So… This Is How Camp Starts...
*Quick Warning: 'Mild' Swearing later in chapter!*
"Now that you finished up your first semester at UA High, it's time for summer vacation to officially begin. However, don't think these will be months of rest for you heroes in the making. This camp will push you to go beyond your limits, your aiming to become Plus Ultra." Aizawa lectured.
"Yes sir!" The class called out. Yamiyo tugged at the new and 'improved' choker, although Yamiyo would never say it was 'improved'..
"Why the hell do I have to wear this dog collar?!" Yamiyo furiously tugged at it to relieve some of the pressure from her windpipe.
Aizawa-Sensei looked exhausted already. "Because, you still can't control your quirk and keeping it enforced is the only way to ensure you won't break it off and use your quirk an unnecessary amount. And watch your language." The moment Aizawa-Sensei turned his back to her, she mocked him. Putting on a stern face and mouthing the words he said to her. "Watch it Yamiyo."
Yamiyo rolled her eyes and rubbed the more secure lock on the back of the choker. It was a sort of lock that a specific card needed to tap the back of for it to come off, and clearly Hatsume wasn't lying about that. Yamiyo had tugged, scratched, and even bitten the damn thing, and it was no closer to coming off than when the teachers had put it on her. They had to physically hold her down to strap the choker on properly, some of them got away scot free like Aizawa-Sensei, while the others got a few scratches and bite marks.
Yamiyo was fine with a normal choker, it didn't bother her. But one she couldn't take off without assistance? And one that blocked out her quirk? Yeah, no thanks.
Yamiyo finally gave up after a few minutes of struggling with the choker. She crossed her arms and darkly glared at the ground as she made her way to her brother.
"Yamiyo?"
"Get this goddamn thing off of me." Yamiyo pleaded. Shoji looked a bit taken back but complied. He stepped in front of her and he used two of his hands to grip either side of the choker and began to pull, but the fabric didn't fold or rip, and the machinery keeping the thing strapped to her neck didn't even take to the pressure.
When Shoji gave up after using two pairs of hands didn't work, Dark Shadow attempted. Didn't do anything.
Yamiyo groaned and her shoulders fell. "Why meeee?" Yamiyo's head thudding against Dark Shadow's head.
"I'm sorry Yamiyo." Dark Shadow wrapped his arms around her for a quick hug before slipping back into Fumikage's chest. He shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, dipping his beak down a bit.
"Maybe this will keep you from overusing your quirk to a dangerous amount?" Yamiyo glared at him lightly.
"What if I need to use Shadow Mending?" Yamiyo shot back. Fumikage shook his head.
"The camp was kept secret from the public for a reason, I doubt anything bad will happen." Yamiyo sighed and rubbed her eyes, nodding lightly.
"Sorry." She dropped her hands and faced her brother, who stared at her and dropped his arms.
"You didn't sleep, did you?" Yamiyo opened and closed her mouth before nodding and staring at the ground.
"How come?" One of Shoji's dupli-arms turned into a mouth and stretched forward a bit.
"Just couldn't fall asleep." Yamiyo shrugged. Shoji stared at her for a moment before nodding.
"Attention Class 1-A, our bus is here! Please line up in seating order!" Iida called out, arms chopping the air as he stood behind a bus designated to their class.
"He really can't relax, can he?" Yamiyo wondered aloud, walking forward with Shoji and Fumikage.
"Dunno, he seems more robot than human…. Ooh ooh what if he has an off switch?" Dark Shadow emerged from Fumikages chest and whispered to Yamiyo. She stifled a giggle as she was walking by Iida.
"Wish us luck.." Dark Shadow grumbles as he sunk back into Fumiakge's chest. Yamiyo waved her hand.
"You two will survive. Just don't let Dark Shadow start anything." Yamiyo turned right and plopped down next to Shoji who had his arms crossed.
Fumikage shot her a quick glance before sitting down in the row across from her.
"Hi again Shoji." Yamiyo raised up in her seat slightly to fix her skirt.
He nodded back to her and she felt his eyes linger. "Are you sure you don't need some sleep? You look exhausted." Yamiyo stared at him before sighing and rubbing the back of her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Bakugo plop down in the empty aisle seat next to Fumikage.
"I am, but I don't wanna miss the first stop." Shoji nodded and then the bus started moving, and everyone began talking.
"Here's the deal. We'll be on his bus for about an hour before our first stop, make sure you stay focused." Yamiyo felt a tap on her arm and faced Shoji.
"You will be able to get about an hour of sleep?" Yamiyo sighed and nodded.
"I guess so. How… oh!" Yamiyo scooted closer to the outside edge of her seat and puffed out her cheeks, holding her breath as her body shrunk and started to grow jet black fur. Within moments, she was a small jet- black wolf pup. And much to her dismay, the choker shrunk with her, but the bandages didn't. They lay where her hands were, and they were still in the same of her hands. Thankfully, her black fur made it impossible to see the black on her fingers.
"I've never seen you do that." Yamiyo wagged her tail and curled up in the center of her seat. She sighed constantly and looked up to lock eyes with Bakugo across the aisle. She smiled and yawned, finally closing her eyes.
Before she fell asleep, she felt a warm hand rub her head and ears.
Before Yamiyo even opened her eyes, she felt hands lift her up and hold her. One hand went to cradle her underbelly
and the other laid gently on her back. She yelped and opened her eyes, looking up to see the bottom of a beak.
"Were at the first stop, are you alright to change back once we get outside?" Yamiyo looked at her little paws, the bandages still tightly wrapped around her wrists, then back up to Fumikage and nodded. She looked in front of them to see that they were almost the last people out, Shoji following up behind them.
The moment Fumikage took a step out of the bus with a Puppy Yamiyo in his arms, he was immediately called out by Iida. "Tokoyami! Why did you bring your pet?!It's not safe for a puppy!" Iida scolded, Fumikage glaring at the Class Rep.
Iida would've continued, if Yamiyo hadn't growled and barked loudly, catching the teens attention. She hopped out of Fumikage's arms and sat on the ground, which she began to grow and shift until Yamiyo was back to normal. She stood up from sitting down and fixed her rumpled skirt. Quickly adjusting the bandages around her hands so they concealed the skin.
