Hey, again dears! WE ARE BACK! :D Firstly, I want to start this by saying how thankful we are for you guys giving us the chance to have a hiatus. We're so sorry that we had to put this story on pause, but the both of us desperately needed a break, and It's a good thing too because we've been so busy with our jobs and school that it would've been impossible for us to update with how crazy life was. So thank you all for being so understanding, we're so grateful. Your support means the world to us, and we're so glad to be back and updating again. You guys are for real our motivation that keeps this story going and your reviews and interest really fuel our writing, so thank you all.
I have SO MANY PMs to go through so I promise you guys will all hear back from me soon and thank you all for taking the time to message me, that means so much. I seriously LOVE talking to you guys, and I've made so many friends through this story for which I'm grateful for. :)
This update is for you guys, and we hope the long word count of almost 17,000 makes up for our month hiatus. Thank you guys again for being so understanding and giving us that break to catch up on our lives. We're so happy to bring you all a new chapter and continue where we left off. I'm honestly so freaking disappointed in the first scene of this chapter for group three, I just wasn't super happy about how shit it turned out, it's NOT even close to my best work so please forgive me for that. Group four's scene was 10/10 thanks to the amazing Luna who seriously made this chapter shine because of her FANTASTIC writing skills lol, so you guys can thank her for all of the good scenes lol. I'm very anxious for this chapter, and it's first scene, so I hope it doesn't disappoint too much. :/
Next chapter should be the end of the day as well as a surprise ending scene that we hope you guys are prepared for LOL XD, But you all should be introduced to the lovely class 1-A! So please look forward to that. :)
-IMPORTANT- In the last update I posted about the polls being open on my profile for you to all vote on class rep and vice, so if you haven't done that already, please make sure to stop by and give us your vote! It's still open for those who haven't voted yet. Also, feel free to update your character profiles on our fansite for this fic on TVTropes! (the link is on my profile) Thank you!
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Disclaimer - We do not own My Hero Academia. This story is merely a work of fiction.
Rating - M - for graphic scenes of violence, horrific events, death, murder, language, angst, etc.
Warnings - THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE, CANON VIOLENCE, AND MENTIONS OF GORE. You have been warned. Please read at your own discretion. Turn back now if this is not for you.
Chapter Two Part Three:
Unsure Beginnings
Group Three - U.A. Desert Simulation
The bright yellow bulb of the sun was high in the watercolor sky, not quite reaching its peak because of the morning hour but still high enough to warm the field below and soak through the fabric of their blazers. Big fluffy white clouds that resembled cotton candy against the cityscape surrounding U.A. lazily sailed across the light blue waves, softening the tall, industrialize, glass and metal skyscrapers towering up from the concrete she could see over the treeline at the edge of the property line. Here at this little patch of prettiness, the small little park of harmony and greenscape that was U.A.'s surrounding land smack dab in the middle of the bustling city brought a sense of peace to Kaiya's mind, warming her body at the same time an eager buzz pleasantly hummed, reverberating in her chest. The familiar pull of drive and determination set her senses on overload - the weather, the atmosphere, everything just put her in a wonderful mood, that couldn't be dampened, though the rest of this couldn't compare to the elation she felt at the assignment at hand. She couldn't hide the bright, determined smile that lit up her delicate features, sharp stormy grey catlike eyes glinting in the morning light. So far things had been doing fairly well, and she was confident that her group would succeed with the teamwork aspect of the assignment. From what she had observed of the other groups before they left them behind, no one else seemed to be getting along very well and completely ignoring the concept of working together. They were a shoe-in for success, she thought with a small smile.
The four trekked through the open, airy green field, ankle deep in the soft grass that crunched under the weight of their shoes, clean white sneakers graced the greenery with her light as air stride. Kaiya's high lavender bun bobbing with each step bangs sweeping across her forehead just as the dangling blue tassels swished through the air. The sun felt warm on her back and brought a light hue of pink to her cheeks that mimicked her teammates. Kokichi's friendly incoherent babble and Ryuji's endearingly lame jokes kept the mood light and comfortable, vanquished any and all discomfort that surprisingly made the group reasonably easy to get along with. Kaiya occasionally gently edged timid little Ryoku into joining the conversation just to make sure the boy wasn't feeling left out, but overall she just felt eager and content. Kokichi's voice was warm and deep, with a airy lit that was pleasant to the ear and made her grin with fondness.
'Our first assignment is an intellect and group work assessment. Well thought out activity, Sensei. What a fantastic opportunity- and trivia! This will be perfect, definitely my element! And, we're right on schedule!' Watanabe Kaiya mused with a bright-eyed determination lighting up her orbs, placing her hand just below her full chest, feeling for the outline of the carefully folded map inside her inner blazer pocket where she had placed it for safekeeping.
She couldn't help her heart thudding happily in her ribcage with the contained excitement of an assignment, and an intellectual one at that! Her favorite type, of course. That was one thing she knew she excelled at, with being top of her class since she was in elementary school up until now, even getting in U.A. with recommendations. She knew her IQ was something to be self-assured of and would have no problem solving some puzzles and maintaining the spot at the top of her class at U.A to follow up every previous year. Besides that, she couldn't wait to get to know her classmates better and observe them much closer. This would give her a lovely chance to create closer sustainable bonds. Yes, two birds with one stone! And it wouldn't hurt for all of them to make high marks for their first assignment of the year.
Much to her satisfaction, It hadn't taken the group but a short time to figure out the map, instantly cracking down to get the job done. The purple haired girl deduced that the hints were actually riddles and broke down each one with a shocking amount of speed and Ryoku's own quiet yet accurate opinions taking them all by surprise, just adding fuel to the fire. Together, with Kokichi's positive encouragements, the group was set on their map. She was absolutely thrilled that she had found someone else who connected so well to trivia and analysis as herself, Ryoku was proving to be a great candidate for a friend. Once that part of their plan was established, the four jumped into strategizing on how to collect their items the fastest, coming up with the solution of each member walking in line formation to check their designated area. All in all, It sounded like a well-thought plan, and the four couldn't help but feel a burst of confidence at their pending success. And before any of the other groups even had a chance to move, they quickly headed off in search of their first item, thankfully falling into a comfortable rhythm with one another.
"Remember, our first clue was, - There are millions of me. I am very small, but when moving fast I am deadly - So we have to find the desert simulation and go from there to use the riddles we've solved as our map. If we work together and efficiently, I think we'll be able to take first place," Kaiya assuredly spoke, watching Ryoku nod in agreement from the corner of her eye from his spot at her side. The both of them sharing a determined glint in their gazes as they waded through the ankle length greenery that clashed wildly with her lavender locks and Ryuji's bright colored attire. A gentle breeze wafted over the group, giving them a slight reprieve from the morning sun beaming down onto their backs, ruffling their hair and uniforms, Kaiya's skirt swishing back and forth against her toned pale legs with each step.
'Hmm, I wonder how far we'll have to trek until we make it,' she quietly wondered, eyes only being able to make out a wide field of grass in the horizon, they couldn't be too far off from the desert. This simulation could only go so far, right? If they just kept walking at their current speed without slowing down then they were bound to make good timing, she supposed.
"Wow, you really think we can make first place? I was just going for passing, but this is great!" Kokichi, the white-haired giant exclaimed with a smile, clapping his hands together as his pale blue eyes crinkled with the weight of his grin from over Ryoku's head. Kaiya felt herself share the expression, her own small smile curling over her pink lips at the taller boy's energetic antics.
Name: Kokichi Serabara
Quirk: Catharsis - In which the user channels their rage to create feats of superhuman strength. Essentially, the user has to stockpile negative emotions in order to access their power. There are several stages to this power, and each state has some sort of visual key- within the eyes, and the color of the aura surrounding them.
He reminded her of a gentle yet energetic and social puppy - a very tall, lanky limbed boy with light blue eyes and messy white-hair, divided by the curtains of fringe on either side of his face and a sickly build - but a puppy all the same. What with his rather noticeable habit of clinging to anyone in sight, dependently yipping in their ears and bringing smiles to their faces, but it was sweet nonetheless. Upon first meeting Kaiya couldn't help but be in awe at the other's height, easily towering over both herself and Ryoku, who were of the same height, and even remaining a few inches taller that Ryuji. At first, she had been mildly surprised by his intimidating frame, all wiry muscles and a deep stare that rivaled her own hawk-like searching gaze, and it seemed that she wasn't the only one who thought so. When she initially approached the group who had all gathered ahead of her Ryuji's open-mouthed gaping stare at the taller boy definitely drew in her attention, but that all changed as soon as Kokichi opens his mouth, and turns out to be a bundle of self-deprecating friendliness, which was a very surprising yet not unwelcomed turn of events. Kokichi definitely proved that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, she believed that much, for the boy was anything but typical.
Well, she wasn't entirely confident that they would make first place, but she'd be damned if she didn't try with everything in her. They had a pretty good chance of doing well, that she was sure of, especially since the other groups hadn't even moved yet to take action, so currently that had the lead. There was still a chance, even if it was a sliver that they could fall behind, but she wouldn't have first place slip from her fingers without putting in one hundred percent effort.
"Of course, you never know until you try. But you should always shoot for the top and give it your all despite any circumstances," Kaiya carefully flicking her bangs out of her eyesight, before reaching down and carefully plucking the map from her pocket, unfolding the paper in her small hands to gaze down at the map the last time - yes, they were heading in the right direction - before gently folding it in half and placing it in her blazer pocket for safe keeping.
