Family Dispute

Katsuki Bakugo was in a very bad mood. He was sulking as he paced up and down the living room of his empty home.

Today was his birthday and he was turning eleven, and the ash blonde had been excited for this day. He was expecting today to be the best day of the year, but he had ended up fighting with Kurumi again on this very day.

All he had done was just push Izuku Midoriya to the ground. And the next thing he knew, Kurumi had been furious at him, calling him stupid and telling him that she didn't want to see him ever again.

This wasn't the first time this happened and maybe he should've laid off of Izuku today. But the damned nerd seemed to have forgotten that today was his brithday and that pissed him off.

It wasn't just Izuku. Nobody seemed to realize that today was his birthday. And true to her words, Kurumi refused to even look at him, avoiding him like the plague for the entire day. When she became like this, it took three or four days before she allowed Bakugo to talk to her again.

He thought today was going to be the best day of his life, but reality hit him hard with disappointment.

And so Bakugo sulked, pacing up and down his house.

Well, it wasn't going to be that bad, Bakugo thought to himself.

At least his parents had remembered. They were coming home early from work to celebrate his birthday together. They said, they'd get him some cool presents too, so there was that to look forward to…

Bakugi's mood plummeted when his thoughts turned to Kurumi Aizawa, as it usually did when he let his thoughts go astray. He threw himself into the sofa as he groaned into his pillow. This was totally that damned nerd's faults! If Deku hadn't been there, he would totally be spending time with Kurumi right now!

Ring! Ring!

Bakugo fumbled for his phone, not even bothering to lift his head from the pillow.

His mother's voice instantly soaked his eardrum as soon as he answered the call. And Bakugo immediately guessed why she had called as soon as he heard her careful tone.

"…Katsuki?"

"What." Bakugo's voice was muffled and short, but Mitsuki Bakugo was used to her son's callouse behavior.

And she hadn't the heart to scold her only son, not when she had to tell him-

"I'm sorry, dear. But something came up at work, so I probably won't make it until midnight-"

"Okay."

Her son's short, but rather calm response surprised Mitsuki. She had expected him to yell and scream a little more.

"I'm sorry, hon-" Mitsuki repeated, "Tell Masaru too, won't you? He isn't answering his phone right now. You could hold the party with your father or if it's fine with you, we could always do it tomorrow! Oh, and honey- be sure to look forward to your present! You won't be disapp-"

"Just get to work, old hag!" Bakugo's rude voice interrupted Mitsuki.

"Wha-what?" Mitsuki spluttered, "You brat! Where did you learn that word!? And I'm not old-" She clicked her tongue when she realized Bakugo had already hung up.

Now that, that was more like her son. Any feelings of guilt flew out the window with those two words!

Old hag.

Seriously! Who was teaching her son such horrific profanities!

Mitsuki rubbed her forehead as she leaned back in her chair. She could still remember when her boy was still a baby. And he had been the most adorable thing back then.

Mitsuki sighed as she eyed the present by her feet.

Maybe, she should go buy a bigger cake.

While his mother was pondering about that, Katsuki Bakugo grumbled into his pillow. So, it was going to be just him and his old man?

"Stupid, old hag…" Bakugo grumbled to himself.

"Stupid Deku. Stupid Aizawa. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." Bakugo sulked.

Today wasn't just not turning out to be the best. It was turning out to be the worst!

Ring! Ring!

"What is it, old hag?" Bakugo immediately answered the phone again.

But instead of his mother's voice-

"Ah, son!" Masaru Bakugo's gentle voice flowed into Bakugo's ear.

"Old man?"

"O-old man…" Masaru's voice sounded depressed, but Bakugo didn't feel like correcting himself right now.

"What is it?" Bakugo mumbled.

"Ah, right. The thing is, son. My colleague had to go to the hospital. Heard his parents got injured in a villain incident. Poor fellow. Anyways, everybody here has to cover for his absence and you see, son, the work's pretty piled up and the deadline-"

"Okay, I get it." Bakugo cut him off when his father didn't seem like he was going to stop talking.

"So you're going to be late?"

"I'll probably have to spend the night here, son. I'm sorry."

"Right." Bakugo felt something bitter in his mouth.

"Well, tell your mother that I won't be making it to the party. But be sure to celebrate with Mitsuki, son! Happy birthday! I can't believe you're already eleven! It only felt like yester-"

Bakugo hung up.