She stared at a baffled Iida and narrowed her eyes while dusting herself off. "I am not a pet, thank you very much. And for the record, we" she motioned to herself and Fumikage, "aren't really pet people, Dark Shadow is enough." At the mention of his name, Dark Shadow shot out of Fumikage's chest and rammed into Yamiyo, pushing her back a few feet.
"Rude!" He barked before retreating back to Fumikage and sinking into his chest with an aggravated huff.
"Stop fooling around. You don't really think we stopped here so you could rest your legs, did you?" At Aizawa's words, Yamiyo felt her stomach drop and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her instincts kicked in, and she took a slight step backwards.
Suddenly, the car doors for a black van-looking car swung open. "Heya Eraser."
Aizawa-Sensei bowed his head. "Long time no see." Then the two women who stepped out of the car began… dancing? Yamiyo wasn't entirely sure what they were doing. But.. she felt like she'd met them before.
"Your feline fantasies are here! Say meow."
"Purr-fectly cute and cat-like girls!"
"You can call us the… Wild Wild Pussy Cats!" One woman had a short brown bob and was wearing a red outfit with a frilly skirt, the other had a blonde ponytail with a blue outfit and a visor covering her eyes. Yamiyo noted the huge white paws, ears, and cat-tails they both sported.
"These are the Pero Heroes you will be working with during the Summer Training Camp." Yamiyo caught a few side glances thrown her way from Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero, and Sato.
"What? Just because their cats and I'm a wolf doesn't mean we hate each other. Not all cats and dogs hate each other, and it's more so because of territory and communication problems." Yamiyo crossed her arms with a huff.
She returned her attention to the front, only to find the blonde cat lady in her face, a huge smile on her lips. "Miyako?!" Then it clicked.
"Pixie-Bob?!" Said woman wrapped Yamiyo in a tight hug and swung her around once before setting her back on her feet. Pixie-Bob let Yamiyo go before leaning close.
"We'll catch up later." Yamiyo nodded and the woman skipped away. Yamiyo quickly turned back in.
"... the camp you're staying at is there, at the base of the mountain." Yamiyo quickly hopped backwards and pressed her back firmly to the closed doors of the bus.
"Uhm.. back on the bus, let's go." Yamiyo watched Sero turn slightly.
"Good idea, load up." Kaminari followed up.
"The current time is Nine Thirty in the morning. If your fast about it… you might make it there by noon." Mandalay smiled, tail wagging mischievously behind her as claws extended from the large white paws on her hands.
"No way… guys!" Kirishima called out.
"Holy crap!" Mina screamed.
"Save yourselves!" Kirishima, as well as the rest of the class, made a run for it. Yamiyo waved her arms wildly, reaching out for the person in front of the group.
"Kitties who don't make it there by Twelve don't get any lunch!" Mandalay called out tauntingly.
"You should have guessed students.." Pixie-Bob landed right in front of Yamiyo, stopping the group in their tracks. "The training camp… has already begun." The earth beneath Pixie-Bob's claws flashed blue before the ground erupted in a tidal wave, pushing Yamiyo's classmates off the ledge. Yamio extended her arm, but no darkness came out of her hand, nor did any of the shadows stir. She heard a light beeping from behind her.
The screeches, screams, and wails coming from her classmates as they fell sent shivers down Yamiyo's spine.
"Yamiyo!" A few of her classmates called out. Yamiyo tried to force the darkness out of her hands, but it didn't happen. Instead, a sharp shock startled Yamiyo enough to make her yelp and sink to her knees.
Mandalay leaned over the cliff railing. "Good news! This is all private land, so feel free to use your quirks however you like! You got three full hours! You should be able to make it to the facility in that time… that is… unless you can make it through the beasts forest." Mandalay turned away from the railing and walked over to Aizawa.
"Screw it." Yamiyo dashed forward and reached for the railing, only to have Aizawa-Sensei's scarf wrap around her and pull her backwards, her arms pinned to her sides.
"Not yet, we have to get that choker off." Aizawa-Sensei reeled her in and sat her down in front of him as he rummaged around in his pocket. The way he said it and his sudden quietness sent chills down Yamiyo's spine.
"What are you planning hero?" Yamiyo questioned. He didn't respond as he tapped a card on the back of her choker. She sighed in relief when the accessory was finally taken off. She could only imagine Aizawa-Sensei stuffed it in his pocket for later.
After he unwrapped her, she stood up and flex her hands, her shadow moving as her fingers twitched and closed. "Alright, I can make it down myself."
"Not so fast." Yamiyo narrowed her eyes at her teacher and got into a fighting stance. His… creepy smile appeared. "We also want this to be a sort of rescue, although I doubt it will last long." Yamiyo paled and quickly turned on her heel, and she felt something clamp onto her wrist, but she didn't care at the moment. She made a beeline for the ledge.
This time she was close enough to hop over, but something hard slammed into her back with a mighty roar that shook her ribs.
"Whoa! Ahhh!" Yamiyo was flung over the cliff. Time slowed down.
Some of her classmates called out her name, she quickly scanned her eyes and saw everyone was down there. She saw Dark Shadow zooming towards her, claws positioned in attack.
She turned mid air and was only met with large, open jaws of a massive rock dragon. She tried to get darkness to seep from her arms, but it didn't happen.
"Aizawa you mo-" She was cut off as the dragon's jaws closed around her. Rocks and dirt scratched and cut her skin as, she could only imagine, the beast swallowed her. She fell for a moment before landing in a… stomach? It was almost full to the brim of thick mud, and she had to keep her head float by digging her fingers into the soft top of the stomach. While holding her forehead to the top of it, the mud rose to almost touch her jaw and chin, Pixie-Bob obviously did this to make it harder to escape on her own, and she doubled there was a rear-end way out. (And she wouldn't take that way if there was one, she has some dignity, jeeze)
She tried to make the shadows rip the dragon open from the inside, but they wouldn't respond to her. She narrowed her eyes and screamed in aggravation. There, on her wrist, was a quirk suppressant cuff, and she stupidly put her hands next to each other, making it bind her wrists together, and suppress her Shadow Mending quirk and her Werewolf quirk. She ran her tongue over her rows of teeth, and her canines were gone as well as her ears and tail.
