And I'm back with the tenth chapter, yeah~! Also, little correction: the USJ arc is rather divided in three parts. Sorry 'bout that!
Warning: Kira's worry, Kira's fire and Kira's past.
Enjoy!
She wouldn't make it in time. The man was now before Tsuyu, his real hand almost touching her. Izuku was frozen in shock, Mineta hadn't even realized they were in danger yet.
No!
Warmth spreading all over her body, she accelerated the pace. Jumping onto one of the railings, she then gained even more speed, if possible. Propelling herself thanks to the flames in her palms, relief washed over her when she realized that Aizawa-sensei, even though in his state, had managed to erase the man's Quirk.
She gritted her teeth when the monster slammed her teacher's head into the ground, seriously wondering how the man hadn't died already.
It was the perfect opportunity, though.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"
Taking out her staff, she brought it down onto her opponent. The creepy guy instantly moved away, avoiding the blow, and she landed between him and her three shell-shocked classmates.
He's fast.
"You guys okay?" she simply asked, keeping her eyes on the enemy.
"K-Kicchan!" gaped Izuku, suddenly snapped out of his daze.
"Sorry for being late. Can all of you move? You need to get away. Those guys are serious business," she warned, falling into stance.
The hands-guy was simply staring at her, scratching his neck.
"Waah, Kira-chan!" suddenly cried Mineta, grabbing her leg.
"What-"
Her second of inattention was all what their enemy needed, though. Her heart missed a beat when he suddenly gripped her head. It felt as if she was staring into the eye of Death itself.
"LET GO OF HER! Detroit Smash!"
The grip loosened, Kira collapsed to her knees as she suddenly started breathing again. The blow created a serious shockwave, blowing away the smaller fries amongst the Villains and even destroying most of the windows of the arena. As the dust settled down, though, she suddenly realized that, while her first opponent had backed away a little, Izuku hadn't hit him.
He had hit the monster.
"Izuku, move!" she screamed, trying to get back to her feet. "That guy can beat All Might, we're not strong enough to fight him!"
That had been a particularly juicy piece of information, but not a very reassuring one. The guy she had questioned earlier had been awfully chatty, and informed her with non-hidden glee that they had a new weapon that could destroy the Symbol of Piece himself.
That monster was obviously the new weapon he had talked about.
"You move well," then congratulated the hands-guy in a flat voice. "That Smash… Are you a follower of All Might's? Oh, well. I'm done with you."
"Shit!"
The monster had grabbed Izuku, about to literally flatten him. The hands-guy was about to grab her again, this time no one would stop him. Herself was ignoring her own position, trying to reach Izuku in time.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-
"Get away!"
Her whole body turned to flames. Her opponent hissed at the sudden heat, his palm already blistering, and this time truly backed away. The monster wasn't stopping, though.
"Izuku!"
'BOOM'
The noise echoed in the whole of USJ. Loud, threatening. The doors at the entrance of the arena had just been broken down, and a gigantic cloud of dust had rose, gaining all's attention.
A tall figure then appeared, standing at the top of the stairs.
"A-All Might!" Her relief made her limbs shake, and her fire armor disappeared.
The monster had let go of Izuku. Tsuyu had grabbed him using her tongue, moving him out of immediate danger. Kira simply wanted to cry, but she held it in. Now really wasn't the time for waterworks.
"Ah… we're getting a 'Continue'," mused the hands-guy.
"A-All… Might…" Izuku gaped at the sight. "He's not… he's not smiling…"
"I've been waiting, Hero," claimed the creepy Villain. "You trash of society…"
In the blink of an eye, All Might moved. He got rid of what was left of the weaker Villains in the span of a few seconds and, next thing Kira knew, he had gotten to Aizawa-sensei, just a few meters away from them.
He then slowly turned to face everyone… and his eyes glowed with anger.