The brunette, Ryuji, walked at the further end of the group, the pockets of his green slacks that hung onto his slim hips by the mere threads of his brown belt, purple converse - strange choice of attire, she couldn't help but think - wading in the grass as he chuckled and talked to the much taller white-haired boy who practically clung to his side in excitement. His school-issued blazer hugged his lean torso from where it stretched across his chest, and he had haphazardly rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, exposing the pale skin of his forearms and two identical brown leather bands on either wrist. Ryoku even timidly conversed with the easy-going brunette, his carefree and relaxed vibe keeping the group in check. She had recognized him from this morning from the hero course hallway where she met a lost and confused Pompom being directed by a stuttering and blushing Ryuji who ended up letting his friend - the feminine featured blonde boy, Ritsuo - do the rest of the talking while he nervously laughed from behind. Once the two boys were on their way, she caught up with Pompom, the precious pink skinned girl she had the pleasure of sitting by in the auditorium, and trailed behind with her.
Ryuji easily avoided her gaze, brown eyes alternatively downcasted on the grass and glancing over at Kokichi as a deep blush reddened his cheeks, and he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Every time their eyes met, he would make some kind of noise between a choke, a scream, and a laugh, and look in the other direction. Regardless of trying to ignore it, she couldn't help feel bad and worry if she had offended him somehow as she silently bit the inside of her cheek. The uncomfortableness churned in the pit of her stomach, and she tried to push it down, failing as usual because, 'damn I just can't ignore it!' She mentally gave in. It was just too much, and no matter how she tried to pretend that his purposeful avoidance didn't hurt her feelings, the fact remained obvious to her. No one enjoyed being left out, that's for sure.
'Hmm, he's acting similar to earlier with Pompom. Did I do something to him?' she wondered, a small frown tugging the corner of her lips down, the familiar feeling of hurt tugging at her heartstrings, but refused to say anything allowed and draw attention to the situation, especially if the other teen didn't realize he was doing it. But he had to, right? Or at least, she thought he did. It was pretty obvious that he was staying as far away from her as possible. 'It had to be me, right? He's acting normal to Ryoku and Kokichi. Is something upsetting him? Am I too forward? Not forward enough?' Kaiya knew these sensations, the swirling of worry prying to the forefront from its spot stored away at the back of her mind, as her thought process threatened to overwhelm her. She silently grits her teeth even harder jaw a hallowing ache at the reaction, her father's voice echoing in her mind, grounding her as her gaze remained on the glinting gold waves peaking in the horizon.
She didn't need to fret over something that she wasn't even sure of. That wouldn't do any good. 'No, no need to think like that, Watanabe. Time to focus. Don't start your worrying now,' Kaiya bit her lip and nodded her head, she needed to swallow this down, this wasn't the time or place to get worked up. She had to be a leader, not a worrisome naive child. Of course, she didn't want to hurt the boy's feelings or make him uncomfortable, but she couldn't push him or automatically think the worst, he would tell her in time, she figured was the best solution, especially since Kokichi seemed to be almost protecting the other from her wandering gaze. Oh yes, she didn't miss the white-haired giant's none too precise steps just in front of the brunette when he caught her sneaking a peak, automatically shoots her grins that were far too wide to be considered casual. Oh no, she was on to them. There weren't exactly subtle, she shook her head fondly.
But, she wouldn't pry, she would wait for the opportune moment. 'Yes, of course, why didn't I think of that earlier? Don't overdo it, Watanabe,' the lavender hair girl cheered to herself, 'just give it time to convince him to talk to me. Or carefully deduct his emotions, either way, I'll get to the bottom of this soon enough.' With that thought finalizing her concerns, she now had to focus, no more worrying, she mused, they had an assignment to ace! Speaking of which, her eyes shifted to her oblivious teammates, she still needed to get to know them! She hadn't talked to them nearly enough to actually get anywhere, overall, they had just made pretty casual conversation, but if she wanted to make friends, then she'd have to try harder. Her attention instantly drew back to the boy of the same height next to her, hovering so close that she can feel the body heat radiating off of him, his arm occasionally brushing against her own with the loose swings of the appendage, bringing her back to the real world out of her musings.
Name: Ryoku Kiryoke
Quirk: Phantasia - He has two parts first allows him to summon phantasmal constructs to aid him in battle. The second part allows him to move short distances in the blink of an eye. His constructs take focus to create, and they must be created near his person otherwise they will just dissipate but once created can travel indefinitely.
"This was some excellent thinking Ryoku-san, you must also be a fan of academics," Kaiya turned to give the dark-haired, large-eyed boy a once over, her own grey gaze gleaming with warmth and curiosity.
The boy of equal height blink back at her, a flustered blush creeping over the apples of his cheeks before his shy gaze immediately flickered to his feet, 'how cute,' she thought with fondness, her heart bursting at the pure timid nature of the other teen. She could just hug him at how adorable he was! Though, at the same time, she just wanted to reach out and tilt his head upwards, hating to see him tilt it down in submission. Upon first meeting, she instantly could see the way his shoulders pinched together in a nervous bundle of muscles, form lightly quivering and eyes shyly trained down. It was pretty apparent that the teen had insecurities and social anxieties and her heart panged deep in her chest for him. She couldn't fathom why he would feel such a way, considering how kind and intelligent he was. He had no reason to be insecure, she thought. But she was already sold, her gentle nature getting the best of her, wanting to protect and mentor the rounded face teen.
"Oh um - thank you, Kaiya-san...I'm more of a fan of solving puzzles, to be honest," Ryoku answered softly, scuffing his loafers against the thinning grass. The sun seemed to heighten, she noticed absentmindedly, feeling the warm rays beaming down tenfold onto the fabric of her blazzer, just as they approached a bed of sand that had to be the tale-tale signs of the beginning of the desert simulation. 'Finally! This has to be it, we're so close,' she grinned to herself in triumph, sharp eyes taking in where, sure enough, hills after hills of sand dunes rolled in the artificial sun. Stark forest green cacti sprouted in random patches, alternating between large groups to small, lone standing figures.
"Really? I love puzzles and games that test your intellect. I'm happy to meet a fellow fan. Not enough people truly appreciate the art. I can't deny that I was pretty excited over our first assignment being a treasure hunt. The riddles are so refreshing. Sensei is a genius," Kaiya gushed feeling like a complete dork but not being able to hide her nerdiness, smoothing down her skirt. If this was something, they could bond over then, so be it. She'd be happy to revel over brainy nonsense with a fellow intellectual.
Much to her surprise, and pleasure, Kaiya was sure to note that Ryoku cautiously lifted his head, slow but sure signs he was opting to let his guard down. Large dark brown eyes glistened with unspoken excitement, that lit up his whole, rounded face, and reminded Kaiya of a child and this time she had to physically restrain herself, digging her nails into the palms of her hands to keep herself from hugging the boy and most likely freaking him out beyond measure.
"I agree, Bright Lord Sensei is a good teacher. I like how diverse his teaching style is compared to other U.A. pro heroes. I prefer academics over physical assignments, so I was relieved when he revealed the treasure hunt," Ryoku retorted, excitement peaking into his soft voice, dropping his guard almost all the way just as they fully entered the desert simulation.
"I was more excited about the teamwork aspect than the actual assignment, I don't really know much about riddles myself, unlike you two experts," Kokichi spoke playfully, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck under the flush of blinding light, "But I do know about friendship, and I can already say we made a one hundred in that department!" He brightly cheered causing the group to laugh at the sheer goofiness simultaneously. Lord, it was just so endearingly terrible, Kaiya giggles to herself, she and Ryoku sharing a look.
"Hey man, I thought I was the one with the lame jokes huh. This dessert isn't big enough for the both of us," Ryuji laughed, nudging the taller blonde with a cheesy accent and an easy chuckle and Kaiya felt herself smile at their dynamic. So far they were getting along perfectly if they could keep up this teamwork they'd be a shoe-in for first place or at least find all of their items quickly.
By now, the wind is stirring and threatening, whooshing under the surface as a potent force to be reckoned with. The golden beads of sand shifts and moves with it, whirling a few inches above the rolling dunes and through their hair and uniforms. The sensation is soothing and holds a familiarity that resonates with her quirk and causes her to feel at ease. Thankfully, they don't have to scramble through the hills and mountains of sand dunes looking for their objects placements, thanks to already solving all of the clues of the map. That peace of mind relaxes and comforts the lavender-haired girl as she gracefully wades through the sand, the satisfying crunch under her feet from the dryness, steading her strides with the pull of her quirk, and the rest of her group does the same at her sides.
"For a simulation, this sand in my eyes feels pretty real," Ryuji draws as he brushes the golden grains out of his long brown hair while Kokichi gives a hum of agreement before rubbing the sand out of his own eyes. Kaiya can't help but agree when she feels the tug of wind flutter through the bangs on the skin of her forehead and loose strands of light hair framing her face.
"Yeah, U.A. was spot on with this stuff, but I kind of wish they weren't, because I'm having a hard time seeing. But it's a good thing we already know where everything is," Kokichi blurted out over the beginning of the already wild wind picking up.
Uh oh, Kaiya nervously thought to herself, biting her lip as the wind ruffled through her skirt and she quickly held it down before the fabric could flip up and cause a genuinely mortifying moment, this didn't look too good. They needed to hurry and find their objects before a sandstorm hit. With the unpredictability of this simulation, she had no idea how to gauge how strong one might be, or even if her own air manipulation quirk would be able to control the forces. Since this wasn't real, they were pretty much in the dark about how this would affect them, so the only logical thing to do was work quickly before any real danger struck.
"Let's make quick work of this then! All we have to do is locate the treasures, which shouldn't take too long. I'm sure we'll finish together in no time as the top guild," Kaiya shouted over the wind with a warm smile before the three boys all called back, "Right!" and they all carefully made their way forwards into the mess.
Sure enough, Ryuji was already pointing out something glinting in the bright sunlight, just a few meters ahead in the outskirts of a small three-pronged cactus' shadow, a mix of polished silver and beautiful deep sapphire amongst the bed of golden brown waves. That had to be their first object! Kaiya thought in relief before speeding up her pace, the faster they found these objects then, the quicker they would be out of imminent danger.