She felt the last of her wolf ears disappear and become replaced with normal human ones on either side of her head. With one swish of her hips, she could feel that her tail was gone as well.
"Aizawa, when I'm finished with you… I swear!" Yamiyo cursed. Her fingers slipped from the dirt and she sunk to the bottom as the dirt dragon began to rise higher and higher into the air, luckily she was able to climb her way back up to the top by digging her feet and fingers to the inside. "Aizawa I'll kill you! Mark my words!" She managed to shout before she, yet again, sunk beneath the surface of the mud.
"Dark Shadow, return!" Tokoyami called, if he didn't, Dark Shadow would keep following the retreating dragon and won't be any help with the rock monsters slowly closing in on the group.
"This is definitely Aizawa-Sensei's doing." Yaoyorozu stared after the brown dirt dragon. Half of the class's attention was turned to a fuming Bakugo being held back by Kirishima and Shoji, who had managed to keep him from blasting into the air and chasing the beast.
"Dude, calm down!" Kirishima narrowly avoided an elbow to the head.
"We need to focus on the threat at hand, Yamiyo can most likely handle herself. She will be able to use her quirk to escape." At Shoji's words, multiple people stared at the retreating dragon, hoping to see Yamiyo shoot from it, but it never happened.
"She won't." Everyone stared at Todoroki, "Did you see her wrist? There were weird cuffs on her wrist, if anything, they fully latched themselves onto her wrists by now."
"Thank god that thing doesn't have a digestive system… right?" Kaminari laughed nervously. Everyone stared blankly at him, some glaring while others stared at the receding dragon with horrified faces. Before anyone could react, Tokoyami had sped off on foot in the direction of the dirt dragon, Dark Shadow getting ahead easily.
"Tokoyami, wait!" Iida called, but Tokoyami had already broken through the treeline and was out of sight. Yaoyorozu thought up a plan on the spot.
"Sero, Mina…" She paused and looked around her classmates that hadn't gone ahead to help Midroiya with the other dirt/rock monsters, "Ojiro and Kirishima. You four will go help Tokoyami, if you need backup.." Yaoyorozu's outstretched hand erupted in a rainbow of pastel colors and a small gray device with a red button lay in her palm, "... press this button, it will make a high pitched sound loud enough to either reach Shoji or Jiro. We will send backup as soon as we can." The group nodded, Sero snatching the device and running off. Kirishima lagged behind to make sure Sato had a good grip on Bakugo before quickly darting after them.
"Don't leave me out of this, Ponytail! I'm going to get the Pup too!" Bakugo struggled and squirmed in the two's grip, his hands firing off small warning explosions.
"We need you here, you'll be of more use to destroying these monsters quickly. They can help Yamiyo, and we need all the help we can get so we can get through the forest." She reasoned, turning to Iida and ignoring Bakugo's spew of death threats.
Iida nodded before dashing forward, engine's sprouting from his calves. Everyone else followed suit, activating their quirks and dragging Bakugo along.
Yamiyo screamed and scratched at the walls, she kicked, rammed, and even shoved her hands into the soft walls lining the 'stomach'... but it didn't do anything. Even when she did get through, she was stopped by a thick layer of pure rock. She was certain she swallowed some mud, her throat hurt and the twinge of hunger she felt earlier was gone.
Since she ended up here, the mud has lowered and allowed her to at least not struggle to stay above the mud everytime the dragon lurched or suddenly changed directions. For the past few minutes, the dragon had been flying erratically, even doing a loop or barrel roll. She would sometimes feel her stomach drop as the ragon dipped and freefalled for a few moments before flying again.
"Help!" Yamiyo screeched, more mud rolling into her mouth. She spat it out and reached her tired arms up, clinging to the closest thing that was solid and would help her stay afloat. "Anyone?!" She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep her head up, her legs were tired from kicking in the muck, and her arms were starting to burn and hurt from holding up her body and carrying around the slightly heavy Quirk Suppressant cuffs through thick mud.
Silence greeted her and she felt sick. Not just from the mud she definitely swallowed, but from being thrown around in the stomach of this beast… and by being useless. How much stupider could she get?! It was so obvious… and she didn't see it until she was in the stomach of the beast.
Just from glancing at the forest, she was able to see and sense a lot of shadows. And if she was thrown down with the rest of her class, she definitely would be able to plow through the monsters with all the surrounding shadows and help get her class through quicker. But why not keep the choker on? Well… it sorta made sense, Aizawa-Sensei's reasoning. It may have been to give her a false sense of confidence only to have it stripped from her and make her feel weak, or he did it to be a jerk.
They can't keep thinking that hostages or kidnappings won't happen during a villain attack, and she was definitely one of them to completely forget that Villains can do a lot more than wreak havoc in a city.
She was snapped from her thoughts when she felt herself jolt, her head a hair away from hitting the top of the stomach from the sudden drop and stop. The mud began rising rapidly, quickly passing her chin. The thick texture of the mud made it hard for her to quickly move to the center of the stomach. She dug her fingers into the top and pressed her face against the dirt. It was uncomfortable, but she would rather be uncomfortable then be drowned by mud.
It appears that may happen.
The mud was quickly rising around her already mud covered face, the surface leaking to cover her eyes and mouth. She took one last deep breath through her nose before the mud completely took up the space inside the dirt dragon. She slowly felt herself sink to the bottom. She curled up, knees to her chest and closed fists by her puffed out face, the tip of her nose slightly brushing against the Quirk Suppressant Cuffs.
She tasted puke in the back of her throat as the dragon rose back into the air, throwing her around slightly. Her back slammed into the walls of the stomach as the ragon suddenly lurched.
She had no idea what was happening outside, but she hoped she would get out soon, she wasn't sure if she could hold her breath any longer. She could already feel herself getting light headed and her lungs felt about ready to burst.
