Part Three: The Sports Festival

The days leading up to the sports festival are long and grueling. I stay longer and longer after school, dreading returning to the home and the cold stares. No one pranks me again, but Yui-san says less and less when I see her.

If Aizawa-sensei notices my late days, he makes no comment. Instead, he continues asking each morning if I'm well and frowning when I offer the same simple yes.

It's almost a relief when the sports festival finally arrives if only to have something new to do.

"Yui-san," I say hesitantly, the morning of.

She turns in the kitchen, hands on her hips, pausing from scolding Shin for not ironing his uniform. Her thick eyebrow raises.

"What?"

"Today's the festival," I say quietly.

She grunts. "And?"

Shin, still on the floor, wrinkles his nose.

"What, you want us to watch you? You're so full of-"

Yui-san cuts him off with a stern glare, but the anger's there again. Hot and vicious under my skin. It doesn't disappear as those eyes turn to me and I shoulder my backpack. I glare at the door as I look away.

"Never mind," I say with a touch of venom. "Bye."

Yui-san grunts again and I'm out the door.

I wear my best smile as I walk, and when I arrive, it stills feel more like a grimace. Aizawa-sensei stares, narrow eyes beneath his bandages when he notices, and for once I don't look away. I don't want to.

What, you want us to watch you?

I don't wait to talk to him, and he doesn't try to stop me. Instead, grabbing my gym uniform, I leave to change with the others. I can feel their stares, even after all this time, on the circular trail of scars on my back, on the shadow-cracks in my skin, on the raised welts from my training. The eyes burn through my skin and the familiar heat simmers just under the surface. I dress and leave, heading to the waiting room without a word, my classmates' useless chatter grating on my nerves.

"It's almost time!" Glasses yells from the front after what seems forever. I cross my arms and glare at the floor.

"Midoriya."

I ignore dual hair as he talks to green and grit my teeth until we're finally let out. As if sensing my horrid mood, no one approaches. I'm glad. It takes forever for us to leave. We walk out into the bright morning sun. The arena is huge. So tall it seems to extend forever, and the rumble of cheers from the stands press like a weight into my chest.

"Hey, emo-bitch, listen up, don't you dare fucking freeze," the exploding blonde says from my back, catching my shoulder and shoving me forward. I stumble for a moment before looking back. I glare at his smirk.

"I wasn't planning to," I snap.

"Hnn," he says. "I want a rematch, so you better make it to the finals."

I wrinkle my nose.

"Why?"

"Because I'm number one, and I'll prove it, so you better bring your best."

Number one.

Daddy's jaw snapping. Yui-san's bitter smile.

What, you want us to watch you?

"Yeah, well I don't care what you want," I sneer, the anger under my skin simmering to the surface. Black flames lick at my skin.

His eyes narrow dangerously.

"What did you say?"

"You'll be a great hero," I tell him, the words like ash on my tongue, bitter and cold in my stomach. That's why I'm here too though. Is Sora watching? Ryu? Kaito? Are they watching me be the thing that put Daddy in jail? That destroyed our family?

I clutch my flashlight and smother the flames. Explosive walks away, eyeing me warily.

I want to scream. I want to rage. I settle for standing in the crowd as he gives his speech. It's horrible and the crowd boos. I ignore them, taking a place at the starting line when they coral us forward. It's suffocating. It's aching. I don't even have pinch myself to draw the shadows again.

Before I can throw myself forward a giant cloud of icy cold wind blows backward. I cross my arms and brace myself, the chill slipping between my shadows and bones. As it blows away, I glare at the giant icy mess on the path.

What, you want us to watch you?

My shadows curl into tentacles around my arms and I reach upward, slinging myself into the air. Up and over the masses, I don't look down. Instead, I grab onto one of the giant robots, my shadows curling into vicious claws, and I tear away its head.

"AND WOW, CROWD, DID YOU SEE HOKI TEAR APART THAT MACHINE? ERASERHEAD, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING THESE KIDS?"

The destruction feels good.

There are two types of people in this world.

In the bag. You have one minute, or she'll kill you.

I throw myself forward without looking back. The shadows coating my arms pulling me forward until I'm directly behind Explosive, Tape, and the bird.

"LOOK AT THEM GO! ERASERHEAD, YOUR CLASS IS SOMETHING ELSE! THEY'RE NOT EVEN PHASED BY THESE SHEER CLIFFS!"

I run.

Chasing their backs, I don't stop, even as the world drops away.

I've done this before.

How many times has my own world been overturned?

Focus.

Why?

Shadows curl and shoot forward, launching me into the air and towards another mass of land. I land on shaking knees, the vibration chattering through my bones and teeth, but I don't stop. I can't. I race forward again, launching myself up and up and up until my legs feel like jelly and sweat trickles down my face and neck and back.

What, you want us to watch you?

I stop at the minefield, staring at the two ahead of me, fighting. Ice and fire traded back in forth as they try to win. Their eyes locked, trading blows as they navigate the terrain. I take a cautious step forward and the anger that's blazed all day falters.

Why?

What, you want us to watch you?

What's even the point?

I stare at the mines. At my foot. At the two in front of me.

What are you doing?

I stare at my hands.

I don't know.

A scream echoes behind me and I shift on instinct. Green races forward with everything he has, a chunk of metal held in his arms, grim determination on his face.

Like he has a purpose.

Why?

"AHHHHH!"

I don't know what makes me do it. He throws the metal down, clearly planning to use the explosion to throw himself forward. Maybe it's self-preservation, maybe it's fear, I don't have the time to think. He's there in an instant and I just react.

Shadows snap out, grabbing him around the middle, and I send him flying. Without the chunk of metal, he sails further and faster, torpedoing easily past the two idiots fighting on the mines. He flies in an arc, descending quickly and rolling to his feet with a wide-eyed stare backward.

"AND DO YOU SEE THAT? HOKI'S GIVEN UP HER SPOT AS THIRD TO TOSS MIDORIYA AHEAD!"

He sees me.

Green eyes bright and wide. Explosive snarls, face darting back to glare before abandoning his fight. Dual Haired does the same, his expression confusion and anger. I don't care.

What's it even matter?

I leap across the field with my shadows and then walk.

I finish 28th ignoring the others as they pass me by.