"Wow, good eye, Ryuji! That must be our first item on the list," Kokichi grinned, the tall, long-limbed boy clapping the slightly shorter darker haired boy on the back, as Ryuji chuckled with a shrug causing his just shy of shoulder-length locks to waver in their gelled back confines, threatening to fly out of place.
"Thanks, man, I'm just surprised I could see anything in all of this sand," The brunette confessed before quickly approaching the bright object and with careful fingers, bent over and plucked it up out of the sand. Ryuji narrowed his brown eyes in concentration as a stern look washed over his handsome features while he turned the small sphere shaped weighted silver piece in his pale hands. He ran the pads of his fingers over a sharply cut sapphire at the very bottom of the silver sphere before glancing up at the rest of the group who peered at him curiously.
"Now, what is this?" The brunette asked in confusion, with a furrow of his brows as he held up the object to eye level so the other three could see. "It feels a little heavy, kind of like it's weighted and looks like there's a small hole at the top with little divots, that maybe something fits into?"
Immediately Ryuji seemed to have an epiphany as he face-palmed and groaned aloud like he was extremely disappointed with himself and him, Ryoku, and Kaiya eyes all lit up as they smiled at each other, exclaiming, "Pommel!" with barely concealed eagerness causing Kokichi to shoot them an equally confused look.
"Of course Bright Lord Sensei would choose such an object for us to find. It's clear now what Sensei has in mind. We should've caught on earlier, it was obvious but still a nice challenge," Kaiya stated almost to herself as she brushed stray locks behind her ears, and peered with her sharp grey eyes, out into the distance. It only makes sense that Sensei would create such an endearingly cheesy plan for them, she thought as a fond grin curled over her features, but it worked, nonetheless. But now, they would actually know what they were searching for instead of aimlessly milling about.
"I can't believe I didn't notice it before. Just wow, I can't even understand myself sometimes," Ryuji said with a chuckle as he dropped the sphere down into the palm of his hand, rolling the weighted ball in his fist. "I literally use a sword as one of the weapons I can make with my quirk. I should know this off the top of my head."
Kokichi let out a good-natured laugh from beside him as he peered down with his blue eyes to the newly discovered 'pommel' thing, whatever that was, he thought with a chuckle, "I feel like I still know as much as I did before." Hell, he didn't mind if he didn't know what it was just as long as they were making progress and found all of the objects at the map locations. He could find out the names of these things later if he needed to. Kokichi blinked over at the boy with large intrigued blue eyes, almost as an afterthought as he muttered in awe, "You can make weapons with your quirk?"
"A pommel is the little ending piece of a sword that connects to the hilt. It serves to counterbalance the weight of the blade, " Ryoku spoke in his quiet yet soothing voice, a knowing hint to his tone causing the lanky giant to nod his head in understanding, before turning to address Ryuji with rounded dark eyes, "You fight with a sword, Ryuji-san?"
The brunette in question rose his eyebrows, taken mildly off guard before shrugging his shoulders and reached up a hand to scratch at his nape, "A little, not that I'm an expert or anything, but I do practice a lot. Sounds to me like you might know a bit as well though." Kaiya, on the other hand, immediately cast her gaze to the timid boy, eyes wide in surprise before a small smile pulled onto her face. "You know about swords too, Ryoku-san?" Kaiya blinked in interest at the dark haired boy as he embarrassedly blushed an even darker hue and glanced down. Kokichi gasped loudly, practically jumping over the female as he leaned his entire body over her to peer down at Ryoku, head falling on the lavender-haired girl's thin shoulder, causing her to blink in surprise but quickly recover to stare with an identical inquisitive look. With the small boy under such an intense pair of gazes, he gulped and shuffled his feet, turning to glance at Ryuji out of the corner of his eye, who in turn just shrugged with an easy grin.
Kaiya waited patiently while Kokichi squealed in her ear, while the boy seemed to have some internal struggle, an apparent panic darkening his brown eyes before he found his voice.
"Only a little bit, not too much, definitely not as much as my sister," The boy trailed off, nervously shifting his hands up to his bright red tie, adjusting the material around his neck as he gulped.
Kokichi excitedly moved about, eyes widening and posture perking up like a puppy. He wrapped an arm around the smaller boys shoulders and gently squeezed, causing the smaller boy to let out an embarrassed squeak and usually pale face turn a blood red. Kaiya smiled softly at the exchange while Ryuji laughed with a call of, "Don't squish the boy to death, blondie."
"Wow, your sister? Does she know how to use a sword? So does that mean you do know about knights and stuff? That's so cool, Ryoku! You'll have to show me some of your fighting skills sometime! I'd love to see, you and Ryuji both," The white-haired boy babbled enthusiastically, much to Ryoku's horror, which only made Ryuji laugh and feel slightly sorry for the kid. Before Kokichi could completely freak out the smaller boy, Kaiya brought their attention back to the task, and the four of them trekked ahead in search of the rest of their items.
It was pretty evident that they were searching for parts of a sword, and thankfully, the glimmering silver stood out like a sore thumb in the midst of a sea of gold. She had to admit that the pieces weren't hidden that well in the flurry of sand, but Bright Lord had done his very best with the limited hiding placing in a desert. Before they knew it, they had already found two more pieces in a span of about eight minutes and Ryuji was working on connecting the sword together with expert nimble fingers. However, with that being said, it had seemed that the sandstorm only worsened with the findings of the pieces, to the point that even she was having a hard time seeing anything besides grainy brown clouding up her vision.
"I think all we're missing now is the blade!" Ryuji yelled over the sound of the strong winds that smacked them dead on, over and over again, as a spray of sand drenched their bodies. Before any of them can reply, it's like there's an immediately snap in the atmosphere, and the sand starts hammering them wildly, the wind blowing so strongly that Kaiya is honestly shocked, white sneakers buried to the ankle in the stuff. The loud rushing in her ears is almost deafening, blowing over and over again like waves cracking onto the shore amped up by a megaphone.
A strange feeling of helplessness racks over her, and she freezes, no longer being able to hear or even see her teammates through the veil that wraps around her body like a vice. Where are they? Are they right here? What's happening? I can't see! With her quirk, she never feels out of control with the wind, instead, feeling one with the breeze, but now, all she feels is a crushing sense of panic. Her calm, cool exterior that she's perfected for so long is slowly crumbling to reveal her emotions that she forced back, out of the unseen eye of her teammates. No, no she had to be strong, stop being weak, she thinks in a flurry. Her chest heaves with rapid breathe puffing from her flaring nostrils, and her heart threatens to send her into cardiac arrest with have heavy it thunders and pounds.
The blood in her veins runs cold as she feels herself being blown back and for some reason that makes her upset and angry beyond recognition, she can't force herself to move or even use her quirk. A loud whooshing noise is the only thing she can hear, consuming her senses as sand comes at her in all directions. Kaiya's eyes sting with stray grains hazing her vision and her uniform billows around her with the wind.
'Where are they? Are they okay? I need to do something. Too many ideas, too much.' Rushes through her head as a silent mantra, over and over again on loop as so many thoughts and ideas hit her at once until they're swarming into an indistinguishable blob of plans and Kaiya finds herself fearful. Her downfall, a tinge of fearful realization hits her at the thought, too many ideas come to her at once, overwhelming her until she can't process or even think properly, whispering in her ears and shutting down the system that is her brain. She can't take it, can't take the crushing feeling that weighs in her chest, the mass of her once clear folders and filing system that is her mind, now flipped over and spilling out.
"Oh god," she whispered to herself before a wave of anger washes over her, the emotions she held back resurfacing with her panic until she's practically overwhelmed with herself. She feels like crying, or possibly screaming at the top of her lungs, getting mad beyond reason, something, anything in this instant beside standing her like an idiot. She does not stand like an idiot, she's a woman of seriousness, of level-headed intelligence, but right now none of that is surfacing, none of it matters. She's pissed at herself, at her actions, at her lack of movement. There's a whole plethora of wind surrounding her and she, being an air manipulator, in her own element can't do a single thing? Useless. This isn't her. This isn't who she is -
She needs to find some way to ground herself, to stop her thoughts and calm the raging wind inside of her. She knows that's her best option, the only alternative to get ahold of herself and save her teammates. To be a hero. Kaiya feels it inside of her, the strong urge to move, to protect, but to her frustrations, she physically can't.
'What the hell do you think you're doing? Get yourself together. This is your element! This is where you should thrive. What kind of hero are you? You're really doing a lot by panicking, aren't you? There you go by letting your worries get to you. Really smart, Kaiya,' She hisses to herself while gritting her teeth in irritation, that is just as she finally hears it, the faint voice that she thought was in her mind echoing from some mere meters away that she makes out with a feeling of shock the replaces all of the panic inside of her, 'Is that Ryuji?' She blinks, the storm inside of her stilling just as some of the sand drops around her, stilling movement that she doesn't even process at the moment.
As if he could read her thoughts, something rusty red shoots out of the haze of sand and moves to wrap around her thin wrist, lightly tugging her like a leaf in the wind until she realizes the strange lasso is actually connected to the brunette that hastily pulls her in. Suddenly, concerned brown eyes and equally brown hair consumed her vision and stunned, she blinks down to where a grey sleeve of his blazer is rolled up to his elbow, exposing a series of slashes and cuts where his leather bracelet used to be. That's where the lasso is coming from - blood, his blood. She's wrapped in his blood. Ryuji used his quirk to save her. She blinks dumbly, eyes zoned in on the rusty liquid beading over the thin, pale skin, trailing down in tiny cuts that rip at her insides like a knife.