Hold on a bit longer! Someone's coming up!
The group of four had finally caught up with Tokoyami and were keeping pace, Sero going ahead with Dark Shadow to try to find the dragon.
"I hope she's alright!" Mina huffed. She was now 'skating' on her acid that slipped through the specially made shoes. The group did their absolute best to not fall behind her.
"The heroes wouldn't try anything to endanger her or cause harm… I hope." Tokoyami stated. Although he kept on a calm face, he was panicking. That statement from Kaminari really sent him into overdrive, he doubts a dirt being could have a digestive system… but he wasn't going to test that theory.
Suddenly, they heard a mighty roar echo from the trees in front of them. They put on a new burst of speed, Ojiro slamming his tail against the ground to launch himself a bit further.
"Augh!" The group slipped past the thickening forest and saw the dirt dragon swinging Sero in a circle from the tape on his elbows. A large amount of tape was wrapped around its wings, but they could barely hear tearing and ripping coming from the bundle.
When it caught sight of the new opponents, the dragon threw Sero to the side. Luckily, the boy landed in a berry bush and would only come out with a few scratches and bruises if he landed properly.
The dragon opened its mouth in a loud roar, the large tusks protruding from it's bottom jaw jutted outwards slightly. It's large, spiked tail thrashed around, sometimes trying to slice the tape keeping the beast grounded.
"Mina!"
"Got it!" Kirishima and Mina dashed forward, Dark Shadow quickly followed them and started attacking. While Kirishima and Mina aimed for the legs, Dark Shadow racked his claws against the dragon's sides and underbelly.
Ojiro jumped up and was able to land a hit on the dragon's head with his tail before rushing over to help a groaning, slightly green-faced Sero out of the bush.
Mina whooped triumphantly as her acid chewed it's way through the dragon's front right leg, leaving it to balance on three legs.
The outside layer of the dragon was mainly hardened dirt with some rocks, but beneath it was solid rock, almost like an extra protective layer. Just like the inside.
"Mina, look out!" Kirishima tackled the girl to the ground to barely avoid a spiky tail. The dragon spun around a few more times and Dark Shadow backed off since he couldn't get a good hit in.
Unknown to the group fending off the dragon, Sero shakily took out the small device he got from Yaoyorozu and snuck a glance at ojiro before pressing the button.
RIIIIIIIIIIP
The tape around the dragon's wings burst apart, bits of the torn tape threw every which way, some pieces hitting the students. With a roar leaving their bones rattling, the dragon heaved and launched into the air with a few mighty beats of its wings.
"Dark Shadow! Don't let it get away!"
"Got it!" Dark Shadow quickly gave chase. Tokoyami watched, a ball forming in his stomach as the two grew further and further away. Dark Shadow could only go so far during the middle of the day when the sun was at its highest.
Boom…
"Eh?" Mina looked around.
Boom.. BOOM BOOM BOOM
"OUTTA THE WAY!" The group looked up to see Dark Shadow floating in the air, claws flexing. He was a little smaller than usual, but what had them looking up was explosions driving the Dragon closer and closer to the sentient shadow.
Bakugo was dodging the attacks the Dragon threw at him, retaliating with a large explosion to drive it farther back. He was careful not to use a too big of a blast, since it could knock him off balance, but he wasn't firing off small explosions either.
With hands switching to blow a blast to keep himself in the air, he growled and fired off explosion after explosion, each blast seeming to grow larger and cause more damage.
"DIE!" With one large explosion, the dragon was finally pushed far enough for Dark Shadow to dig his claws into its softer underbelly.
Bakugo landed on it's thrashing head and fired off a huge explosion with enough firepower to blow it's head off.. Literally.
With a battle cry, Dark Shadow ripped the dragon in half. The moment he did so, Pixie-Bob's quirk wore off and the form of the dragon crumbled into dust, dirt, and rocks.
Bakugo shot down after the falling mud, the sun reflecting off of something silver caught his eye and he reached for it.
His hand clasped around the Quirk Suppressant Cuffs and he pulled a near unconscious Yamiyo to his chest. He put a hand beneath him and used medium/small explosions to soften their fall until his feet were on the ground.
Bakugo set Yamiyo down and kept a hand to her back to keep her from lying down while she was coughing and gasping for air. She was covered in mud from head to toe, her clothes sticking to her body.
Yamiyo shivered in the slight breeze, chills running through her body. She didn't want to open her eyes in fear mud would get in them, which they undoubtedly would. She wanted to rub them, but her hands were also covered. She felt the soggy bandages coating her hands. Like a sponge, whenever she could squeeze her fingers, mud would seep from the bandages. She could feel the cool mud coating her hands and some of it had gotten in between the Quirk Suppressant Cuffs and her hands, making an unpleasant squelching sound wherever she turned her wrists.
She felt a hand on her back as she attempted to spit up the mud in her mouth. When she had started falling, she sucked in some mud.
"I'll… kill 'em!" She coughed.
When she finished coughing, someone genty gripped her elbows and lifted her off the ground. A slight buzzing feeling followed up and she knew it was Dark Shadow.
"There's a stream up ahead, we can at least clean her off."
The people around her agreed and she felt a slight nudge to her shoulders and she started moving her feet. Having her wrists bound with the very familiar Quirk Suppressant Cuffs, being basically blinded, and being pushed ahead brought up some uncomfortable memories… she's just glad she wasn't wearing a basket muzzle or having chains hanging from her body.
Along the way, she kept tripping over exposed roots, rocks, and she stumbled over her feet when the ground elevated a bit or dropped. Her lack of sight threw off her balance slightly, but someone caught her and helped re-balance her quickly.
After a minute or so of walking, Yamiyo heard water running and she was helped to her knees.
"That's a stream?" A voice snapped, she knew it was Bakugo.
"Well, I didn't have time for sightseeing! I just saw water and assumed!"
Her hands were in the water first. She moved them around until she couldn't feel the mud, then, with her clean hands, splashed some water in her face and rubbed the mud away until she could finally see.