The air was knocked out of Kira as All Might suddenly grabbed her and hers friends. She hadn't even seen him move! She blinked once and, when she opened her eyes, she was back on her feet and standing much farther from the Villains than she thought feasible. The hands-guy had even got the hand covering his face cut off!
Well, that's All Might for ya.
"Uh?" gaped Mineta. "Uh!?"
"Everyone, go to the entrance!" ordered All Might, kneeling before them in a defensive position. "I'm leaving Aizawa-kun to you. He's unconscious. Hurry!"
"Y-yes sir!"
"Ribbit!"
Izuku stared at him for a moment, before going to help the others lift their injured teacher. Kira simply frowned, though, glancing from the monster to the Hero.
"All Might," she then called, wary. "That monster… he was made to fight you. He took Izuku's punch without even noticing. He must be-"
"Young Suttoki!"
She stopped talking, wondering what he was going to say. He then turned to face her, and offered her his trademark smile.
"It's fine!
She blinked. Didn't smile back, merely turning her back to him.
"Alright. Guys, let's go!"
They nodded at that. She hit her boots on the ground, putting away the wheels, before grabbing Aizawa-sensei's legs while Izuku lifted him as much as he could onto his back. They then started heading away while All Might started the fight.
A few seconds later, the ground shook.
"How did he make a Suplex look like an explosion!?" gaped Mineta, watching everything as they walked away. "All Might's on a whole other level!"
"Even though he's a rookie teacher who can't teach without looking at his notes," mused Tsuyu.
I... don't get it.
"Get them! Aim for the balls!" cheered the smaller boy.
I don't get them.
"Were we overthinking it?" wondered Tsuyu.
How can they be so calm!?
"He's amazing!"
All Might isn't even invincible but... Oh, that's right. They don't know that. Izuku does, but the rest of the students still believe that All Might will wipe them out without even trying. They don't know that he already reached his limit this morning. They don't know that he can't keep this form for too long. They don't know…
"Crap!"
At Mineta's yell, they stopped moving to look at the fight. Kira stiffened. The monster had been warped thanks to the shadow-guy, and was now grabbing All Might's abdomen, pricing through the skin with its claws.
Blood was seeping through his cloths, red strikingly clashing on white.
They don't know! Kira started shaking.
The warp gate suddenly started closing onto All Might. If they kept that up, then he would be literally cut in half.
They don't know…
Kira stopped shaking. She exchanged a glance with Izuku, who nodded firmly.
But we do. And we have to do something.
"Asui-san," he called.
"What is is, Midoriya-kun?"
"Trade places with me carrying Aizawa-sensei."
"Ribbit? Okay…"
"Mineta, take my place," Kira added.
"R-right!"
The four changed places. As soon as they were freed from the body, Kira activated her rollerblades, and took out her staff.
"Izuku, let's move!"
"Hai!"
He started running, and she followed suit. Easily keeping up, she was careful to match her pace with his. Ignoring their friends' cries to stop, they kept on moving forward.
"All Might!" yelled the boy, accelerating.
Too late did the ginger see the the threat in their way.
"No, wait, Izuku!"
He wasn't listening to her, though, lost in his own world. She cursed under her breath, stopping dead in her tracks as he kept on running… right into the shadow guy. She wouldn't be able to stop him in time!
"Izuku!"
There was an explosion. Her eyes widened when she realized that none other than Bakugo had just saved her best friend's life.
"Move, you're in the way, Deku!" he raged.
He grabbed the metallic collar that seemed to be the sole physical component of the shadow-guy, slamming him into the ground.
Well, whatever works.
Ice suddenly spread on the floor and spread on the monster, freezing it in its place –it was still trapped into one of the warp gates.
Kira snapped her eyes at Todoroki.
"All I heard was that you all are here to kill All Might," he remarked flatly.
Using the opportunity, the Top Hero managed to free himself from the monster's grasp, and returned safely to Todoroki's side. At the same moment, Kirishima suddenly jumped onto the hands-guy, who however easily escaped the attack.