"Damn, are you okay? I thought I heard you near me so I just did whatever I could think of to try to find you. I couldn't see anyone through all of that sand. I guess the storm finally blew in huh?" Ryuji says with a rush, words clear as his eyes dart over her for any signs of danger before his shoulders drop in relief when he realizes that nothing is physically wrong with the shorter teen, though his gaze hovers over her own, quietly comforting and searching for something. However, Kaiya was anything but relieved, more like confused and in a state of shock as she stared back at him. Ryuji lets the lasso uncurl from around her wrist, slowly dropping and tugging back towards him, the blood seeping back into the cuts on his wrist that he quickly covers back up with his bracelet. And before she can even think about what she's doing, pull herself together the words are tumbling out, so unlike her - this is all so unlike her.
"I thought I did something to you, offended you? But you saved me, thank you. I'm very grateful," She says softly, stunned, voice barely heard over the roaring in their ears but the brunette's deep brown orbs seem to light up in response. Ryuji's face softens, and a small sheepish smile replaces the worried frown, though a deep crease digs into his otherwise smooth forehead. The boy subconsciously rubs the back of his neck a faint blush coloring his cheeks.
"Well aren't I just the greatest group partner, huh? No, you didn't do anything - god I'm so fun-," he cuts himself off at the curse and embarrassedly coughs, clearing his throat, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please don't think you did anything. It was me. I - Damn this is so embarrassing, but you deserve the truth - I just can't talk to girls… I've never really been able to. Shit, I'm so sorry, I'm such an ass, I feel awful," Ryuji trails off as his gaze falls to the stormy distance and she notices the guilt washing over his features, darkening his eyes and making him unable to meet her gaze as if physically pained.
'So it wasn't her fault then, he just can't talk to girls? And despite this, he still went out of his way to be a hero and try to face his fears. This should've been obvious. His actions make complete sense now,' Kaiya deadpans, mulling over this idea before her heart gets the best of her and thunders its way back into the forefront, squeezing in her chest in empathy. She can't be upset with that, not something that isn't really his fault and with such a genuine look on his face. Ryuji really is a good guy. She thinks as her own expression softens, her catlike eyes blinking up at him as a warm fondness seeps into her core. Carefully, she places a gentle hand on his shoulder and gives it a little squeeze, as a smile lights up her face, causing him to startle and turn his attention back down to her.
"There's nothing wrong with being shy, so don't take it so hard, okay? That's actually rather cute, thank you for having the courage to tell me. No hard feelings here, I'm actually flattered that I'm a female that you can talk to. I'm very honored," Kaiya smiles softly up at him and immediately the boy smiles back, his bright, eye-catching grin while a shining blush graces his features and she laughs good-naturedly.
"Hey, you're right! I guess I did sort of find a girl I can talk to, but I definitely went about it the wrong way… I'm still really sorry, but I'm glad there aren't any hard feelings. And I'm the one who's honored to have you as a female acquaintance that I don't stutter like a bumbling idiot to," Ryuji says through a laugh that Kaiya warmly returns before the two of them trail off, realizing that they're just standing in the midst of a sandstorm while the rest of their teammates are nowhere to be seen.
'Well shit,' they both think at once before Kaiya snaps herself back into action. It was as if Ryuji's quirk not only pulled her out of the storm but also pulled her out of the mess in her mind. The overwhelming throng of thoughts, too many ideas that plagued her at once were no longer, and she could finally think clearly, come up with a plan and execute it efficiently and find Kokichi and Ryoku.
"My quirk is air-based, and since there's so much wind swirling around us this is the perfect atmosphere to manipulate it," Kaiya says as a quick explanation, expecting the boy to ask something along the lines of, 'then why the hell didn't you use it earlier?' But instead, to her surprise and relief, Ryuji nods with a short shout of, "Awesome, give it a go!" Not questioning her any further, before he steps back as the lavender-haired girl sets about righting herself.
With heavy breaths, the girl closes her eyes for a moment, letting the waves of calm rush against the thundering storm inside of her, the pulsing sensation rushing through her veins, under her skin and inside of her body almost like a familiar rushing sensation washes over her, like a bolt of wind coursing through her veins and caressing her. And Cautiously Kaiya reaches her hands up feeling herself calm, body relaxing immediately as the strange yet familiar blur of her quirk controls the air around them. There's a noticeable shift like a magnet to the palms of her hands with every rise and fall of her appendages, the wind and sand mixture slowing down and moving at will with the direction of her pull like a conductor to an awaiting orchestra, until finally a good few meters radius around them are exposed, the air clear as the sand drops back down lifelessly to the ground with a wave of her palm. And thankfully, with the air cleared, her eyes fall on something in the distance, not too far away from Ryuji and herself, that looks like, from what she can make out with the narrowing of her eyes, a giant glowing ethereal hand, and with the cease of the storm, the hand seems to sense this and fall away, revealing both Ryoku with raised palms and Kokichi, from their makeshift shielded hiding spot.
Finally, the weight of the situation drops from its massive spot on her shoulders, and the knot in her chest unties when she breathes a sigh of relief that Ryuji mimics. Even from a distance, she can make out the small ridged form of the dark-haired Ryoku and the tall, lanky form of an excited and relieved Kokichi from where the white-haired boy waves wildly above his head, jumping up and down on the sand with his lanky body, then cups his hands over his mouth, "We finally found you guys! I thought this simulation honestly killed you!"
"Thank goodness you're both okay! You are okay, right? Good thinking on using your quirk, Ryoku, you're a true hero!" The lavender haired girl calls back, the words rushing out in a bout of worry, and a swell of pride at shy little Ryoku's actions. God, she felt like such a mom right now, she couldn't help but think, especially when Ryoku blushes and shuffles his feet from afar and she had to hold herself back from squealing aloud, though a deep warmth settles over her. That boy really didn't know how good of a hero he truly was, way more than her - the last thought is bitter and a low blow to herself, but it's true. She's ashamed at herself and her actions, but so proud and happy that her teammates did so well and were so heroic. They deserved a better teammate then this, so she needs to step up to the plate and prove to them that she could be just as worthy. How could she remain at the top of her class, or even a good teammate when she let her overwhelming thoughts get the best of her?
Ryuji chuckles his low, carefree laugh that floats through the still air that, with a shock reminds her of the brunette's presence before he yells back, "It's about time, that storm was a bad one!" And at his voice, Kokichi honestly looks surprised, his eyes widening as if he can't believe Ryuji is talking in front of a girl before the brightest grin lights up his features and even Ryoku gives a small, timid smile.
And all Kaiya can do is let her own smile grace her features, her gaze soft and her heart content, 'oh thank god they're safe.' She breathes out to herself, the anxiety slowly bubbling out of her pores, exiting her body and leaving behind a feeling of calmness in its wake that soothes her poor overworked muscles, leaving her limp and fuzzy. What a stressful class and it's only the first day! Slowly the lavender-haired girl turned to glance at the brunette standing at her side. Ryuji quickly catches her eye, sharing a long, heady look that flooded her senses, a deep chestnut, rich and warm, he's all elation and content, and she finds his own emotions reflecting in her grey eyes, welling up and consuming her.
She watches in wonder as he slowly lifts his hand in the air, palm facing outwards before curiously flexing his long thin appendages into a fist that she stares at for a solid second before oh, it dawns on her, an invitation. How silly of me, of course, and like a light switch flickering on, she's beaming, pink lips pulling into a toothy grin, lifting her only smaller version of a fist into the air, racing it forward until she meets his fist with her own, soft feeling of the skin of their knuckles rubbing together lightly in a fistbump. And when they pull back, they're both grinning from ear to ear. The warmth in her chest feels so surreal, consuming like fire and as bright as the sun, warming even down to her toes and tinting her cheeks.
And she knows, with the feeling calling her heart home, and the smiles on each of their pink faces only serving to clarify, she wouldn't let them down.
Group Four - U.A. Grassland Simulation
The tension was unbelievably high; had been high for nearly an hour now, constantly lasting throughout the entire hunt. Ever since Akashi had slapped the riddle sheet into his hand and demanded him to be useful, Jeffrey had wanted nothing more than to take the sheet of paper and go off on his own. He absolutely loathed working with such a cocky person; the redhead could be considered handsome if his attitude wasn't so god awfully hideous. His physical appearance wasn't bad at all; spiked red hair, matching red eyes and a face that had Jeffrey thinking of a movie star. Albeit a very cocky and loud-mouthed one; I'm surprised he actually wears the school uniform with no modifications other than those dog tags around his neck, Jeffrey dully notes that fact with his own dark eyes raking the other boy over. He couldn't help but repeatedly glance at his own uniform in comparison; the black suit jacket with the matching tie and slacks as well as his shined to perfection shoes. All of it was black, from his outfit to his short straight hair and slanted eyes. It was clear Jeffrey had a love of the dark color; something to pair with the black birds that followed him about the grassland simulation. Even now, he could see Morgana's dark form flickering between the leaves; could hear her chattering with the other ravens.
Whilst Akashi was all red, Jeffrey was all black; a comparison and contrast that made him stick out like a sore thumb. It was only brought out more by the exhausted boy that was also part of their ragtag little group. Nemuro kept his purple tresses in a shaggy mess on his head as if he wore his hair the exact same way it was once he got out of bed. His school uniform looked to be in complete order; minus the very sloppy way it was put on, making Jeffrey want to straighten the entire thing out right then and there. He couldn't even look at the sleepy boy's tie for very long, the garbled knot on the end looking as if a dog had gotten to it while the surprisingly tall boy took a nap off in some corner. The tired looking boy simply trudged behind them with his hands in his pockets and his eyes on anything but the other members. At least Jeffrey could honestly say he wasn't the only one that would prefer to be literally anywhere but with the group.