Throwing his phone onto the sofa, Bakugo got up to his feet. He'd been thinking he'd have his supper with the birthday cake his mother had said she'd bought, but since she wasn't coming and he'd probably be asleep by the time she came home, Bakugo had to prepare his meal himself.

He opened the fridge, but there were only raw ingredients. And he had no idea how to cook.

There was some left-over toast from breakfast on the table. That would have to do.

The bread was both cold and hard, as Bakugo bit into it. He chewed slowly and tried to swallow, but he couldn't do it. A lump had formed in his throat, and Bakugo furiously wiped at his eyes when he felt them water.

Shit.

He sniffled before he stuffed some more bread down his throat.

Why was he alone right now? It was supposed to be his birthday.

He had always been the centre of attention. Everybody admired him. Everybody praised him. Everybody wanted to be his friend.

Liars. All liars.

If they trully cared, he wouldn't be alone right now.

So why was it that he was alone on his own birthday?

Bakugo was convinced. Because they never cared in the first place!

Bakugo couldn't stop himself from letting a tear slip. Shit. He was eleven now! He wasn't a baby! He should already be past crying!

Ring! Ring!

Bakugo forcibly gulped down the stale bread and downed a glass of milk. He was going to the living room to get his phone, but he turned sharply to the front door when he realized it wasn't his phone, but the door bell.

Bakugo checked himself in the mirror. His eyes were a little red, but it wasn't anything too bad.

He opened the door, and saw the last person he expected to see.

Kurumi Aizawa.

"Aizawa?" Bakugo blinked.

The black haired girl was chewing on her lips, hands behind her back as she squinted at Bakugo's shoes. She was still mad at him and wasn't about to give him the pleasure of talking face to face.

"What are you doing here?" Bakugo inquired and Kurumi lifted her eyes, staring at somewhere above his head, determined not to look him in the face.

"What? I can't come here?" Kurumi challenged.

"No, I mean. That's not what I meant," Bakugo hastily defended himself.

It was strange, really. The way Bakugo treated Deku and the way he treated Kurumi was like night and day. If he could just act a little nicer to Deku, Kurumi was confident the three could become best friends.

But for some reason, Katsuki Bakugo hated Deku's guts and so she had made it her mission to defend her friend from the beast that was Bakugo. She wasn't going to forgive him until he apologized to Deku!

"Hmph!" Kurumi puffed out her chest and looked pointedly away, but what with her height only reaching Bakugo's nose, she failed miserably at looking intimidating.

Cute.

Bakugo pushed the thought out of his mind.

"So why..?" Bakugo questioned uncertainly.

Kurumi shoved something in front of his face. She had it behind her back, so Bakugo hadn't been able to see what it was, but now, he saw it.

It was a package, wrapped elegantly in green wrapping papers. It was undoubtedly-

"Well, happy birthday," Kurumi huffed importantly.

Bakugo carefully took the present into his arms, "You did this…for me?" He said, disbelief laced into his tone.

Kurumi felt her eyebrow twitch. It was like he hadn't expected her to. That's how little Bakugo thought of Kurumi? He thought she was someone who wouldn't even get a birthday present for a friend? Well, that hurt her pride, but she had to say this.

"No."

"Huh?" Bakugo blinked.

"That's not from me. It's from Deku! He was going to your house to give this to you, but you're a beast and you're going to hurt him again, so I came in his stead and-" Kurumi babbled as her ears turned pink.

"Oh." It left his mouth like a sigh, but it shut Kurumi up. There was a tone of understanding in that small breath that she didn't like as if he had been expecting this answer.

She hadn't bothered, preparing a birthday present for him, but it felt like Bakugo had known that and that annoyed her more than anything else.

Kurumi dug into her pockets. She dug out her phone, and unclasped the key-chain, tied to it.

She shoved it into Bakugo's chest and the blonde caught it in surprise.

"What's this?" Bakugo's eyebrow rose.

"K-key chain." Kurumi mumbled. Of course she knew that wasn't what he was asking, but Bakugo stepped forward a little, and it made her nervous.

"Yes, of course, you dummy. But why are you giving me this?" Bakugo asked persistently.

"You can have it."

"…Why?"