She looked at herself and grumbled. "This is going to be a pain to wash out." She mumbled, standing up.
It wasn't a stream.
It was a river.
The river itself was fairly calm, apart from the slow moving water heading downstream. Just by looking into the depth of the river, she knew it was high enough to reach about her chest.
She slowly stepped into the water, the cold enveloping her.
She looked back to her friends, and they were either looking around out of embarrassment, or keeping an eye out for anymore dirt monsters Pixie-Bob would send after them. Fumikage was close by the rivers bed, keeping an eye on her since he knew she couldn't swim. At. All.
Once she was in the center of the river, she swayed in her place on purpose and sank until her chin hit the water. She could at least try to get some of the mud off, she doubted her uniform would be fine after this.
She clenched her fists and grit her teeth, anger, irritation, and frustration bubbling over, leaving the cold of the water forgotten.
I'll kill that excuse of a caterpillar if it's the last thing I do.
"Ah, here comes the litter!" Yamiyo along with the rest of her classmates stumbled out of the forest, the setting sun showering them in an orange light.
Leaning heavily against an energetic Dark Shadow, she stumbled over her feet and did her best to not collapse on the spot.
Multiple people fell once everyone was clear from the forest. Yamiyo's glare settled on Aizawa, and running on nothing but spite, she charged the hero, shouting the whole way. "You asshole! I'll kill you!"
Although she didn't have her Werewolf quirk to give her a boost, she was still, and will be, a strong and fast sprinter.
She almost landed a hit on Aizawa before he wrapped her in his Capture Gear, staying a few feet away from her.
Fatigue hit her hard and she slumped forward, falling to her knees and breathing heavily, eyes half lidded. The bruises on her body ached more and the scratches on her arms and legs started stinging from her sweat.
After she had gotten all the mud off, they had regrouped with the rest of the class… but not without running into trouble.
They only faced off against two or three dirt monsters, but she had still gotten knocked around a bit, even when they tried the defense card to help her. But, luckily she had no broken bones.
"Can I take those off without you attacking me now?" Yamiyo glared up at her teacher, a low growl escaping her throat. The last thing she wanted to do right now was to admit defeat and let him get close without attacking, but she wanted those cuffs off.
She nodded slightly and tightening the capture gear a bit, Aizawa crouched down in front of her and grabbed the cuffs. She turned away with a huff and waited to feel the cuffs click and slide off her wrists.
Once they were off, Aizawa pulled away and let her go. Yamiyo stood and rubbed her red wrists, twisting them and cracking them in the process.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, already feeling her Werewolf quirk automatically kick back on.
While the human ears on the sides of her head shrunk, wolf ears above her head grew as well as her tail, comfortable growing through the hole in her skirt so she wouldn't have to adjust it.
"You said it would only be three hours.." Sero complained. Yamiyo shuffled back to the group, pinning her ears to the side of her head until she got used to the surrounding sounds being louder again.
"I guess we timed it about how long it would take us, sorry! Pixie-Bob smiled.
"Now you're bragging about how much better you are? That's so mean.." Sato frowned.
"I'm starving! This is hell!" Kirishima called out while sitting on the ground and clutching his stomach.
"Meow meow meow meow meow!" Pixie-Bob brought the huge white paws on her hands to cover her mouth and nose, "I thought it would take you kids even longer! You did much better against my dirt monsters than I thought you would!" She lowered her paws, exposing the blue circle face paint on her cheekbones. "You guys were seriously great! Especially… the four of you!" She pointed to Midoriya, Iida, Todoroki, and Bakugo who stared right back at her. "It seems you've had quite a bit of experience!" She licked her lips before lunging forward, her lips puckered out. "I call dibs on these kittens! I'll groom them myself!"
As the woman danced around the boys, Yamiyo grumbled and stalked towards them as the rest of her class stared at what was going on. They didn't know what to do, really… but Yamiyo did.
"Tushikawa-San… don't make me drag you away." Yamiyo warned, stepping closer. The woman either ignored her, or didn't hear her.
Nonetheless, she did what she set out to do.
"Ack!"
Yamiyo started dragging Pixie-Bob away by her tail and back of her hero costume.
"Miyako, stop it!" The woman tugged back towards the boys, nearly knocking Yamiyo off her feet before she planted her feet firmly and pulled with more force.
"Who's that kid, what's he doing here?" Yamiyo followed Midoriya's finger to a little boy in a red hat with golden colored spikes in the front.
"Oh! This little guy? He's actually my cousin's son, he just lives with us now. Don't be shy Kota, say 'Hi' to everyone! You'll be around them for the next week.
" 'Kota' huh? So… you guys actually took my suggestion?" Yamiyo mused. Mandalay nodded.
"My cousin did, anyway. She liked the name but was unsure of it before you suggested it." Yamiyo nodded, finally letting go of Pixie-Bob and letting her fall to the ground with a grunt.
Midoriya walked up to a scowling Kota, hand on his chest. "Hey there! My names Midoriya, I'm from the UA highschool hero course." He bent down slightly and extended a hand while Kita reared back. "It's nice to meet you-" Kota then punched him in the crotch.
Midoriya doubled over and Iida was on him instantly, shouting at Kota while the boy was stomping away, a deep scowl on his face.
Yamiyo sputtered and ran over to Kota, standing in front of him and stopping him where he stood
"What do you want?" He spat venomously.
Yamiyo forced a smile on her face, although it was clearly strange and had a hint of rage as she glowered down at the kid. "It's Yamiyo Miyako to you, kid."
Kota looked irritated before his face changed from pure agitation, to surprise and realization, then to anger. "Don't talk to me." He growled as he slipped past her. She saw a little bit of hurt in his eyes. She recognized it immediately because she saw it every day when she looked in the mirror.
Yamiyo sighed and started to ring out the front of her shirt, water droplets hitting the ground and soaking the patch of dirt. She proceeded to squeeze her fingers, getting some waterout of the now light gray, soggy bandages.
"Enough playing around. Get your stuff off the bus. Once your stuff is in your rooms, well have lunch in the cafeteria, after that you can bathe and sleep." He turned his body to the side slightly. "Tomorrow your training starts in earnest." Groans from the tired class hung in the air. "You better get a move on."