"Crap, I didn't get to show-off!" whined the redhead.
"Not the time, Eijiro!" snapped Kira. "Fall back!"
He glanced at her, unsure, before obeying. All of the group gathered around Bakugo, who still had the shadow-guy trapped.
"Stop acting so stuck up, foggy nobody!" he cursed.
"The Symbol of Peace cannot be killed by the likes of you," simply stated the ice-heat boy.
"Kacchan… everyone…" Tears gathered in Izuku's eyes.
He quickly wiped them away and, in a single movement, all students went into position, circling their enemy.
"Kurogiri…" the hands-guy then called, apparently at the shadow-guy. "Our exit and entrance, has been overcome. We're in a pinch…"
"You careless bastard," Katsuki smirked smugly. "You're just what I thought you'd be. Only certain parts of you can turn into a misty warp gate. The fog gate covered your actual body, right? Back then… If you were completely made of mist and physical attacks couldn't hurt you, then you wouldn't have said 'that's dangerous'."
Kurogiri stiffened. As he tried to make a move, though, Bakugo made a few explosions. It was a weak scare tactic, but it worked.
"Don't move!" he ordered, apparently enjoying having the upper hand. "If I feel like you're moving suspiciously, then I'll blow you up!"
"His behavior isn't very Hero-like…" sweatdropped Kirishima.
"In addition to capturing them, they're almost all uninjured," then remarked the hands-guy, obviously talking to himself. "Kids these days are amazing. They make the League of Villains look bad. Nomu."
The monster twitched. Then, it started sinking fully into the warped gate. It came out, its body breaking into pieces due to the ice. However, it didn't stop moving, facing them as if it wasn't missing an arm and a leg. For once, Todoroki's cool attitude left place to genuine shock.
"Even though his body's broken… he's still moving!?"
"It is a weapon made to kill All Might," replied Kira, spinning her staff between her hands a few times. Another fight was about to break out, she needed to warm up. "If it could be defeated so easily, then it wouldn't stand a chance."
"How do you know that?" Kurogiri snapped at her.
"Let's just say that you ought to choose your subordinates better," she replied, raising an eyebrow in a challenging manner. "They can be very… talkative, with the good incentive."
"Everyone, get back!" suddenly ordered All Might.
What was left of the ice on the monster's body broke, an the raw muscles hidden underneath started moving. Kira scrunched her nose at the disgusting sight, as the missing arm and the missing leg suddenly grew back.
"What? His Quirk wasn't shock absorption?" All Might gritted his teeth, getting back on his feet.
"I didn't say that was all he had," chuckled darkly the hands-guy. "This is his super-generation. Nomu has been modified to take you at 100%. He's a super efficient human sandbag. But first, we need to get our gate back. Go, Nomu."
Kira didn't even have the time to blink. There was an shockwave, she raised her arms to protect her face. When she lowered them, she realized that Bakugo was no longer holding Kurogiri down.
"Katsuki!" she panicked, looking around to find him.
Damn, he must be a bloody mess-
"K-Kacchan!? You managed to dodge that?" suddenly exclaimed Izuku, and the teen then realized that the bomber was safe and sound next to them. "That's amazing!"
"No, shut up, scum," retorted the blond, as grumpy as always. The shock in his eyes was evident, though.
"Then how-"
"All Might," Kira paled in understanding. "He took the blow!"
The man was still standing, but blood was now dripping down his mouth. Kira tensed when she noticed the strange glint in their enemy's eye.
Their foe had understood something, something very important.
All Might is going to protect us at all costs.
"Don't you know how to hold back?" coughed the Symbol of Peace.
"It was to rescue my companion. I had no choice," retorted the hands-guy. "I mean, earlier, that… that plain-looking one. He was about to punch me with everything he had, you know? Violence for the sake of others makes it admirable. Isn't that right, Hero?"
