A.N: Hello once more! As per usual, thank you for the ongoing support so far, love you guys! Onto reviews.

netapel: Thank you again for pointing out the error, should hopefully be fixed by now. :p

SkeenTheDream: That's... huh. That's actually a pretty good idea! I might have to change a few things around, but a Water-hose arc is actually pretty manageable. Thanks for the idea and the support dude!

MrDyzio: I'm glad that you like how this story is panning out so far, and hope you stick around for more!

Alright... before you jump back into the show, I just want to give a fair trigger warning for people. I've never really tackled a topic like this before, but just know that I in no way shape or form mean any disrespect to anybody. Either way, hope you enjoy this more emotionally-driven chapter.

Rumble, Young Man Rumble!

Chapter 8

Humiliation

"Holy crap dude, you seriously kicked his ass!" Rumi laughed, slapping Kendo on the shoulder. He laughed with her, idly stretching his hands out to the sky. The school day had already finished several hours ago, the duo making their way down the street to Kendo's apartment-block. His fight with Tetsude had brought about some minor injuries, a busted lip and a bruised rib being the worst of them, though they were mostly healed quite easily, a band-aid over his left eye for the minor gash that was still healing.

"Dude thought that he could just swing his fists around without knowing how to throw a real punch," Kendo smirked, "That kind of shit won't work on me. Especially after I've fought guys like All Might and you." She grinned wide at that, genuinely pleased that he had thought that.

"Hmph. Good. If you lost to a greenie like that, then I'd have to kick your ass all over again. Oh! I almost forgot…" She had a wide grin on her face, one that made Kendo suspicious. "…Eh, you'll see eventually."

"Riiiight," He drawled on as they walked down the sidewalk. "Really though, you fought well against the gun-quirk dude. Kinda surprised that he didn't use his quirk that much and fought you head on."

"Yeah, his Karate was really good," Rumi agreed, "But still too rigid, and he didn't mix it up with his quirk. Just a matter of getting in close and kicking his crap in. Still though, good guy, pretty humble too."

"Fair enough. Besides, guns, knives and shit like that is boorish to use in a fight. It's good to see someone with a quirk like that put their hands up and throw some leather."

"I get you!" She laughed a bit before her eyes drifted. "Ah, we're here. Feel like we always come back to these stairs for some reason."

"They're freaking stairs. You think fate's got a fetish for us always being here for some reason or the other?" Kendo chuckled.

"Good point!" Rumi laughed back as both of them ascended. Thankfully for Kendo's pride, he didn't need any help this time around. He sighed and took his keys out, ready to call it a night and say his goodbyes to Rumi before he heard another jingle of keys, a jingle that wasn't his own. He turned around, eyes wide in surprise as she held up her own pair of keys, standing by the door at the opposite end of the hall with a cheeky grin.

"Oh shit, you moved in!"

"Yup!" She laughed, her cheeks a bit pink as she scratched an ear, slightly embarrassed. "I… might not have realized that this just so happened to be the same apartment block that you were in." He expression turned a bit more neutral, even a bit annoyed. "At least, my and my parents. Cost too much money to be going back and forth on a train-ride, so they moved me here."

"Well shit Usagi, I don't mind. Good to have someone I know around," Kendo chuckled as he opened his door. "If ya need help moving some shit in, I'm right here." She smiled brightly again, a thumbs up directed his way.

"Thanks Meathead, but I'll be good for now. G'night."

"Same to you Usagi."

He slept peacefully that night, but in this world, peace such as that never lasted long.

…

Arriving early to U.A was something that Kendo didn't normally do, but it was hard not to do such a thing while Rumi was around. He supposed that he had enough energy to spare, and the longer you were awake, the more likely you could get into a fight. Not recommended, but still a… statistically correct assumption. Sitting in the relatively peaceful classroom, he leaned back and hummed to himself before pulling out a textbook. 'Shit, might as well get a bit of practice in, even if it sucks.' He sighed to himself, squinting as he did his best to make out the words on the paper. He tuned out the small number of people arriving into the class one by one, though he did keep an ear out when the bullet-quirk user walked in and started friendly conversation with Rumi.

"Hello! I have to say again, You fought incredibly well yesterday," He said honestly, no attempts to butter her up.

"You ain't a slouch yourself bullet-boy," Rumi said back with a grin, "Kinda surprised me with your karate there, especially since your quirk is midrange. It's Kyokushin-Style, right?"