Another step forward, but Kurumi refused to shy away. She held her ground, but in that moment she forgot all about the fact that she was supposed to be furious at him and…

Their eyes met.

Intense, crimson eyes burned themselves into her mismatched eyes, and Kurumi looked away immediately, but the fire within those irises had seared themselves into her mind.

"Present," Kurumi blushed in humiliation, "Birthday present! Happy birthday, Bakugo!"

And with that, she scuttled past Bakugo and into his home like she owned it.

"I'll buy you a proper present if you apologize to Deku and get along with him!" Kurumi hollered past her shoulder, the sudden idea striking her out of nowhere.

Bakugo stared at the keychain before he carefully put it in his pocket. He threw Deku's present carelessly onto a table nearby, idly realizing the little nerd hadn't forgotten about his birthday after all. He hurried into his home after Kurumi, making sure to close the front door before he went.

"Baka-go! I'm starving!"

"Too bad. All I've got is some bread."

"What? Where's the birthday cake? Ugh, fine. You haven't had dinner yet, right? Leave it to me!"

"You can cook?"

"Only basic things, but it's better than nothing! Mommy taught me and- Hey, don't get close to me! I'm still mad at you about Deku!"

"Who cares about that damned…"

"What did you say?!"

"…Nothing."

"Well, go wait in the living room or something. I'll scrape up what I can."

"Ok."

"Good. Now go away."

"Hey, Aizawa, after dinner… wanna watch a movie or something?"

"No! Wait." A momentary pause and- "Whatever. Ok. Fine. Since it's your birthday…"

Bakugo found the need to change his mind. Today was definitely going to be the best day of the year, alright.

To this day, Katsuki Bakugo never apologized to Izuku Midoriya and Kurumi Aizawa never got him a proper birthday present.

But that was ok.

The keychain was enough.

Bakugo dug his hand into his pocket as he leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs. The students were silent around him as their teacher delivered the final verdict.

"Kurumi Aizawa, you are hereby expelled from U.A. High School."

Bakugo pursed his lips. His fingers traced the outline of an old keychain in his pocket. He already knew the ins and outs, every nook and crany, every small detail of that old keychain, but Bakugo found himself tracing a thumb over it again. Old habits die hard, he guessed.

The keychain was in the shape of a heart with a cute smile on it. Its color had faded, but nobody would mistake the faded pink for anything else. It wasn't something any boy would carry around for everyone to see -he'd be laughed at- , so Bakugo had always kept it safe in his pocket wherever he went.

A chair tipped to the side and crashed to the floor with a loud, echoing thud, and Bakugo allowed a glance sideways. Kurumi Aizawa was on her feet. Her face was pale, her lips thin, but it was the face of someone who could not accept the results.

"Please reconsider," Kurumi said.

"We teachers are allowed to do whatever we want in this school. I've expelled all of Class 1-A last year and no one said a word," Shouta Aizawa said without a trace of remorse. The class took a sharp breath there. They hadn't known about that. But Shouta paid the students no heed. His half-lidded eyes were focused entirely on his daughter. Bakugo could feel a silent battle for dominance between the father and daughter.

"Two years…" Kurumi muttered as she held up the blinding cloth around her neck, "I trained for two years... I did everything you told me no matter how hard it was. Are you telling me those two years were all for nothing? Are you telling me to let all my effort go to waste?!"

"…Yes," Shouta answered after a momentary pause.

"A fight!" Kurumi shouted furiously and the class tensed at the sudden raise of her voice, "Then, fight me, dad. I'll show you it wasn't all meaningless. I'll beat you with everything you taught me and-"

"…Beat me? You?" Shouta cocked his head, "Impossible."

Kurumi bristled at his obvious disregard, "If it's impossible, then show it to me, dad. Because right now-" she fisted a hand into her binding cloth, "I feel like I can put up a pretty good fight."

Shouta sighed. It was a simple and obvious provocation, but what could she do? She could struggle all day, but she would never be able to touch a hair on his head. But if this would make her understand, if she could finally accept this wasn't her path to take at last, then-

"Fine…I suppose."

Kurumi's eye flashed. It was an opportunity, and she wasn't about to let it go to waste.

"If I win, I want you to rescind that statement," Kurumi offered.

"Fine," Shouta accepted, "And if I win, you are to accept this expulsion as proper punishment."