The words of the Villain made Kira's head spin.
She felt sick.
"You know what, All Might?" Hands-guy spread his arms. "I'm angry."
She felt sick… because he was right.
"I'm angry at this world that categorizes the same violent acts as heroic or villainous… deciding what's good and what's bad! What's with this 'Symbol of Peace' crap?"
Because in a way, she agreed.
"You're just a device to repress violence. Violence only breeds violence. The world will know this, once we kill you!"
Because in the end, violence was violence. It was merely used under different circumstances.
"That's preposterous," then coughed All Might. "The eyes of white-collar criminals like you burn silently. You just want to enjoy this yourself, don't you, you liar!?"
Hands-guy narrowed his eyes at that.
"It's three against six," then remarked lowly Todoroki. "If we team up, we can take on one each."
"Kacchan already exposed the fog's weakness!" agreed Izuku, clenching his fists.
"These guys are crazy… but if we backup All Might, we can push them back!" Kirishima assured, hardening his arms and hands.
"No!" All Might however intervened, stepping before them. "Run away!"
"You would have been in trouble if I hadn't done anything earlier, right?" however refused Todoroki, ice forming at his fingertips.
"That was a different story, young Todoroki! Thanks…" All Might clenched his fist, readying a punch. "But it's fine! Just watch as a Pro gives it everything he's got."
"All Might, you're bleeding… Besides, time's-" Kira slapped his shoulder, and Izuku cut himself, worried the others might have heard.
"Nomu, Kurogiri," then said hands-guy. "Get him. I'll deal with the children."
All Might won't let us interfere with the fight, but we can't just stand there and do nothing. Plus, I doubt we'll be able to act like wallflowers any longer, if what that creepy dude just said is anything to go by.
However…
"Guys, I have an idea," she said, low enough so that only the boys would hear. "I need you to cover me as I make my escape."
"Where are you going?"
With a grin, she jabbed her thumb behind her. The four boys looked in the indicated direction, and understanding dawned on them as their eyes landed on the fire zone.
"We've got ya, Red One," assured Kirishima, grinning too.
"Get ready," nodded Todoroki, falling into stance.
She put away her staff, checking quickly if her wheels were undamaged. Satisfied, she then bumped her fist against Izuku's shoulder.
"Be careful," he frowned, though determined.
"Of course. You guys ready?"
"Just get lost already, Carrot," huffed Katsuki, turning his back to her.
She took a deep breath, before placing on her goggles. Then, she crouched. As the fight between All Might, Kurogiri and Nomu started farther away, the leader of the Villains started moving towards them. She forced herself to focus on her primary goal. The shockwaves started becoming stronger.
The fire. You need to get to the fire zone. Nothing else matters.
"Go, Kira!"
"Hai!"
And she pounced.
There were surprised exclamations, but she pushed it away as she started rolling towards her goal. Moving fast, she used the numerous shockwaves from All Might's fight to accelerate her pace.
"Think you can escape?"
Her eyes widened as the man suddenly appeared besides her. Before he could do anything, though, a wall of ice rose between the two.
"Keep moving!" ordered Todoroki.
So she did.
Faster, faster, faster!
It's only when the fire zone suddenly appeared before her that she realized she was going a tad bit too fast. Cursing as she hit the stairs, she slammed into the door and literally flew into the zone. Pain coursed through her shoulder as she fell, but she ignored it and instantly raised back to her feet.
I made it!
It wasn't the time to celebrate, though. Limbs shaking due to the surge of adrenaline and the sudden strain on her muscles, she took exactly three seconds to calm herself down before focusing on her task once again.
Fire. I need fire.
Well, good thing she was in the fire zone. However, now that she was there, she found herself hesitating. She had never attempted to control so many flames at the same time. Even the fire during the Sludge Villain Incident hadn't been as important.
I don't have the time for doubting.