The only female in their group; a short and skinny girl with soothing blue hair and matching deep blue eyes had been silent the entire time. She was possibly the only one Jeffrey could look at for longer than five seconds without feeling the need to change something about them. Her hair was well kept, a cutesy fringe framing her face and highlighting her blue eyes. She looked like a pretty doe with the large and expressive orbs, even with the fact that it seemed as if she were moments away from crying. Her face was pinched, eyes watery and downcast as her long lashes cast thin shadows on the spattering of freckles on her cheeks. Her blazer was slightly loose on her body, medium length skirt neat and proper to pair well with her knee-high socks and buckled shoes. Minus her pained facial expression, Jeffrey could honestly say she almost looked exactly how a role model student would. Now if only she could break this god awful silence and tension. On their first riddle, she hadn't even said anything until they addressed her first, her voice watery and shy as if she were experiencing a massive amount of anxiety. She had looked prim and proper, but when combined with her antics, it was clear the girl had serious inhibitions with a group assignment. All she had to do was help solve the riddles with them, Jeffrey didn't see what there was to be shy and fearful of. Well, unless she was somehow afraid of the cocky loudmouth with scarlet hair. He wouldn't blame her too much for it, Akashi did give off an intimidating aura when he trained those fiery red eyes on anyone.
After that, Jeffrey had kept an eye on her just long enough to notice that was her default in a way; always shy and near fearful. Following Nemuro's example of keeping her eyes on anything and everything that wasn't another human, she trailed after them like a submissive puppy always unsure what to do with itself. Her deep blue eyes were constantly facing the ground, ever stuck in a despondent state. Back then, he had assumed if Gracelynn did break down into tears, it would have been entirely Akashi's fault. The teen may not have said much but with his head held so high and the way he walked, Akashi gave off this intense aura of superiority and intimidation that constantly berated Gracelynn only because she was the closest to him. But he hadn't had much time to dwell on that or even try to ease the pressure put on the short girl. For at that moment, Videa had cawed loudly enough to steal his attention away from scrutinizing his classmates. It was a motherly warning, one that told him to get his head in the game rather than worrying about the mental states of those around him. Unless he planned on actually getting involved and fixing whatever issues they had, his best bet was to simply mind his own business.
Their first riddled had been clear as day to him, a phrase that he knew the answer to immediately. "I occur naturally in nature, surrounded by fungi. A myth more common than you think, children are warned to avoid me at all times." The dark haired teen knew it involved finding a fairy ring of sorts; a huge circular patch of short or dead grass surrounded by mushrooms. Not exactly hard to do when they were surrounded by tall grass ever since they split up from the other groups. Finding it could have been done in his sleep, but Jeffrey wouldn't complain, it just meant they'd get this whole thing finished before he realized it. The fairy ring was easily spotted out from above by Jeffrey's feathered friend, Videa, the corvid's musical voice slipping into his head in its feminine whisper. Found it, just a few paces to your right!
Name: Jeffrey Mortimer
Quirk: Corvid- Jeffrey can turn himself or just parts of his body into that of a raven. Partial transformation gives him a nearly 15-foot wingspan, and he can speak to ravens or crows at any time. He can even use his wings as a shield in battle.
Following the bird's guidance led the dark haired teen to their very first item: an simple flat piece of metal with an elaborate cushion on one side. Plush red velvet was stretched across the surface, golden beads pinned into the fabric every few inches to give it a checkered appearance. The seat was unceremoniously dropped into the center of the fairy ring, tilted at a slight angle as if it were done in a hurry or tossed over someone's shoulder. Nearing the circle, Jeffrey can see the mushrooms are actually quite colorful. Large caps of brilliant red with white speckles dotted among them. No doubt poisonous to eat but nice to look at. Before he even picked up the metal object, Jeffrey knew it was a piece to some kind of chair if the comfortable looking cushion wasn't the most obvious sign. An exasperated sigh comes from his left side, and he turns to spot Nemuro looking at the piece as if he contemplated sitting on it himself and never getting up; eyes forlorn as his bottom lip stuck out in a half pout. The only time he seemed ready to speak, and it was ruined by Akashi shouldering past him, a slim hand ending in elegantly long fingers placed on the tired boy's shoulder. Red eyes flit from the seat cushion to the other two boys before Akashi smirks. "Nice, that took us all of two minutes. I'm surprised you guys aren't as useless as I thought. Keep it up, and I might not mind having you sit in the same class as me!"
They had watched Akashi saunter off soon after; Jeffrey with his arms crossed, lips pursed into a deep frown and Videa now on his shoulder while Nemuro sighed again, droopy eyes glaring between the seat again and the redhead. For a moment, Jeffrey felt as if Nemuro wanted to use their first piece to knock Akashi over the head so that he never got up again. The only reason he didn't question the boy with lavender locks was because Gracelynn made her presence known again by wordlessly taking the seat from him before following after the cocky boy. It was a flawless recovery for the first item; flawless in the sense that no arguing or fighting had broken out. Jeffrey was more content with ignoring Akashi as much as he could, and his teammates seemed to have the same ideas in mind. If the taller boy wanted to believe himself the cream of the crop, they'd crunch down and endure it until the assignment was done. Someone's massive ego and deep lake of pride wasn't going to cost the corvid lover any points from his grade. He could only hope this would be the first and last time he'd be forced to work with the boy, knowing full well he wasn't required to speak with him after class. That thought alone is what kept him from ditching them all and working on his own from the get-go. It would have been so easy, to slip away from them before they even noticed his lack of presence. Jeffrey could have solved the riddles in mere seconds, getting a birds-eye view for where the items would be via assistance from his favorite ravens.
Yet keeping silent hadn't stopped the tension from steadily rising more and more until it had reached its current point; palpable to the point of being uncomfortable. Jeffrey still had the list in hand, Videa no longer on his shoulder as she had taken to the skies once more. Their second riddle had been a tougher one now; not in the sense that it was difficult to decipher but more so due to the fact that it seemed to involve finding something…..alive. Jeffrey looks at the sheet again, dark eyes finding the rhyme without conscious effort. "Red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, friend of Jack." He'd heard the phrase so many times back in his younger days, mainly as a warning from his mother when he used to play in the yard. He could still remember the day he'd first heard the sound of Morgana's voice; the very first crow he had befriended mere seconds before the other two had arrived to share his grief. He knew if he looked up now, Jeffrey would spot the aforementioned bird slipping between the leaves of the trees around them.
They were ever faithful companions, constantly by his side almost as loving, if not more so as his own mother and sister. Crows and ravens alike, Jeffrey found that they would never and have never let him down. It was to the point that he didn't even consider them pets; then again, he never had. The avians were family to him, stuck to him like glue when his flesh and blood relatives couldn't be in their place. He couldn't count how many times the birds had promised to protect him should any wayward serpents come his way and Jeffrey had vowed to do the same for them. Now he always had three ravens by his side even at the academy; Morgana, Videa, and Ravenna would follow him to the ends of the Earth if need be. A light smile ticks his lips at the thought, but the same question as always popped into his mind and distracted him from the outside world. Did his love and relationship with corvids come from his quirk or did his quirk come from his relationship with the birds? Jeffrey still didn't know and just like always; he was too grateful for the whole scenario to care.
A sudden high pitched squeal shocks Jeffrey out of his thoughts, dark eyes widening at the source of the sound. Gracelynn had frozen up in clear fright, dropping the metal piece with the cushion at her feet. She had her hands clasped together and positioned over her chest where her heart would be, lips trembling near uncontrollably as her already watery blue eyes shimmered in stress. Yet, Jeffrey paid it no mind, moreso noting that her body looked strange. It was almost as if the girl were literally melting in front of him and the dark haired boy feels it click; it was due to her quirk! Jeffrey could remember when she first appeared in the classroom, literally looking ready to melt when she had walked in late and was greeted with curious stares from the entire class. He makes to move over to her side and comfort her from whatever spooked the girl before she truly did melt into a puddle, but Nemuro beats him to it, the sleepy teen placing both hands on her shoulders firmly. His fingers even sunk into Gracelynn's shifting uniform but he plows along with his rescue plan. An impressive show of goodwill when he had looked just as ready to leave as Jeffrey had not even two minutes ago. Nemuro leans down to distract Gracelynn from whatever she saw, words monotone but holding a comforting air to them. "Calm down. It's not even a real snake…..not like it would kill you if it were real anyway." He spoke in the same voice one would use when addressing a hurt and startled animal; keeping them from panicking and further injuring themselves.
The blue-haired girl had begun to shiver and ripple, but Jeffrey can see her fists tightening at her sides as she nods at Nemuro. It took a moment, but little by little, her body began to stabilize itself just in time for Akashi to once again come barreling in. The sneer on his face could have curdled milk in seconds as the boy bends down and scoops up a serpent in one fluid movement. He chucks it over his shoulder like yesterday's garbage, red eyes pinning Gracelynn where she stood. "It's gone now, princess, you can cease melting like some low budget wicked witch of the West. Grab your piece, and I'll take this one so we can hurry up and get this thing over with. Minus your squeal of terror, you guys are actually shaping up to be tolerable in my presence." The serpent lands by Jeffrey's side, the dark-haired teen flinching slightly and ready to tell Akashi off when he gets a closer look at the snake. Instead of eyes, it had two tiny "X's," and its tongue lolled out of its gaping mouth in an obvious cutesy version of unconsciousness. Well, that was nice, Bright Lord wasn't endangering them with wild animals but still giving them a bit of a scare with little gag toys. A minor concern at best considering they had been able to get Gracelynn to calm down as she gives Akashi a very hesitant nod.