Yamiyo stumbled after Fumikage, Dark Shadow laying over her shoulders with his arms dropping beside hers.
"Miyako , I'll show you to the bathrooms so you can change!" Mandalay put a white paw on Yamiyo's shoulder. She nodded and said her quick goodbyes before following the hero with her arms wrapped around herself to try and shield from the cold.
"Mmmm, this smells amazing!" Yamiyo walked through the open threshold to be hit in the face with a strong smell of fresh food. She shoved her hands into Fumikage's hoodie and fiddled with a stray strand of loose thread. She had changed into a hoodie and some simple gray sweatpants.
Right before she was about to change, Aizawa-Snesei caught her and wrestled her to the ground and it took him a good few minutes to get the choker on. She was satisfied when he walked away with a scratch to the leg and a good bite to his hand.
She picked at the new bandages over her hands, if stuff like that keeps happening, she won't have any bandages left and she'll have to resort to her gloves again. She knew that her classmates would be on her in an instant if she suddenly started to wear them around again.
She scanned her eyes over the room and couldn't find any really 'open' spots for her to sit. She didn't really want to ask someone to move and invade another person's space.
I guess this is what I get for being slow.
"Yamiyo! Over here!" Mina shouted loudly, waving a pink hand in the air. Yamiyo jogged over and plopped down in the space between her and Tsu, the pinkette scooting over some to allow Yamiyo to have a little space.
"Glad to be out of that soaking uniform?" Mina smiled. Yamiyo nodded and sighed, sinking further into the hoodie.
"I hate the feeling of wet clothes… it just sticks to your skin and, depending on the fabric, smells funny… eugh." She shuddered and started collecting a good amount of food off the table, starting with a bowl of rice.
She smiled in content as she ate the delicious food. She laughed and joked with the girls around her, and even got Bakugo to talk a bit (although he wasn't very happy about it).
"Dark Shadow! Catch!" Yamiyo chucked a red apple at the Sentient Shadow, who quickly snatched it from the air and started pulling off a few pieces and munching on them before passing the rest of the apple to Fumikage. He turned to her and she saw the corners of his beak turn up as he flashed her a small smile.
"Thanks!" Yamiyo waved back, chuckling a bit.
"What's up with you and the cat-ladies?" Bakugo kicked her shin from under the table when she didn't respond right away. "Oi!"
She grumbled and rubbed her shin. "We met after some past troubles and I had to stay with them for a few months before I settled in the Tokoyami household. They still haven't caught the message that they could call me Yamiyo and not Miyako." She looked to Mina who groaned and let her forehead thunk against the table.
"It's not fair! You know so many heroes, and could get an internship with those amazing heroes like that!" Mina snapped her fingers to add emphasis.
Yamiyo shook her head with an amused smile. "I only know four, Edgeshot, and counting only Mandalay and Pixie-Bob from the Wild Wild Pussy Cats, and I personally asked them not to offer me an internship unless they see something I need to improve upon, they could be of great help, or need my assistance in a particularly bad part of town. I don't want anyone giving me an internship if they just wanna hangout." Yamiyo chewed some noodles and slurped it up in no time.
"Four..? Who's the fourth hero? Kero." Tsu pointed out, tilting her head with a bowl close to her face. Yamiyo swallowed the last bit of noodles in her bowl before reaching for the Onigiri towards her left.
"It was… what's his face… uhhh… can't remember his name, but he's the Second Ranking hero." She swiped the food and quickly began nibbling it, ignoring the gaping faces of her friends.
"Endeavour?! Seriously?!" Mina grabbed Yamiyo by the shoulders for a moment before Yamiyo shrugged off her hands.
"That's his name! I seriously don't see the big deal. Right from the moment I saw him, I knew he was a major asshole. His scent didn't help either." She defended herself.
"What do you mean?"
"I can't really explain it… but I get this weird scent when I have a feeling someone isn't trustworthy- you could argue that it's a gut instinct, but… it doesn't happen as much anymore, but the smell was enough to make me know immediately that I shouldn't get friendly with the person who triggered it." She shrugged. "Don't get me wrong he's… a 'good hero'... but I wouldn't intern with him unless I absolutely knew he could help with my training."
A small beat of silence passed before Hagakure leaned towards them, almost right on top of Bakugo's food. "How do you know all these heroes? I doubt it was just from walking down the street. You must've done something to attract attention, or something happened in the past?" Yamiyo blinked… When was Hagakure the questioner type of person?! She usually made assumptions until someone corrected her.
"Right! How do you know them?" Mina pressed with Hagakure. Yamiyo locked eyes with Bakugo for a moment before he slammed his hands on the table.
"Can you all Shut Up?! I'm trying to eat in peace here, goddamnit!" He growled, making Hagakure back off and returning to her seat and food with a huff. Mina sighed and smiled at Yamiyo before engaging in a small conversation with Koda to her right.
Yamiyo silently thanked Bakugo and continued her meal in a calming silence for a few minutes before continuing with conversations with the people around her.
"Yamiyo, I have a quick question." Yamiyo stopped herself from physically flinching. She turned to Hagakure's floating clothes.
"Shoot."
"How come you didn't have your ears and tail?" Yamiyo's shoulder sagged a bit as she sighed in relief.
She smiled. "My Werewolf quirk is classified as a mutation… but it's sort of a transformation quirk. Automatic, I may add." Yamiyo shoved some food into her mouth with her chopsticks.
"How come you never change to a human?" Tsu asked. Yamiyo raised an eyebrow, tail swishing and ears turning. "You know what I mean!" Tsu quickly followed up.
Yamiyo chuckled. "I know. I don't change to a human too often because one, it just feels very unnatural, and two it takes just as much energy as it would take to change to a wolf… maybe even a bit more." Yamiyo shrugged.
She looked up and locked eyes with Bakugo, who was glaring at her lightly. "Sorry, forgot to mention that at the cafe." Yamiyo smiled and flung a small piece of rice at the ash blonde.