She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. Then, her body started warming up as, slowly by surely, flames from all around started to burn her way. It felt as if long lost limbs had just been found, and were trying to reattached themselves to her.
Focus.
It was exhausting. The more she pulled, the stronger and harder they became to handle. It was like a wild beast fighting against its tamer. It put a serious strain on her body and mind.
Focus!
She wanted control, needed control. If she couldn't do it, then she would risk hurting her friends and All Might. She risked burning down the arena, she risked endangering the rest of their classmates who were, hopefully, all safe. She needed to control it because if she didn't…
A few flames started to slip out of her grasp.
Focus, damn it!
Focus…
And then, she understood.
She had found her core. She knew what she wanted. She knew what she was aiming for and most of all, she knew she could do it. Limits weren't part of the equation in that moment. What mattered was the here, was the now. She didn't need to hold herself back. So, forgetting about her limitations and doubts, she decided to stop trying to always control everything and, without another look back, let herself be consumed by the flames.
.
.
All Might had just blown Nomu away, quite literally. The monster had crashed through he roof of the arena, and went flying until no one could see him anymore. As soon as he disappeared, though, All Might had to come to an understanding: he no longer had time for this fight.
"So, Villains!" he called, turning around to face the last two. "I'm sure… we'd all like to end this as soon as possible."
Silence ensued. The hands-guy was obviously mad, very much so.
"G-guys!"
Izuku tugged at Todoroki's shirt, discreetly pointing up. The boy's eyes widened at the sight, and he nudged Kirishima. The redhead gasped, though not loud enough to be noticed, and poked Bakugo's shoulder. The bomber glared at him, before looking up and stiffening.
"We better get out of here," paled Kirishima.
"At my signal, everyone get down," simply replied Todoroki.
They nodded at that, even Bakugo.
Above their heads, a gigantic ball of fire was growing by each passing second. The heat was only now reaching them, hence why no one had realized its presence sooner. And seeing how the Villains and All Might were so caught up the fight, they wouldn't see it until it was too late.
The fire suddenly stopped growing, and the ice-heat boy understood.
"All Might, get away!" he instantly yelled.
Reacting more due to his instincts than anything else, the Hero obeyed, clearing the battlefield in a flash and reappearing next to them. Todoroki created an ice dome all above and around the five of them, just in time.
"What-"
The fire took the shape of a dragon, before the mystic animal crashed into the two Villains. The ground shook due to the strength of the blow, and Todoroki gritted his teeth when realizing that his ice was already melting.
She better not keep this up for too long, he clicked his tongue.
It suddenly stopped. The fire that had spread onto the whole battlefield dispersed, only to gather around a single figure now standing in the middle of it all. Destroying what was left of the ice dome, the four students and All Might stepped out, ready to face an indescribable devastation of heat and flaming trees.
"Wait, what?"
There wasn't a single trace of the feared destruction. Well, the ground was charred in certain places, and the palce where the Villains had first been standing was now crumbling into ashes but, other than that, there was not a single evidence that a literal wave of fire had just washed over the whole place.
"Kicchan!" Izuku then saw the ginger girl, standing farter away. Her hair had become fire, and she was wearing her fire armor too. Flames were lashing out every second, an unbearable heat reaching them despite the distance. "Are you okay?"
At his question, the teen tilted her head their way. Smiling, she gave him a thumbs up, though the blood now dripping from her nose mustn't have been a very reassuring sight.
She then turned her back to them as the two Villains reappeared. They had escaped barely in time using a warped gate, but Kurogiri had still taken considerable damage.
"A new player, uh? No, that's the one from earlier…" muttered the hands-guy. He started scratching his neck again. "Man, those kids really are cool… but they're annoying. Kurogiri, take care of her."
Before the shadow man could even think of obeying, though, the fire surrounding the teen took shape again, this time forming what seemed to be a fist.
"No," said flatly the teen.