"Oh, and one more thing-" Simply beating her one-on-one wouldn't be able to break her determination completely. Even if she lost, and did get expelled, who was to say she wouldn't try to enroll in a different hero curriculum? What Shouta needed was a decisive blow. An utter defeat that would break her determination completely and force her to give up.

-To find my mother's killer.

It was foolish. It was reckless. Simply becoming a hero didn't guarantee the fact that she would be able to find the villain. The opponent was someone who had evaded the eyes of the police and heroes for two years!

But her stubborn determination refused to be shaken. Her purpose had been decided, and mere words weren't enough to shake her from her path.

That was why he needed something more shocking. And that was to fight in a condition where he was at a clear disadvantage, but still come out of it with overwhelming victory.

To instill upon his daughter the difference, the vast gap that seperated him and her. To shatter the mistaken illusion that she was capable of doing what he could do. It was an insult that she thought she could catch up to him when she couldn't even use her quirk properly.

This wasn't a joke. Her own life was at stake here. And not just hers. The civilians' lives would also be if she failed her duties as a hero on the scene.

Stubborn and selfish. Shouta thought in his head. Naïve. Reckless.

You cannot become a hero.

"I'll allow up to five members to come with you to fight me," Shouta decided.

"What? Are you mocking me?" Kurumi blinked in disbelief.

"I'm offering you an advantage," Shouta shook his head. "I hope you're not foolish enough to deny something that could guarantee surer victory."

It was true, Kurumi was thinking. She had wanted a fair one-on-one, but if her father had accepted that he would rescind the expulsion so long as she won, it really didn't matter how she won. No matter how unfair it was, her objective would still be fulfilled. She would be able to stay.

"Fine," Kurumi decided, "And what are the conditions for victory?"

"Your loss when all six of you are rendered unable for continued combat." The corner of Shouta's lips began to curl upwards, and Kurumi felt herself bristle, "My loss when any one of you are able to grab onto me."

"...Grab...you?" Kurumi scowled, "That's it?"

Again, he had set conditions that were almost insultingly in her favor. Her father was looking down on her more and more. She loved him, but she couldn't stop the bitterness rising from the pit of her stomach.

"Fine," she spat, "Don't regret it later! So when?"

"Hmmm?"

"When will we fight?"

"Now."

"Now?" Kurumi's hair began to flow upwards, twisting and turning as if someone had blown life into it, but Shouta shook his head.

"Not here. Meet me at Ground Beta. But before that-"

His tired eyes left Kurumi, and flickered to the quiet class that had silently been watching the two bicker.

"Any volunteers to-" A chair scraped noisily against the floor as someone immediately stood up before he could finish the sentence. Shouta frowned, not liking that his sentence had been cut short.

Black eyes met crimson red.

It was none other than Katsuki Bakugo.

Not a moment of hesitation, I see. Shouta mused.

Kurumi looked like she didn't know if she should look grateful or glare at the ash blonde. But Bakugo's eyes were trained entirely on Shouta Aizawa. I'm going to beat you, they seemed to say.

Shouta looked away from the crimson irises that continued to bore into him.

"Anybody else?" Shouta offered, "Any volunteers? Fighting me would give you some valuable experiece, don't you think? If you do not help her, there's no doubt she will lose."

Kurumi bristled at the statement, but she had the sense to keep her mouth shut. Many would be confused what Shouta Aizawa was doing, convincing people for Kurumi, but Shouta was simply laying out the groundwork for his overwhelming victory. He would want it no other way in order to ensure a stop to this twisted path his daughter had embarked upon.

A shaking hand went timidly up into the air. Izuku Midoriya quietly stood up from his seat, as he glanced nervously around him, "I-I'll do it…!"

"Sit down, Deku. You'll only get in the way," Bakugo growled, red irises immediately flickering to the green haired boy.

"He's adept at analysis and strategies. He'll be a great help," Kurumi said sharply, "Thanks, Deku." Kurumi smiled warmly.

Bakugo clicked his tongue. She had given Bakugo no such gratitude. And here, he was trying to save her ass. Well, it wasn't like he was doing this to earn her gratitude or something. He was used to her cold shoulder anyways when she was mad at him.

Denki Kaminari had been ecstatic. His high school life was about to start. It was a beginning, a new chapter to his life and Kaminari was determined to do the one thing he had failed in middle-school.

And that was getting a girlfriend.