Nemuro rolls his eyes hard enough at Akashi's haughty comment that it concerns Jeffrey, the boy thinking the other may actually pull something in the process. Gracelynn pulls away from Nemuro after that, bending down to grab the seat from the grass and thanking the tall boy for being there to help bring her back to her senses. Akashi isn't far behind her, leaning down again to snatch up what looked like a metallic footstool with an obvious space in the center meant to hold the cushion in place. He flips the piece over to rest on his shoulder, a hand on his hip as he gives Jeffrey his dreaded attention. Those red eyes were getting on his nerves already, truly not wanting to hear the boy open his mouth again either. Not when just about everything he said was the perfect example of the type of people he disliked the most. Jeffrey forces himself to nod at Akashi, giving off the air that he knew exactly what the other boy would ask. Already turning on his heel to face a different direction and Jeffrey pulls the sheet up to his face with gusto, as if it would cement in the fact that he knew exactly what was on the redhead's mind. And surprisingly it works, getting only a snort from the boy before Jeffrey hears him stepping away. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until he lets it out in a heavy sigh worthy of Nemuro. Just two more pieces left, Jeffrey, then the assignment will be complete, and you can escape from this hell show.
It annoys him more, piling another heap of tension on to the whole thing. Why was it that he had to be dealing with someone like this? A hero academy was meant to be tough, yes, but the human corvid figured that would be more so due to their assignments and not their classmates. Well, it was only one really, Jeffrey had no issues with Nemuro or Gracelynn. He just felt bad for them and was tempted to try and break the tension with conversation of whatever topic appeared in his head first. Just something to break the silence while they followed after Akashi. What he didn't expect was for Nemuro to join his side with a curious look in his tired eyes. At first, Nemuro simply stared at him, silvery grey eyes piercing into him as if searching for something until his gaze drifts away. It brought a curious look to Jeffrey's own face, wondering what that had been about and ready to question it when Nemuro finally speaks. "You really like those birds, don't you? To have them following you around even at school like that...your family raises some kind of aviary or something?"
Jeffrey doesn't need to take his eyes away from the other boy, not needing to look up at the trees to know exactly what Nemuro spoke of. The birds weren't exactly silent, cawing to each other in their own little conversations; relaying information of any clues or hints they may have discovered while helping Jeffrey and his group find pieces of their assignment. He hadn't even asked them to help him, Ravenna was the first to start, and Videa, as well as Morgana, simply followed her example. It was almost embarrassing if he really thought about it, the ravens jumping in to help him with school like overprotective sisters. Embarrassing but not something he hated, only giving him enough discomfort to rub at his arm where the tattoo of a raven lay hidden beneath his dark suit jacket. The black ink of the aviad in flight wasn't known by many during school hours just like the other blemishes he hid beneath his daily clothing. The main purpose of always wearing long sleeves was to hide the crisscrossing scars marring the bottoms of his forearms.
He didn't need questions about those, pushing the memories away before they could drag him in again. Those images still haunted his dreams, and no amount of reassurances from his mother could send them away. If only I had- no! Don't even go there, Jeffrey, it's in the past, and she's happier now regardless. They always told him it wasn't his fault, these kinds of things just tended to happen. Life just worked on its own agenda and trying to understand it would drive someone insane. Insane or throw them on the runaway freight train of self-harming behavior. Behavior that was never just one isolated incident, no, one incident became five and five became hundreds until it stretched indefinitely for years unless intervention came up. Horrid memories, sleepless nights, waking nightmares; it all went hand in hand in Jeffrey's life. The main reason he was so distrusting of the world as he could never determine what it would do and how it would go about it. For all he knew, his entire familiar could be whisked away tomorrow. It was a sensitive topic, but one that's easily buried under him shrugging and nodding at Nemuro. Months of practice; that's what he went through just to get to the point where he could pretend he was simply bored or disinterested, not tearing himself apart in his mind over siblings no longer in his life.
Stop it! You're in class, and someone is trying to make conversation. The nagging voice jabs at him from within; himself, the voice was always his own as it yanked him out of his pity moments. Always bringing up very valid points before he could go too far, dwell too deep and risk having yet another relapse. The corvid could feel his arms aching, specifically the scars underneath them, twitching and becoming itchy but he ignores it. Shoves the feelings away in a little black box that he tosses into the further recesses of his thoughts.
Anything to take his mind's eye away from the whole thing and Videa senses his distress immediately. The large black bird caws in her own way of comforting him, landing on his shoulder to nuzzle his cheek with her beak. But to Nemuro, it would have simply seemed as if the bird were illustrating his point. Showing up right after being mentioned to make the entire group wholly aware of her existence as she peered at them with beady black eyes. Jeffrey's hand comes up to ruffle the sleek, dark feathers around Videa's neck, a faint smile toying at his lips when the bird peeps at the touch. "No, my family just always had a talent for animals. Our quirks all relate to them in some way; mine is based around corvids or more specifically, just ravens and crows. Having my quirk for so long, I've built deep relationships with the intelligent birds, and now a few of them follow me around all the time. They're like my extended family from another species; Videa. Morgana. Ravenna. The main ones that hang around me, keep me company and speak to me when I'm bored. They aren't just pets to me; it runs so much deeper than that."
He raises the arm connected to the shoulder Videa is perched on, and the corvid lifts herself into the air in time to be joined by her sisters. The ravens circle around Jeffrey for a moment, long enough for the teen to point them out and repeat their names, then they're flitting to the trees again with little cries. To anyone other than Jeffrey, it would sound like meaningless chatter by the birds. But the dark-haired teen could understand them perfectly, feeling the intense urge to roll his eyes at them. We love you too, Jeffrey! Corny creatures, thank the gods only he could interpret their cries. The last thing he needed was a bucket of embarrassment from lovey-dovey feathered sisters. Nemuro misses the entire moment, his gaze following the birds and he blinks slowly; looking confused and tired at the same time. "They all look the same to me." He deadpans, turning away from the tree they had vanished into. He looked so unamused as if Jeffrey had given him way more information than he cared to know.
In a way, Jeffrey could say he had, but he doesn't say that out loud. Only frowns at Nemuro before turning away and resuming their little hunt. He doesn't look over his shoulder as he keeps the conversation going, "it's easy when you've been around them for the majority of your life. Ever hear how we say that Asians do not all look alike? You just need to look at them more closely; the differences are as clear as day to me."
He's not aware of the expression on the sloth-like boy, but he can tell by his tone that Nemuro is skeptical, possibly even having his hands crossed and head tilted at an angle of disbelief. "I'm not judging, that just sounds….well, you have a point I guess. You've been around them longer as well, they could each have their own little individual habits, or it's a more literal thing. A difference in the placement of their feathers or whatever- hey, what's the next riddle?"
Jeffrey lifts the sheet as if to glance at it before shoving it in his pocket, the frown from earlier was slipping back into a scowl. Change the subject once you get uncomfortable or bored, people are all the same. Was it so hard to meet someone other than his family that understood how different animals could be? Just because they didn't have such variation in skin or facial appearances didn't mean they were difficult to tell apart. It required next to no effort, and yes he did say he had been around them for years, but Jeffrey could tell them apart within that very first hour. Whatever, why are you moping about someone not liking ravens as much as you? Annoying; that's what the voice in his head was, but he would listen to it. So he pulls the sheet back out of his pocket and skims the third riddle on their list. "From small in size to big as coins, we leap over blades of green and are so known as…"
Nemuro gives the other boy a look of such absolute and total boredom that Jeffrey feels the need to hold his hands up in a "don't-look-at-me" gesture. It wasn't his fault all the riddle so far had been horrendous little things, easy to find the answer but sounding more like little nursery rhymes more than anything. Sure it made the whole thing a walk in the back, guaranteeing that they would get those extra points towards their grade, but what was the value in that if they didn't even work hard for it? The answer could have been as simple as the fact that it was only their very first day of school and Jeffrey nods to himself before mentioning as much to Nemuro.
"Don't give me that look, I didn't write these things. Yes, they're…..not the hardest, but it just means we're guaranteed to finish before the others. And look on the bright side, it's the first day of class, I expected a serious challenge as much as you but I won't complain about it being easy right now." So long as it doesn't stay easy. No amount of words would be able to express how disappointed Jeffrey would be if the school couldn't provide any challenge for him but he had enough trust in him to believe the academy wouldn't let him down. Yet, that didn't apply to the classmates around him just yet, especially not when Nemuro just yawns loudly at him. Making it all the more clear that he'd much rather be in bed or vegging out on the elegant chair they were quickly gathering the pieces for.
- Done; they were just about done at this point, needing only one more piece to complete the throne Bright Lord set them out to collect. Jeffrey could feel the weight and stress of the assignment slowly lifting off his body in huge chunks. Just a few more minutes; just a few more paces. All we need is the back piece, and this thing will be complete, then I can eat something and relax again. He'd looked at the riddle again, scoffing each time he read it. "Dressed in a coat of red and black socks, hounds hunt me with no luck." The answer should have been written right after the phrase, clear as day and in bright, bold letters because Jeffrey felt almost insulted with it. Fox, the answer to this thing is so painfully obviously a fox. Aren't these things meant to challenge us? First days of school weren't meant to be this exhausting and Jeffrey wouldn't have minded too much if the stress came from some kind of training versus a scavenger hunt. Sure he had wanted a challenge, but he would have preferred the challenge come from the assignments and from dealing with his fellow classmates. But it was whatever at this point; being ready for any situation was the bare basic foundations of any good hero. There was no such thing as a perfect and easy day in the heroing world. Yet, something was starting to bug him now; an itchy scratchy feeling that wouldn't leave him alone. It felt as if he were being tracked or prodded with something repeatedly while someone giggled from afar. Then the realization hits him like a freight train, and his eyes widen: we're being watched!
No sooner had the thought flashed into his mind, had Ravenna and Morgana burst from the treetops with warning cries. Their words blared into his head like a megaphone stuck on repeat; Danger, Jeffrey, Danger! Jeffrey twists his body around, eyes wild and searching for what had spooked his precious friends. Normally, they would have just shouted to get his attention, a little warning cry that would snap him into shape. But them fleeing from the trees like bats out of hell….no, this meant something serious was on its way. He'd expected to see another wayward false animal, another little prank by Bright Lord, not a bright blue ball of fire hurtling straight for Akashi's back.