The flaming fist flew at them. As it was about to collide with its target, though, it suddenly crashed into a metallic wall.
At that, Kira took a step back, startled.
"The hell?"
Her flames died down somewhat, and she wiped away the blood that just wouldn't stop dripping from her nose. She had passed her limits by a long shot, she wouldn't be able to keep going like that for more than a minute. However, it would seem the Villains weren't done playing after all.
"My, my, it would seem I missed most of the party, didn't I? A pity."
The ginger tensed at the voice, snapping her eyes to the source. Sitting on top of the metal wall was a man. He was wearing a long, black coat with numerous pockets, and what seemed to be a metallic armor under it. He was also wearing gantlets, and on the higher-half of his face was proudly displayed… a silver mask.
It's… he's…
And he was familiar. Damn, was he familiar. She had seen him before, but she just couldn't place it. His long, black hair and his purple eyes seemed to come straight from a long-forgotten memory.
"You…" She took a step back, suddenly understanding.
"Kicchan!"
Her friends and All Might were suddenly beside her, though still at good distance from her flames. Farther ahead, hands-guy and Kurogiri stepped from behind the wall, and the newcomer jumped to the ground next to them, landing gracefully.
"You're late, Hagane," greeted the leader. "Where were you?"
"Doing the usual. You know, stealing a grandma's bag, kicking dogs, attacking the Archivist seeing as we kind of need the info… oh, and taking some kid's lollipop, can't forget about that one," enumerated the so-called Hagane, counting on his fingers.
Kira felt dread settle in her guts. That wasn't right. That couldn't be right. He was the one… who attacked her brother?
Sensing her stare, the purple-eyed Villain looked back at her, and offered her a crooked smile.
He knows, she was livid. He knows who I am.
"Why, if it isn't Suttoki Kira-chan," he grinned, crossing his arms behind his head in a lazy gesture. "Recognize me? Of course you do."
"I…"
"What? Kicchan, you know this guy?" Izuku paled.
"No!" she protested. "I-I mean… I think not…"
"Oh, so you don't remember me after all," the man pouted a little. Kira didn't know whether to be relieved that he wouldn't expose her family's secret to all or confused about his choice of wording. Remember? "Well, I guess no one can really blame you. You were only four when we first and last saw each other. But to think you've been searching for me for all this time, and can't even recognize me when I'm finally standing before you? I'm kind of offended, really."
The ginger froze, her mind coming to a stop.
"You were only four when we first and last saw each other."
"To think you've been searching for me for all this time-"
"Can't even recognize me."
"You've been searching for me-"
"Finally standing before you?"
"For all this time…"
"You were only four."
"You…" this time, her fire truly died down. The flames flickered violently, before vanishing fully. She couldn't move, couldn't think. "You're the one…"
"K-Kicchan…?" Izuku placed an hand on her shoulder in worry.
She wasn't looking at him, though. She could only stare at the man now standing before them, disbelief and anger and pain and fear all swirling in her red orbs in a sickening mix of barely contained emotions.
"YOU'RE THE ONE!" Her hands started shaking, and flames suddenly engulfed her whole body once again, forcing her best friend to step away. "You're the one… who killed my parents…"
"Yup!" confirmed cheerfully Hagane. A mad grin stretched his lips. "Long time no see, Kira-chan."
And here pops up one of my favorite characters ever! Kind of. Anyway, you'll understand a little more in the next chapter, though I guess it's pretty clear what past Hagane and Kira share. Did you see that one coming? Been planning it for a while, to be honest. Also, if you guys are wondering just what the hell happened to Kira's powers...
Well, let's put it this way: Her Quirk is like a wild animal. She freed it from its cage when she found her core. However, she's been keeping it on a tight leash ever since, fearing there would be consequences if she didn't. In this chapter, though... well, she let go of that leash, said 'fuck the risks' and became a mess of badassery and awesomeness.
Love you guys! Plus Ultra!