauty and serenity of the garden captivated her. Since escaping, she hadn't had a chance to take in the outside world and really appreciate its beauty.
"So pretty!"
Hikari then made her way toward the stairs. Maybe it was just being in a cramped duffle bag, but riding the elevator up yesterday made all her nerves flare. She didn't want to feel that way again.
She went down all four flights and found the common room.
"Woah! This room is huge!"
The living room had a few couches and a television set. There was a kitchen with all the essentials: fridge, oven, stovetop, counterspace, and cabinets.
Hikari ran to the kitchen. She crouched down, opening the bottom cabinets, before jumping up on the counter and opening up the cabinets that she couldn't reach. She didn't leave one cabinet out. Everything in them fascinated her. All the bowls, plates, and cups, the pots, pans, and spatulas, the seasonings, cooking wines, and oils, the variety of snacks, the hardwares, there was so much of it all! Of course being a dorm, it should be well stocked because how else could you feed everyone? At the same time, Hikari never got to grow up and live in a dorm before. This was all new to her, and new was exciting!
Hikari found another drawer of snacks. She started to wonder if all the students shared all the snacks being that there were so many. In her house, if anyone didn't want to share, they put their name on it. There were no names on the snacks here. That could only mean one thing and that was that these were free to take! She helped herself to a bag of chips featuring the pro-hero All Might on the front. There were other bags with different heroes, but she couldn't help herself. This was the bag for her.
Hikari continued to wander about, eating the salty, slightly cheesy chips.
"Wow, there's so much! This place is amazing….bigger than my house," she said, crushing her chips mindlessly. She felt her eyes getting heavy and wet. Hikari sniffled thinking about how much she wanted to see her family but knew that wasn't possible right now. She couldn't go home as long as Despair was around. Hikari's face scrunched up into a pout.
"I can't cry anymore. I need to get stronger," she said, a new found determination in her eyes.
Hikari went back up to Katsuki's room to come up with a plan to get stronger. She turned the knob but the door wouldn't budge.
"Uh oh..."
It was then she realized that the door auto-locks from the outside, meaning she was completely locked out of his room. She felt her heart drop through to her stomach.
"What am I going to do?! I can't be out here when they all come back!" Hikari panicked. Katsuki never told her the doors auto-locked, though he also said not to leave.
"Did he mean not leave the room or the building?! I'm so dead either way! Maybe there's a way to break the door knob." Hikari ran back down to the kitchen area and scoured all the drawers that had hardware in them to find some tools. She didn't find anything useful.
"He's going to be so mad…" Hikari paced about the kitchen, trying to figure a way to get back into the room without anyone finding out she was here. The only thing she could think of was hiding somewhere on the fourth floor and hoping Katsuki would be the first, and only one, to come upstairs.
Just then, she heard some voices coming from outside.
/OH NO! School's out already!? What am I going to do!?.../
Hikari quickly looked around and then it came into view.
/A MIRACLE!/
. . .
Katsuki walked–stomped to be more precise– through the door to the dorm, Kaminari and Kirishima right behind him. He stopped and scribbled on the white board.
/WHY'RE YOU FOLLOWING ME/
"Uh...we live here, too," Kaminari responded. Katsuki stared at Kaminari with annoyance. There really was no comeback with it being that obvious. Stupid idiots rubbing their stupid onto him.
"Listen...you left in such a hurry before I could talk to you... I'm sorry I sent you to Manami City yesterday and wasted your day….I'd like to make it up to you so please come out with us today downtown? I'll take you out to lunch, on me," Kaminari pleaded.
Katsuki gave a sour look. Of anything this idiot could have offered, it was lunch!? Lunch wasn't going to give him back the hours he wasted on the train and in Manami city, enduring the pesky crowds of people, the scorching heat, the torrential downpour, and hiding in "fear" from those freakin' villains, who he could have and wanted to murder, but became incapacitated because of the freakin' crybaby, who had become his problem, his nuisance, and his responsibitliy. Lunch? No way that would make up for it all. Stupid Dunce Face clearly didn't know just how much he fucked up. He scratched his response on the whiteboard.
/I DON'T WANT LUNCH/
"How can I make it up to you then? I can't give you your day back...and I'm actually sorry."
Katsuki scribbled down another response.
/DIE/
"SERIOUSLY, BAKUGOU!"
Katsuki paused, then wrote something else.
/Fine. Pay me back for the train ride and extra for the inconvenience/
Kaminari dug for his wallet and took out cash. Katsuki took it and shoved it into his pocket. Kaminari felt relieved. Katsuki continued on.
"Wait, Bakugou! Where are you going?" Kirishima chased after him, Kaminari tagging along as well.