"Ah, you know of it?"

"Dude, we live in Japan. Kinda hard not to come across Masoyama at least a handful of times when it comes to martial arts, especially one that was born here," Rumi said.

"Hah, I suppose that's fair enough," He chuckled. "Still, I pride myself on close-range toughness, so to have my defences broken and my reverse-punch countered as easily… I have to work hard."

"Eh, sure, keep up the work, but don't let that get you down dude," Rumi replied honestly. "You're tough and well trained, but if you only stick to Karate and don't learn how to mix your quirk with your natural fighting-style, then you'll be stuck for a while. It's kinda why I dabble between Taekwondo, Boxing, and Muy-Thai, gives me a good range of attacking, defending and movement options." At that, he went silent for a bit, idly humming and scratching his chin.

"…I'll admit, I'm… quite attached to Karate. Been in it since I was five. Though, I suppose you're right, it would be beneficial of me to learn other styles to broaden my horizon. Thank you for the enlightening experience Rumi!"

"Don't mention it Sendo, just one fighter passing advice to another," Rumi said with a thumbs up. He gave a light bow, waving to Kendo as he moved to his seat. Kendo grinned back and gave a two-fingered salute: game recognised game, after all. "Hey." He glanced to his right, seeing a flustered looking Yu Takeyama standing there.

"…You gonna stand there squirmin' or you got somethin' to say?" He asked, trying to keep a straight face without laughing.

"Sh-shut up!" She barked back, her face red. "I-I just…" She breathed out, calming herself somewhat. "I just wanted to say that… I guess that I was wrong about you. You're… you're not half-bad, and you did jump to save me. I mean, I had that situation under control…"

"Yup, completely unconscious and bleeding all over the place. Completely in control there," He said bluntly. Her face turned even redder, a mix of hot anger and indignation rising up.

"I told you, SHUT UP!" She huffed out an angry breath, cheeks still a bit pink. "B-but anyway… y-yeah." He couldn't hold it in any longer, roaring with laughter, much to Yu's ire at first.

"Shit Yu… haah, my stomach's cramping up at that," He said as his laughter died down. "You ain't gotta thank me for shit like that. It's our job to be strong enough to step in when someone needs help. You're… what, thirteen?"

"Fourteen, a week after the Entrance Exam," She corrected somewhat haughtily.

"Yeah, you got time. I'll step in if there's a fight, or if someone needs help, because I'm strong enough to back up my shit. I don't care how many times I have to save your ass, or anyone else's ass… but you wanna be a hero? Make sure you're strong enough so that you don't become the one that needs saving all the time. I'm not trying to screw with you, just something to think about."

"…hmph. I… I suppose that you're right. I'll keep that in mind, Kendo Rappa." He hummed and nodded, but it fell on somewhat deaf ears as she walked away. She for one, hadn't expected that kind of response from him: she had more or less prepared herself to slap him for gloating and boasting. Instead, he had slapped her with the cold, hard facts. She needed to get stronger, fast. Her pride wouldn't allow herself to be humiliated in such a way, she refused to become Yu Takeyama, the hero that always needed saving. He lit a fire under her, and she was going to keep it burning. Perhaps, just perhaps, that fire helped Yu see Kendo in a new, more pleasant light at well. Though, where one opinion turned positive, another spiralled downwards very… very negatively. When Tetsude walked in, the door left open behind him, everyone suddenly felt this sense of unease. He was walking oddly calmly, confidently even, if the massive, sinister grin on his face said anything.

He walked right up to Kendo, his hands in his pockets as he simply stood there, the class going quiet. Rumi especially was on edge, recognising that nasty expression on his face. It was the expression of someone who found a golden opportunity. "Feel like the whole class is gonna line up by my desk," Kendo chuckled, closing his book to look at him. "Do you need something?"

"Why do you have that book?"

Immediately, Kendo was on edge. The way he phrased that… "Fuck do you mean why? We're taking the same classes, jackass."

"Yeah, but do you really think you can be a hero?" Tetsude asked, smirking.

"Again, same class dipshit," Kendo growled, "Already kicked your sorry ass, so if you're here to try and boost your ego by making me fight, I'll gladly kick-!"