The redhead had his eyes on the ravens, a hand raised to block out the sun. No doubt wondering why the creatures were fleeing so suddenly while squawking at the tops of their lungs. Jeffrey throws caution to the wind; a wind that his large black wings ride on as soon as they burst from his back to propel him towards the redhead. "Akashi, look out!" the words are ripped from his throat just before he slams into the older boy, sending them both tumbling to the ground while the ball of blue flame sails over their heads. It had come in like a softball, spinning, and looping in the air as if it were alive. Almost as if controlled by some remote, the ball fizzles out of existence after passing over their heads. Jeffrey hauls himself to his feet, wings flapping twice before they retreat back into his body. His dark eyes glared at the tall grass and trees, fingers clenching and twitching as adrenaline made his body hum. He was thankful for his ability to communicate with the ravens, getting warnings for danger right away and communicating them to his teammates to cut out any time they would have spent being confused on the avian cues.
Akashi wasn't far behind him, jumping to his feet and dusting himself off with a glowering scowl plastered on his face. His uniform was messy; something he fixes with practiced ease, then he's cocking his head to the side and scanning the area just like Jeffrey. Gracelynn and Nemuro both had shock written all over their expressions, completely caught off guard by the fact that something or someone had just attacked one of their own. The seconds tick by almost endlessly until Akashi spits at the ground, hands shoved in his pockets and looking all the parts of some high school delinquent. "Hey! Whoever the fuck threw that shit, come out and fight face to face! Or are you just gonna keep hiding around in the grass all day?"
A strong breeze travels the area, making the grass sway and tickle their legs; a deepening silence only broken by the occasional cry from the ravens. The moment seems to last an eternity, tensions rising high all over again as the students wait to see who the culprit was. It was an unspoken agreement among them; a suspicion that had been festering in the backs of their minds. The possibility of a pro-hero or Bright Lord himself spicing up their hunt was always there. What they didn't take into consideration was another student coming after them. Long blond hair blew in the breeze around them as Ritsuo slinked from behind two trees. His eyes were mere slits as they curved up and beneath his eyebrows, lips pulled into a smirk of pure mischief. The picture of an ornate fox mask pops into Jeffrey's head, a mirror image of the pretty boy's own expression. An unsettling chuckle slips past the grin on his face, head tilting slightly like a curious child. "Oh, I wasn't going to hide there forever. I really only wanted to land that one fireball on you; think of it as your first strike. A warning to watch what you say before you end up hurting someone." The blond turns on his heel after that, looking ready to dip back into the trees as if he hasn't just thrown a ball of fire at his own classmate.
Jeffrey glares at the other student's back, fists twitching at his sides as white-hot anger boils inside of him. What the hell is this guy up to? Going out of his way to just randomly attack us like this all to prove some self-righteous point? Yet, Jeffrey doesn't get a chance to voice any of the wild questions running rampant in his head. Not when someone else beats him to it in seconds. It was Akashi, harsh and haughty as always, "You threw that spitball at me for that?! As if your bird brain friend wasn't annoying enough, now you're trying to start shit with me? I'm going to make you regret ever coming after me, you little hypocrite!" At Akashi's angry words, Ritsuo had turned to face him, with that same mischievous smile on his lips. The blond was making it obvious that he wasn't taking Akashi seriously, even going so far as to the redhead by signaling for him to come over with one hand.
Whether it was a trap or simply just the fox boy taunting him, Akashi takes the bait right away and kicks off into a sprint, rushing at Ritsuo with powerful speed. At the same moment, electric blue lines dance across the surface of the hand Ritsuo had used to taunt the redhead with. The air shimmers around the appendage as a trio of blue fireballs swirl into the air just above his palm. The blue glow from the large embers makes his pale skin stick out, even more, giving him an ethereal look that has Jeffrey's hair standing on end.
Akashi was unaffected by this, only digging his feet into the ground harder, increasing his speed as he nears the blond with nothing but rage on his face. His wrist flicks at his side, revealing a silver shine that catches Jeffrey's eyes before Akashi flips his wrist again and a high whistle sounds through the air. Ritsuo's eyes may have appeared closed, but the lanky boy spots the throwing motion at the same time as the corvid, twisting his body in a dance and flicking his own wrist to send the trio of fireballs towards Akashi.
The small blade Akashi had thrown, flies right past the blond, making Ritsuo's smirk grow deeper, leaning forward in anticipation as his flames near the redhead. "You missed." Words spoken with a calm coolness not fitting the situation at all. It gave away the feel of the other's actions being planned from start to finish, clearing the fact that Ritsuo had this in mind for a while now. Just how long had he been following them, tracking them and plotting from amongst the green blades of their simulation?
However, when it seemed like the flames would actually come into contact with Akashi, the boy vanishes from sight to reappear behind the other teen. "Lick my feet, mutt!" Akashi calls out while twisting his body in mid-air to deliver a fierce spinning kick to the side of Ritsuo's face. It all happened so quickly that Ritz barely had time to throw his hands up in an attempt to protect himself, but it wasn't enough to keep Akashi's leg from connecting, and Ritsuo gasps in pain, the blow knocking him off his feet. It sends him twisting and nearly spinning in the air to land on his side with another gasp of pain as the air leaves his body. Surprisingly, the blond pulls himself to his feet rather quickly with another batch of fireballs hanging in the air beside him. He was panting already, the ominous fox smile was back on his face as he sizes Akashi up. The redhead had landed by his side, an odd grimace twisting his lips as if he were in pain as well. Looking the boy over, Jeffrey can see singed pants, as well as a tiny blue flame, licking away at Akashi's shoulder that the haughty boy quickly snuffs out with a few swats of his hand.
Ritsuo giggles, the sound that had left his lips was too high and giddy to be considered a normal laugh as he wipes the blood away from his mouth, "An even trade off, don't you think? You call me a hypocrite, but I'm willing to walk away if you're satisfied with landing your own hit on me."
But Akashi was smirking as well, chuckling even as he rolls his shoulders. "Idiot; you think I missed like that knife toss on accident? It's part of my quirk, and you're about to get another dose of it because I'm not done teaching you a lesson!" Ritz only has time to look perturbed before the redhead is rushing at him again, veering to the left sharply, only to disappear again and appear under the blond. Keeping their "fight" in close quarters, Jeffrey can see how easily Akashi can catch the fox boy off guard again. He wasn't giving Ritz any time to react or put distance between them, and the thin boy seemed to have no experience with close range or even fighting in general, taking blow after blow from Akashi.
It almost made him want to step in and stop this madness; Ritsuo had already claimed to be willing to step away and yet he had been the one to start the whole mess in the first place. They were supposed to be having some type of fun with this class, not going out in a full-on brawl against each other. And yet neither he nor Nemuro or even Gracelynn seemed willing or ready to jump into the fray. It was as if something inside them was keeping them from jumping in, a force field that pushed them to actually move further away and give the two fighting boys more space. Perhaps they just assumed Bright Lord would appear to stop the fighting or they were expecting each other to go in and end the match. Whatever the reason was, Jeffrey simply kept his distance, fists clenching and unclenching as he worried at the inside of his cheek with his teeth.
Akashi was handling himself well enough, he didn't need saving. Ritsuo, the crazy fox for attacking them seemed to be successfully creating distance between them now. His lip was split, and bruises were becoming obvious against his ivory skin, but that eerie fox grin was still on his face. It was almost as if he were enjoying this, as if he were purposefully letting Akashi beat down on him. Possibly in some strange attempt at seeing if giving Akashi what he wanted would somehow make him stop attacking. Until Jeffrey realizes that exactly what is happening; the redhead had been too busy assaulting Ritsuo with punches and kicks to have noticed it. Completely missing the fact that the blond's hands had been moving in quick flicks and twists just before every strike. It could have been seen as various failed attempts at blocking each strike, but for each one, a little ball of blue flame burst into the air and was flung away. Now a whole cloud of the little fireballs hung in the air above the two boys, and Ritsuo was at a far enough distance that he could safely raise his hands and slam them back down.
Akashi looked confused at the gesture, sneering at the boy before even he noticed what it was signifying. He looked up just in time to see the grisly sight of a blue fire snowstorm from hell plummeting his way. His red eyes widened in a perfect mixture of shock and fear, throwing himself forward to avoid the flames a second too late. A groan of pain is snatched from him with the fire catching both of his legs to sear and burn at the fabric before Akashi swats at the flames again. Another grimace of pain was on his face, struggling to his feet where he then leans more heavily on his left foot. His right leg had taken more damage, the skin red and raw as smoke swirled around the burned remains of his school pants. Ritz cocks his head to the side, frowning in mock concern for the boy. "Are you satisfied now? You got to 'teach me a lesson,' and I returned the favor just as easily. Why don't we call it even now? Unless you don't mind getting burned again."
A good three inches had been charred away on both sides, and Akashi's glare was now a hateful glower as he looked ready to eviscerate Ritsuo as soon as he could get his hands on him. Blue flames licked at the grass around them hungrily, spreading quickly and threatening to drag the other three members of Akashi's group into the brawl. Ritsuo seemed to be the only one completely unaffected by the fires, even when a few tendrils snaked his way and caressed his own pant leg. Only for the blonde to wave a hand and the tendrils of blue fire by his leg curl and begin to fade away. Akashi barks out a laugh, a hard and derisive sound, "Even? You really think I'm just going to back down under that stupid guise of us being even? You're going to learn what it means to look down on me. You don't know who you're messing with. I'm not ending this thing until I know for a fact that you've learned your lesson; I wasn't even going all out on you yet!"