Katsuki stopped and wrote down:
/Back to my room/
Katsuki continued up to his room. Kirishima sighed.
"Kaminari, I'll meet you back downstairs. I wanna change and get my things," Kirishima said, catching up to Katsuki and heading to the fourth floor of the dorm with him.
Katsuki stopped at his door and stared down at a large package.
/Who sent me something?.../
"Looks like you weren't expecting a package... I was expecting one today though. Is my name on that one?" Kirishima asked, "Looks exactly like the box that came yesterday for me…"
Katsuki looked around and found it was addressed to Eijirou Kirishima. He nodded before picking up the package. It was heavier than he expected and a bit difficult to hold since the weight kept shifting from one end to the other.
/What the hell did he order...and who packs a box like this?!/
Katsuki brought the box into Kirishima's room and placed it down by the door. He scribbled on the white board.
/What did you order, bricks?/
"It should be just books…" Kirishima looked confused. He went over to open the box. As his hand reached for the top, his cellphone rang. He walked off to the corner of his room to answer the call.
Katsuki wanted to leave, but he knew leaving before saying bye would be a bit much. He felt if he left without saying anything, then Kirishima would come knocking on his door and bother him even more. He didn't want to be bothered. He wanted peace and quiet. Not like he would get that with the Crybaby, but he could probably intimidate her enough to shut her up when he returned.
Just then, the box began to move a bit, which caught Katsuki's eye.
/Wait.../
Katsuki crouched down and opened the box to find Hikari sitting there, an apologetic, nervous smile on her face.
/Are ya freakin' kiddin' me?!../
He forcefully, and quickly, closed up the box and scribbled something on the board.
Kirishima ended the call.
"Sorry about that! Now to see…" Kirishima was interrupted by Katsuki throwing up the whiteboard in front of his face.
/I changed my mind. We're going out/
"Uhhh okay…"
Katsuki started writing something else on the board. He noticed Kirishima going for the box.
Katsuki grabbed Kirishima and started dragging him out of the room, dropping the board onto the ground.
"Wait, Bakugou! I didn't even change yet!" Kirishima said, being pulled down the hall by Katsuki.
Katsuki just glared at Kirishima, pointing at his own outfit, showing he was going in uniform too, and continued to drag Kirishima.
Hikari waited a moment before escaping the box. She took in a deep lungful of air, which filled her nostrils with a powerful aroma of what she could only describe as manly–what she wouldn't have known is that this was Axe Musk body spray, the manliest of manly body sprays.
"I'm saved," she exhaled with relief before looking around the room. A punching bag, just as worn down as Katsuki's, lived smack dab in the middle of the room. The bed, positioned in the back corner, was covered with a green camouflage comforter. On the wall next to the sliding door with a flame patterned curtain was a clock with flexing, muscly arms showing it was 1:03 p.m.. The rest of the walls, including the one with the clock, were covered with inspirational strength and fighting posters. Unpacked boxes lilittered in different spots around the room.
/Woah...such a manly room. A lot more decorated than Katsuki's… and messier…/
She then noticed the whiteboard on the ground and picked it up.
/ Go to the balcony and climb over to my section, idiot!/
The messy handwriting was definitely written quickly, and Hikari could tell Katsuki was very angry at her.
She ran out onto the balcony, taking the board with her. Although they were all separate, there wasn't really much space in between each balcony, making it easy to go from one to the other. She shut the sliding door and climbed over to Katsuki's balcony, which she recognized thanks to the lone spider plant. Hikari went to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.
"Why is it locked?…." She cried to herself. Hikari slinked down onto the floor, leaning against the balcony wall.
/Guess I'm waiting for him to get back.../
. . .
"Wow! I'm surprised you came out today," Kaminari said, walking down the sidewalk of the city with Katsuki and Kirishima.
"I'm surprised, myself," Kirishima added. Katsuki really looked like he didn't even want to be there. In fact, his expression could be compared to that of a pissed off pomeranian.
/That damn idiot!... What was she thinking?!.../
He could only wonder why she left the room. Actually, he could also be extremely annoyed by it. He snapped out of his own thoughts hearing his own name.
"Bakubro...is there anywhere you want to go?" Kaminari asked.
Katsuki stopped and thought for a moment. He looked around to see where they were. His eyes caught the book store. Kaminari looked where he was looking.
"The book store? Sure thing!" It was surprisingly easy to figure Katsuki out. Kaminari would have also thought a quieter Bakugou would make for a more tranquil day, but, contrarily, Bakugou was even more terrifying when silent. Not knowing if or when the blonde would explode just made him fill up with anxiety, like he was walking on eggshells.
