I liked some of the stuff from canon so this and the next chapter will mention canon elements.

Chapter 8: Fresh Air

The stress was high for all of us. Icy hot and I had worked hard to make up for failing the provisional license exams. Deku developed Black Whip and I've been helping him train to use it. Instead of internships, we took on work studies. The work studies drained the fucking hell out of us and we all knew something big was coming. There were whispers of the things the league of villains were up to. After the symbol of peace retired, tensions have been building. Everyone questioned heroes and whether or not the world was safe.

It was during this time that four-eyes called for all of our class to meet in the common area. I didn't give a shit about dumb class meetings and made sure to be the last to show up.

"Bakugo! How do you expect to be a great hero if you don't have the discipline to show up in a timely manner!" Four eyes lectured me, waving his arms mechanically.

"Whatever, robot," I growled and leaned against a nearby wall.

He gave a look of offense before addressing everyone, "We have all been under a lot of pressure lately and Koda suggested that we go on a class hike at the Ten-en Hiking Course. I was thinking about next Sunday. All in favor, raise your hands."

There were some cheers and a couple of my classmates jumped or pumped their fist in excitement.

'As much as I fucking hate doing stuff as a class, I do love hiking.' I reluctantly raised my hand but made sure to look away from the group, a scowl on my face.

After the entire discussion finished and my classmates dispersed, Kirishima walked over and draped his arm over me, "It's surprising that you even raised your hand! You usually just have an attitude of indifference."

"Whatever, spikey hair." I said, shrugging him off me, "I don't see a reason not to hike."

"Hey what do you think I should pack?" He looked genuinely confused.

I sighed, "Come on, idiot." I took him to my room to lend him some spare hiking gear I owned.

When Sunday rolled around I got up early and packed my hiking gear into a small backpack I always took with me when I hiked. I put on hiking boots, grabbed my hiking backpack, and went down to the kitchen to grab some protein bars, a small lunch, and water bottles. It was 7:36 by the time I was ready and walked into the common area. Uraraka, icy hot, and bird brain were already waiting. We were to head out at 8:00. Slowly others trickled in, some with sleepy expressions until we were finally all together when Aoyama walked in at 8:08.

We jumped onto the train and everyone chatted excitedly. Kirishima, alien, sparky, and tape arms decided to sit around me, of course. They spoke loudly and tried a few times to get me to join in their conversations but I tried my best to ignore them.

At some point, we had to transfer to another train and that shitty perverted grape head got left behind. He was too busy trying to sneak a glance up a girl's skirt when we all exited the train. Four eyes had to call the bastard and inform him. After a quick discussion, pikachu, lion tail, and octopus arms decided to wait for him at the station while the rest of us went on ahead.

The second train ride and the bus were much the same as the beginning of our journey. By 9:30, we were at the trailhead. Without waiting for a beat, I walked on without the rest of the class.

"Bakugo!" Robot yelled, "Don't just walk on ahead! We must plan before we start!"

"This is a hike, four eyes. Pretty straightforward to me. You extras can waste your damn time planning. I'm fucking leaving." I continued up the path and ignored his rants.

Kirishima, pinky, and tape arms followed me. "We'll make sure he doesn't get lost!" Kirishima called back to the rest of the class.

"I know how to hike, dumb ass," I grumbled. Ahead of us the path was pretty even and clear and we followed it with ease. The extras who followed me were talking with excitement and pointing out things they found interesting. I took in the nature around me, bamboo was to my right and trees to my left. The fresh air always helped to relax me and I was in my element for the time being.

After about forty minutes we reached the Kencho-ji Temple. We looked at some of the architecture and walked through the garden. Once I finished exploring, I sat down, drank some water, and ate a protein bar. Kirishima came to sit beside me as I used my arm to wipe some sweat off my brow. The action shifted my wristband to reveal my Soul Mark but I was quick to hide the blemish again.

When the rest of the class showed up, I decided it was time to move on. I took the trail leading to the Zuisen-ji Temple. The only one to join me this time was Kirishima.

He walked up beside me, "I guess we aren't going to wait for the rest of our class?"

"Of course not," I answered and he smiled.

As we walked, Kirishima talked about multiple subjects. I feigned ignoring him but over the past two years he came to know me better; he knew I was listening.

At some point, he said, "By the way man, I saw your Soul Mark earlier and that it has been activated. So is your Soul Bond someone I know?"

I tripped at his words. Luckily there was a tree next to me that I used to catch myself. I turned to him and yelled, "You're bringing that fucking shit up again!"

"Was it someone you saw at our first Sports Festival?" He asked. I trudged on without answering. "Come on man! I told you who mine was!"