Jeffrey knew this was going too far now; he had to step in and stop them before they completely destroyed the simulation, taking the others out with them. He could see how the fires that hadn't been closer to Ritsuo were still burning strong and his ravens had yet to stop squawking at him, demanding he take action before it was too late. Yet, he was frozen in place, not out of fear but out of indecision. Akashi could handle himself just fine in the fight while he could focus on putting out the fires or going for help. But another part told him that with the source of the flames still running loose, too much damage could occur in the time it took him to perform either action. Realizing how he was beginning to feel overwhelmed fills Jeffrey with frustration. How many times had he told himself that in a war, indecision would get him killed? And yet, here he was right now being indecisive and anxious as the blue fire raged around them. This is so stupid! Do I really want another repeat of that situation all those years ago? I can actually do something to stop this, to fix this mess before it really does get out of hand. Why am I hesitating?!
Before Jeffrey could spiral too far into berating himself, he feels a timid hand on his shoulder and turns to see watery blue eyes peering at him, piercing into his own eyes to reach his soul from within. In that moment, Jeffrey can feel what the girl is trying to convey to him. Her desire to help center him and help him focus on what's directly in front of him, keeping him from drifting too far from the reality they were in. Gracelynn says nothing to him, only giving him a view of her lip trembling for a moment before pursing into a thin line in grim determination, silently asking him to do the same. Her other hand shimmers and twitches, morphing into a whip of crystal clear water. Using the newly created whip, Gracelynn lashes at the growing fire, snuffing the flames out and filling the air with the sound of water hissing into steam from the heat. Jeffrey observes Gracelynn, thoroughly impressed by her sudden change in demeanor. I was wrong about her; she isn't just some timid girl. It's more as if she was simply shy and caught off guard back then. Not only could she keep her head on straight but she even helped me break out of my little freak out. Between her and Nemuro, Jeffrey had honestly been sure that the sleepy boy would offer to help much sooner than the shorter girl. She had seemed so unassuming earlier, literally shrieking in fright over a fake snake and having a constant near-tears expression on her face. Looking at her now; small frame lashing at the fires with more power and grace than he would imagine, it was as if he were looking at a whole new person and it began to invigorate him as well. Watching the tiny girl work with such determination and precision was all the convincing it took to get Jeffrey to do the same morphing his legs into large raven feet with wicked long silver talons on the ends. Massive dark wings extend from his back, the onyx feathers lighting up with a silvery-blue glow thanks to Ritsuo's quirk.
He moves to an area opposite of Gracelynn, digging into the dirt by scraping his talons into the ground to tear out clumps of grass and black dirt. Utilizing his wings, he flaps the appendages quickly, sending the dug up sand towards the fires to choke the flames out and deprive them of oxygen. They fizzled away, leaving the dark charred remains of dead grass that had Jeffrey shaking his head. This is just too insane, his eyes flick to Nemuro, noting that the boy was intently watching Ritsuo and Akashi. Despite looking as ready to drop into napping position, as usual, there was that tell-tale glare that Jeffrey remembered from earlier. The same glare he had given Akashi when he looked ready to knock the cocky boy out with the elaborate throne cushion. And now, the raven couldn't tell if that glare was still directed at Akashi or if it was meant for Ritsuo- or even both students. Their fighting seemed to have stopped for a moment, but the feminine blond boy managed to flip the advantage to his side in that time. He was bloodier and more bruised up now, split lip painting a thin red trail down to his chin while his long hair was in disarray, the bruises were a dark purple against his skin. His movements were jerky now as well, looking as if the blond would trip over his own two feet at a moment's notice. Akashi didn't look much better, but while Ritz was layered in bruises and spotted with random specks of blood, the redhead looked like he had just rolled around in a fire and barely made it out. Strands of his spiky hair had been burnt, the ends flecked with the black color of char. Parts of his pants and U.A jacket had small holes eaten through by Ritz's fire, with some still smoldering at the edges like lit charcoal as he kept his eyes trained on the blond.
A look passes between them; sizing each other up in search of any gaps or weaknesses. Areas either could go for to put the other out of commission once and for all. Even for as tired as he was, Akashi wasn't about to admit defeat, the fierce look on his face told it all. Lips pulled back, teeth barred as he panted for breath. It was completely forgotten that class was still in session, that he still had teammates behind him. All he had on his mind was the blond not even fifteen feet away from him. That infernal smirk was on his face, a tad crooked as his chest rose and fell in rapid succession. He swayed on his feet slightly, a bluff at going after Akashi, lunging forward just half a step only to fall back on the balls of his feet with a chuckle. Ritz was trying not to show just how tired he was but it was plenty obvious to both Akashi and Jeffrey even with his continuous taunting. For all he was going through, the blond viewed the whole thing as some elaborate game; a way to mess with the redhead and rile him up.
He didn't have to try very hard either, Akashi was already balling up his fists, coming at him for more. Despite how tired he must have been, how much the burns could have been paining him, Akashi still has the energy to bum rush Ritsuo again. He left out his quirk, only going for a normal charge, gearing himself up in an attempt to deck the blond in the face and knock that twisted smirk off. He would be the winner of this for sure; he was the next top hero, the ace of class 1-B and he demanded the respect for it. The fates were on his side as per usual; evident when Ritsuo tries to step back, moving his feet to slink away from the blow only to get his legs tangled underneath him and the boy collapses. Akashi sneers at him, the perfect image of someone ready to gloat, knowing full well that this was match just about done. Now all he needed was to seal it all together, to truly drive it home that he was leagues above the blond underneath him.
"This is what happens when you go for people you can't handle. You should have stayed with your little group of buddies when you had the chance, now you're getting torn apart by me, and you're still sitting there snickering to yourself?" Akashi plants himself on the blond, sitting on Ritsuo's stomach, pinning his arms above his head with one hand, slender fingers curled around the pale wrists. All that taunting and Ritz couldn't muster the strength to break free but true to what the redhead said, the boy chuckles from his position.
"You think that just because I'm on the ground, I'm suddenly out of this little fight. I'm far from giving up, I've still got one trick in my hat." Jeffrey was too far, but he could swear he saw something blue just behind Ritsuo's lips. An indigo glow that pulsed and flickered with his speech. Akashi hesitates, not sure if the other boy were being serious or if this was merely a bluff. No matter what it was, he wasn't going to let Ritz get to him, not again at least.
"You think some fancy light show with your mouth is gonna finish me off? That's past the point of some deranged day dream you got going on, fox face!" Just when it looked as if Ritsuo were going to unleash the ace up his sleeve, Nemuro finally breaks into action.
The boy that had always seemed so tired and exhausted, heavy bags under his eyes and all, suddenly cuts between the boys with a yell. "Enough! You two are clearly too dumb to just walk away from this, so I'm ending it myself!" His normally dull voice had more life in it than ever, shocking both boys to their cores. The blue light just past Ritsuo's lips goes out while Akashi drops his hands from the boy's neck. They both looked on in confusion as Nemuro places one hand on each of them, making sure that all five of his fingers make contact with their bodies. The digits begin glowing with a neon purple light, illuminating Nemuro's face contorted in anger and exertion as dozens of violet lights surge from his fingertips up to his elbows. The longer the lights traveled across his skin, the more exhausted he, Ritz and Akashi looked, with the latter two boys even beginning to yawn. They blinked at him blearily, confusion not able to reach their face as the intense need to just rest completely overtakes them. Akashi is the first to drift off into sleep, one hand on the fox boy's chest while the other had a loose hold on Ritsuo's shoulder. But it doesn't remain there for long because the fox boy is the next one to pass out, tipping back onto the grass with a gentle thump. As soon as the blond was out, the fires around them follow after, fading away into nothing but thin curls of black smoke. Nemuro nods in deep satisfaction, a thin smirk on his face just before he falls over backward, his head creating a near painful sounding thump.
Jeffrey rushes over to the boys, first leaning over the boy with violet locks as he checks him over for any other damage. The sound Nemuro's head had made when connecting with the ground left him worrying and fretting. He had been laying so still on the ground, hard to tell if he was even breathing and the corvid was beginning to think he had seriously injured himself in the process of stopping Ritsuo and Akashi from fighting. Then the sound of a deep, rumbled snore emanating from Nemuro's chest has the dark teen rolling his eyes heavily. But it was out of relief more so than annoyance, just glad that his classmate hadn't inadvertently offed himself. Gods, since when, were first days of school so exhausting?
End Chapter Two Part Three
AND there was part three of the first day of school! Man I thought the last chapter was a beast, this one is almost just as long XD
Who's your new fav oc? Anyone stand out this time? Did you get to know someone a bit more?
A warm welcome to Kaiya for getting her first scene intro scene! XD She should be the last of our females for 1-B for an intro. And aww, don't you guys just love how precious Ryoku is?! And what about Kokichi? He's definitely showing a new side compared to his entrance exam. And oh bless Ryuji's heart, he was going through some stuff this chapter XD What did you think of group three and group four? What about that ending scene? I guess you guys probably predicted the mischievous Ritz jumping in to cause some trouble huh? He and Akashi REALLY don't get along. I swear both of these groups were SO DIFFERENT. Like geez. We literally had this chapter written and then ended up rewriting it because it was too long and too overwhelming lol. Thank goodness Nemuro decided to use his quirk to put out this fight XD And poor Gracelynn just hanging on for the ride. She was so overwhelmed with this group of guys XD And dang, Jeffrey really was driving this group, to say the least. XD
Next chapter should be the ending of our day with an official intro for 1-A and maybe a few other characters? You will just have to wait and see ;D You guys know the drill, If you have any scene ideas, or even want to see certain characters interact, please let us know in your review.
Thanks again, everyone! Please remember to R&R. Advice and constructive criticism are both welcome.
Have a wonderful day! Hit us up on PM or through the forum! And don't forget to vote for the poll and to check out the TVTropes site to update your character profiles! Thanks, sweeties! It's great to be back! :D