He froze for a second before throwing some noodles at Yamiyo, which she blocked with her arms and laughing.
She didn't know if it was intentional or if someone didn't bring it up on purpose… but for the rest of Lunch, nobody brought up the heroes Yamiyo mentioned, or how she met them.
"Ahhh… this is so nice!" Mina sunk deeper into the hot spring pool until her mouth was submerged. The girls voiced their agreement.
"This is a big step-up from that river earlier." Yamiyo mused, readjusting herself on a rock by the edge of the water. She rubbed her sore limbs, the flower-ey smell calming her muscles. She looked a bit odd, not having anything on but the water-proof bandages she borrowed from Mandalay on her hands.
"Alright! Done!" Hagakure moved from behind Yamiyo and jumped into the water, spraying the girls. Yamiyo moved her head from side to side and felt the messy bun on the back of her head sway with the movement. It wasn't a big bun at all, since Yamiyo's hair just reached her shoulders.
"Thanks Hagakure." Yamiyo saw a ripple in the water and it looked like there was a section of blank space on the water.
"No problem!" Yamiyo traced the lines of her scars over her legs and the smaller ones on her feet. The waterproof bandages tickled her skin lightly. She sighed and leaned into the rocks behind her, sinking further into the water until it completely covered her chest and crawled up to her collarbone.
She was thankful that the scar going across her chest, right below her collarbones, was faded to the point that it was basically impossible to spot. It had been a very early injury, and it wasn't as deep as all the other wounds. And unlike the others, it had been properly taken care of due to the fact that it was close to her heart and if infected could've ended up very bad for her.
"You sure you don't want to come to the middle? It's a lot warmer! Kero." Tsu asked, a nicely done green bun on the top of her head.
"No, I don't wanna sink." Yamiyo rubbed the back of her neck, her hand rubbing over the slightly raised markings burned into her skin. Although it seemed unbelievable, she had never actually seen what it looked like. After it happened, she refused to even acknowledge its presence. After all, she knew what it represented, and she planned to have it removed when she became a full fledged hero and raised enough money to do so.
"We can help you! We'll teach you to swim! After all, us girls have to help each other!" Hagakure splashed at the water. Yaoyorozu swam over to Yamiyo, hands raising from the water towards Yamiyo.
"Yeah! Tsu's an amazing swimmer! She can help!" Uraraka smiled and turned to her frog friend who smiled back. Yamiyo sighed and hesitantly took Yaoyorozu's hands and let the taller girl lead her into the deeper middle of the hot spring.
Yamiyo weakly kicked under the water, sorta keeping herself upfloat… but not really. She tilted her head back, the water rising to frame her face.
She heard the girls giggling around her and she pouted, a slight red dusting her cheeks. "You would be in the same situation if you couldn't swim." She snapped half-heartedly.
Tsu swam over and lightly grabbed Yamiyo's biceps, lifting her out of the water slightly. "We should start with teaching you to float, that would be safest. Kero." Yamiyo nodded and let Tsu manuver her until she was on her back, arms and legs outstretched like a starfish.
"You're getting the hang of it!" Jiro smiled, twirling an earphone jack with her finger.
Yamiyo smiled triumphantly, laughing a bit.
That is… until she started hearing a commotion from the other side of the wall, as well as weird thumps leading to the top.
Yamiyo stopped floating on the water's surface, going back to barely keeping her head afloat when she saw Kota pop up from the top of the wooden wall.
"If you wanna be a hero, you should learn how to be a good human." There was a smack and she heard Mineta call out.
"I'll get you for thisssss!" Yamiyo smirked and swam closer to the rock Mina had sat herself on. She planted her foot on a bit of stone that jutted out under the steamy glazed water.
"Mineta really is the worst, isn't he?" Tsu called out.
"Thanks so much Kota-Babe!" Yamiyo watched the little boy looked down at them.
Uh oh-
"We owe you one!" Mina smiled and held a thumbs up to the small boy.
Kota stepped back in surprise, a slight pink hue to his cheeks… and toppled over the edge of the wall, falling down on the boy's side.
"Kota!" Yamiyo exclaimed pulling herself out of the water and over to the wall, knocking on the wood. It was a few moments before she heard someone reply.
"He's alright! Midoriya caught him! He's out cold though. Midoriya is bringing him to Mandalay!" Sero called. Yamiyo sighed with relief.
"Okay." Yamiyo stepped away from the wall before pausing then stepping back into the water.
"Mina, you can't just do that! Kota could've been seriously hurt!" Yamiyo splashed the pink girl, who jumped in surprise at the attack.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen!" Yamiyo sunk further into the water.
"Don't do that again." Yamiyo stared at Mina until she nodded and slinked off the rock and back into the water.
There was a pause of silence before they slipped back into normal conversation, goofing off and relaxing in the warm hot springs.
"Damn it.." Yamiyo whispered, placing her bandaged hands on her face. After she took the waterproof ones off, she used the ones she had on during lunch/dinner that were on her bed along with her other supplies. She turned onto her right side, facing Uraraka on the top bunk across from her.
She growled lightly and rolled onto her back, arms behind her head and staring at the bumpy white ceiling.
The rest of the girls had fallen asleep a while ago, while Yamiyo stayed quiet to not disturb them. She rolled onto her stomach and scooted closer to the head of the bed, staring out the window. It was cracked open lightly to allow some of the chill night air into the room.
An idea popped into Yamiyo's head and she shimmied towards the end of the top bunk, closer to the ladder. If she could, she would just jump off, but that was bound to wake someone up. So she took the safer route and slowly climbed down the ladder until her bare feet hit the cold wooden floor, sending slight chills up her spine.
She tiptoed past the girls, being extra slow and careful around Jiro who was situated closer to the window. Her ears turned, making sure she could hear the soft snores of all the girls.
She placed her hand on the glass window and slightly pushed it, the window releasing a loud creak.
Yamiyo froze and her heart sped up. She froze like a deer in headlights and slowly craned her neck, staring at the bunk beds. Her eyes snapped to Jiro, who mumbled something then turned on her side, her back to Yamiyo.