Once inside, Katsuki immediately headed to the resource section of the store. He scanned the books until he found a book labeled "A Graphic Novel Restyling of Pixar's Inside Out," which was definitely out of place. He thumbed through it, thinking that maybe it would help Hikari out with her quirk. Kaminari and Kirishima looked over, both surprised by his book choice.
"Bakugou, you working on being a better friend!? Or maybe trying to charm a girl!?" Kaminari poked. Katsuki clenched the book before hitting Kaminari with it.
"Ouch! What the hell, Bakugou!? We're in a bookstore!"
Katsuki continued to glare.
"Quiet! Both of you! They are gonna kick us out…" Kirishima put a finger to his lips, shushing the two of them. The comment was mainly for Kaminari since Katsuki wasn't saying anything. Katsuki was included however because his actions and presence were loud enough to deserve it.
Kaminari and Katsuki stopped their antics and both looked at Kirishima, one apologetic and the other aggravated.
"Anyway, are you using that book for that research project due next week?" Kirishima asked.
Katsuki thought for a moment, then nodded. He totally forgot about that project. He quickly grabbed a couple of other books that addressed emotions and feelings and went to make his purchase. He was slightly thankful to Kirishima for reminding him of the paper he hadn't started yet. It also made him realize how he needed to be more careful. He had lost sight for a moment that he put himself in a difficult situation and that any actions he takes could result in real consequences, like getting his provisional license taken or Hikari being shipped over to the police. Kirishima was already beginning to notice changes in his behavior. If he kept doing weird things then it was going to be hard to keep her a secret. He needed to tread lightly, at least until he figured out how to guarantee her safety at U.A..
They continued down the street, mostly Kirishima and Kaminari talking nonsense that Katsuki didn't really care about. He kept to himself, falling far behind his peers.
/I needa tell the teachers 'bout her...but how?... I could explain her situation...but would they even take my word for it?...Even if they did…they'll probably send her to the police anyway…dammit, why is this so difficult!?... /
Katsuki bit his lip. The more he thought, the more anxious he felt. He couldn't come up with one adult to talk to that wouldn't just ship her off. And anytime he thought maybe he would just take care of the villain bastards himself, his stomach would twist up, like deep down he knew he couldn't do it alone. This only aggravated him more. He had proven himself time and time again just how strong he was. Yet, ever since he was hit with Hikari's quirk, he couldn't shake off the feeling that these villains were out of his league, terrifying and strong.
/Her damn quirk is probably just messing with me…they can't be that–/
Katsuki's thought was broken by impact. He fell backwards onto the ground.
He glared up to see who knocked him down. A man in a long sleeve shirt was standing above him. He had a baseball cap on, which sort of hid his face. He was holding a bag with the logo for "M Cafe," a pastry shop only found in Musutafu City that sold famous cream puffs. Their signs around town boasted their sales.
"Are you okay, boy? You looked like you weren't paying attention. I moved out of the way, but you ended up bumping into me anyway," the man said, holding out a hand for him to grab.
/What the hell did he just say?! This guy has some nerve…./
There was something about this guy that made Katsuki feel uneasy. For a moment he could have sworn he could feel the electrical signals from his brain being sent all the way through his body to his toes and fingertips begging him to run. He roughly swallowed the bile that threatened to come up from the rapid fluttering in his stomach. He glowered up at the bastard, like a lion about to take out its prey, intimidating and menacing–hiding the fear his body was desperately warning him about.
The man stared back at Katsuki, his expression unfazed by the boy's attempted scare tactic.
"You can't really be that mad at me. You should be paying attention to your surroundings…you could get hit by a car if you zone out like that…" he said, keeping his hand out to help Katsuki up.
Katsuki hit his hand away and got up himself.
"Tch…" Katsuki spat, giving the man one last death look, his eyes expressing total distrust, and an overwhelming hatred toward the guy.
The man could tell this boy had already decided he was bad news.
Katsuki clicked his tongue before making his way around the guy and running to catch up with Kirishima and Kaminari, who hadn't even noticed he was missing.
The man whistled.
"Do all kids have convictions like? …What an interesting boy..." The man smiled, picking up a rock and tossing it up in the air, part of a tattoo with a hand and marionette sticks on his forearm showed.
After 20 minutes of going from store to store, Katsuki pointed toward the train station. He had a pair of sneakers, which Kaminari and Kirishima thought were a bit small but didn't question it, and a full bag of yogurt drinks. He was currently drinking one of them, pausing between sips to gesture with the pink bottle toward the train station sign.
"Alright! Let's go back," Kirishima said.