Chapter Nineteen: Domino Effect
This was definitely not part of the whole 'Come to UA' deal.
All the alleys looked the same in the dark to the bloodshot teen on her way to the rescue, a rather unnecessary rescue if you asked her. Though her nerves were still awakening from a morphine induced slumber, Ayumi's nose couldn't fail her if it tried, a particularly gory aroma wafting up her air canals and registering after quick deliberation between her lethargic neurons via synapse.
Blood...this way...
An uncharacteristically iron will slammed into the stench of iron hanging in the air above the Hosu streets, the hustle and bustle unable to trick her nose's muscle memory when it came to gore. She'd been surrounded with it since she acquired her quirk, from that moment onward picking up a particular fascination with blood. Ayumi remembered herself as a young and still bruising girl, with eyes pearly white around the irises, intently watching the mystery liquid blossom beneath the surface of her thin skin, not a care in the world for what it really meant. It used to baffle the wide eyed girl - how could such a wonderful substance disgust people? But then again, self loathing and fear were common amongst the disillusioned and disqualified of the human race, Ayumi growing to repulse the fluid herself.
Lungs ready to cave, the exhausted teen rounded yet another corner with no luck of finding Todoroki and company. Heavily gulping in air (long distance runs not really being the scrawny girl's forte), all Ayumi managed to do was inhale more of the metallic odor, but nevertheless, she resolved to take one more turn. As she neared the end of the side street hidden by towering complexes, heat began to ram into her senses, as if saying 'turn back now'. Simultaneously, the chill of ice clung to the air, stinging her skin, as shouts and screams could be heard from beyond the corner. Ayumi turned the corner, resolve still standing strong despite the extreme temperatures assaulting her senses.
Funny how now I'm looking for alleyways with people, not the dead type I used to scout for deals.
Instead of another dead alleyway, dark eyes were blinded by magnificent flames billowing from directly in front of her. The wide eyed girl had never seen Todoroki's fire before, but she couldn't deny the beauty the flames portrayed, consuming everything within a flash of red and heat. Although the green teen was infatuated with the usually icy boy's new upgrade, the bodies lying on the floor in front of her caught her attention, a kid with a robotic looking suit and navy colored hair laying sprawled out next to a hero with a traditional Native American outfit. Their eyes bulged as they watched the flame and ice user work his magic, not in amazement but more so in a fit of concern. Smoke hung a veil over the three's eyes, none able to see where the battle was happening.
The brunette didn't know what moved her, whether it was her bruises or burns, but she moved nonetheless. Ayumi knelt by the navy boy, who had his lips tightly forced into a frown. "Oi, Robot! What's going on here?!"
The boy, turning his attention to her in surprise, quickly laid the situation out for her: "The Hero Killer is here. I went after him, got into trouble, Midoriya followed me, Todoroki showed up, and we've been paralyzed down here. Midoriya is paralyzed up ahead as well. I beg you to leave, Ayumi! This isn't your fight!" Of course those two buffoons with a hero complex got themselves mixed into something that doesn't involve them.
"That's what I thought, but I guess I'm here now," the bruised girl tiredly retorted. "For a hero, you sure are stepping back and letting the students do all the work."
"Wh- I'm in your class!"
"Oh." Though unapologetic, Ayumi was irritated that she was unable to recall the boy's name. Her eyes could be as wide as they wanted, but if they weren't open, she wouldn't be able to see what was right in front of her, one example being the uptight looking boy. The boy mentioned he was paralyzed, held to the ground by the abuse of a quirk, and, by the looks of his particularly guilt ridden features, the weight of some moral turmoil as well. So, the bloodshot teen opened her eyes, lightly placing two fingers to his carotid artery. The boy's eyes shot over to her in a panic, most likely fearful of what his fellow student would do to him as he was suspended indefinitely in such a vulnerable state. However, Ayumi was quick to silence his concerns, explaining, "Don't worry. I'm just loading a stimulant into your central nervous system. How much do you weigh?"
"Around 160 or 165?" The boy looked as though he was visibly trying to force himself into relaxation, but still trembled as he begged in a soft tone, one hushed by mistake after loud mistake, "If you insist on staying, please, Ayumi, please don't let him get your blood. That's how he's paralyzing us."
"Noted." The green teen managed to lid her eyes, despite the chaos she could hear in front of the two, and focused on the blood within the robot boy's vessels. It moved slowly, not methodically, just very slowly, an unnatural trait for someone so young, Sighing, Ayumi plunged a syringe of liquid modafinil into the tense boy's neck, then amplifying the stimulant enough to wake his body out of the sleeping state which was forced upon it. It was an experimental treatment, however, seeing as the boy in front of her decided to get experimental with his quirk and go after a highly esteemed villain, Ayumi thought the sacrifice could be justified. Now, the two just had to wait a minute or two for the built intern's body to wake back up, and though it wasn't in her power scope, maybe his spirit would too.