The brunette held her breath and pushed the window again, opening it enough for her to squeeze out, which she did.
When she tapped down on the grass, she closed the window and left a small crack as it was before she opened it. She stood there for a few moments before slowly walking away. She was almost impossible to hear, her feet barely making a sound while hitting the soft green grass.
She pulled her light gray pajamas closer… maybe it wasn't a good idea to wear a short sleeved, button down pajama top and shorts when the weather was colder at night. But, hey, what can she do now?
Yamiyo walked closer to the center of the clearing, her 'night-vision' making it easy to avoid small sticks on the ground or small rocks that would dig into her foot if she stepped in the wrong spot.
She looked up at the sky and smiled. The midnight blue sky was covered in stars and constellations. She stopped and stared at the beautiful sight, taking it all in.
Back at home, it was nearly impossible to see so many stars in the sky, but since the city lights weren't there to block off the light from the stars, they were incredibly easy to see.
Yamiyo held a hand to her chest and stared at the three brightest stars in the sky making a triangle, eyes tearing up a bit.
"Why do you love stars so much, Mama?" A little girl lay on a rock, staring up at the sky. A tall, lean woman next to her. The woman's jet black hair fanned out around her head, slightly tickling the girl's cheeks. Her angular features made her seem malnourished, as her cheekbones jutted out and she seemed unhealthily thin while having a very strong build.
The pair had left their home when neither could sleep. The mother had used her quirk and shifted into a large gray wolf, running deep into the forest with her daughter on her back.
"Did I ever tell you what stars are?" The little girl shook her head, curling up to her mother and laying her brunette head of hair on her mother's stomach.
The woman reached for the sky, a twinkle in her dark purple, almost black, eyes. "My mother would always tell me that when people pass but don't want to leave, their soul goes up hiiigh into the sky and they watch their family from above. At night, they always shine bright, letting them know that their watching them." The little girl picked her head up and put her chin on the woman's stomach.
"That's where Gammy and Grampap are? Up hiiigh in the sky?!" She stared up in wonder. The woman chuckled, nodding. "... Will you and Papa watch over me and Kiko-San?"
The woman sat up and held her daughter in her lap. "Of course my Little Pup… we will always watch you two. When we are far away and you feel lonely, just look at the night sky! Me and Papa will be the brightest stars in the sky!" The little girl giggled and lifted her hands up to the sky.
"I love you Gammy and Grampap!"
Yamiyo reached her hands towards the sky, her hand covering the three stars and hiding them from sight. She closed her fist, as if closing her fingers around the stars. She brought her hand to her chest, tears trickling down her face.
"I love you all." The image of her mother, father, and Kiko flashed in her mind. "I wait for the day when we see each other again." Yamiyo sat on the grass and layed down, the twinkling of the stars and soft lullaby of the wild sounds around her lulling her to sleep.
"Are you ever going to tell her?" Yami bumped shoulders with Aneko, "You know… she'll be very happy to see you again." Aneko nodded and stared at her transparent eyes.
"I can't see her.." Yami stared at Aneko for a while.
"What do you mean?" Aneko stared at the shadowy figure.
"I can't re-create a body… mine died years ago. All I'll appear as will be a literal spirit, and even then I won't be able to last longer than a few days at best." Aneko looked at the ground sadly. "I found out a few days ago… I searched through her memories and saw when.." She paused. "... I realized I won't be actually there. I was so blinded by the want to see her again that I didn't take into consideration that I won't be able to actually live with her again.."
Yami hovered quietly for a few moments, thinking of what to say.
"Even if you won't be able to stay with her… you can at least let her know that you've been here the whole time… it would bring her down a bit, yes… but her knowing that you've been here with her will make her very happy." Yami put a shadowy hand on Aneko's shoulder.
Aneko turned to Yami with a warm watery smile. "Thank you. I think this may be the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Aneko giggled while Yami's cheeks turned from pitch black to a lighter gray.
She huffed as she pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest, floating away. "May be the last." She called out before disappearing into Yamiyo's mind.
Aneko looked forward and watched as Yamiyo's vision turned into a dream. Aneko put her hands on the wall when the dream started taking a horrible turn. Aneko felt her hands warming up and the dream turned back to the night sky and stars.
She watched the dream roll it's course. She stared as the stars started swirling around and forming shapes until they seemed almost human. She recognised them right away… she saw them almost everyday… and couldn't stop thinking of them… but she saw herself there as one of the figures.
"I wonder…" Seeing the figures started to give her an idea.. but she wasn't sure she could do it. She hadn't used her quirk properly in years.
She quickly turned away from the dream wall and ran towards Yamiyo's memories. She needed to look at the memory hall of horror movies… note specifically the ones about ghosts, possession, hauntings, etc.
Sadly, Yamiyo hasn't seen that many movies under those categories, but Aneko will have to work with what she has.
But, this setback will not stop Aneko from seeing Yamiyo in person… she will not stop until she sees Yamiyo's face with her own eyes after years and years of watching Yamiyo from her point of view.
This was fun to write! I know the dirt dragon thing may be cliche… but does it make some sort of sense? If I didn't do that, then I definitely would've wrote something about Yamiyo just bending the shadows and destroying dirt monsters very quickly or get the class through the forest easily.
I decided the Dirt Dragon would keep the chapter going and interesting, so.. Sorry if it seemed like a stretch to add it! (I don't know if Quirk Suppressant Cuffs are an actual thing in the anime/manga, but for the sake of the fanfic, it is)
The next chapter is the beginning of the 1-A quirk training, and some drama may be added in! It will take a bit longer as I want Yamiyo to work on certain aspects of her quirk, and may have to think up things for her to work on as well as the obvious stuff. I also may add something that wasn't in the actual My hero Academia timeline, but I feel it would be a nice addition, since I missed when Class 1-A was actually able to work on rescue training while Aizawa was still bandaged up. (The added scene won't be rescue based!)
Anyway, I'm sorry about this slow upload! School and school projects, on top of that, Trimester 2 is coming to an end so I'll have to try and study for that.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Bye!