"You can't read. You're dyslexic!" Kendo froze, his blood going cold. The entire class was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rumi looking at him, her jaw dropped the floor. Shame and pain felt like an iron bock in his heart. "You little shit!" Tetsude cackled, "You really thought you could sneak your way into a school as prestigious as U.A, while being a fucking invalid!? Fuck man, I've never heard something so hilarious! You must've bribed the staff or something to get in, cuz' there's no way that you passed the Written Exam. What, did you think that you could actually become a hero? You wouldn't even be able to write a proper report! Fuck, you'd read 'Danger left!' and run off to the right like a fucking dumbass!"

"…shut up." This feeling of helplessness, being unable to fight back after being attacked in a way that targeted his greatest shame, his worst fear.

"Hell, I can imagine it now, you being unable to save the day, because you couldn't fucking read."

"Shut up." He couldn't afford to look at Rumi, his one friend. She probably thought the same things that the rest of the class were thinking now. Invalid. His heart cracked, tears welling in his eyes.

"A fucking quirkless has a better chance at being a hero than you."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU BASTARD!" Kendo finally snapped, roaring as he leaped from his seat, overwhelmed by emotions like self-loathing and raw fury. Veins bulged across his reddening, steaming skin, blood roaring through his ears. Tetsude's eyes going wide in fear at what he just awoken wasn't enough for Kendo in that moment: he wanted him dead. Just before his fist could blow Tetsude's head clean off his shoulder, he felt something thick and coarse wrap around his entire torso, stopping him momentum temporarily. Shinji Nishiya, while he was outraged at Tetsude for even daring to try and use something so personal against Kendo, something that was completely out of his control, it still wouldn't be good for anyone if Kendo outright managed to kill him. So, he created the strongest and most powerful bark imaginable, wrapping around his torso in as thick a bind as possible. Still the wood began to crack almost instantly, and for Shinji to attempt to make more would only drain him of even more water from his body. 'I-I 'm unable to stop him!'

"I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Kendo roared, the tears in his eyes instantly turning to steam. He looked like he was possessed by a literal demon, and as far as Shinji was concerned, he had the literal strength of one too. Sendo and Rumi were quick to jump to their feet to try and stop him, by the door to the class suddenly opened wider. A flash of black streaked through the air and something hit Kendo in the neck and the centre of his chest with a sharp *CRACK*. Instantly he returned to normal, his eyes rolling up into his head before he blacked out. Even unconscious, he still cried silently, his breathing like soft sobs.

"…S-Sensei, that maniac tried to attack me-!" Tetsude started, only for his throat to dry up again as Aizawa turned to stare at him. His eyes were glowing red, hair raised. If Kendo was the raging demon, Aizawa was the quiet devil. "Tetsude Ken. Go to Principal Nezu's office."

"B-but sir-!"

"Don't make me repeat myself, or things will be even worse for you." He was of course quick to scramble to his feet and hurry out of the door. Aizawa's eyes travelled across the room, a small nod of thanks directed to Shinji for stopping him for as long as he could. "Thanks to the door being open, I managed to hear what was going on," He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "None of this leaves the classroom. Am I clear?" There was a muted agreement that rippled through the class. "Good. I'm taking Kendo over to the infirmary, I expect everyone to be in their seats so we can get started." He rather deftly hefted the boy onto his shoulders and casually walked out of the class. Everyone was silent as they went to their respective seats, Sendo gently patting Rumi on the shoulder. Shinji couldn't see Rumi's face covered by her hair, but he very well could see her body language. She stood there, a single fist gripping her desk so hard that the wood began to bend and crack. She was trembling, ears pulled back and tears running down her cheeks. She bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. Before she sat down, he saw her eyes: self-loathing and shame at her inaction stained her tears, but it did nothing to hide the boiling fury underneath.

And what boiled was bound to froth over, sooner or later.

A.N: So... yeah. Rappa's dyslexic. Though this isn't canon or confirmed in the proper series, I hope it feels like the reveal didn't come out of left field: I've been building upon it since the prologue chapter, with constant little hints and sprinkles as to his issue. As is stands if you don't feel satisfied with it, the references to his issues are in the Prologue, Chapter's 1, 5, 6 and 7. Allow me to be very clear: I in no way, shape or form believe in bullying anybody, especially if they have an issue that is entirely out of their control. Nor am I attempting to trivialise an issue such as dyslexia. I use it as a point of characterisation for Kendo, he was very literal in the Prologue when he said that he was born only to fight. Granted, I won't spill everything here, but I just really hope everyone reaching this point understands where I'm coming from.

With that said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out!