"You're careless with your quirk, boy!" Somehow, through the turbid air clouded with smoke, screams, and stench, the alert yet exhausted girl caught those words, belted by a foreign mouth. They weren't flamboyant and proud; the words were slimy in texture, bitter in taste, Ayumi barely able to stomach them, let alone respond with words. She did, however, catch a glance of the scene playing out, the cover of the shadows masking her presence enough as she internally encouraged the hesitant stimulant. A man who hid behind a red bandana and bandages (or possibly embraced the two) was perched on the roof of one of the surrounding buildings, crouching whilst scanning the area with calculative eyes. Katana in hand, the man wouldn't twiddle his fingers, scarcely waiting a second before making a charge at the only student still firing off his quirk, the only student left to do the work, the only student he saw standing, the only student in the midst of landing -
"TODOROKI!"
Ayumi leapt towards the half and half boy, who, in that moment, was too preoccupied with his attack to ready the necessary defenses against the rapidly approaching hungry man and the dinner knife he clutched eagerly. Her mind believed it idiotic to jeopardize her safety; her heart believed it idiotic not to. Everything was moving too quickly - the man, the blade, the fear. Yet, it was when her nervous system was overloaded that Ayumi felt most in her element. And so, with an unexpected surge of power, the bruised girl managed to tackle her seat mate in the nick of time, both landing in a painfully awkward heap atop the asphalt which the others were pressed to. The sickly teen, sick of the loose ends, sick of the venom she spat, sick of her selfish tendencies, was relaxed her eyes for a quick second, unable to hold a stone gaze in the presence of the overwhelming suspense enveloping herself and the delirious boy beside her.
I did it...He's safe- As she opened permanently bloodshot eyes, their lax nature morphed into one of shock, more arteries and veins snapping under the image of the katana hanging directly above them.
Fear.
It came as a whisper, yet somehow presented itself more maliciously, more menacingly than when shouted across hilltops as empires fell, as lives were stripped in bulk. Ayumi hadn't bared witness to the terrifying tongue of fear in years, as she had long since deemed fear a silly sensation, one that lacked bite but put on a showy bark for all the worry it caused. Fear was the first domino - it always was. Anxiety would set in, panic and cold sweats becoming routine for those afflicted, whose minds were pumped full of possibilities and outlandish - but not ridiculous enough to be ignored - scenarios. Then, nerves would shoot up to their limits; the body would shake in anticipation of the worst, in the bleak image of the best. Even after the most thrilling part was over, neurons would never be the same, constantly setting off at the drop of a pin and still would somehow fry at a drop of blood. There was no decline - if a climax was hit during these stages, fear would plateau for a moment, lurking under the skin in the same way the blood in veins did, longing to return home to the secure confines of the heart's chambers, a false sense of the safety one in the clutches of fear longed for. But alas, a moment was just a mere moment; the usual conditions would resurface, not as an old friend but as an eternal enemy, out of the darkness and turning the spotlight shadowy.
In a split second, the dominoes toppled, the blood of the two running as cold as those who were forced to the floor next to them. The katana came, the fear came, the panic came. She threw an openly pried and wide eyed look to the side, not surprised to see a heterochromatic mirror of her own expression. Though the boy was scarred, he'd never had to worry for his life as many times as Ayumi had, and the green skinned girl hoped he'd never have to either. But, her revelation wouldn't change the katana's course, the course, of course, that was meant to strike the both of them.
"AYUMI! TODOROKI! MOVE!"
Her swift movement in front of him, however, did spare the boy the pain coming their way. The girl, now rendering herself merely as a sacrificial piece in the game, wasn't just bloody eyed anymore, as the red liquid slowly crawled out of the firm binds her muscular system kept it wrapped within. The blade was embedded in her left shoulder, an inch away from skewering Todoroki as well. Only one thing kept Todoroki from bearing the same wound as Ayumi, the same thing that drew out the Hero Killer's unintentional mercy, like poison sucked reluctantly from a throbbing and angry wound: the robot boy hurtling into the man, determined fury (partially provided by the stimulants) upon his once guilt ridden features. Robo-boy was awake, and just like that, the blade was ripped out of the brunette, blood flying as though she were a fountain.
Although out of imminent danger, Todoroki, alarmed, turned to Ayumi, placing a hand over the gaping hole in her shoulder. The wound was bad, but even worse was the realization the boy voiced to her: "He has your blood!"