"Which was fucking stupid. I could use that information against you."

"I know you won't!" He pouted, "It's only fair to tell me."

"No." I barked.

"Fine, if you d-" He misunderstood me.

I growled, "No, it's not someone I met at the Sports Festival, shitty hair! I met her during the entrance exams!"

"Oh! So does she go to our school?" He flashed me a shit-eating grin. "If she does, are you going to tell me who she is?"

I walked in silence for a while debating if I should. "Even though I hate to admit it, Kirishima is my closest friend. He never showed any behavior that he would ever betray me. In a way, he was loyal to a fault. Once Uraraka started training with us, he was quick to accept her as a friend. Is there any risk in telling him since both Uraraka and I are training to be heroes?" I looked over to him and he was smiling stupidly at a butterfly fluttering to his left, "Hell no. He's a fucking cinnamon roll."

"Uraraka," I stated. Kirishima looked at me in confusion before realization dawned on him.

He smiled at me, "Well, now a few things make sense. I will say that I am still surprised." His brows furrowed, "Everyone sees the way she acts with Midoriya. I thought that perhaps they were Soul Bound."

I huffed, "Sometimes I still think fate fucked up Bonding us together. However, we both agreed to ignore our Bond and focus on becoming heroes. If she fancies that damn nerd, I don't give a fuck."

I paused to drink some water and without warning, Kirishima grabbed my arm and moved my wristband to expose my Soul Mark. I immediately shot an explosion at him which he blocked using his quirk.

He ran up the trail and I chased after him fixing my wristband, "I'm going to fucking kill you! Do you hear me, shitty hair!"

"That red line that is forming a circle around your Mark is a sign that your Bond is maturing! See!" He held up his wrist for me to see as he ran. The Mark looked like fancy pink and black vines with each branch ending in swirls. A red circle that was about three-fourths completed surrounded his Soul Mark.

I stopped running a looked at my covered wrist, "I thought that's what it was but never gave a damn to look into it." I started to walk towards the temple again. Kirishima had run ahead and out of sight. "I'll kill him later."

When I got to the temple I trudged past Kirishima to go look around, "You're on thin ice, spikey. I should explode your dumb hair off your big head."

"Don't be like that!" He followed me but I ignored him and kept walking. After looking around I sat and ate my lunch. Kirishima left my side when the rest of the class showed up. The noisy extras spread out around the temple. They were like pesky bugs because everywhere I looked there was at least one classmate.

I happened upon Uraraka hanging up an Ema. "Pink cheeks."

She gave me a bright smile, "Yo, Bakugo! Are you here to make a wish too?"

"No." I gave a look of disgust, "Anything I want, I'll make happen. I don't need to rely on such a stupid notion."

Her smile faltered, "Ok."

"That red line on our Marks," that caught her attention, "it's a sign that our Marks are starting to mature."

She scratched the back of her head, "We probably should've known that by now, huh?"

"Whatever. We both agreed not to pursue our Soul Bond, so don't feel like you're stuck with me."

I turned and started to walk away but stopped when she said, "I'm not sure what you mean but okay."

"That broccoli haired nerd is probably wondering where you are," I stated before leaving her by herself.

I knot formed in the pit of my stomach after my talk with her. No matter how much I denied it, this Soul Bond affected me. What I said to her didn't sit right with me and it turned my day sour. Before I was finished sightseeing, I headed back down the trail. I was ready to get the fuck away from all these noisy extras and get some peace of mind. On my way down, I passed dunce face, octopus arms, lion tail, and perverted bastard.

Shinso, who was still exploring the first temple, spotted me and asked what was wrong. I ignored him and refused to answer. Just because he was in our class now didn't mean that I wanted that freak in my head.

Without waiting for my classmates I got on the first bus to arrived and headed home. I had training to do and they'd probably stay a few more hours. By the time I was on the train, Kirishima texted me.

Hey man where r u?

On the damn train back.

Wat! Y didn't u wait for us

I didn't bother to reply. I put on my headphones and blasted music into my ears. I needed to drown out these fucking thoughts this damn Soul Bond forced into my head. I looked out the window and watched as the scenery changed from woods to rice fields, to the city. I eventually got off and onto the train that stopped near the school.

When I arrived at my stop I stormed off the train and stomped back to the dorms. I changed into my hero outfit and went straight to the practice grounds. Using my quirk to explode shit to smithereens allowed me to blow off some steam. This shitty Soul Bond wasn't going to fucking control me, my thoughts, or my emotions! I wouldn't let it!

I sorta based this off a real hiking trail but kind of made it my own as well since I have no idea what the hike is like.

Please Review!

-JFDragonFire