He had always thought he was a pretty smooth talker, but despite his many approaches, Kaminari was sadly getting used to being rejected.

But no more! His high school life had begun and the pitiful Kaminari from middle school was a thing of the past! He needed to look cool, and his father had always said that first impressions were very important.

And what better way to do just that than to bravely save a damsel in distress?

Kaminari confidently raised his hand in the air, "I'll volunteer!"

All eyes in the room swiveled instantly to him and Kaminari gulped. He had never been able to garner this much attention instantly, and he almost lost his cool, but Kaminari managed to keep his voice steady as he repeated clearly, "I'll volunteer, sir!"

Gold eyes met charcoal black. A black haired girl was staring at him with wide eyes.

Kurumi Aizawa.

She was probably the hottest girl in this class. He thought his heart had missed a beat when he saw her come into class in the morning. Sharp features and porcelain skin. She had a feline charm to her that was definitely his type.

Kaminari gave her the coolest smile he could muster as he gave her a thumbs-up. Kurumi blinked before she smiled back, bowing her head slightly in gratitude.

Kaminari could feel it. A flag had been raised.

"All riiight~! I'm in!" Mina Ashido had become curious. What was the relationship between these two? Kurumi Aizawa and Shouta Aizawa. Father and daughter? Uncle and niece? Mina was prepared to bet her money on the former.

Besides, once a classmate, a classmate until the very end! Mina wasn't about to lose a potential friend without a fight! And it would be sad to be the only odd number when every other class had twenty students each! That was why, she had decided to come to Kurumi Aizawa's aid!

They would get through this problem together! That's what friends are for, right~? Mina flashed Kurumi a bright smile and the black haired girl awkwardly scratched her cheek.

Oh, that reaction was cute!

"I'll be the fourth volunteer~!" The pink-skinned girl sang.

Manly. That was the first thing that came to Eijiro Kirishima's mind as he saw the four students rising to their fellow classmate's aids.

Kirishima clenched his fists. And among them, Mina Ashido. Just as she had done in middle school, the girl had shown little hesitance in lending her aid to a person in need.

Kirishima combed a finger through his spiky hair. Good bye to his pathetic middle-school days.

A life without regret.

This would be his first step. Kirishima raised his hand, and all eyes were on him now. His manly spirit was pulsing in his veins as Kirishima opened his mouth, "I'll do it!"

Mina caught Kirishima's eyes. She had a wide smile on her face with a hint of teasing and Kirishima looked away with a faint blush to his cheeks. His red eyes met coal black and the boy, who had inherited Crimson Riot's spirit offered Kurumi his aid, "I'll help you."

Ground Beta. It was the place where Kurumi had her practical exam. Granted, she knew that around a dozen of these identical training grounds existed throughout the property of U.A.. Therefore, she couldn't say for sure if Ground Beta had been the exact place where she had taken her practical exam. But she was familiar with this city-like environment.

Despite it being nothing more than a model, Kurumi found the empty city unnatural. It honestly really did look like it was capable of housing inhabitants and function like a proper city. With nobody there, but her and a few of her classmates, and her father, she felt like they were in the middle of a ghost city.

Kurumi looked behind her. One girl and two boys. They had stayed behind willingly, to fight for her, while the rest of the class had gone home. Kurumi felt a surge of gratitude and a feeling of warmth for these three people.

They had given her a hand, to someone they didn't know. Them meeting her could have ended as a chance-meeting, among millions that came and were to come. But they had not let her become one in millions and had offered her their hands. Fate had bigger plans for them all, it seemed.

"I can't begin to express how grateful I am to all of you-" Kurumi fidgeted with her skirt. They could have just ignored all of this and went home. This wasn't their problem at all, and Kurumi was eternally grateful.

"Don't sweat it!" Kurumi tensed as the pink-skinned girl sang carefreely, slinging an arm over Kurumi's shoulder, "We're Class 1-A! We're friends, comrades through thick and thin!"

"F-friends? We only just met today," Kurumi stuttered.

"Who's to say we won't be in the future?" Her black sclera and yellow irises seemed to twinkle and Kurumi felt her gaze soften.

"The future is filled with so many possibilities…!" A woman with honey-blonde hair flashed at the back of her mind. It was the sweetest smile and Kurumi smiled, the feeling of being dipped in honey washing over her with a gentle breeze.