As if on cue, the girl littered with all sorts of abrasions was flung to the ground by an invisible force, the turbid air appearing to solidify above her. The weight pressed on her skull, pressed on her shoulder, pressed on her will to continue onward. Yet, it seemed as though right when she was forced to kiss the pavement without consent, Ayumi's body was relieved once again, the screaming tissues which were barely holding her bones together breathing a collective sigh of relief. She was exhausted, unable to bring herself to move another inch; she didn't have to worry, however, as Todoroki came to her rescue this time, pushing her up and holding a strong hand to her wound. The moment held no romantics, the boy aware that she was his knight in shining armor that night, yet still was beautiful in her eyes, as Ayumi appreciated the red within Todoroki. The red he chose to display, a rosy color, suited him much more nicely than the frigid whites of the ice he used to prefer - at least it did in the green girl's drooping eyes.
"Thanks for coming, Ayumi." As the two sat there, one half conscious and leaking blood all over, the other famished and frostbitten as a product of quirk overuse, they watched the Hero Killer drop his katana, still dripping with remnants of Ayumi's blood. They figured he must've been going into shock after taking a taste of the brunette's toxic blood, the side effects of hundreds of psychoactives afflicting the man all at once, turning him into the monster he truly was. He staggered, the blood of so many on the tip of his tongue, on the tip of his blade, yet he was the one losing the battle. The robot boy and a now functioning Midoriya finished the man off, kicks powered by two different quirks finishing off the Hero Killer and his tirade for that night.
Was the warmth in her chest just the blood pouring out of her wound, or was it something more? Either way, at the sight of her success in saving the boys who had shown her the warmer side of humanity, Ayumi shut her eyes.
—
She stirred herself awake, the blood which had induced a temporary coma within her was now restored of life and vigor, the sounds of its rushing in her ears, forcing dark eyes open. Red. It wasn't the red that she imagined so frequently as of late; it didn't have the metallic taste or luster blood and visions of it did. It was bare, raw - it was there. Ayumi couldn't imagine the caliber of the crimson she saw before her sleepy eyes, the fact that it was real this time waking up her heart, rhythmic beats beating her other cells into a premature consciousness. Her brain opposed this free association, but it didn't matter, as the heart which supplied it with blood would stimulate its network of nerves whenever the blazing color came to view. Needless to say, the red Kirishima displayed started a riot within her at a simple glance.
She couldn't admit it - no the rational girl's mind would never allow it - but she liked it.
He caught her gaze, a smile appearing automatically. Softly, warmly, red in manner, the unbreakable boy to the right of her bed whispered, "I love the new look."
Upon awakening, Ayumi hadn't realized her hair was down, uneven strands front and center, and her lip rings were missing, almost rendering her at a loss for words. She managed a, "Thanks," flustered enough to force her gaze elsewhere, particularly on the three boys talking together on the other side of the room.
"Y'know, you're the reason they're here, alive, right now."
"I know."
"Good."
And so they sat, finally after a long week able to be comforted by the only other one who could make them feel unbreakable. The fact that they had the opportunity to cross paths again proved the remarkability of it all, eyes latched onto each other with a desire to never let go a product. Bright and dark complemented each other so well - this thought was exactly what ran through the minds of the three recuperating boys across the room, one looking blankly, one flustered and a blushing mess, the other sighing and adjusting his glasses. They couldn't deny it, though: the two looked good together, balancing each other aesthetically and internally, yet neither of them could see such beautiful chemistry. Something they shared in common - an affinity for being dense and oblivious.
"Your shoulder looks rough." The concerned boy moved his gaze to Ayumi's left arm, the bandages tightly wound around the appendage.
Smirking, the green girl studied the boy for a moment, before effortlessly retorting, "Yeah, but your hair looks rougher. What's up with the emo cut?" Kirishima's hair was floppy, covering the majority of his forehead and select areas of his tanned face.
The boy blushed. "I mean, I came straight here and didn't have time to do it..."
"And I thank you every second for it, my noble savior! What would I ever do if not for you?" Sarcasm rang within the eardrums of all within the room, three rolling their eyes in slight irritation, while one put up a front.
Kirishima took Ayumi's hand, proclaiming, "For you, my lady!" and planting a chaste kiss upon her bony hand.
If her heart had been in the driver's seat, Ayumi was sure she would've blushed, but her mind held off, preferring, "I must reject your niceties, you clueless Casanova." A rare smile played at her lips, the warmth of the room almost doubling at the sight. She was temporarily defanged, emphasizing her uneven hair sprawled out, and still the moment couldn't have been more perfect.
In the middle of their scene, however, the door bursted open, several figures filing into the already rather cramped room. At the forefront stood Recovery Girl in all her glory, eyes boiling over with hot tears as she walked over to the bed ridden girl, slapped her good arm, then hugged her.
"YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!"