She had a feeling she'd get along with this girl.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Kurumi said softly.

"The pleasure's all mine!" The girl winked, "Name's Mina Ashido, but just call me Mina!"

"Of course," Kurumi smiled, "Kurumi Aizawa." She said jabbing a thumb at herself, "You can call me whatever you want."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, ummm." Kurumi turned to the other two boys, who were standing behind Mina. Come to think of it, she didn't know their names yet.

"Kirishima. Eijiro Kirishima."

"Denki Kaminari at your service."

They answered her unsaid question.

Kurumi smiled, "It's nice to meet you, Kirishima, Kaminari. I'm in your debts. If you need anything-"

"Don't sweat it!" Kirishima puffed out his chest, "I only did what any man would do! No need to thank me!"

"We didn't do anything yet, you know." Kaminari winked, "Let's talk after we win this fight, yeah?"

"It's gonna be easy~!" Mina laughed, "All we have to do is grab him, right?"

"Yep." Kirishima nodded his head in agreement, but he somehow didn't look so convinced.

Such kind-hearted people.

Kurumi turned to the last two. Her closest friends. To the two people she trusted with all her heart-

"Deku!" Kurumi grinned fiercely.

Izuku clenched his fists and gave the black haired girl a big nod.

They didn't say anything, but somethings were better understood unsaid.

Kurumi forced her head to turn to the final one. He had been the first one to help and he had shown little hesitance in that. She couldn't believe Katsuki Bakugo would go this far just for her, but-

"Well, ummm…" Kurumi blushed when their eyes met, "I guess…I can thank you too, Baka-go."

Bakugo clicked his tongue as he looked away, "Don't get the wrong idea, Eyepatch."

Kurumi blinked.

"I'm only doing this because I want to fight him." His red eyes were trained on Kurumi's father as the man waited patiently before them.

Kurumi blushed in humiliation. So that's how it was. She felt stupid, being all flabbergasted that Katsuki Bakugo would go this far for her. Actually, it made her more comfortable, knowing he had another reason other than anything so noble. Yes, she preferred this. This was how Bakugo should be. Not some silly knight in shining armor!

"Hmmph!" Kurumi puffed out her chest and looked pointedly away, "Right, I forgot. You're that kind of guy."

Kurumi turned to the front. Shouta Aizawa was there, his dull eyes unfocused and staring into space, but they refocused when Kurumi gave a fake cough to bring him out of his thoughts.

"Are you ready?" Shouta blinked lazily.

Shouta lowered himself into a stance, and Kurumi mirrored him perfectly. Two years. She had done this so many times she could probably do it in her sleep. She knew his every stance, every movement, and every skill and technique at his arsenal that he could deploy in this fight.

And what he had, was also made hers during the past two years. It was now time to see the fruit of her labor. Her muscles were taut, her breathing even and her balance was perfect. Her senses were sharp and she could feel the rapid beat of her heart.

Shouta's hair twisted and flailed, rising to the air as if gravity had decided to exert its force the opposite way. His binding cloth hummed to life, taut and ready. His dull eyes seemed to flash red, sharpening to that befitting of a predator.

Kurumi's hair did the very same. Flowing, dancing to a non-existent breeze, and her own binding cloth curled around her neck and they seemed to hiss like a pair of snakes, tense and ready to strike with the flick of her wrist.

Her midnight iris flashed, cold and sharp, but as her fringe curled upwards into the air, her other eye could not be seen, covered by an eyepatch Shouta had given her two years ago.

'You're my number 1 hero, dad. Always was, always will be. But I won't let you get in my way. Today, right here, I'll surpass you with the very things you taught me!' Kurumi could already see how her father would move. Here, in battle, there was nobody else who understood Shouta Aizawa better than Kurumi Aizawa herself. Armed with his very legacy, the daughter challenged her father.

Their movements were identical, their breathing simultaneous and their hair and capture weapon swayed to the same rhythm. Coal black met coal black, and Kurumi licked her dry lips.

She could hear the other five students shift into position behind her, and Kurumi narrowed her eye.

"Let's do this, Class 1-A!" Mina let out a yell.

Shouta cocked his head, "Come at me with everything you've got, fledglings."

Kurumi didn't know who moved first. All she knew was that she was on the ground before she could process what had happened.

To be continued